"The Crow: City of Angels" Soundtrack Lyrics

"The Crow: City of Angels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What happens when grief gets a sequel — and a louder guitar? The Crow: City of Angels pivots from the 1994 classic’s noir-goth to a harder, clubbier palette, assembling mid-90s alt heavyweights around a revenge fable set in sun-blasted Los Angeles. The song album leads with brand-name covers and exclusives — Hole tearing through “Gold Dust Woman,” White Zombie joyriding “I’m Your Boogieman,” Filter’s serrated “Jurassitol,” PJ Harvey’s prowling “Naked Cousin,” Bush’s haunted Joy Division cover “In a Lonely Place,” Deftones’ on-screen “Teething,” Korn’s “Sean Olson,” and Iggy Pop’s feral “I Wanna Be Your Dog.”

Underneath, composer Graeme Revell returns with a separate score album that swaps the first film’s industrial romance for pulsing percussion, choral haze, and mournful woodwinds. Songs sell the world’s menace and swagger; the score carries Ashe Corven’s ache — a father pulled back from death to set the ledger straight.

Genres & themes in phases. Alt-rock & post-grunge (impact; anger), industrial/metal crossovers (predation; club heat), trip-hop hybrids (unease), and elegiac score (mourning; fate). Distorted guitars = intent; sub-bass = threat; choir = the other side listening.

How It Was Made

The songbook. Produced for Hollywood Records with franchise producer Jeff Most steering the album, the compilation corralled exclusive tracks and high-profile covers, mirroring the original film’s A&R playbook but tilting heavier. Early pressings of the CD bundled a mini Crow comic (John Wagner/Dean Ormston) — a lore bonus for fans.

The score. Revell’s Original Score Album records the sequel’s sound of loss and pursuit: cues like “City of Angels,” “Camera Obscura,” “The Crow Rises,” and “Santa Muerte” track Ashe from resurrection to reckoning, with choir sessions cut in Salt Lake City and tight electronics mixed for momentum.

Tracks & Scenes

Note: Exact timecodes vary by cut/edition; below maps verified uses and how each cue functions on screen. (The commercial album omits a few in-film tracks.)

“Gold Dust Woman” (Hole) — Fleetwood Mac cover

Where it plays:

Used prominently in marketing and early film passages to brand the sequel’s mood — sleaze-glam menace and survivor grit. Non-diegetic, cut around city-at-night imagery.

Why it matters:

Sets the sequel’s thesis: same ghost story, rougher sandpaper.

“I’m Your Boogieman” (White Zombie) — KC & The Sunshine Band cover

Where it plays:

Club/underground scenes; a flex of industrial disco where predators peacock and deals go sideways. Non-diegetic but synced to strobe edits.

Why it matters:

Turns the dance floor into a threat display; the sequel’s closest kin to the first film’s industrial swagger.

“Jurassitol” (Filter)

Where it plays:

Action-adjacent montage energy — a motor riff under gear-up shots and grim errands.

Why it matters:

Propulsive connective tissue; the album’s steel spine.

“Naked Cousin” (PJ Harvey)

Where it plays:

Street-level stalking and alley confrontations; the vocal slinks while the camera prowls.

Why it matters:

Pure voltage — PJ’s snarl gives the sequel its own pulse.

“In a Lonely Place” (Bush) — Joy Division/New Order lineage

Where it plays:

Night drive/solitude imagery around Ashe and Sarah; the cover leans into echo and dread.

Why it matters:

Elegy mode — a respectful nod to the franchise’s Joy Division DNA.

“Teething” (Deftones) — on-screen performance

Where it plays:

Diegetic — the band appears in a warehouse/festival-style scene, amps howling as the crowd surges and Ashe slips through the chaos.

Why it matters:

Breaks the fourth wall between soundtrack and plot; the camera treats the concert like a hunt.

“Sean Olson” (Korn)

Where it plays:

Edges of pursuit sequences; the low-tuned churn smears across cuts of lookouts and back-rooms.

Why it matters:

Anchors the album’s nu-metal heft; menace on a loop.

“I Wanna Be Your Dog (Live)” (Iggy Pop)

Where it plays:

As source/identity around scenes featuring Curve (Iggy Pop) — grime, neon, and a leering grin.

Why it matters:

Actor and track fold together; punk royalty gives the sequel fangs.

