Ranking the 10 Best Songs from the 28 Days Later Soundtrack
28 Days Later is a 2002 British film starring Cillian Murphy, Christopher Eccleston, Brendan Gleeson, and Naomi Harris. The storyline revolves around the main character, Cillian Murphy, who wakes up from a coma only to realize that there’s a highly contagious virus dubbed “Rage” wreaking havoc on the community. The first human contracted the virus through a chimpanzee freed from a Cambridge laboratory. According to Wikipedia, the movie has various soundtracks portraying the post-apocalypse situation in Great Britain. Here is a ranking of the ten best songs from the 28 Days Later soundtrack.
10. “No More Films” by John Murphy (2003)
“No More Films” is an instrumental song by British film composer John Murphy, released in 2003 for the film’s soundtrack album. Murphy is a well-known and self-taught multi-instrumental instrumental musician whose been in the business since the 1980s. He’s won two awards: the Silver Award (1st Prize) at the Cannes Film Festival and a British D&AD award. His skills and experience in composing instrumental songs have allowed him to work with celebrities like Guy Ritchie, Matthew Vaughn, and Danny Boyle.
9. “An Ending (Ascent)” by Brian Eno (1983)
“An Ending (Ascent)” is a track by Brian Eno, released for 28 Days Later and For All Mankind films. It also appeared in the tv series, Jam and Top Gear. The British musician, composer, record producer, and visual artist is recognized for contributing ambient music and work in electronica, pop, and rock. He’s also helped introduce recording approaches and unconventional conceptual music throughout his career. That explains why he’s one of the most famous music influential and innovative figures.
8. “A.M. 180” by Grandaddy (1997)
“A.M. 180” is a song by Granddaddy, released in 1997 from their debut studio Western Freeway album. The American indie rock band also released it for this movie, helping it peak at 88 on the UK Singles Chart. The 3:20-minute song was written and produced by Jason Lytle. There’s also a cover version by the Canadian pop-punk band PUP, released in August 2020. The song describes a complacent person who wants to do nothing more than be with their lover because that’s the only thing that matters.
7. “The Tunnel” by John Murphy (2003)
Another instrumental song that made it to the 28 Days Later soundtrack album is “The Tunnel” by John Murphy. The self-taught British composer released it for the album in 2002. Thanks to his enormous contributions, 28 Days Later was a considerable success at the box office, gaining around 6.1 million Euros. The US also considered it a surprise hit, allowing it to take over $45 million. On a global scale, it made over $85 million.
6. “Taxi (Ave Maria)” by Charles Ground (2002)
“Taxi (Ave Maria)” is a song by Charles Ground. The music plays as Jim and Selena (Cillian Murphy and Naomi Harris) meet a taxi driver called Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and his daughter Hannah (Megan Burns). Frank already knew that the army had blockaded a safe area in Manchester and taken all of them there. There’s a remix version featuring Jackknife Lee, and it plays for six minutes and 15 seconds.
5. “Tower Block” by John Murphy (2003)
“Tower Block” is an instrumental song composed by John Murphy. According to 28 Days Later Wiki, the music plays when Jim and Selena (Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris) go to Balfron Tower. The duo goes to that place after getting drawn by Christmas lights. Overall, we found the electronica song entertaining and relevant to the scene.
4. “Jim’s Parents (Abide with Me)” by Henry Francis Lyte & William Henry Monk
“Jim’s Parents (Abide with Me)” is a hymn by Henry Francis Lyte & William Henry Monk and directed by Danny Boyle. The latter uses this hymn in the context of horror, portraying his great bravura artistry. Perri Alleyne’s powerful and beautiful vocals were why 28 Days Later was regarded as one of the most horrific and moving movies. You’ve got to listen to it to make your verdict.
3. “The Church” by John Murphy (2003)
“The Church” is an instrumental song by John Murphy, released for the 28 Days Later film in 2003. You can hear it playing when Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from his coma to discover London deserted and ravaged. That’s when he decides to go to church. He discovers that the church isn’t the best place to escape the virus. So, he decides to flee town to avoid contracting the virus.
2. “The Beginning” by John Murphy (2003)
According to Daily Motion, “The Beginning” is one of John Murphy’s instrumental songs from the 28 Days Later soundtrack album. The British composer was born in Liverpool, England, and had his debut hit in the 1990s using Leon the Pig Farmer. He combined forces with a former OMD member, David Hughes. In the 2000s, Murphy decided to go solo and is now based in Los Angeles.
1. “Rage” by John Murphy (2003)
In his interviews, John Murphy has always confessed that composing songs for 28 Days Later was the best decision he ever made. “Rage” is one of the songs he released for the movie’s soundtrack album, helping it become a worldwide success. The song’s title was inspired by the deadly virus “Rage” from a caged monkey, who was freed from a medical research lab after London’s misguided animal rights activists intervened. He’s also composed tracks for this film’s sequel, 28 Weeks Later. His collaboration with Danny Boyle bore fruits, and he has continued partnering with him to compose songs for a sci-fi film, Sunshine. In 2019, the composer scored “Les Miserables” for the BBC and The Suicide Squad the following year.
