"Tomb Raider" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (Music From the Motion Picture)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

How do you make a soundtrack sound like a video game heroine sprinting through a nightclub at 140 BPM? You hire turn-of-the-millennium heavyweights — U2, Nine Inch Nails, Missy Elliott, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim — and bolt their singles to a glossy electro-industrial score from Graeme Revell. The album is the early-2000s in miniature: breakbeats, distorted bass, and pop-industrial sheen.

On screen, the various-artists set handles swagger and scene-setting while Revell’s score threads the puzzle-box plot. U2’s “Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix)” markets the movie and blasts over credits; NIN’s “Deep” and Chemical Brothers’ “Galaxy Bounce” carry kinetic montage energy; Missy’s “Get Ur Freak On (Remix)” and Basement Jaxx’s “Where’s Your Head At” drop the club right into Croft Manor. The result: a needle-drop ride that treats Lara like a DJ — switching modes from ancient temples to London tech labs without losing tempo.

In phases: big-beat/house — attitude and locomotion; industrial/alt-rock — menace and muscle; ambient/electronic score — mystery glue; classical source — cool-headed juxtaposition during the bungee fight.

How It Was Made

Composer Graeme Revell joined late in post and famously wrote roughly an hour of score in about ten–twelve days, replacing earlier abandoned approaches; he later noted mislabeling on initial CD pressings. Meanwhile, Elektra assembled a June 2001 companion album leaning hard into club culture — U2’s headline single plus cuts from NIN, The Chemical Brothers, Missy Elliott (with Nelly Furtado), Outkast, Moby, BT, Delerium, Basement Jaxx, Fatboy Slim, Leftfield, Groove Armada and more. Music supervisor Peter Afterman wrangled the high-profile clearances and the film’s additional source cues (including Bach and Vas) that don’t all appear on the album.

Tracks & Scenes

Selected placements — diegetic status noted; some album cuts differ from film mix/edits. Times vary by edition.

“Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix)” (U2)

Where it plays:

Primary promotional single; used in film marketing and over the end credits in theatrical/home releases. Joseph Kahn’s tie-in video intercuts Jolie as Lara with “evil U2.”

Why it matters:

The franchise’s radio face — a riff as brand identity.

“Deep” (Nine Inch Nails)

Where it plays:

Album single written for the film; used in the movie’s needle-drop palette (heard in releases/promos; present on OST). Official video tells a toxic-heist story.

Why it matters:

Industrial melancholy to offset the club gloss.

“Galaxy Bounce” (The Chemical Brothers)

Where it plays:

Up-tempo action bed during early-film tech/gear beats and kinetic transitions (album features a distinct “Tomb Raider” version fans call out).

Why it matters:

Big-beat propulsion; the movie’s most “2001” sound.

“Get Ur Freak On (Remix)” (Missy Elliott feat. Nelly Furtado)

Where it plays:

Comic/energy bump around Croft Manor’s delivery/tech-lab bustle (brief needle-drop; album cut differs from radio single).

Why it matters:

Missy’s swing flips the tone from solemn to swagger.

“Speedballin’” (Outkast feat. CeeLo Green & Joi)

Where it plays:

Action-forward cut used in party/gear and chase energy passes; appears on the album, not everywhere on TV versions.

Why it matters:

Southern-rap adrenaline; Lara’s speed run, basically.

“Illuminati” (Fatboy Slim feat. Bootsy Collins)

Where it plays:

Layered into the Illuminati mythology stretches (source/underscore hybrid feel).

Why it matters:

Winking title, rubbery bass — conspiratorial vibe with a grin.

“Where’s Your Head At” (Basement Jaxx)

Where it plays:

Prominent in some releases/edits and on album; a club-floor jolt framing Croft’s London-scene world.

Why it matters:

Pure mania — mirrors Lara’s mid-mission improvisation.

“Song of Life” (Leftfield)

Where it plays:

Used diegetically around Croft Manor tech prep and early action; also heard driving sequences en route to Cambodia in some mixes.

Why it matters:

Classic ‘90s progressive pulse grounding Lara’s routine.

“Edge Hill” (Groove Armada)

Where it plays:

Slow-building, cinematic electronica under scenic/travel imagery (album closer in many territories).

Why it matters:

Lets the film breathe between set pieces.

“Terra Firma (Lara’s Mix)” (Delerium feat. Aude)

Where it plays:

Textural cue associated with mystical/ancient tech — a sensual, airy interlude amid hard-edged beats.

Why it matters:

Gives the relic mythology a trance halo.