“Tonite Is a Special Nite (Kaos Mass Confusion Mix)” (Tricky vs. Gravediggaz)

Where it plays:

Low-ceiling interiors — a humid, twitchy texture for deals, betrayals, and brief victories.

Why it matters:

Trip-hop poison; the album’s shadow between riffs.

“Shelf Life” (Seven Mary Three) → “Paper Dress” (Toadies) → “Spit” (NY Loose)

Where it plays:

Street and club transitions — guitars as streetlights blur past. Non-diegetic with hard cuts that feel like switchblades.

Why it matters:

Gives the sequel its specific 1996 alt-radio patina without repeating ’94’s playlist.

In-film but not on album: “City of Angels” (Above the Law feat. Frost)

Where it plays:

Hip-hop cue tied to urban montage/credits contexts; documented in film credits though absent from the retail OST.

Why it matters:

Shows the movie’s broader sonic map beyond the album cut.

Score highlights (Graeme Revell) — “City of Angels,” “The Crow Rises,” “Santa Muerte”

Where it plays:

Resurrection, rooftop oaths, and the final reckoning. Ticking percussion, low strings, and breathy choir turn vengeance into ritual.

Why it matters:

The score keeps the film human — grief first, violence second.

Notes & Trivia

• The soundtrack hit the U.S. Billboard 200 Top 10 and went Platinum in the U.S.
• Early CD pressings shipped with an exclusive 8-page Crow mini-comic by John Wagner (writer) and Dean Ormston (artist).
• Like the first film’s album, this sequel features a Joy Division family tree cover — Bush tackling “In a Lonely Place.”
• Deftones appear on screen performing “Teething,” collapsing the line between soundtrack and plot.
• Some songs heard in the film (e.g., Above the Law’s “City of Angels”) are not on the commercial OST.

Reception & Quotes

The movie divided critics; the music didn’t. Fans and press largely praised the compilation’s cohesion and the score’s bruised elegance — a worthy, heavier sibling to the 1994 landmark.

“A harder-edged, club-leaning successor that still feels like The Crow.” — Album retrospectives

“Revell shapes grief into forward motion.” — Score notes

Availability: the 14-track song album (Hollywood Records) and the separate Original Score Album are both widely available digitally and on CD; multiple vinyl pressings exist for the compilation.

Interesting Facts

• Mini-comic pack-in: Early OST copies hid a new Crow story in the booklet.
• Actor–artist overlap: Iggy Pop plays Curve in the film and roars on the album.
• Cover culture: Hole and Bush headline the compilation with bold re-takes rather than catalog singles.
• Sequel strategy: The label chased exclusives to make the album an event, not just accompaniment.
• LA vs. Detroit: Where the first film felt rain-soaked and urban-industrial, this set bakes in desert heat and warehouse air.

Technical Info

• Title: The Crow: City of Angels — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (songs) / The Crow: City of Angels — Original Score Album (score)
• Year: 1996 (film & albums)
• Type: Song compilation + separate original score
• Composer: Graeme Revell (score)
• Album production: Jeff Most (album producer/executive music producer); additional executive credits listed on various pressings
• Label(s): Hollywood Records (songs); score album widely distributed on CD (1996)
• Selected notable placements: Deftones — “Teething” (on-screen performance); Hole — “Gold Dust Woman”; White Zombie — “I’m Your Boogieman”; Filter — “Jurassitol”; PJ Harvey — “Naked Cousin”; Bush — “In a Lonely Place”; Iggy Pop — “I Wanna Be Your Dog (Live)”
• Chart/Certification: US Billboard 200 peak Top 10; RIAA Platinum
• Trailer Video ID: XuDpFfk7UoY

Questions & Answers

Is this soundtrack as star-studded as the 1994 album?

Different, not lesser — it swaps The Cure/NIN for Hole, White Zombie, PJ Harvey, Deftones, Korn, Iggy Pop, and more.

Does the movie use the songs on screen or just in credits?

Both. Several tracks underscore scenes; Deftones perform “Teething” diegetically in a concert sequence.

Who composed the score and how is it different from 1994?

Graeme Revell again — darker percussion and choral textures, less romantic, more relentless.

Are there songs in the film that aren’t on the album?

Yes. Example: Above the Law’s “City of Angels” appears in the film credits but not on the retail OST.

What came in the early CD?

A bonus 8-page Crow mini-comic tucked into the booklet of some early pressings.

Key Contributors

Sources: label/retail listings; album credits; film credits; press/retrospectives; score album notes; official trailers.

November, 28th 2025