"Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" Soundtrack Lyrics

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"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 — Score & Soundtrack (2014)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you soundtrack propaganda, trauma, and a war fought on television? Mockingjay – Part 1 splits its music into two lanes: a restrained, pressure-first score by James Newton Howard and a pop-leaning companion album curated by Lorde. The score album (Republic Records) arrived in late November 2014 and notably includes Jennifer Lawrence’s diegetic centerpiece, “The Hanging Tree.” The companion soundtrack (Republic) dropped a week earlier with Lorde’s lead single “Yellow Flicker Beat.”

Only two songs are on-screen in the feature: the folk dirge “The Hanging Tree” (sung by Katniss in-story) and Lorde’s “Yellow Flicker Beat” over the first end-credit card. Everything else about the movie’s sound leans on close-mic’d strings, tense electronics, and silence-as-dread.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score and where was it recorded?

James Newton Howard; principal sessions at AIR Lyndhurst, London.

Which songs actually play in the movie?

“The Hanging Tree” (diegetic; also reprises over credits) and Lorde’s “Yellow Flicker Beat” (first end-credit cue).

Who curated the songs album?

Lorde. The set features CHVRCHES, The Chemical Brothers with Miguel & Lorde, Tove Lo, Ariana Grande & Major Lazer, Stromae with Pusha T/Q-Tip/HAIM, and more.

Was “The Hanging Tree” on the original songs album?

Not at first. It premiered on the score, then was added to the soundtrack’s digital re-release after it charted.

Who supervised the film’s music?

Alexandra Patsavas.

Does the franchise’s Capitol anthem appear here?

Yes—“Horn of Plenty” returns within score cues as the regime’s pageant motif.

Notes & Trivia

• “The Hanging Tree” credits list Suzanne Collins (lyrics) with composition by members of The Lumineers and production by James Newton Howard; it became the series’ highest-charting song.
• Lorde’s “Yellow Flicker Beat” led the marketing and opens the end credits; a Kanye West rework (“Flicker”) lives on the album.
• The score album runs ~70 minutes; the companion soundtrack ~50 minutes (standard edition).
• Key music department roles include music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas and supervising music editor Jim Weidman.

Genres & Themes

Textural orchestral suspense → breath-close strings, low brass swells, and minimal percussion keep everything intimate and political.

Folk anthem as contagion → “The Hanging Tree” moves from a single voice to a crowd chorus, turning song into uprising.

Electro-pop companion palette → curated cuts (Lorde, CHVRCHES, Chemical Brothers) sketch the world around the film rather than inside it.

Tracks & Scenes

Guide: diegetic = heard by characters. Timings vary by platform; placements align with the film’s credits, album sequencing, and widely cited cue logs.

“District 12 Ruins” — James Newton Howard
Where it plays: Katniss returns to the ash field; non-diegetic.
Scene: Strings sit uncomfortably close as the camera finds bone and soot. No big theme, just air and shock.
Why it matters: Establishes the film’s refusal to romanticize loss.

“Snow’s Speech” — James Newton Howard
Where it plays: Broadcast intimidation; non-diegetic around screens.
Scene: The mix lets Snow’s voice dominate while harmony tightens beneath it.
Why it matters: Sound as state power.

“Air Raid Drill” — James Newton Howard
Where it plays: District 13 bunker drill; non-diegetic.
Scene: Staccato patterns mirror footsteps and orders; the cue snaps to silence as doors seal.
Why it matters: Rhythm = control; the room becomes an instrument.

“District 8 Hospital” — James Newton Howard
Where it plays: Visit and strike; non-diegetic turning urgent.
Scene: Medical calm fractures under bombing; Katniss’ “If we burn, you burn with us!” hits over a held harmony.
Why it matters: The score’s moral flare.

“The Hanging Tree” — Jennifer Lawrence (score album)
Where it plays: Katniss sings by the stream; diegetic → mass chorus (non-diegetic) over the District 5 dam assault.
Scene: A hesitant solo becomes a field chant—workers march, guards panic, turbines buckle, water erases lights.
Why it matters: The rebellion finds its voice—literally.

“Jamming the Capitol / Inside the Tribute Center” — James Newton Howard
Where it plays: Infiltration and signal war; non-diegetic.
Scene: Pulses and filtered textures sell risk without flashy heroics as the team extracts Peeta.
Why it matters: Cold craft over swagger; the series’ tone in miniature.

End-credits handoff
“Yellow Flicker Beat” — Lorde → first card; the pulse lands right after the final close-up.
“The Hanging Tree” (reprise) → carries through later credits on many releases.