Classical & non-album source: “Largo” from J.S. Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto No. 5 in F minor (Hae-won Chang, piano)

Where it plays:

Diegetic during the famed bungee-ballet/home-invasion fight at Croft Manor — Lara’s calm under fire as she ricochets on cords.

Why it matters:

Ice-cold elegance against chaos — the movie’s best musical joke.

Non-album source: “Lila” (Vas) / “Inhaler” (Craig Armstrong)

Where it plays:

Heard in atmospheric world-travel stretches and spiritual beats; both licensed but omitted from the retail album.

Why it matters:

Color that the compilation leaves out — fans hunt these.

Score suite (Graeme Revell): “Main Titles / Lara Croft at Home” → “Powell and the Illuminati” → “Angkor Wat / Planetary Alignment”

Where it plays:

Opens with percussive synth-orchestra and sampled choir; moves through villain material and temple action (Siberia/Angkor set pieces); crescendos during the alignment showdown.

Why it matters:

Revell’s connective tissue — a dark, sleek chassis beneath the singles.

Notes & Trivia

• The retail soundtrack (Elektra) dropped June 2001; many international pressings share a 15-track lineup led by U2’s “Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix).”
• Several in-film cues — Bach’s Largo, Vas’s “Lila,” Craig Armstrong’s “Inhaler” — are missing from the commercial album.
• Revell reportedly had around 10–12 days to write the score after other composer plans fell through; he later apologized for mislabeled early score CD pressings.
• “Deep” (Nine Inch Nails) and “Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix)” both received film-branded music videos.

Reception & Quotes

Critics were split on the film but the soundtrack’s “all-star DJ” approach felt era-perfect. U2’s single won the next year’s Grammy (Best Rock Performance by Duo/Group), and the album has since become a time-capsule listen for Y2K big-beat.

“A glossy MTV-meets-temple-run mixtape — shameless and fun.” album retrospectives

“Revell’s sprint-written score is better on screen than on CD, but it glues the movie together.” film-music reviews

“Marketing did the heavy lifting — and the singles delivered.” industry notes

Interesting Facts

• Promo synergy: U2’s “Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix)” doubled as a hit single and marketing spine, with a Lara-cameo video.
• Club archaeology: Leftfield, Chemical Brothers, Groove Armada — the album reads like a 2001 festival poster.
• Score sprint: Revell replaced an earlier plan and wrote fast; the rush shows in cue titling quirks fans still catalog.
• Classical flex: Using Bach during the bungee fight remains the movie’s smartest musical contrast.
• Region quirks: Some pressings include bonus tracks (e.g., Die Toten Hosen in Australia) not on the U.S. CD.

Technical Info

• Title: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider — Music From the Motion Picture
• Year: 2001
• Type: Various-artists soundtrack + original score (separate release)
• Composer (score): Graeme Revell
• Music supervisor: Peter Afterman
• Label: Elektra/WEA (soundtrack); later separate score releases
• Selected notable placements: “Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix),” “Deep,” “Galaxy Bounce,” “Get Ur Freak On (Remix),” “Where’s Your Head At,” “Song of Life,” “Edge Hill,” Fatboy Slim’s “Illuminati,” plus non-album source: Bach Largo, Vas “Lila,” Craig Armstrong “Inhaler.”
• Release notes: Soundtrack streeted early June 2001; score followed later in June. Anniversary vinyl reissues focus on the VA album.
• Availability: Streaming (Apple/Spotify); physical CD common; vinyl reissues appear periodically.

Questions & Answers

Is U2’s “Elevation” actually in the film, or just the ads?

Both — the Tomb Raider Mix drives the marketing and rolls in the end credits.

Which songs are in the movie but missing from the album?

Bach’s Largo (Hae-won Chang), Vas’s “Lila,” and Craig Armstrong’s “Inhaler” are heard in the film but not on the retail soundtrack.

Who handled the film’s music clearances?

Music supervisor Peter Afterman oversaw the placements and licensing.

What’s the deal with the score release?

Graeme Revell’s score arrived separately; early CDs had mislabeled cues. It’s mood-driven electronica-meets-orchestra written under intense time pressure.

Does the album reflect Lara’s world travel?

Yes — the curation swings from club London to temple ambience, with trance/ambient and classical touches for the “ancient tech” vibe.

Key Contributors

Sources: Apple Music album page; Spotify album listing; U2Songs liner-note archive; Wikipedia (film, soundtrack, “Elevation,” NIN “Deep,” Leftfield “Song of Life”); Filmtracks & Movie Music UK reviews; The Numbers/Moria credits (music supervisor); MusicOfTombRaider fan research on missing cues; forum and Q&A corroborations; official trailer on YouTube.

November, 29th 2025