"Snakes on a Plane" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Snakes on a Plane: The Album (2006) + Original Motion Picture Score" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you musically sell a pulp premise this outrageous? With a mid-2000s scene-kid compilation welded to a muscular action score. Snakes on a Plane turns blog-era remixes, pop-punk features, and indie-hip-hop into a marketing weapon, then lets Trevor Rabin’s taut orchestral-electronic score throttle the actual suspense. Arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse: sunny pre-flight vibes give way to panic, improvised heroics, and a last wink as the credits roll.

The songs album — Snakes on a Plane: The Album — plays like a Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen time capsule: Cobra Starship’s collab single, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco (via Tommie Sunshine), CeeLo Green, The Sounds (Patrick Stump remix), Armor for Sleep, and more. Meanwhile, Rabin’s score (released separately) takes over once the oxygen masks drop: propulsive ostinatos, emergency brass, and synth grit. As per Apple Music and IMDb notes, only a handful of the compilation tracks are heard in-film; the album was designed as a companion “mixtape” to the phenomenon.

Genres & themes by phase: beachy singer-songwriter and feel-good alt for setup; bloghouse/electro remixes for marketing swagger; hybrid orchestral action for cabin horror; pop-punk victory lap under end credits.

How It Was Made

Score: Trevor Rabin composed and produced the original score, recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony; Don Harper conducted, with Joel Iwataki mixing. The cue design leans on rapid builds (“Snake Chaos,” “Going Down”) and tight suspense pulses (“Oxygen Masks”).

Songs & supervision: New Line’s soundtrack pushed synergy: Cobra Starship’s “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)” united Gabe Saporta with William Beckett, Travie McCoy and Maja Ivarsson; the video played with film canon and ran during the closing credits. The album corralled remixes and exclusives from the mid-’00s alt/pop orbit specifically to surf the movie’s online buzz.

Tracks & Scenes

Approximate timing for the 106-minute cut; diegetic = heard in-world. Many compilation tracks are album-only — we focus on the cues and songs actually used on screen, plus the marquee single.

“Lovely Day” — Donavon Frankenreiter
Where it plays: Early sequence in Hawaii as we meet witness Sean Jones — beachy prelude before the inciting chase (~00:02). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Disarming calm; the soundtrack’s last deep breath before turbulence.

“It’s OK, But Just This Once!” — Gym Class Heroes
Where it plays: Youthful swagger over quick intercut city beats as Sean tries to keep a low profile (~00:06). Non-diegetic/source blend.
Why it matters: Mid-2000s alt-hip-hop color; plants the era.

“Hey Now Now” — Michael Franti & Spearhead
Where it plays: Montage connective tissue as passengers board and crew settle routines (~00:10–00:12). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Sunny human texture before the lights flicker.

“Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)” — Cobra Starship feat. William Beckett, Travie McCoy & Maja Ivarsson
Where it plays: End credits (first roll), with the cameo-stuffed music video cut attached in home media versions (~01:44–end). Non-diegetic/credits.
Why it matters: The meme-era victory lap; a single engineered for the film’s online fandom.

Score cue: “Oxygen Masks” — Trevor Rabin
Where it plays: Mid-film panic spike when the cockpit mishap drops masks and snakes flood the cabin (~00:48). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: The sound of order breaking — clipped rhythms, breathy textures, alarm-like brass.

Score cue: “Snake Chaos” — Trevor Rabin
Where it plays: Full-tilt attack montage: lavatory kills, stampede, cabin pandemonium (~00:50+). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Rabin’s action engine — percussive ostinatos and synth grit driving the mayhem.

Score cue: “Going Down” — Trevor Rabin
Where it plays: Nose-dip/avionics crisis and desperate regrouping (~01:10). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Heavy electronic pulses and descending lines: controlled freefall.

Score cue: “Snakes on a Plane — The Theme” — Trevor Rabin
Where it plays: Closing beats and credit-suite; motif reprise as the nightmare clears (~01:43). Non-diegetic/credits.
Why it matters: Gives the exploitation romp a surprisingly heroic capstone.

