Can’t get the music from Alex Garland’s political thriller out of your head? These are the songs from the Civil War soundtrack, which you can listen to here.
2024’s Civil War makes a plethora of bold storytelling choices, and the official soundtrack is no different.
Some people felt the songs used to accompany the warfare and tense dialogue exchanges were perfect, while others needed an explanation from the director.
Luckily, Garland has provided meaningful context for the new movie‘s music, so let’s dive into the full Civil War track list and the official A24 playlist.
Civil War soundtrack
Contents:
- ‘Lovefingers’ by Silver Apples
- ‘Rocket USA’ by Suicide
- ‘Say No Go’ by De La Soul
- ‘Sweet Little Sister’ by Skid Row
- ‘Breakers Roar’ by Sturgill Simpson
- ‘Dream Baby Dream’ by Suicide
- Where to listen to the Civil War soundtrack
‘Lovefingers’ by Silver Apples
The first song on the Civil War tracklist plays during the movie’s opening, during the President’s State of the Union speech.
‘Rocket USA’ by Suicide
Suicide was an American duo comprised of vocalist Alan Vega and instrumentalist Martin Rev. There are two Suicide needle drops in Civil War, the first being the aptly titled ‘Rocket USA’. The thrumming electronic track is heard when the journalists leave New York City, weaving through street-level destruction.
‘Say No Go’ by De La Soul
‘Say No Go’ comes after a firefight. The track plays while we watch prisoners of war be executed. The harsh dissonance between the extreme violence on screen and the lively sound of the music has been very divisive, but was a purposeful choice on Garland’s part.
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At a SXSW Q&A [via Slash Film] he said this track “had a particular function, which was to be jarring and aggressive, and to speak somehow to the perverse pleasure in what was happening, but not actually be seductive.”
‘Sweet Little Sister’ by Skid Row
This heavy metal track is the backdrop for the rather playful yet reckless scene where Jesse and Tony swap vehicles by climbing through their respective windows. The pulsating Skid Row song perfectly encapsulates the energy of this moment, while also offering a little foreshadow of the darker consequences of Jesse’s decision to quite literally jump into danger.
‘Breakers Roar’ by Sturgill Simpson
Most of the music in Civil War is decades old, so this serene Sturgill Simpson track from his 2016 album ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth’ is a notable inclusion. It’s used to provide some emotional juice to one of the saddest yet most beautiful moments in the film.
As for why most of the music isn’t new, at the same Q&A Garland said, “Contemporary music didn’t work. It created a bit of funny messaging that hurt the film.”
‘Dream Baby Dream’ by Suicide
The second Suicide song is ‘Dream Baby Dream’. It comes during the Civil War ending, as the fate of democracy is decided. It’s the perfect thematic accompaniment for the closing messages of the film.
Where to listen to the Civil War soundtrack
You can listen to the official Civil War soundtrack playlist made by A24 on Spotify. Or, you can add the songs individually to your music player of choice.
For more great music, check out the Fallout soundtrack, Yellowstone soundtrack, or Baby Driver soundtrack. You can also find out the truth about Alex Garland quitting filmmaking, and the details about the upcoming 28 Years Later.