The Terminator soundtrack was composed by Brad Fiedel for The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and each of the four later films has a different composer. Marco Beltrami scored Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Danny Elfman scored Terminator Salvation, Lorne Balfe scored Terminator Genisys and Tom Holkenborg scored Terminator: Dark Fate. The best known song in the series is "You Could Be Mine" by Guns N' Roses, which is credited to Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Brad Fiedel1984, 1991
Marco Beltrami2003
Danny Elfman2009
Lorne Balfe2015
Tom Holkenborg2019
Five composers have scored the six Terminator films: Brad Fiedel, Marco Beltrami, Danny Elfman, Lorne Balfe and Tom Holkenborg. Fiedel wrote the music for the first two, starting with The Terminator (1984), directed by James Cameron and released in the US on October 26, 1984. He returned for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, also directed by Cameron and released in the US on July 3, 1991. Brad Fiedel composed the Terminator theme for The Terminator (1984).
The franchise changed hands after that, and each new director brought a new composer. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), directed by Jonathan Mostow, was scored by Marco Beltrami. Terminator Salvation (2009), directed by McG, was scored by Danny Elfman. Terminator Genisys (2015), directed by Alan Taylor, was scored by Lorne Balfe. Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), directed by Tim Miller, was scored by Tom Holkenborg.
| Film | Year | Composer |
|---|---|---|
| The Terminator | 1984 | Brad Fiedel |
| Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 1991 | Brad Fiedel |
| Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines | 2003 | Marco Beltrami |
| Terminator Salvation | 2009 | Danny Elfman |
| Terminator Genisys | 2015 | Lorne Balfe |
| Terminator: Dark Fate | 2019 | Tom Holkenborg |
The two films directed by James Cameron share one composer, Brad Fiedel, and each of the four films directed by someone else has a different composer.
Four of the six Terminator films have a notable song, and the most famous is "You Could Be Mine" by Guns N' Roses in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It is not in The Terminator (1984). It belongs to the second film, the one in which a reprogrammed older Terminator protects the young John Connor from the liquid metal T-1000.
| Film | Notable song |
|---|---|
| The Terminator (1984) | None credited |
| Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) | "You Could Be Mine" by Guns N' Roses |
| Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) | "The Current" by Blue Man Group (vocals by Gavin Rossdale) |
| Terminator Salvation (2009) | "Rooster" by Alice in Chains |
| Terminator Genisys (2015) | "Fighting Shadows" by Jane Zhang and Big Sean; "I Would Love to Change the World" by Jetta |
| Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) | None credited |
Terminator Genisys is the only film with two notable songs credited. Terminator Salvation, released in the US on May 21, 2009, is the one that uses "Rooster" by Alice in Chains, while Terminator 3, released in the US on July 2, 2003, pairs a Blue Man Group track with Gavin Rossdale on vocals.
The 1984 soundtrack album is a separate matter from those notable songs. Brad Fiedel composed and performed the score on synthesizers and is credited with all the instrumentation and production on the album, which came out on Enigma Records. The album also held songs. Tahnee Cain and Tryanglz performed three of them, "You Cannot Do That", "Burnin' in the Third Degree" and "Photoplay", and the act 16mm is billed with Jay Ferguson on "Pictures of You". Tryanglz and 16mm are credits on that 1984 album, not label names, and no source describes a separate reissue label under either name.
The songs run from 1991 (Terminator 2) to 2015 (Terminator Genisys), and neither the 1984 original nor Terminator: Dark Fate has a credited notable song. For the full run of films, see Terminator movies in order, and for the people on screen, the Terminator cast page.
Brad Fiedel scored The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Marco Beltrami scored Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Danny Elfman scored Terminator Salvation, Lorne Balfe scored Terminator Genisys and Tom Holkenborg scored Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), directed by Tim Miller.
Brad Fiedel composed the Terminator theme for The Terminator (1984), directed by James Cameron. He also scored Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
The notable song credited to Terminator 2: Judgment Day is "You Could Be Mine" by Guns N' Roses. The film's score was composed by Brad Fiedel.
"You Could Be Mine" by Guns N' Roses is in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). It is not credited to the original 1984 film.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines has "The Current" by Blue Man Group (vocals by Gavin Rossdale), Terminator Salvation has "Rooster" by Alice in Chains, and Terminator Genisys has "Fighting Shadows" by Jane Zhang and Big Sean and "I Would Love to Change the World" by Jetta.
No source consulted ties a specific song to the Tech Noir scene, so no single track can be named for it. The 1984 album, released on Enigma Records, holds three songs by Tahnee Cain and Tryanglz ("You Cannot Do That", "Burnin' in the Third Degree" and "Photoplay") and "Pictures of You" by 16mm with Jay Ferguson. Brad Fiedel composed and performed the score on synthesizers.