Planet of the Apes Soundtrack: Composers and Albums for Every Film

Seven composers have scored the ten Planet of the Apes films: Jerry Goldsmith, Leonard Rosenman, Tom Scott, Danny Elfman, Patrick Doyle, Michael Giacchino and John Paesano. Goldsmith and Rosenman each scored two of the original five, Elfman wrote the 2001 remake, and the modern films passed from Doyle to Giacchino to Paesano.

Jerry Goldsmith scored Planet of the Apes (1968), directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Its score album came from Project 3 Records in 1968, and the cues people search for include "Main Title", "The Forbidden Zone" and "The Search". Goldsmith returned for Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), directed by Don Taylor. "Escape from the Planet of the Apes: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" was issued by the Varèse Sarabande CD Club on October 12, 2009, with cues such as "The Zoo" and "The Gorilla Attack".

Leonard Rosenman scored Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), directed by Ted Post. Amos Records released "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" in 1970, and its titles include "March of the Apes", "The Chase" and "Mass of the Holy Bomb". Rosenman also scored Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), directed by J. Lee Thompson. Tom Scott wrote the music for Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), also directed by Thompson. Hollywood Records released "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" on March 13, 2020, with cues including "Ape Servitude" and "Caesar Speaks".

Danny Elfman scored Planet of the Apes (2001), directed by Tim Burton. "Planet of the Apes: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" came from Sony Classical on July 23, 2001, and carries "Ape Suite #1", "The Hunt" and "Thade Goes Ape".

Patrick Doyle scored Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), directed by Rupert Wyatt. Varèse Sarabande released the album on August 16, 2011, with 24 tracks including "Bright Eyes Escapes" and "Caesar Protects Charles".

Michael Giacchino scored both Matt Reeves films. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) has a Sony Classical album dated July 4, 2014, with "The Great Ape Processional" and "Monkey See, Monkey Coup". War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) followed on Sony Classical on July 7, 2017, with "The Bad Ape Bagatelle" and "Apes Together Strong".

John Paesano scored Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), directed by Wes Ball. Hollywood Records released the 29 track album on May 10, 2024, and its best-known cues include "Eagle Clan" and "Noa’s Purpose". For the order the films were released, see planet of the apes movies in order.

The Planet of the Apes films use only two licensed songs that stand out: "The Weight" by The Band in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and "Hey Joe" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience in War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). Everything else people search for under this soundtrack is orchestral score, so the signature pieces are cues named on the albums.

The five original films (1968 to 1973) carry no song credits on the music sheets, and the same goes for Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes (2001) and the other modern films. Their notable tracks are score cues. Planet of the Apes (1968) opens its Jerry Goldsmith album with "Main Title" and moves on to "The Forbidden Zone" and "No Escape". Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) has Leonard Rosenman's "March of the Apes" and "Mass of the Holy Bomb". Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) has "The Zoo" and "Shopping Spree". Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) has Tom Scott's "Subjugation Soul" and "Caesar Speaks". Planet of the Apes (2001) has Danny Elfman's "Ape Suite #1" and "Thade Goes Ape".

The modern run is where the songs appear. In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), "The Weight" plays after the humans get power running again, when someone at a gas station puts a CD into a player. Michael Giacchino's score album for that film includes "The Great Ape Processional" and "Monkey See, Monkey Coup". In War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), "Hey Joe" plays while the Colonel interrogates Caesar. Giacchino's album for that film includes "Apes Together Strong" and "The Bad Ape Bagatelle". Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) has Patrick Doyle's "Bright Eyes Escapes" and "Caesar Protects Charles", and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) has John Paesano's "Eagle Clan" and "Noa’s Purpose".

No source says either licensed song was written for its film, and no song credit is listed for the other films.

If you want to hear the series in story order, the planet of the apes timeline shows where each film sits, and the planet of the apes cast page covers who appears in each.

Our picks: the best songs in the Planet of the Apes films (opinion)

These are my own choices, so treat them as taste rather than fact. Only the first two are licensed songs, and the rest are score cues I would put on a playlist.

1. "Hey Joe" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience: in my opinion, a rock standard under an interrogation is the boldest music choice in the series.
2. "The Weight" by The Band: perhaps the gentlest moment in the saga, a familiar song in a changed world.
3. "Main Title" from Planet of the Apes (1968): it opens Goldsmith's album and sets the tone for everything that follows.
4. "March of the Apes" from Beneath the Planet of the Apes: the title alone tells you Rosenman wanted a military feel.
5. "Caesar Speaks" from Conquest of the Planet of the Apes: a fitting cue for the moment the series turns toward revolt.
6. "Thade Goes Ape" from Planet of the Apes (2001): Elfman's album gives the villain his own cue, which I enjoy.
7. "Apes Together Strong" from War for the Planet of the Apes: it is a strong rallying title from Giacchino.