Klaus Badelt — He's a Pirate

The orchestral theme that scores the end credits of every Pirates of the Caribbean film is broadly charting today, tracked across 63 country and platform charts after a five-week absence. Composed with Hans Zimmer for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the piece has long outgrown its source — a galloping string-and-brass motif that functions as shorthand for adventure across short-form video, gaming streams, and sports arenas. Per Wikipedia, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have used a cut version as pre-game and time-out music at Raymond James Stadium for years. Badelt took the assignment when Zimmer was occupied with The Last Samurai, then watched the 90-second cue become one of the most durable film themes of the 2000s. Its return to broad presence today fits a track that resurfaces in cycles rather than retiring.