"Sex and the City 2" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Sex and the City 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack & Score)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What does a sequel sound like when nostalgia meets vacation maximalism? Sex and the City 2 answers with a glittery mix of diva pop, camp standards, Middle Eastern–tinted lounge, and Aaron Zigman’s chic, buoyant score. Songs handle the spectacle; the score smooths the transitions and whispers the feelings the outfits won’t.

The story sets two poles — New York glam and a luxury Abu Dhabi getaway — and the soundtrack plays travel guide and tour bus DJ. Alicia Keys opens the album with a coolly swaggering Blondie cover; Liza Minnelli turns a wedding into a Beyoncé wink; the quartet belts “I Am Woman” during a karaoke detour; and late scenes lean on Zigman’s warm, string-led cues to bring everyone home.

Genre phases map to the film’s mood: pop-soul & R&B — friendship armor; nu-lounge & Arabic-flavored grooves — wish-fulfillment and misadventure; standards & show-tunes — camp and ceremony; orchestral score — reset and return. As one retail listing frames it, this is a compilation-first soundtrack with the score released alongside it.

How It Was Made

Album & label: Sex and the City 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released May 25, 2010 on WaterTower Music. A companion album, Sex and the City 2 (Original Motion Picture Score), features Aaron Zigman’s cues recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony.

Key contributors: Performances from Alicia Keys (“Rapture,” plus a downshifted “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down” on the album), Dido, CeeLo Green, Erykah Badu, Natacha Atlas, Jennifer Hudson & Leona Lewis (“Love Is Your Color”), and Liza Minnelli (“Single Ladies,” “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”). The four leads perform Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman.”

Tracks & Scenes

“Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” — Liza Minnelli
Where it plays: Stanford and Anthony’s wedding reception turns into a joyous camp showpiece, with Minnelli leading a full performance — choreography, winks, and all — as guests cheer.
Why it matters: A meta-marriage anthem sung by Broadway royalty; tone-setter for the film’s playful excess.

“I Am Woman” — Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon
Where it plays: Girls’ night karaoke in Abu Dhabi. Nerves give way to a shoulder-to-shoulder sing-along that ropes the room into a call-and-response.
Why it matters: On-the-nose? Absolutely. But it lands as a friendship ritual — a reset after sand-kicked snafus.

“Rapture” — Alicia Keys
Where it plays: Early New-York glamour beats and promotional spots; the Blondie cover doubles as the album’s curtain-raiser.
Why it matters: Old-school swagger recast for a 2010 soundtrack heroine — cool, assured, metropolitan.

“Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down” — Alicia Keys
Where it plays: On album; in film marketing and as a reflective New York motif (the Smith Jerrod premiere uses the original Jay-Z/Keys version in background, but not on the OST).
Why it matters: A softer home-theme for the franchise — piano, breath, city pride.

“Kidda” — Natacha Atlas
Where it plays: Luxe-lobby arrivals and market-wanders in Abu Dhabi; oud-flecked rhythm, hand percussion, and shimmering vocalese color the excursion.
Why it matters: Source-style texture that sells the fantasy-trip milieu.

“Euphrates Dream” — Michael McGregor
Where it plays: Poolside slow-motion glam and postcard transitions.
Why it matters: A cinematic lounge wash — glossy connective tissue between set-pieces.

“Love Is Your Color” — Jennifer Hudson & Leona Lewis
Where it plays: End-title energy and late-film reconciliation glow.
Why it matters: The big-ballad closer — two powerhouse voices blessing the afterglow.

Standards cluster — “If Ever I Would Leave You,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Till There Was You” (Sex and the City Men’s Choir); “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” — Liza Minnelli with Billy Stritch
Where it plays: Wedding-weekend ceremony and reception beats; tuxes, toasts, and slow-dance nostalgia.
Why it matters: Classic theatre and songbook picks that underline the film’s pageant side.

Score highlights — Aaron Zigman
Where it plays: “Divas and Dunes,” “Welcome to Abu Dhabi,” “Confiscate Drugs,” and other cues carry transitions, comic beats, and final-act regrouping.
Why it matters: The elegant glue: light percussion, strings, and polished pop-orchestral writing keep the movie moving.

