{{use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox album | name = Inception: Music from the Motion Picture | type = Soundtrack | artist = [[Hans Zimmer]] | cover = Inception OST.jpg | alt = | released = {{Start date|2010|7|13}} | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = [[Film score]] | length = 49:13 | label = [[Reprise Records|Reprise]] | producer = Hans Zimmer<br />[[Lorne Balfe]]<br />[[Christopher Nolan]]<br />[[Alex Gibson (music producer)|Alex Gibson]] | prev_title = [[Through the Wormhole]] | prev_year = 2010 | next_title = [[Megamind]] | next_year = 2010 | misc = {{Extra chronology | artist = [[Christopher Nolan]] film score | type = soundtrack | prev_title = [[The Dark Knight (soundtrack)|The Dark Knight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)]] | prev_year = 2008 | title = Inception (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | year = 2010 | next_title = [[The Dark Knight Rises (soundtrack)|The Dark Knight Rises (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)]] | next_year = 2012 }} }} '''''Inception: Music from the Motion Picture''''' is the [[soundtrack]] to the 2010 [[Inception|film of the same name]] directed by [[Christopher Nolan]], released under [[Reprise Records]] on July 13, 2010. [[Hans Zimmer]] scored the film, marking his third collaboration with Nolan following ''[[Batman Begins]]'' and ''[[The Dark Knight]]''.
==Production== According to Zimmer, the soundtrack for ''Inception'' is "a very electronic score".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://screenrant.com/inception-score-hans-zimmers-mikee-65200 |title=Hans Zimmer's 'Inception' Score Will Release On July 13th |work=ScreenRant.com |access-date=July 1, 2010 |date=June 18, 2010 |first=Mike |last=Eisenberg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100625130549/http://screenrant.com/inception-score-hans-zimmers-mikee-65200/ |archive-date=June 25, 2010 }}</ref> Nolan asked Zimmer to compose and finish the score as he was shooting the film. The composer said, "He wanted to unleash my imagination in the best possible way".<ref name="Cassidy">{{cite news |last=Cassidy |first=Kevin |title=Q&A: Composer Hans Zimmer |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=July 13, 2010 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/qampa-composer-hans-zimmer-25455 |access-date=July 14, 2010}}</ref> At one point, while composing the score, Zimmer incorporated a guitar sound reminiscent of [[Ennio Morricone]] and was interested in having [[Johnny Marr]], former guitarist in the influential 80s rock band [[The Smiths]], play these parts. Zimmer's reported inspiration was finding a synthesizer track that he had written similar to Marr's guitar style. Nolan agreed with Zimmer's suggestion, and then Zimmer approached Marr, who accepted his offer. Marr spent four 12-hour days working on the score, playing notes written by Zimmer with a 12-string guitar.<ref name="Martens">{{cite news |last=Martens |first=Todd |title=Hans Zimmer and Johnny Marr talk about the sad romance of 'Inception' |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=July 20, 2010 |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/07/inception-christopher-nolan-the-smiths-johnny-marr-hans-zimmer-and-johnny-marr-on-the-sound-of-inception-its-about-sadness.html |access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb110209hans_zimmer|title=Hans Zimmer Live at KCRW on Morning Becomes Eclectic 02.09.11|publisher=[[KCRW]]|date=2011-02-09|access-date=2011-11-01}}</ref>
For inspiration, Zimmer read ''[[Gödel, Escher, Bach|Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid]]'' by [[Douglas Hofstadter]] because it combined "the idea of playfulness in mathematics and playfulness in music".<ref name="Cassidy" /> Zimmer did not assemble a [[Temp track|temp score]] but "every now and then they would call and say 'we need a little something here.' But that was OK because much of the music pieces aren't that scene-specific. They fall into little categories".<ref name="Cassidy" /> While writing the screenplay, Nolan wrote in [[Édith Piaf]]'s "[[Non, je ne regrette rien]]" but almost took it out when he cast [[Marion Cotillard]], who had just completed an Oscar-winning turn as Piaf in the 2007 film ''[[La Vie en rose (film)|La Vie en rose]]''. Zimmer convinced Nolan to keep it in the film and also integrated elements of the song into his score;<ref name="Martens" /> in particular, the film's iconic brass instrument fanfare resembles a slowed-down version of the song's instrumentation.
