"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

Can a popcorn adventure feel ancient and modern at the same time? This one does. Harry Gregson-Williams’ score for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time blends desert-warm instrumentation with blockbuster orchestral muscle, so the music runs on sand and steel at once. You hear chant and choir, frame drums and electric strings, then a heroic theme that moves like a dune wind and a cavalry charge.

The film follows street-born Dastan and princess Tamina as they guard a dagger that rewinds time. The soundtrack charts that arc in pulses: stealth and siege, rooftop sprinting, comic relief (yes, an ostrich race), betrayals in the dark, and a final time-tear that resets fate. The palette toggles between tactile, regional color and big-screen spectacle — oud and ney against an 80-piece orchestra and choir — so action scenes feel rooted, not generic.

Distinctive touches include the end-credits single “I Remain” (Alanis Morissette) and score cues with scene-title clarity (“Raid on Alamut,” “The Passages,” “The Sands of Time”), making the album play like a storybook. According to Wikipedia, the soundtrack arrived via Walt Disney Records in May 2010; streaming editions carry 19 tracks, anchored by the main theme “The Prince of Persia.”

How It Was Made

Composer & instrumentation: Gregson-Williams wrote at Abbey Road and Remote Control with an 80-piece orchestra and 40-voice choir. He kept the melodies broadly cinematic, then painted them with regional color — oud, ney, tabla, hand percussion, electric cello/violin — to situate the story without leaning on pastiche. Interviews around release underline that “geography by orchestration” approach rather than strictly modal writing.

Album & single: The commercial release (19 tracks) pairs the score with Morissette’s “I Remain,” produced with Mike Elizondo, over the end credits. Retail and streaming lists align closely; the cue titles mirror key scenes, making it easy to map music to the film’s set pieces.

Tracks & Scenes

“The Prince of Persia” — Harry Gregson-Williams
Where it plays: opens the album and threads through the film as Dastan’s identity motif; first full statement over sweeping desert and title cards (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: a noble, rising line that returns whenever courage outruns caution — the score’s compass.

“Raid on Alamut”
Where it plays: the siege/parkour opener — scaling walls, street chases, and the leap into the city’s inner courts. Low percussion and tight ostinatos keep the scene breathless (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: binds the film’s two modes — historical pageant and kinetic platformer — in one cue.

“Tamina Unveiled”
Where it plays: first encounter with Tamina; the music swaps bravado for a lyrical, modal-tinted melody as the camera slows (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: introduces the romantic counter-theme that will braid with the main motif.

“Dastan and Tamina Escape”
Where it plays: rooftop flight after the palace turn; rhythmic strings under hand percussion, dagger ticks cutting through the mix (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: the score’s chase engine — nimble but weighty, it sells vertigo and speed.

“Ostrich Race”
Where it plays: comic-relief set piece in Sheikh Amar’s camp — feathers, bets, chaos (non-diegetic with percussive, playful writing).
Why it matters: a wink in a sandstorm; the orchestrations lighten without losing the palette.

“The Oasis Ambush”
Where it plays: night blades and torchlight — the Hassansin strike; choral stabs and low drones (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: villain color: snake-sleek textures and rhythmic feints.

“No Ordinary Dagger”
Where it plays: Dastan discovers what the knife truly does; the score blooms into shimmering synths and choir as time rewinds (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: magic gets a sound — glassy harmony and a breath-sucked-in swell.

“The Passages”
Where it plays: subterranean run to the hourglass; choir syllables (drawn from ancient Persian words) ride against tremolo strings (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: sacred-adventure tone — the quest tips from caper to destiny.

“The Sands of Time”
Where it plays: the time-tear set piece; motifs fold over each other as the world rewinds (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: catharsis cue — theme statements resolve as the story resets.

“Destiny”
Where it plays: epilogue grace note; the main theme softens for renewed beginnings (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: heroic energy exhaled — the album’s orchestral farewell.

