Media and Music: Ranking the “Twilight” Saga Soundtracks
The “Twilight” Saga: its iconic cinematography, music, and notorious blue filter made it one of the most memorable series of its time. So “hold on tight, spider monkey” because here’s our ranking of the series' five unforgettable soundtracks that we’re “unconditionally and irrevocably” obsessed with.
In Media and Music, our writers take a deep dive into how movies use scores and songs to engage viewers, give new meaning and tone to some of our favorite scenes, and establish themes. It almost goes without saying, but there are spoilers abound.
Written by Caroline Harrison
Illustrated by Micaela Galvez
Images courtesy of Summit Entertainment
With five movies spanning 2008 to 2012, the “Twilight” Saga made a quick and deep mark in pop culture that we still see today in literature, film, and music. Between the movies’ growing attention on TikTok and resurfacing on multiple streaming platforms, everyone’s rediscovering what it was about the series that drew us in all those years ago.
From its blue-tinged beginning to its action-packed end, the series has a way of making fans feel like they are in the small town of Forks, Washington, too. Navigating high school, immortal evils, and way too many hormones, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen learn that love between a human and vampire is possible — if you’re willing to fight for it. Close, emotional shots of Bella and Edward captivated audiences with their love and hardship. Wide, panoramic views established a dark and mysterious world of the paranormal. But these shots aren’t enough on their own to create a dedicated fanbase of this magnitude.
Behind each scene, the “Twilight” Saga utilizes unique and memorable songs that set the tone of each movie and curate a specific sound for the entire franchise. Building off the characters’ emotions and personalities, these soundtracks have remained a key component of their cemented influence. But some of the movies’ soundtracks are more effective at setting the scene and building the narrative than others. Keep reading for Afterglow's ranking of the "Twilight" Saga's soundtracks.
5. “eclipse”
With the return of Victoria and a newborn vampire army, “Eclipse” is the exciting third installment of the “Twilight” series and has an equally exciting soundtrack to match. “Jacob’s Theme” by Howard Shore and an instrumental version of Metric’s “Eclipse (All Yours)” continue the series’ affinity for piano-centered scores that subtly emphasize the seriousness of particular scenes. “Jacob’s Theme” appears in various scenes with Jacob Black; this recurring song further separates Jacob’s character from other side characters as Eclipse focuses on his unrequited love for Bella. Whereas tracks like “Bella’s Lullaby” and “Eclipse (All Yours)” emphasize how Bella and Edward compliment each other in their relationship, Jacob has his own song that’s isolated from Bella, showing how their relationship will never be like hers with Edward. While he becomes a more important character in “New Moon,” “Eclipse” is when tensions between Jacob and Edward over Bella reach new heights and this theme highlights that conflict. Acting as the primary theme throughout the movie, “Eclipse (All Yours)” is the perfect sentimental and unabashed track to show Bella and Edward’s relationship stabilize despite the hurdles they face with Jacob and Victoria. While Jasper teaches the Cullen family and the Quileute wolf pack how to fight newborn vampires, “With You in My Head (feat. The Black Angels)” by UNKLE adds a more playful tone amid the approaching fight with upbeat, yet slightly sinister instrumentation and lyricism.
Though these songs, among others, greatly add to the quality and mood of “Eclipse,” the overall soundtrack doesn’t add the same striking depth as the other movies. Perhaps the characters’ own emotional distance in much of the movie explains the songs’ general sense of removal outside of these songs. “Eclipse” still has a cohesive sound that upholds the movie’s themes of revenge, unrequited love, and new beginnings, but lacks the bite that the other films possess.
4. “Breaking Dawn Part II”
As the final installment in the “Twilight” Saga, “Breaking Dawn Part II” uses its powerful and emotional soundtrack to support a climactic battle and a heartfelt ending to the series. The nervousness of the previous film’s cliffhanger following Bella’s near-death experience quickly dissipates as she awakens, a newly transformed vampire, and takes notice of her heightened senses. The dreamy instrumentals of Passion Pit’s “Where I Come From,” embodies Bella and Edward’s joy after being reunited. Despite the troubles sure to come, Bella and Edward’s determination and hope is shown through this song’s upbeat and whimsical instrumentation and optimistic lyrics (“Though things are not what they seem, I won't let them destroy these dreams, They're just things, Silly little things, They're only things, I think we'll be alright.” The subtle keys of Carter Burwell’s “Plus Que Ma Prope Vie” can be heard fluttering throughout the rest of the film. With a mysterious, dream-like rhythm reminiscent of “Bella’s Lullaby,” featured in the first “Twilight” movie, the arrangement adds nostalgia amid the new characters and conflict. Unlike previous scores, this dramatic piece utilizes an orchestra instead of focusing on a lone piano, reflecting how the Cullens have to depend on their friends in their time of need. At the end of the movie, Bella and Edward return to their meadow and she shares a montage of their relationship to Christina Perri and Steve Kazee’s “A Thousand Years." The duet’s passionate lyrics align with the recollection of the couple’s difficult journey to a happy ending after searching for each other all this time.
The satisfying soundtrack to “Breaking Dawn Part II” aligns with the previous movies’ foreboding tone and concludes on a new note now that Edward and Bella finally discover peace. Despite the growing tensions and resolution of the final movie, this soundtrack overall lacks the proper amount of nostalgia and pensiveness that the long series deserved.
