It's saying something when even people who don't like the Twilight films have praised the soundtrack and score as being incredible. The soundtrack is generally an awesome mix of indie rock, alternative rock and pop rock by various artists, while the score was composed by the award-nominated-and-winning Carter Burwell (Twilight and Breaking Dawn Parts 1 and 2), Alexandre Desplat (New Moon) and Howard Shore (Eclipse).
Twilight
- "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
by Iron & Wine is one of the prettiest songs on all the Twilight soundtracks. While the lyrics are definitely strange, the melody and tune of the song is beautiful. There's even a reprise in the 4th movie! - "Let Me Sign" by Robert Pattinson (singing starts at 0:48). Rob's gravely voice is very interesting. Fun fact: Nikki Reed ("Rosalie") secretly recorded Rob singing this and gave it to director Catherine Hardwicke. They played Bella's "death" scene over and over again with a bunch of different songs, and this one fit the best.
- "Bella's Lullaby" from the score. Carter Burwell had to compose something that in the books was this big romantic, lovely piece, and he managed to exceed most expectations.
- "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse. Though it hasn't got much to do lyrically with the scene in question (the Cullens playing baseball), it's still a great song and made the scene just a tad more awesome. Also worth noting that Stephenie Meyer likely had an influence here, Muse being one of her favourite bands.
- "Decode" by Paramore, which plays over the end credits, was written specifically for Twilight (and even includes clips of the film in the music video) and many people feel it perfectly encapsulates the film’s story and Bella’s feelings towards finding out the truth about Edward, though it’s also a great song in its own right. It also makes it well worth sitting through the credits even if you didn't much care for the film.
- "I Caught Myself" by Paramore is a very pretty track which allows itself to be softer while still having a rock edge. The song plays during a scene where Jessica and Bella are shopping for prom dresses. If "Decode" is about Bella's confusion towards Edward, "I Caught Myself" is about Bella's feelings about Jacob, an unrequited love (as per Jacob) that cannot be resolved.
- “Eyes on Fire” by Blue Foundation has over 35 million plays on Youtube. Maybe it’s a case of Song Association, maybe it’s because it’s just a damn good song and maybe it’s a mix of both. As with "Decode", it can easily be interpreted as Bella's feelings of frustration over Edward's secretive nature and strange behaviour - indeed, it plays over the scene where Bella returns to school intending to confront Edward for being a Jerkass to her in their first class together, only to find he's disappeared for a whole week, essentially kickstarting Bella's quest to find out the truth about him.
- "Phascination Phase" is a lovely track that rather nicely portrays the feeling of someone sparking your interest and wanting to know more about them.
- "15 Steps" by Radiohead plays out over the first part of the end credits, starting from when Victoria takes her wig off and walks down the stairs smiling evilly, and continuing through the cast and character roles to a Victorian era-style silhouette of Vamp!Edward biting Bella's neck as the title shows.
- The melancholy "Leave Out All the Rest" by Linkin Park plays out over the second part of the end credits. It sounds as if Edward is speaking to Bella about his wrongdoings of being a vampire.
- "The Lion Fell in Love with the Lamb" is a simple, yet very pretty, calming and ever so slightly melancholic track that plays when Bella and Edward have their romantic moment in the meadow and confess their love. It sums up the nature of their relationship - a vampire and a human in love in spite of the danger - rather well.
New Moon
- "Hearing Damage" by Thom Yorke. A cool techno-pop song that isn't Dubstep. The lyrics ("In my eyes/ You can do no wrong") fit really well for the movie.
- "Possibility" by Lykke Li. Played during Bella's depression, this song is hauntingly slow and fragile, showing the delicacy of Bella's mind and emotions.
- "A White Demon Love Song" by The Killers is an alt-rock song that perfectly sums up the book's premise. Of course, the "white demon" is Edward; "widen your heart's scope" is referring to Bella, telling her to love Jacob and be happy with a (more) normal boyfriend, to open her heart to a new love; "who let your friends go?" is nodding to Bella's lack of human friends for the first few months post-Edward; "let us be in love" means that Edward and Bella's relationship is controversial and that they just want to be together, without any complications or danger; "let's do old and gray" is a bit obvious, but captures Jacob's desire to be with Bella until they age and die, something she could never have with Edward; "white demon, where's your selfish kiss?" is talking about Edward and his vampire bite. Jacob wonders if Edward would bite and kill Bella due to his own bloodlust.
