# Inception (soundtrack)

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2010 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

Inception: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer Released July 13, 2010 (2010-07-13) Genre Film score Length 49:13 Label Reprise Producer Hans Zimmer Lorne Balfe Christopher Nolan Alex Gibson Hans Zimmer chronology Through the Wormhole (2010) Inception: Music from the Motion Picture (2010) Megamind (2010) Christopher Nolan film score chronology The Dark Knight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2008) Inception (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2010) The Dark Knight Rises (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2012)

***Inception: Music from the Motion Picture*** is the [soundtrack](/source/Soundtrack) to the 2010 [film of the same name](/source/Inception) directed by [Christopher Nolan](/source/Christopher_Nolan), released under [Reprise Records](/source/Reprise_Records) on July 13, 2010. [Hans Zimmer](/source/Hans_Zimmer) scored the film, marking his third collaboration with Nolan following *[Batman Begins](/source/Batman_Begins)* and *[The Dark Knight](/source/The_Dark_Knight)*.

## Production

According to Zimmer, the soundtrack for *Inception* is "a very electronic score".[1] 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".[2] At one point, while composing the score, Zimmer incorporated a guitar sound reminiscent of [Ennio Morricone](/source/Ennio_Morricone) and was interested in having [Johnny Marr](/source/Johnny_Marr), former guitarist in the influential 80s rock band [The Smiths](/source/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.[3][4]

For inspiration, Zimmer read *[Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid](/source/G%C3%B6del%2C_Escher%2C_Bach)* by [Douglas Hofstadter](/source/Douglas_Hofstadter) because it combined "the idea of playfulness in mathematics and playfulness in music".[2] Zimmer did not assemble a [temp score](/source/Temp_track) 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".[2] While writing the screenplay, Nolan wrote in [Édith Piaf](/source/%C3%89dith_Piaf)'s "[Non, je ne regrette rien](/source/Non%2C_je_ne_regrette_rien)" but almost took it out when he cast [Marion Cotillard](/source/Marion_Cotillard), who had just completed an Oscar-winning turn as Piaf in the 2007 film *[La Vie en rose](/source/La_Vie_en_rose_(film))*. Zimmer convinced Nolan to keep it in the film and also integrated elements of the song into his score;[3] 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](/source/Zack_Hemsey), which does not appear on the official soundtrack.[5] The soundtrack was nominated for several awards, including an [Academy Award](/source/Academy_Award), a [Golden Globe](/source/Golden_Globe), a [Grammy](/source/Grammy) and a [BAFTA](/source/BAFTA).

## Critical reception

Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating AllMusic [6] Empire [7] Filmtracks [8] Killerfilm [9] ScoreNotes [10]

James Southall of Movie Wave awarded the score five stars, calling it "Zimmer’s finest work in a number of years",[11] and Jim Lochner of Film Score Click Track, who said "Inception is one thrilling and trippy [...] musical ride",[12] awarding the score four and a half stars out of five.

## Track listing

All music is composed by [Hans Zimmer](/source/Hans_Zimmer).

Inception: Music from the Motion Picture No. Title Length 1. "Half Remembered Dream" 1:12 2. "We Built Our Own World" 1:55 3. "Dream Is Collapsing" 2:28 4. "Radical Notion" 3:43 5. "Old Souls" 7:44 6. "528491" 2:23 7. "Mombasa" 4:54 8. "One Simple Idea" 2:28 9. "Dream Within a Dream" 5:04 10. "Waiting for a Train" 9:30 11. "Paradox" 3:25 12. "Time" 4:35 Total length: 49:13

Bonus tracks No. Title Length 13. "Projections" 7:04 14. "Don't Think About Elephants" 5:35 Total length: 12:39

## Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Silver 60,000‡ ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Eisenberg, Mike (June 18, 2010). ["Hans Zimmer's 'Inception' Score Will Release On July 13th"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100625130549/http://screenrant.com/inception-score-hans-zimmers-mikee-65200/). *ScreenRant.com*. Archived from [the original](https://screenrant.com/inception-score-hans-zimmers-mikee-65200) on June 25, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Cassidy_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Cassidy_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Cassidy_2-2) Cassidy, Kevin (July 13, 2010). ["Q&A: Composer Hans Zimmer"](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/qampa-composer-hans-zimmer-25455). *[The Hollywood Reporter](/source/The_Hollywood_Reporter)*. Retrieved July 14, 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Martens_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Martens_3-1) Martens, Todd (July 20, 2010). ["Hans Zimmer and Johnny Marr talk about the sad romance of 'Inception'"](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). *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)*. Retrieved July 20, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Hans Zimmer Live at KCRW on Morning Becomes Eclectic 02.09.11"](http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb110209hans_zimmer). [KCRW](/source/KCRW). February 9, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Jeff Ames (December 30, 2010). ["Top Film Scores of 2010"](https://collider.com/top-movie-scores-2010/). Collider.com. Retrieved January 18, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Inception - Hans Zimmer | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic"](https://www.allmusic.com/album/inception-mw0002009769) – via www.allmusic.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Empire's Inception Soundtrack Review"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120217033942/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?SID=10253). *www.empireonline.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?SID=10253) on February 17, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Filmtracks: Inception (Hans Zimmer)"](http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/inception.html).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Full Movie — 123Movies"](https://123moviesgo.de/movies/star-trek-the-motion-picture-1979/).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Multiple resources in the form of reviews, interviews, guides and more"](https://ibooked.no/scorenotes.html). *ibooked.no*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Inception"](http://www.movie-wave.net/inception). December 31, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["CD Review: Inception"](https://filmscoreclicktrack.com/cd-review-inception/). July 19, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-United_KingdomHans_ZimmerInception_-_OstalbumCertRef_13-0)** ["British album certifications – Hans Zimmer – Inception - Ost"](https://www.bpi.co.uk/page/certified-awards). [British Phonographic Industry](/source/British_Phonographic_Industry). Retrieved July 26, 2024. *Select*albums*in the Formats field.* *Type*Inception - Ost Hans Zimmer*in the "Search:" field.*

## External links

- [Soundtrack official website](https://web.archive.org/web/20120616131408/http://www.inceptionscore.com/) at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) (archived June 16, 2012)

- [Soundtracks for *Inception*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/soundtrack) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb)

v t e Hans Zimmer Discography Accolades Soundtracks Black Rain (1989) Days of Thunder (1990) True Romance (1993) The Lion King (1994) Crimson Tide (1995) The Rock (1996) The Prince of Egypt (1998) The Thin Red Line (1998) The Road to El Dorado (2000) Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) Gladiator (2000) Hannibal (2001) Pearl Harbor (2001) Black Hawk Down (2002) Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Shark Tale (2004) Madagascar (2005) Batman Begins (2005) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) The Da Vinci Code (2006) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) The Simpsons Movie (2007) Pirates of the Caribbean: Soundtrack Treasures Collection (2007) Kung Fu Panda (2008) The Dark Knight (2008) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) Sherlock Holmes (2009) Angels & Demons (2009) It's Complicated (2009) Inception (2010) Megamind (2010) Rango (2011) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Rush (2013) Man of Steel (2013) The Lone Ranger (2013) 12 Years a Slave (2013) Winter's Tale (2014) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) Interstellar (2014) Chappie (2015) The Little Prince (2015) Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Hidden Figures (2017) The Boss Baby (2017) Dunkirk (2017) Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Widows (2018) Dark Phoenix (2019) The Lion King (2019) Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2021) The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021) No Time to Die (2021) Dune (2021) Army of Thieves (2021) Top Gun: Maverick (2022) The Creator (2023) Dune: Part Two (2024) Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) Blitz (2024) F1 (2025) Singles "Click Clack Symphony" Related Remote Control Productions Bleeding Fingers Music Category

v t e World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Score of the Year 2000s Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain – Yann Tiersen (2001) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Howard Shore (2002) Frida – Elliot Goldenthal (2003) Cold Mountain – Gabriel Yared (2004) War of the Worlds – John Williams (2005) The Constant Gardener – Alberto Iglesias (2006) The Fountain – Clint Mansell (2007) Atonement – Dario Marianelli (2008) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Alexandre Desplat (2009) 2010s Fantastic Mr. Fox – Alexandre Desplat (2010) Inception – Hans Zimmer (2011) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Alberto Iglesias (2012) Life of Pi – Mychael Danna (2013) The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat (2014) Birdman – Antonio Sánchez (2015)

Authority control databases MusicBrainz release group

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Inception (soundtrack)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception_(soundtrack)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception_(soundtrack)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.