"Ghost Rider" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Ghost Rider (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" Soundtrack Description

Overview

What does a Gothic western for a Marvel anti-hero sound like? Christopher Young answers with an operatic, guitar-gnarled score that treats Johnny Blaze as both outlaw and omen. The commercial album—Ghost Rider (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)—is score-only, a 15-cue suite of choral surges, low brass, and snarling amps released alongside the film in February 2007. Source: Apple Music

In the movie, Young’s cues carry almost everything, but a handful of source songs—Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” George Thorogood’s “Who Do You Love,” ZZ Top’s “Tush,” a Strauss waltz—pop up diegetically, while end credits ride out on Spiderbait’s charged cover of “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.” The result: symphonic doom for destiny, jukebox muscle for showmanship. Source: Ringostrack; SoundtrackINFO; Wikipedia

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Christopher Young composed the original score.

What album was officially released?

Ghost Rider (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)—15 tracks, ~58 minutes. Digital and CD editions exist.

Which label is credited on the retail digital release?

© 2007 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., under exclusive license to Madison Gate Records, Inc.

Is there a separate “songs” album?

No. The retail album is score-only; the film’s rock/country cues were licensed in-film.

What plays over the end credits?

Spiderbait’s cover of “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.”

Who handled music supervision?

Dave Jordan is credited as music supervisor in trade listings.

Notes & Trivia

• Track titles wink at mythology and pulp—“Penance Stare,” “San Venganza,” “Nebuchadnezzar Phase,” “The West Was Built on Legends.” Source: Apple Music
• Spiderbait recorded multiple pieces for the production; their “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” cover became the end-credits curtain call. Source: Wikipedia; SoundtrackINFO
• CD pressings circulated on Varèse Sarabande (VSD-6789 in EU listings). Source: Discogs
• Trailer spots used library/other cues (e.g., Steve Jablonsky’s “The Island Awaits You”) separate from Young’s album. Source: SoundtrackINFO

Genres & Themes

Gothic orchestral + choir → damnation & fate. Brass chorales and choral blasts frame Blaze as cursed knight rather than quippy hero.

Overdriven guitars → combustion. Amp grind doubles the Hell Cycle; riffs punch transitions and impacts.

Bar-band/blues rock (source) → showman myth. Ozzy/Thorogood/ZZ Top cue up stunts and crowds—the human world before the skull ignites.

Tracks & Scenes

“Ghost Rider” — Christopher Young
Where it plays: Main title/identity material; opens the album and recurs around major transformations (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Sets the symphonic scale—battering brass and choir sell the myth.

“Penance Stare” — Christopher Young
Where it plays: Torture-glare confrontations (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Choir lifts the moral weight; strings grind like chains.

“Chain Chariot” — Christopher Young
Where it plays: Pursuit sequence underscored by whiplash rhythm (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Percussion + distorted bass mirror the flaming chain’s movement.

“San Venganza” — Christopher Young
Where it plays: Covenant/legend material near the climax (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Dark hymn for the lore dump; low brass + chant.

“The West Was Built on Legends” — Christopher Young
Where it plays: Late-film mythmaking beat and exit pulses (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Young’s cowboy-goth hybrid in a single cue—spurs and brimstone.

“(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” — Spiderbait
Where it plays: Carter Slade’s last ride into the end credits; also heard on the credits roll (diegetic-to-credits bridge).
Why it matters: The ballad the character deserves—folk myth, revved up. Source confirms end-credits usage

“Crazy Train” — Ozzy Osbourne
Where it plays: Stadium stunt build-up (football-field jump). Diegetic/PA ambience.
Why it matters: Arena classic primes the crowd and foreshadows chaos.

“Who Do You Love” — George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Where it plays: Immediately after the chopper-over-helicopters spectacle; swagger beat for aftermath. Diegetic.
Why it matters: Blues-boast as victory lap.

“Tush” — ZZ Top
Where it plays: Bar/crowd energy needle-drop. Diegetic.
Why it matters: Texas boogie underscores the carnival show-world that Johnny sells.

“Superstar” — The Carpenters
Where it plays: Quiet apartment/TV moment, an ironic soft touch amid mayhem. Diegetic/source.
Why it matters: Sweetness before the skull—character texture.

“Roses from the South, Op. 388” — Johann Strauss II
Where it plays: Elegant source cue noted in credits; used as posh diegetic color.
Why it matters: Old-world polish against demonic business.

Trailer/marketing: TV spots and trailers also leaned on non-album library/action cues (e.g., Steve Jablonsky’s “The Island Awaits You”) and commercial rock like The Prom Kings’ “Blow.”

Music–Story Links

Young scores Ghost Rider like a cursed gunslinger: choirs as judgment, guitars as ignition. When Johnny is just a showman, the movie pipes in crowd-pleasers—Ozzy, Thorogood, ZZ Top. When the demon takes the handlebars, the songs drop out and Young’s machinery takes over. Carter Slade’s final ride hands the myth to a folk standard, and the legend rolls on into the credits.

How It Was Made

Composer. Christopher Young was hired to deliver a heavy, guitar-laced orchestral score—he described building a cowboy-goth palette for a Marvel anti-hero. Source: interviews/reviews

Supervision & credits. Dave Jordan is credited as music supervisor in trade listings; additional music editorial credited to Steven A. Saltzman and others. Source: Variety; IMDb full credits

Album release. The 15-track score album appeared day-and-date with the film; streaming listings now carry the Madison Gate/Columbia Pictures line. Source: Apple Music; Spotify

Reception & Quotes

“Low, bass-heavy, action-packed… electric guitars grunt down in the mix and underpin the entire work.” Movie Music UK

“A ballsy operatic horror score that is even too good for the film.” MainTitles review

Even skeptics of the movie singled out the music’s scale and personality—Young’s score is often cited as the element that gives the film mythic weight. Source: review summaries

Additional Info

• Album makeup: Score-only; no commercial release for the Spiderbait cover or other songs as part of the OST.
• Selected non-album songs in film: “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” (Spiderbait); “Crazy Train” (Ozzy Osbourne); “Who Do You Love” (George Thorogood & The Destroyers); “Tush” (ZZ Top); Strauss’s “Roses from the South.”
• Trailer/TV: Library/action cues and Prom Kings’ “Blow” documented by fan/industry trackers.
• Physical editions: Varèse Sarabande CD pressings documented; digital editions credit Madison Gate Records. Source: Discogs; Apple Music

Technical Info

• Title: Ghost Rider (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2007
• Type: Original score album
• Composer: Christopher Young
• Music Supervisor: Dave Jordan
• Label (digital): Madison Gate Records (under license from Columbia Pictures)
• Selected notable placements: “Ghost Rider”; “Chain Chariot”; “Penance Stare”; “San Venganza”; “The West Was Built on Legends”; plus in-film songs listed above.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music; Spotify; Discogs; Variety; Wikipedia (film & music); SoundtrackINFO; Ringostrack; Movie Music UK; MainTitles review; IMDb credits pages.

November, 09th 2025