“I Remain” — Alanis Morissette
Where it plays: end credits; intimate vocal over hand percussion and low strings, co-written and produced with Mike Elizondo (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: a contemporary coda that keeps the sand-and-string color while shifting to singer-songwriter focus.

Notes & Trivia

• Alanis Morissette’s “I Remain” was written for the film and plays over the credits.
• Instrumentation blends oud, ney, tabla, electric cello/violin, and full orchestra/choir — a geographic tint over classic adventure writing.
• Track titles map cleanly to set pieces, so the album functions as a narrative outline.
• The score was recorded at Abbey Road; the album released by Walt Disney Records.
• The soundtrack charted on Billboard’s Top Soundtracks and the UK Official Soundtrack Albums list.

Music–Story Links

Whenever Dastan chooses courage over safety, the main theme rises; when Tamina’s guardianship pushes back, her lyrical phrase folds into it. The dagger’s rewinds trigger the score’s glassy, choral shimmer — your ear feels the time slip before you see it. Villainy gets sibilant textures and percussion traps; fellowship (Sheikh Amar’s camp) relaxes the harmony and invites wood and hand-drum color. By the finale, motifs braid: destiny, romance, and the dagger’s mystique land in one broad cadence.

Reception & Quotes

Contemporary reviews called the album a robust, throwback adventure score with smart color choices. According to AllMusic, it’s a “well-executed, spirited romp”; Filmtracks praised the choral/orchestral heft and theme writing.

“Heroic, haunting and romantic — a throwback to Old Hollywood.” Producer comments recapped in coverage

“A remarkably enjoyable score … robust orchestral and choral magnificence.” Score reviews

“A spirited romp through popcorn land.” Album capsules

Interesting Facts

• The cue “Ostrich Race” is exactly what it says — a comic, percussion-bright interlude on album and screen.
• Electric cello (often by Martin Tillman) provides the icy drones under sand-hot percussion.
• Choir syllables were built from ancient Persian words for select on-screen moments.
• “I Remain” was issued as a standalone digital single alongside the album.
• Charted modestly in both the U.S. and U.K., unusual for a mostly orchestral score in 2010.

Technical Info

• Title: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2010 (film & album)
• Type: Film score (19 tracks) + end-credits song
• Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
• End-credits single: “I Remain” — Alanis Morissette (co-written/produced with Mike Elizondo)
• Label: Walt Disney Records
• Recording: Abbey Road Studios; orchestra/choir with regional instruments (oud, ney, tabla, etc.)
• Selected cues / placements: “The Prince of Persia” (main theme); “Raid on Alamut” (opening siege); “Tamina Unveiled” (first meeting); “Dastan and Tamina Escape” (rooftop chase); “Ostrich Race” (camp hijinks); “The Oasis Ambush” (night attack); “No Ordinary Dagger” (first rewind); “The Passages” (underworld run); “The Sands of Time” (time-tear); “Destiny” (epilogue); “I Remain” (end credits).
• Availability: widely streaming; original CD/digital on Disney; Discogs lists multiple editions.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score, and what’s the overall sound?

Harry Gregson-Williams; classic adventure themes colored with oud, ney, tabla, and choir.

What’s the song over the end credits?

“I Remain” by Alanis Morissette, created for the film with producer/co-writer Mike Elizondo.

Does the album follow the film’s set pieces?

Mostly — cue titles like “Raid on Alamut” or “Ostrich Race” map directly to scenes.

Who handled music supervision?

Disney’s music team with Monica Zierhut credited as music supervisor on the album’s notes.

How many tracks are on the standard release?

Nineteen, ending with “I Remain.”

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Wikipedia (album/credits/overview), Apple Music & Spotify listings (track names & count), Discogs (label/editions/credits), Filmtracks & review sites (critical reception), press interviews/features on the score’s instrumentation, IMDb Soundtracks (songwriting/production for “I Remain”).

November, 19th 2025