- "Slow Life" by Grizzly Bear, feat. Victoria Legrand. Only a small section of the song is played during the scene where Bella almost drowns and sees Edward's 'ghost', but it's still very effective (the full song is well worth a listen too). The lyrics of the song ("Even though you're the only one I see/It's the last catastrophe/Place your bets on chance and apathy") encapsulate Bella's feelings around Edward in the scene, and by extension the rest of the film, quite well.
- The delightfully sinister, regal and dramatic "Volturi Waltz", which accompanies the scene introducing Bella and the audience to the Volturi and sums up their characters well. It sounds like a track that could almost be used for any aristocratic and disarmingly charming vampire.
- "Edward Leaves" does an excellent job of encapsulating Bella's feelings of initial confusion, growing understanding, desperation and heartbreak when Edward, well, leaves.
- "Romeo & Juliet" from the score (playing over the scene where Edward and Bella are watching Romeo and Juliet in class) has a classically romantic feel to it, with a hint of tragedy.
- "Meet Me On the Equinox" by Death Cab For Cutie. A melancholy alt rock song that plays over the end credits, its singer entreats their lover to "meet [them] halfway" and be with them, flaws and all, even knowing that "everything ends". It was written specifically for the film but isn't exclusively tied to New Moon's narrative, with singer Ben Gibbard stating "The song at its core is just about meeting another halfway, because life is very short, because there's only a brief period of time to really connect with people, and that it's important to recognize that." In the context of the film, it could easily apply to any of the three leads.
Eclipse:
- "What Part Of Forever" by Cee Lo Green, an old school soul-pop jam that perfectly encapsulates Jacob's character, and is surprisingly upbeat sounding considering the franchise's regular musical outings.
- "My Love" by Sia. It's an absolutely beautiful and poignant love song, that managed to create a suitably romantic and emotional atmosphere for when Edward proposes to Bella.
- "Heavy In Your Arms" by Florence and the Machine. The lyrics speak of a person who knows their love for another can be burdensome and is taking a toll on both of them. In regards to the film, it can easily be interpreted as Bella's feelings of guilt over her relationships with both Edward and Jacob; she feels that she is endangering and causing them emotional strife, and in Jacob's case that her inability to fully return his love is causing him pain.
- "The Kiss" is an epic, bittersweet track that really makes the scene where the tension between Bella and Jacob reaches a head and she asks him to kiss her. Bella finally acknowledges that she loves Jacob as more than a friend and Jacob is able to share a kiss with the girl he loves that she wants too, but they both know she will still probably choose Edward over him.
- "Rolling in on a Burning Tire" by The Dead Weather is an eerie, darkly sensual alt-rock track. A snippet of the song is heard when Victoria and Riley are discussing their plot to kill the Cullens before becoming physically intimate; it's made clear that Victoria is manipulating Riley, who mistakenly believes they're in love and vows to destroy the Cullens for her. Listening to the entirely of the song beyond what is heard in the film, the lyrics have hints towards Riley and Victoria's sinister, one-sided relationship. The song on its own is definitely worth listening to, as well.
Breaking Dawn: Part 1:
- "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. Composed for Breaking Dawn, this is the kind of simple pretty song that could be used for almost any love story, romantic, familial, or otherwise. There's even a reprise in the sequel!
- "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars is a sad (if a bit wangsty at times) song about heartbreak and its various stages.
- "Cold" by Aqualung and Lucy Schwartz is a hauntingly sad song that easily emotes the feelings of despair and helplessness Edward and Bella initially feel during her pregnancy.
- "Turning Page" by Sleeping at Last is a rather sweet and touching love song that plays when Bella and Edward finally consummate their relationship, helping to frame it as a romantic moment that's about an emotional connection as much as a physical one.
Breaking Dawn: Part 2:
- "Renesmee's Lullaby / Something Terrible". It starts out as a similar tune to "Bella's Lullaby", a calming, almost whimsical piano piece, then near the end shifts into something much darker and more dramatic complete with a choir and a tolling bell, ending on a positively sinister note for a track with "Lullaby" in the title. It perfectly reflects the protagonists' arc in the final film; at the beginning everything is relatively idyllic, with Bella and the Cullens finally getting their happily ever after, only for the growing threat of the Volturi to encroach on their peaceful lives, with the increasing fear that not all of them - if any - will make it out alive.
- "Where I Come From" by Passion Pit is a very uplifting-sounding song, which plays when Bella awakens as a vampire and sees the world for the first time with her new abilities. It helps add a sense of wonderment to the scene, and its lyrics about staying positive and not letting bad things "destroy these dreams" seem quite fitting with Bella's new state of being after all the horror that occurred in the previous film.
