List of Music and Songs from Prison Break

Half Iranian half German composer Ramin Djawadi presents us with remarkably effective score for the adrenaline pumped Prison Break. Although the series is famous for its unexpected plot twists that keep the audience on edge, the score of Djawadi is rather profound and moody. You have a few crescendos here and there but the predominant tone of Prison Break: Original Television Soundtrack is dark and low-key, almost depressive. The tracks flow like water as they follow one another. Moreover, as you listen to the soundtrack you feel like watching the series all over again which is an indication of Djawadi's unique talent of imprinting his music to the story.

I will name a few personal favorites that I hold dear to my heart as a fan of the series but I highly recommend you, dear reader, to cast your own hands on this soundtrack and give it your own meaning. You may or may not be a fan of the series yet Ramin Djawadi is a talent who is worth giving it a try (that and he didn't receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music with Prison Break, for nothing) especially if you cherish instrumental music that is powerful enough to set the mood for you.

Prison Break Main Titles: Influential music does its trick when separated from the context. If the music immediately reminds you of the context whenever you hear it and wherever you might be, then it is successful. As soon as you hear the "aaah" of the female vocal followed and accompanied by the rumble of percussions, there you are in Fox River Penitentiary and ready to break out of it. The intro blends into the gloomy score, mostly associated with Michael Scofield and his genius. It reminds me of a Michael remembering the next step in his original plan or a Michael with a B-plan. The entire Main Titles stands out with its combining two opposite moods in one, i.e. hectic and calm.

Strings of Prisoners: This is one of the predominant scores of Season One. You can never get enough of it. Highly associated with the inmates pacing back and forth in the prison yard or the yard in general where most of the teaming up and (re-)planning takes place...

Inking the Plan: Although it evokes Michael's inking the plan of Fox River on himself through his tattoos, this score is usually heard throughout the season whenever anything devious is taking place from Michael's carrying out a stage of his escape plan to his "fellow" inmates are up to something. It also features the famous woodwind score of the "Origami Swan".

T-Bag Coming For Dinner: Disturbing to the point of scary when listened in the dark, this title and Theodore Bagwell go together as fish and chips. The scratchy effect throughout the song simply sends us into a journey within the the highly disturbed, perverted yet astute mind of this bisexual villain. Well... You can't say you haven't been warned.

Sucre's Dilemma: Opening with effects mostly resembling heavy doors closing one after another and imprisoning a pure heart, the title follows with a guitar tune that reflects the Puerto Rican origins of Fernando Sucre. Sucre is not only one of the major characters in the series, he is also the only other inmate that has mostly been favored by the audience. The beat of the score gets higher in volume as the song approaches towards the end as if emphasizing Sucre's determination to get back to the love of his life no matter what. However, the score abruptly ends with a fade out. Although I do not think that it was deliberately ended that way, it sure makes me think that a sudden drop from the determined beat to fade out in the end reflects Sucre's occasional mood swings quite well. Determined one second, hopeless another...

Sarah & Michael: Just everything you can expect from a theme of forbidden love is available within the seconds of this one minute forty three seconds. Prolonged notes that mark obscurity, lack of hope, uncertainty, affection and a vain attempt in denying the inevitable. It surprisingly comes to an end with an unexpected crescendo. Just what can it signify?

Unconditional & Sarah: These two scores further reflect Sara Tancredi's hopeless feelings towards Michael and her inner conflicts; the former with its sad keystrokes and the latter with its melodramatic vocal performance in the beginning and miserable piano score.

Special Agent Mahone: One of the predominant scores of the second season. This score is heard throughout the conflicts and twists that surround the Fox River 8 and successfully turns itself one of the most remembered themes of Prison Break.

Panama: An interesting, if not delightful mix of Strings of Prisoners and T-Bag Coming for Dinner.

Maricruz: Made up of a reprise of Sucre's Dilemma, a highly dramatic theme for Maricruz and Sucre's union at the airport before the beat turns faster as they run head over heels from the authorities.

Sona: The infamous theme of Sona; the setting of third season. You can "hear" the suffocating heat wave emanating from this song as it moves into the effective crescendo at the end, marking the finale of the second season and history's repeating itself.

Ferry Corsten's Breakout Mix: If you like Main Titles, this is a "must-hear". Usually, remixes take a lot from the original songs and turn them into leftovers from dinner. However, Ferry Corsten's approach to the Main Titles sounds very much like a tribute rather than a remix. This is a dance track, alright but it is not drowned in beat. On the contrary, Corsten uses every chance to give credit for Main Titles Theme and keep the beat in the foreground. Kudos to that!

All in all, the music from Prison Break sounds and feel like it deserves to be re-visited now and then. It is great background music during the day (and evening, too) if you don't watch the series...

... if you do watch the series, it is time to fall silent and go back to Track 1.