3. “Breaking Dawn Part I”
With Bella and Edward’s wedding, honeymoon, and pregnancy, there are a lot of sudden changes in “Breaking Dawn Part I” and it’s reflected in the soundtrack. During their wedding, Bella walks down the aisle to an instrumental version of Sleeping At Last’s “Turning Page.” The song begins slowly with a tentative piano melody and gradually filtered-in strings as Bella nervously approaches the altar, but the music builds as she makes eye contact with Edward. Reflecting her emotions and transitioning to Iron & Wine’s wedding version of “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” with more mature, isolated vocals and jazz-like instrumentation during their vows, this scene intertwines new and old songs to reminisce about their relationship and start their future. The couple’s honeymoon shows a playful side to their relationship, with energetic tracks like “From Now On” by The Features playing while the two enjoy the closest to a normal life they’ve had as they play chess, swim, and hike. When Bella’s unexpected pregnancy takes a toll on her health and her labor leaves her on the verge of death, Carter Burwell’s “Love Death Birth,” mirrors the uncertainty and tragedy of the scene, contrary to the movie’s previously upbeat soundtrack. The emotional arrangement revisits elements and phrases of “Bella’s Lullaby” as she sees moments of her life pass by. The incorporation of a single guitar melody halfway through the piano-led track encapsulates the journey that’s led Bella to this moment and Edward as he tries to save her.
With the perfect balance of old and new themes, the “Breaking Dawn Part I” soundtrack symbolizes new beginnings with established foundations. While remembering the beginning of their relationship, this movie and its corresponding score explore Bella and Edward’s marriage in its honeymoon phase and as they encounter their biggest conflict yet.
2. “Twilight”
As the first movie in the series, “Twilight” considerably has the most well-known soundtrack. Introducing songs like Howard Shore’s “Bella’s Lullaby” and Iron & Wine’s “Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” this film set the mysterious and romantic tone for the rest of the series. The most recognizable song throughout the entire series is “Bella’s Lullaby,” a piano arrangement that is first heard as Edward plays it for Bella, the track embodying his feelings for her. By playing the theme himself, he reveals his perspective and how he interprets their relationship from the beginning, contrary to the rest of the story that follows Bella’s narration. Dancing to “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” at prom, Bella and Edward reflect on the previous events and the lyrics like “Have I found you? Flightless bird, brown hair bleeding / Or lost you? American mouth” foreshadow the difficult journey ahead of them when it’s revealed that Victoria, a vampire grieving her murdered mate, was watching them. Iron & Wine’s lyricism and shaky vocals expose the characters’ emotions in a vulnerable way after everything they’ve been through. The soundtrack also builds excitement and suspense through tracks like Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” and “Eyes On Fire” by Blue Foundation. During the baseball scene with the Cullens, Muse’s dynamic and moving song explores the siblings’ competitive sides and Bella’s surprise at their strength and speed. Coupled with Bella’s narration revealing the truth behind the strange “animal” attacks, Blue Foundation’s eerie and suspended vocals act as a seamless transition between Bella’s experiences and the murders she’s heard about.
With songs from Paramore, Muse, Radiohead, and more, the “Twilight” soundtrack balances its moody piano themes with music that further characterizes Bella’s struggle of fitting in with humans while balancing and exploring the plot of the movie and her relationship with Edward.
“New Moon”
Each soundtrack in the “Twilight” Saga parallels the themes of each film, with “New Moon” perfectly capturing Bella’s emotional state when the Cullens leave Forks after the locals grow suspicious of the vampire family for never aging. The piano-focused “New Moon (The Meadow)” by Alexandre Desplat is the primary theme of the movie, which departs from “Bella’s Lullaby” the same way Edward leaves Bella. It still uses the same instrumentation to represent Bella’s internal state, but its melody changes to represent her emotional turmoil during Edward’s absence. Whereas the melody in “Bella’s Lullaby” had phrases of descent and chords representing the couple falling in love together, “New Moon (The Meadow)” has a single-note melody throughout most of the piece that returns to the first note at the end of every phrase. This lonely, recurring theme emphasizes Bella’s isolation and her monotonous life since Edward left. The most notable song of “New Moon” is Lykke Li’s “Possibility,” which plays as Bella sinks into depression when Edward leaves her to keep her safe from his family and other vampires. As the months pass and Bella stays in place, the song’s steady beat and repetitive lyrics mark the months progressing despite her resignation. This sense of helplessness is also portrayed when Edward breaks up with Bella as “Roslyn” by Bon Iver and St. Vincent plays in the background. As she begins to search for normalcy after their break up, Bella begins spending time with her childhood friend Jacob Black, and the soundtrack reflects her slowly healing heart. Tracks like Death Cab for Cutie’s “Meet Me on the Equinox,” OK Go’s “Shooting the Moon,” and “Monsters” by Hurricane Bells signal Bella’s gradual self-improvement as she grows closer to Jacob. “Shooting the Moon,” in particular, shows a positive progression in time that contrasts “Possibility.” As Jacob and Bella spend many days together repairing motorcycles, the steady, upbeat song explores their emerging friendship and how it’s slowly helping Bella find a new normal.
Edward’s absence throughout most of “New Moon” allows the soundtrack to focus on Bella’s identity and relationships without Edward. A large portion of the movie focuses on internal conflicts instead of outward plot, so the corresponding tracks are more introspective into Bella’s character and her self-development.
Overall, the “Twilight” Saga utilizes songs that fit the external plot progression and provide internal character development for Bella, Edward, and Jacob. With a cohesive sound between the five movies, this series has explored how music enhances the emotions and pacing of a film, and further characterizes people beyond their scripts. Though some of the movies do this more effectively than others, it’s safe to say that these soundtracks will continue to be our “own personal brand of heroin” long after this “Twilight" renaissance ends.