Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny soundtrack: All the songs from John Williams’ nostalgia-fuelled adventure
30 June 2023, 09:15 | Updated: 30 June 2023, 10:50
Harrison Ford: ‘Raiders March follows me everywhere… it was in my last colonoscopy!’ | Classic FM
Indiana Jones is back for his final adventure in ‘The Dial of Destiny’, and just like the artefacts he collects, this score by John Williams is sure to go down in history.
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Legendary explorer, Indiana Jones, returns to our screens for his final action-packed adventure, and luckily for all of us film music fans, John Williams is here to play him out.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the fifth film starring the titular fictional character, played by Harrison Ford, and concludes a storyline spanning over 34 years.
Williams’ rousing ‘Raiders March’ theme is synonymous with the character of Indiana Jones, and the legendary film composer returned to score new music for the highly-anticipated final film due to be released in June 2023.
But how much original music does the film include, and what new melodies did melodies write, if any, for the concluding chapter of the fictional professor? Read on to explore the (spoiler-free!) soundworld of Indiana Jones’ last hurrah.
Read more: Harrison Ford: ‘Raiders March follows me everywhere… it was in my last colonoscopy!’
Who wrote the soundtrack for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?
At the age of 91 years old, legendary film composer John Williams returned to write and conduct over two hours of new music for the final Indiana Jones film. Williams has written music for every Indiana Jones film, and his themes are synonymous with the intrepid adventurer.
According to reports, the extent of Williams’ involvement with the highly anticipated fifth film wasn’t certain from the get-go.
In a featurette with LucasFilm, director James Mangold related humorously, “I didn’t know if John would do the whole movie when I jumped on – I only prayed.
“At first he said, ‘I’ll write some themes’, and then he just couldn’t stop writing all the music to the movie.”
Williams’ score includes a mix of new musical themes, alongside rearrangements of old fan favourites such as ‘The Raiders March’ and ‘Marion’s Theme’.
In an interview discussing the film last year, Williams suggested that this score would be his last before retirement. However he has since gone back on that promise, and in January this year said he would be ‘sticking around’ in the music industry for a while yet.
Read more: John Williams emerges from behind curtain, to conduct surprise ‘Indiana Jones’ at US premiere
Watch the trailer for Indiana Jones 5 and the Dial of Destiny
What is the plot of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?
The official spoiler-free synopsis of the fifth and final adventure of the intrepid explorer reads, “Daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history.
“Accompanied by his goddaughter, he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who works for NASA.”
Harrison Ford reprises his role for the last time as Dr Henry Jones Jr. (or ‘Indiana’ Jones), while English actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge stars as the professor’s goddaughter, Helena Shaw.
Danish actor, Mads Mikkelsen is cast as the film’s antagonist, Dr Jürgen Voller, and he is joined by a host of familiar faces from previous Indiana Jones movies in nostalgia-fuelled cameos.
For a more detailed and spoiler-crammed synopsis, read our breakdown of how this unexpected piece of classical music found its way into the new Indiana Jones film.
Read more: Why Beethoven’s music makes a surprise appearance in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | John Williams
Who plays on the soundtrack for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?
Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter plays ‘Helena’s Theme’, a heart-wrenching, lyrical work for violin and orchestra, which showcases the lower range of the sonorous string instrument.
The German musician told Classic FM, “I am over the moon excited about Helena’s theme by the one and only John Williams.”
Mutter describes the character of Helena Shaw as a “strong female role” in the highly-anticipated new Indiana Jones film. “It is such a huge honour to be on this,” she added.
Mutter and Williams have a long history of musical partnerships, with the American composer having written for the German violinist multiple times. In 2024, she makes the UK debut of the ‘Superman Suite; Violin Concerto No.2’, written especially for her by Williams.
The violin virtuoso invited Williams to write a concerto for her, and the legendary composer was touched, commenting at the time, “I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to write for one of the world’s greatest artists.
“It was also a challenge, of course,” Williams added, “because there are so many great violin concertos in the repertoire.”
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Helena's Theme (For Violin and Orchestra) (From "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny")
What is the tracklisting for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?
The Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny soundtrack was released on Friday 30 June, two days after the film premiered in UK cinemas. The film will premiere in the US two days later on 30 June.
The 18-strong tracklist is as follows:
- Prologue To Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (6:00)
- Helena’s Theme (3:30)
- Germany, 1944 (4:42)
- To Morroco (3:21)
- Voller Returns (3:06)
- Auction At Hotel L’Atlantique (2:58)
- Tuk Tuk In Tangiers (3:35)
- To Athens (2:17)
- Perils Of The Deep (2:31)
- Water Ballet (4:53)
- Polybius Cypher (2:39)
- The Grafikos (4:39)
- Archimedes’ Tomb (3:01)
- The Airport (4:46)
- Battle Of Syracuse (2:50)
- Centuries Join Hands (3:02)
- New York, 1969 (4:17)
- Helena’s Theme (For Violin And Orchestra) [feat. Anne-Sophie Mutter] (4:59)