The trailers for the film feature specially composed music by [[Zack Hemsey]], which does not appear on the official soundtrack.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/top-movie-scores-2010/ |title=Top Film Scores of 2010 |author=Jeff Ames |publisher=Collider.com |date=2010-12-30 |access-date=2011-01-18}}</ref> The soundtrack was nominated for several awards, including an [[Academy Award]], a [[Golden Globe]], a [[Grammy]] and a [[BAFTA]].
==Critical reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = [[AllMusic]] | rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/inception-mw0002009769|title=Inception - Hans Zimmer | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic|via=www.allmusic.com}}</ref> | rev2 = [[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]] | rev2score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?SID=10253 |title=Empire's Inception Soundtrack Review |website=www.empireonline.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217033942/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?SID=10253 |archive-date=17 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev3 = [[Filmtracks.com|Filmtracks]] | rev3Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/inception.html|title = Filmtracks: Inception (Hans Zimmer)}}</ref> | rev4 = Killerfilm | rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://123moviesgo.de/movies/star-trek-the-motion-picture-1979/|title=Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Full Movie — 123Movies}}</ref> | rev5 = ScoreNotes | rev5Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ibooked.no/scorenotes.html|title=Multiple resources in the form of reviews, interviews, guides and more.|website=ibooked.no}}</ref> | rev1score = }}
James Southall of Movie Wave awarded the score five stars, calling it "Zimmer’s finest work in a number of years",<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.movie-wave.net/inception|title = Inception|date = 31 December 2010}}</ref> and Jim Lochner of Film Score Click Track, who said "Inception is one thrilling and trippy [...] musical ride",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://filmscoreclicktrack.com/cd-review-inception/|title = CD Review: Inception|date = 19 July 2010}}</ref> awarding the score four and a half stars out of five.
==Track listing== {{Track listing | all_music = [[Hans Zimmer]] | headline = ''Inception: Music from the Motion Picture'' | total_length = 49:13 | title1 = Half Remembered Dream | length1 = 1:12 | title2 = We Built Our Own World | length2 = 1:55 | title3 = Dream Is Collapsing | length3 = 2:28 | title4 = Radical Notion | length4 = 3:43 | title5 = Old Souls | length5 = 7:44 | title6 = 528491 | length6 = 2:23 | title7 = Mombasa | length7 = 4:54 | title8 = One Simple Idea | length8 = 2:28 | title9 = Dream Within a Dream | length9 = 5:04 | title10 = Waiting for a Train | length10 = 9:30 | title11 = Paradox | length11 = 3:25 | title12 = Time | length12 = 4:35 }} {{Track listing | headline = Bonus tracks | total_length = 12:39 | title13 = Projections | length13 = 7:04 | title14 = Don't Think About Elephants | length14 = 5:35 }}
== Certifications == {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|relyear=2010|certyear=2024|title=Inception - Ost|artist=Hans Zimmer|type=album|award=Silver|id=20201-3979-2|access-date=July 26, 2024}} {{Certification Table Bottom | noshipments=true|nosales=true|streaming=true}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616131408/http://www.inceptionscore.com/|title=Soundtrack official website|date=June 16, 2012}} * [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/soundtrack Soundtracks for ''Inception''] at [[IMDb]]
{{Hans Zimmer}} {{WSA for Best Original Score of the Year}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inception (soundtrack)}} [[Category:2010 soundtrack albums]] [[Category:2010s film soundtrack albums]] [[Category:Action film soundtracks]] [[Category:Film scores]] [[Category:Hans Zimmer soundtracks]] [[Category:Reprise Records soundtracks]] [[Category:Science fiction film soundtracks]] [[Category:Scores that won the Saturn Award for Best Music]] [[Category:Scores that won the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Score]] [[Category:Scores that won the World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Score of the Year]]