Klaus Badelt — He's a Pirate

The orchestral theme that scores every Pirates of the Caribbean end-credits sequence is back across the global charts today, tracked on 100 country and platform listings after a three-week absence. Composed by Klaus Badelt with Hans Zimmer's assistance for The Curse of the Black Pearl — Zimmer having handed off the assignment while finishing The Last Samurai — the ninety-second cue became the franchise's signature motif, recurring through all five films. Its life beyond the screen is unusually durable: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have used a cut version as pre-game and time-out music at Raymond James Stadium, per Wikipedia. The relentless minor-key string ostinato is built for short-form video and stadium adrenaline alike, which keeps it in perpetual rotation. Its broad presence this cycle marks a clear return after the July lull.