Music–Story Links

• Propaganda vs. person: Broadcast pomp gets harmonic weight; private resolve gets room tone and a small, human motif.
• Song → symbol: As “The Hanging Tree” spreads from solo to crowd, rebellion stops being abstract.
• Silence as tactic: Long, quiet beds make each musical entrance feel like a choice, not wallpaper.

How It Was Made

Score: James Newton Howard returned, building modular cues that track drills, broadcasts, and raids. The score album (Republic, Nov 24, 2014) includes “The Hanging Tree” with Jennifer Lawrence—lyrics by Suzanne Collins, melody contributions from The Lumineers’ Wesley Schultz & Jeremiah Fraites, produced by Howard.

Soundtrack: Lorde curated the companion set (Republic, Nov 17, 2014), recruiting CHVRCHES, The Chemical Brothers with Miguel & Lorde, Stromae with Pusha T/Q-Tip/HAIM, Ariana Grande & Major Lazer, Tove Lo, Bat for Lashes, Grace Jones, and others. Music supervision on the film was led by Alexandra Patsavas.

Reception & Quotes

Press highlighted the unusual split: sparse film scoring vs. a bold, curated companion record.

“‘The Hanging Tree’ is the franchise’s defining musical moment.” — score coverage

“Lorde’s curation feels cohesive and dystopian without sounding like a mixtape of outtakes.” — album reviews

Additional Info

• Singles: “Yellow Flicker Beat” (lead single); “The Hanging Tree” (issued after the film opened).
• Re-release note: “The Hanging Tree” was added to the soundtrack’s digital extended edition after its chart breakout.
• Department credits: London Voices and Trinity Boys Choir appear on the score; Shawn Murphy recorded/mixed.
• Anthem continuity: The Capitol’s “Horn of Plenty” motif returns within ceremony material.

Technical Info

• Title: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 — Original Motion Picture Score; and Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Year / Type: 2014 / Original score + curated songs
• Composer (score): James Newton Howard
• Lead song placements: “The Hanging Tree” (diegetic → montage; credits reprise); “Yellow Flicker Beat” (first end-credit song)
• Label / Dates: Republic — Soundtrack (Nov 17, 2014); Score (Nov 24, 2014)
• Music Supervision: Alexandra Patsavas
• Trailer ID (figures): 3PkkHsuMrho

Canonical Entities & Relations

Subject	Relation	Object
James Newton Howard	composed	Mockingjay – Part 1 score
Jennifer Lawrence	performed	“The Hanging Tree”
Suzanne Collins	wrote lyrics for	“The Hanging Tree”
Wesley Schultz & Jeremiah Fraites	composed melody for	“The Hanging Tree”
Lorde	curated	Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Alexandra Patsavas	music supervised	Mockingjay – Part 1
Republic Records	released	Score and Soundtrack (2014)
Lionsgate	distributed	Mockingjay – Part 1 (film)

Sources: official album pages/credits; film end-credit listings; press coverage on Lorde’s curation; chart reports and song credits for “The Hanging Tree.”

Great fiction thriller in which the main role is played by a girl with a childish round face. She's incredibly cool as an arrow-shooter and her bow and arrow performs wonders in striking the aim. This first part from two that continue sensational first film of 2012. In the second, the next part, we are waiting for a spectacular denouement. This part as if frozen in the middle of all the story. The main mood of the entire collection is given with songs of the pop genre. For example, Dead Air and Yellow Flicker Beat. Other genres are represented only with the melody This Is Not a Game, which is made in the genre of electro techno with incorporations of other directions. The absolute and the only hit is a song The Hanging Tree, which is written by James Newton Howard and executed by Jennifer Lawrence – film’s actress. The most powerful theme of music genres a-capella + pop + classic, with increasing sounds, which are slightly, step by step, absorbing voice. It seemed to be immersed in the music. And then, closer to an end, comes a chorus of voices, which is fully incorporated with the voice of the singer, absorbing it. And everything ends with an incredibly beautiful violins and wind instruments, together with the choir of alto voices. Amazing composition of rare beauty. And is it really worth it to possess a whole paragraph in the review of the entire collection. Because the beauty and strength of the entire collection is round a halfway close to this one song. A total of 14 compositions’ soundtrack, two of them are instrumental. The remaining 12 create decadent mood (besides of just described The Hanging Tree). If you listen to a collection of more than 1 time, you might want to shoot yourself. Or immensely become sad and get a little unsober.

November, 10th 2025

'Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1' - Find more on IMDb, Wikipedia

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