Summary

  • The John Wick: Chapter 4 soundtrack features intense EDM tracks and rock 'n' roll covers that match the movie's visceral action and blood-drenched adventure.
  • The filmmakers incorporated a radio station that assassins listen to in the movie, allowing them to use hand-picked songs that underscore the action.
  • Rina Sawayama, who stars in the film as Akira, also contributed to the soundtrack with her song "An Eye for An Eye," which reflects her character's questioning of John Wick's vengeance.

The John Wick: Chapter 4 soundtrack is full of great songs, scoring the visceral, trigger-happy action with thumping EDM tracks and instantly recognizable rock ‘n’ roll covers. With a blood-drenched, globetrotting adventure involving exploding bullets, dueling pistols, and lots and lots of stairs, John Wick: Chapter 4 is even bigger, bolder, and more brutal than any of its predecessors. Putting together the John Wick 4 soundtrack is a unique musical challenge, because the music has to match the intensity of the action on-screen.

Intense beats had always been crucial to bringing the John Wick franchise’s shootouts and fight scenes to life, but music played a particularly key part in John Wick: Chapter 4. John Wick: Chapter 4 introduced a radio station that assassins listen to, which allowed the filmmakers to underscore the action with hand-picked diagetic needle-drops being broadcast over the airwaves. There’s an original score in John Wick: Chapter 4, composed by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard, who had scored the previous three John Wick movies, that can best be described as orchestral rock. But the movie also has its fair share of licensed songs.

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This is every song featured in John Wick: Chapter 4, in order:

  • “Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. Posth.” by Lola Colette and Mark Robertson
  • “Osaka Phonk” by Le Castle Vania
  • “Dreams” by ZHU and Nero
  • “Wetwork” by Le Castle Vania
  • “Blood Code” by Le Castle Vania
  • “Hate or Glory” by Gesaffelstein
  • “Nowhere to Run” by Lola Colette
  • “Marie Douceur, Marie Colère” by Manon Hollander
  • “LED Spirals” by Le Castle Vania
  • “John Wick Mode” by Le Castle Vania
  • “Genesis” by Justice
  • “A Long Way Down” by Le Castle Vania
  • “Eye for an Eye” by Rina Sawayama
  • "I Would Die for You" by In This Moment

When Exactly Each Song Plays In John Wick: Chapter 4

Akira with a bow and arrow in John Wick Chapter 4

“Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. Posth.” by Lola Colette and Mark Robertson – Lola Colette and Mark Robertson’s reimagining of Frédéric Chopin’s classical piece “Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. Posth.” plays as a contract is taken out in John’s name.

“Osaka Phonk” by Le Castle Vania – The work of Atlanta-based DJ Le Castle Vania has been a part of the John Wick series since the beginning. His track “Osaka Phonk” plays on the fourth John Wick soundtrack when the location of the Osaka Continental is introduced and its manager, Shimazu, walks through the kitchen on his way to meet with John.

“Dreams” by ZHU and Nero – This EDM song plays as High Table assassins infiltrate the Osaka Continental and Akira fights them off.

“Wetwork” by Le Castle Vania – Le Castle Vania returns to the John Wick soundtrack when John is chasing Killa through a nightclub. This sequence is a throwback to the iconic nightclub scene from the original John Wick movie, which Le Castle Vania also scored.

“Blood Code” by Le Castle Vania – A different Le Castle Vania track plays when John catches up to Killa and the two fight across the dancefloor.

“Hate or Glory” by Gesaffelstein – This song by French DJ Gesaffelstein can be heard during the shootout between John and Chidi’s goons at the Arc de Triomphe.

“Nowhere to Run” by Lola Colette – Lola Colette’s cover of the Martha and the Vandellas classic “Nowhere to Run” is the first song that Marie Pierra Kakoma’s DJ character plays on the assassin radio station. The station’s name, WUXIA, is a nod to the movie genre of the same name, whose high-octane martial arts action heavily influenced the John Wick franchise.

In a mic closeup shot inspired by The Warriors, the DJ announces that the price on John’s head has been increased. It was apt to play a cover version of “Nowhere to Run” over an homage to The Warriors, because The Warriors featured a cover of “Nowhere to Run” performed by Arnold McCuller. The song is also appropriate on a story level, because John quite literally has nowhere to run – he’s surrounded on all sides by Parisian hitmen out to kill him.

“Marie Douceur, Marie Colère” by Manon Hollander – This cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” is the second song that the WUXIA DJ plays over the relentless Paris-wide hunt for John.

“LED Spirals” by Le Castle Vania – Another Le Castle Vania song plays on the John Wick 4 soundtrack as John clears an abandoned house in a firefight shot overhead like the climactic sequence in Taxi Driver. This song was previously used in the first John Wick movie during the nightclub scene.

“John Wick Mode” by Le Castle Vania – This song plays as the sustained overhead shootout sequence continues.

“Genesis” by Justice – This song plays as John fights his way up the hundreds of stairs to the Sacré-Cœur on his way to face the Marquis in a duel.

“A Long Way Down” by Le Castle Vania – This song kicks in after John is thrown down the stairs and Caine helps him fight his way back to the top.

“Eye for an Eye” by Rina Sawayama – This song found on the John Wick soundtrack, which was specifically created as a theme song for Chapter 4, plays over the end credits. Sawayama also appears in the movie in her acting debut in the role of Akira, Shimazu’s vengeful daughter. The lyrics perfectly sum up the movie’s theme of retribution: “An eye for an eye / A life for a life / I’ll see you in Hell on the other side.

"I Would Die For You" by In This Moment - This chilling song is also seen to play over the John Wick: Chapter 4 end credits.

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Where To Listen To The John Wick: Chapter 4 Soundtrack

John Wick lights a candle in a church in John Wick Chapter 4

The official soundtrack album for John Wick: Chapter 4, titled John Wick: Chapter 4 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), is available for streaming on Spotify, Deezer, and Apple Music.

How The John Wick: Chapter 4 Soundtrack Differs From The Other Movies

Caine with a gun in John Wick Chapter 4

The John Wick: Chapter 4 soundtrack sets itself apart from its predecessors by scoring its action to the tunes of familiar pop songs, like “Nowhere to Run” and “Paint It Black.” Setting graphic violence to pop music was popularized by Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino and has since become a popular cinematic practice. The John Wick: Chapter 4 soundtrack still relies heavily on its original compositions, but the most memorable music moments in the movie use licensed hits as a backdrop to the brutality. John Wick: Chapter 4 has also got literal needle-drops, with a DJ playing the songs on her radio show.

John Wick 4 Star Rina Sawayama Made A Song For The Film

Rina Sawayama as Akira in John Wick: Chapter 4

Fans may not be aware that the John Wick 4 soundtrack also features a member of the John Wick 4 cast. Rina Sawayama is a Japanese-British singer who made her feature film debut in John Wick: Chapter 4 as Akira. Despite it being her first movie role, Sawayama was praised for her standout performance, providing an interesting and complex character who is one of the few people to suggest that John Wick deserves some blame for the mayhem he has caused in his war against the high-table.

While there are many fans who are wondering if Sawayama will get her own John Wick spinoff someday, she added further to the franchise by releasing a song as part of the John Wick 4 soundtrack with "An Eye for An Eye." It is an appropriate song for Sawayama especially as her character challenges if John's revenge has cost too much, similar to the saying "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind."

Sources: Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music