Not on the album but in film/promo: “Empire State of Mind” — Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys (Smith premiere background); “Songs Remind Me of You” — Annie (after-party background).

Notes & Trivia

• The song compilation and Zigman’s score released the same day — a two-album drop that mirrors the first film’s approach.
• Liza Minnelli’s wedding number became an instant clip-share favorite.
• The four leads recorded “I Am Woman” specifically for the film’s karaoke scene.
• Some widely heard cues (“Empire State of Mind” in-film/trailer; Annie’s “Songs Remind Me of You”) are not on the retail OST.

Music–Story Links

Wedding spectacle uses standards to frame friendship as ceremony; Liza’s pop cover flips vow-talk into camp delight. In Abu Dhabi, Natacha Atlas and lounge cues perfume the fantasy, while the karaoke cut — “I Am Woman” — pulls the quartet back into a single voice. When the glitter settles, Zigman’s strings ease the tone from postcard to epilogue, reminding us that the franchise always ends with New York, not a souvenir.

Reception & Quotes

Critics were tough on the movie, but the soundtrack sold briskly and charted across multiple territories. Fans still single out the wedding showstopper and the karaoke scene as the film’s most replayed music moments.

“Minnelli’s ‘Single Ladies’ is a gleeful, gilded gag that the movie rides like a parade float.” festival/press chatter

“Compilation-first, with a breezy Zigman score that papers over tonal zigzags.” album overviews

“Say what you will, but the karaoke cue is bulletproof friendship branding.” fan retrospectives

Interesting Facts

• Label & date: WaterTower released both the OST and the score on May 25, 2010.
• Chart pop-in: The soundtrack reached the U.S. Billboard 200 top-20 and hit #2 on U.S. Soundtrack Albums; it topped Greece’s international chart.
• Covers everywhere: Keys covers Blondie; the leads cover Reddy; Minnelli covers Beyoncé and Cole Porter.
• Desert gloss: Cue titles like “Welcome to Abu Dhabi” and “Divas and Dunes” telegraph the travelogue vibe.
• Promo vs. album: The film and trailers use the original “Empire State of Mind,” but the album features Keys’ intimate Part II version.

Technical Info

• Title: Sex and the City 2 — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack; Original Motion Picture Score
• Year / Type: 2010 — Feature film; compilation OST + orchestral score
• Composer (score): Aaron Zigman
• Label: WaterTower Music
• Representative placements (feature/album): “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” — Liza Minnelli (wedding); “I Am Woman” — SJP/Cattrall/Davis/Nixon (karaoke); “Rapture” — Alicia Keys (album opener, promo); “Kidda” — Natacha Atlas (Abu Dhabi sequences); “Euphrates Dream” — Michael McGregor (luxury interludes); “Love Is Your Color” — Jennifer Hudson & Leona Lewis (end-titles); Zigman cues (“Divas and Dunes,” “Welcome to Abu Dhabi,” “Confiscate Drugs”).
• Additional music (in film/promo, not on OST): “Empire State of Mind” — Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys; “Songs Remind Me of You” — Annie.
• Availability: Streaming/digital for both albums; physical CD for the score and OST issued in 2010.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score for Sex and the City 2?

Aaron Zigman, returning from the first film, with sessions performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony.

Is Liza Minnelli’s “Single Ladies” actually in the movie?

Yes — it’s performed diegetically at the wedding reception and appears on the official soundtrack.

Do the four leads really sing “I Am Woman”?

They do — the karaoke scene features Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon on the mic.

Why isn’t “Empire State of Mind” on the soundtrack?

The original Jay-Z/Alicia Keys version is used in-film/promo, but licensing and album flow favor Keys’ Part II on the OST.

Is there a separate score album?

Yes — WaterTower released the score album the same day as the compilation.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: label/album notes; official soundtrack & score listings; film credits and soundtrack databases; press items around Minnelli’s cameo and the karaoke scene; general film reference pages.

November, 27th 2025