Album-only highlights (heard in promos/marketing): Panic! at the Disco — “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage” (Tommie Sunshine Remix); The Sounds — “Queen of Apology” (Patrick Stump Remix); Fall Out Boy — “Of All the Gin Joints…” (Tommie Sunshine Retouch); The Hush Sound — “Wine Red” (Tommie Sunshine Retouch); Coheed & Cambria — “Wake Up” (Acoustic).

Notes & Trivia

• The score was recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony; Don Harper conducted and Joel Iwataki mixed.
• The album’s enhanced CD section famously bundled fan-made “SoaP” tracks from the studio contest era.
• Cobra Starship’s single opens with Jackson’s “enough is enough” line in certain versions — pure viral gasoline.
• Marketing leaned on Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen names to court the MySpace/blog generation.
• Rabin’s standalone score album (digital/streaming) arrived after the film with a concise ~37-minute program.

Music–Story Links

Pre-flight, breezy cuts (“Lovely Day,” “Hey Now Now”) sell normalcy; once the masks fall, the film hands the baton to Rabin’s pulse. The cue switch is the character turn: passengers → survivors. And the end-credits swerve — meme anthem after grim triage — underlines the movie’s tonal tightrope: the horror was real, but the title still winks.

Reception & Quotes

Contemporary coverage treated the album as a stunt that worked — a “mixtape” powered by internet hype — while score reviewers singled out the clean, drive-ready action writing. As per Slant’s capsule and album pages, the single and the remix roster did the pop-culture heavy lifting.

“A blog-era compilation masquerading as a soundtrack — and somehow it slaps.” — album round-up notes

“Rabin’s electronics and brass keep the cabin mayhem taut.” — score review capsules

“Any song benefits by opening with that Samuel L. Jackson line.” — Slant Magazine

Interesting Facts

• The closing-credits package in home releases includes the “Bring It” video — cameos from Pete Wentz and Samuel L. Jackson included.
• Only a subset of album tracks are heard in the film; most live on the companion album and trailers.
• The album was released August 15, 2006, three days before the US theatrical opening — perfect hype timing.
• Rabin’s cue titles (“Oxygen Masks,” “Snake Chaos,” “Going Down”) mirror exact set-piece beats.
• The soundtrack’s meme-friendly packaging (stickers, enhanced CD content) was part of New Line’s viral strategy.

Technical Info

• Title: Snakes on a Plane: The Album (songs compilation) & Snakes on a Plane (Original Motion Picture Score)
• Year: 2006 (album); score release followed (digital/streaming program)
• Type: Songs compilation + Original Score
• Composer: Trevor Rabin
• Key single: “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)” — Cobra Starship feat. William Beckett, Travie McCoy & Maja Ivarsson
• Label: WaterTower/New Line (songs compilation); digital score via Warner/Apple storefronts
• Notable in-film songs: “Lovely Day” (Donavon Frankenreiter); “It’s OK, But Just This Once!” (Gym Class Heroes); “Hey Now Now” (Michael Franti & Spearhead); end-credits “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)” (Cobra Starship)
• Score highlights: “Oxygen Masks”; “Snake Chaos”; “Going Down”; “Snakes on a Plane — The Theme”
• Availability: Songs album widely streaming; score available as a 13-track ~37-minute digital album.

Questions & Answers

Is the songs album the actual in-film soundtrack?

It’s a companion “mixtape.” Only a few tracks play on screen; most are album/trailer fodder while the score drives the movie.

Who composed the score, and what’s the vibe?

Trevor Rabin — hybrid action: tight electronic pulses, aggressive brass, and rhythmic suspense writing.

What song runs over the end credits?

Cobra Starship’s “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It),” cut to a cameo-packed music video in some releases.

Is there a proper score release?

Yes — a concise 13-track digital/streaming album (~37 minutes) with set-piece cues like “Oxygen Masks” and “Snake Chaos.”

Why the remix-heavy album?

Marketing — the studio leaned into the film’s internet buzz, commissioning scene-friendly remixes to extend the hype.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music album pages; IMDb soundtrack & credits; Wikipedia track listing & single notes; ScoringSessions session report; Spotify/streaming listings; Slant Magazine review.

November, 27th 2025