Michael Giacchino's musical score for Lost makes use of numerous recurring leitmotifs and themes, often with associations to specific characters, locations, or actions.
Character themes[]
Ben
Ben's main theme began as a general theme for the Others. He also later received a flash sideways theme. His centric episodes in season 4 and season 6 lent him action motifs. The video game Lost: Via Domus granted him a theme that was itself almost identical, but slightly different, to his main theme.
Charlie
Charlie's main theme began by depicting his addiction, while a second theme played during his redemption scenes. Charlie also shared a love theme with Claire.
Claire
Claire's main theme also served as a love theme with Charlie. A second theme especially characterized scenes with Aaron, and she gained two motifs for her season 6 persona. She and Kate shared a flash sideways theme, and Claire also had her own flash sideways theme.
Daniel
A main theme characterized many of Faraday's scenes, including those with Charlotte. A motif played during scenes involving his experiments.
Desmond
Desmond had a main theme for most of the series and a second theme for his season 6 mission. Another motif characterized his flashes.
Eko
Eko had a theme for his emotional moments and a motif for action scenes.
The Freighties
The theme for the freighter also characterized its people, particularly Frank. They also had a separate two motifs.
Hurley
Hurley's first theme is a playful four-note melody. A second theme originally characterized Hurley's pained past, and a third theme played during other emotional moments. Another theme played during scenes related to his mediumship. Hurley also received a new motif in the flash sideways.
Jack
Jack's action motif from the first season played during his scenes for the whole series, often with a counterpoint. In season two, he received a love theme for his relationship with Sarah that later spread to other characters. In season three, he finally received his own full theme and also a second motif. At the end of the season, a new motif appeared for him. He also received a flash forward theme that would later play during many meetings between him and Kate. Finally, his flash sideways received a separate theme as well as an additional motif.
Kate
Kate's received her main theme and a motif in the first season. She also shared a love theme with Sawyer and another theme with Jack. In the flash sideways, Kate had a theme with Claire and her own action motif.
Jin and Sun
An Asian-flavored theme originally characterized the couple. Their main love theme later replaced it, and another motif characterized scenes related to conflict in the relationship. Sun also received her own motif for her quest for revenge against Ben.
Locke
Locke's first theme originally characterized his mysterious hunter-gatherer side, and a second theme played during his emotional moments. A variation on the first formed his mystery theme, and two variations on the second formed two other themes, one for more tragic scenes and one for his communion with the island. A separate motif played during scenes related to Locke's destiny, and the Man in Black later used this theme after taking his form. Another motif played about once a season. Locke also had a separate flash sideways theme. As a main character in the video game Lost: Via Domus, Locke had a theme within the game that served as his Via Domus theme.
The Man in Black
The Man in Black originally used Locke's main theme, and he continued using Locke's motif. He later received two themes of his own: one for his Locke form (which shared elements with Locke's fourth theme) and one for his original human form. He also has motifs for his monster form - first one and then a second. In addition, he has motifs for his chase scenes and his slaughtering scenes.
Miles
Miles had one theme for his emotional scenes and a motif for scenes related to his mediumship.
The Others
The Others' main motif consists of low pizzicato strings and plays throughout the series. The Others' early theme later characterized Ben exclusively. Another early theme played in season 2 and the beginning of season 3. They received an action motif in season 3.
Sawyer
Sawyer's main theme is a surly four-note motif. A separate theme characterized his past, particularly his quest to find the original Sawyer. Sawyer had a love theme with Kate and a second with Juliet. He also had another theme in the flash sideways.
Sayid
Sayid's main theme played for most of the series. He and Shannon shared a love theme. He also had a separate motif and a flash sideways theme.
Shannon
Shannon had a theme, another theme that she shared with Boone and a love theme with Sayid.
Other characters
Mother, Alex, Christian, Claudia, Jacob, Juliet, Danielle, Michael and Walt, Mikhail, Nikki and Paulo, the Oceanic 6, Richard and Rose and Bernard all have their own character themes or motifs.
Emotion themes[]
The main theme plays throughout the series and serves as a basis for several other themes, including the life and death theme, the home theme and the main flash sideways theme. Another theme, played about once a season, characterizes reunion scenes and leaving the island.
Love themes[]
Themes characterize particular pairings, though they often also play during other scenes. Bernard and Rose, Charlie and Claire, Desmond and Penny, Jack and Sarah, Jin and Sun, Juliet and Sawyer, Kate and Sawyer and Sayid and Shannon all have their own love themes.
Island themes[]
The series has three main traveling themes. The first, a repeating five-note motif, plays during exploration scenes. A second has a more epic feel and plays especially in finales. A third begins in season 2. A mystery theme also often characterizes such discovery scenes, sometimes accompanied by a counterpoint.
Setting themes[]
Individual themes play during scenes involving the freighter, the Heart, the Orchid, the submarine, the Swan and the Temple.
Chronological list of themes[]
Season 1[]
- Crash motif ("Pilot, Part 1")
- Nikki and Paulo ("Pilot, Part 2")
- Thought and Worry ("Tabula Rasa")
- Attack and flight ("Walkabout")
- Christian's Motif ("White Rabbit")
- Sun and Jin's 1st theme ("House of the Rising Sun")
- Boar motif ("The Moth")
- Sawyer's theme ("Confidence Man")
- Sayid's theme ("Solitary")
- Claire's theme ("Raised by Another")
- Exploration motif ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues")
- Kate's motif ("Whatever the Case May Be")
- Bilingual motif ("Hearts and Minds")
- Mourning motif ("Special")
- Charlie's thievery ("Homecoming")
- Original Sawyer's theme ("Outlaws")
- Kate's love theme ("...In Translation")
- Hurley's 1st theme ("Numbers")
- Locke's mystery theme ("Deus Ex Machina")
- Boone's theme ("The Greater Good")
- Kate's theme ("Born to Run")
- Leaving the Island ("Exodus, Part 1")
- Chasing Rousseau ("Exodus, Part 2")
Season 2[]
- Fearful transition ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
- Destruction motif ("Adrift")
- Jack's counterpoint ("Orientation")
- Hurley's 2nd theme ("Everybody Hates Hugo")
- Rustling motif ("...And Found")
- Sayid and Shannon ("Abandoned")
- Water rescues ("The Other 48 Days")
- Arming up ("Collision")
- Jack and Kate ("What Kate Did")
- Eko's theme ("The 23rd Psalm")
- Night motif ("Fire + Water")
- Escape motif ("Maternity Leave")
- Traveling theme #3 ("The Whole Truth")
- Rose and Bernard ("S.O.S.")
- Ben's action motif ("Two for the Road")
- Worried words ("?")
- Ben's theme ("Three Minutes")
- Mystery counterpoint ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")
- Season finale action theme ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 2")
Season 3[]
- The Others' action theme ("A Tale of Two Cities")
- Desmond's flashes ("Every Man for Himself")
- Surgery theme ("I Do")
- Juliet's theme ("Stranger in a Strange Land")
- Submarine theme ("The Man from Tallahassee")
- Suspense motif ("Catch-22")
- Ben's theme ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
- Planning motif ("Greatest Hits")
- Jack's faith ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")
Season 4[]
- Hurley's mediumship ("The Beginning of the End")
- Freighter crew motif ("Confirmed Dead")
- Faraday's experiments ("The Economist")
- Ben's suspense motif ("The Shape of Things to Come")
- Locke's 3rd theme ("Cabin Fever")
- Home theme ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")
- Narrative motif ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
- Frank's instructions ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3")
Season 5[]
- Dr. Chang's motif ("Because You Left")
- 1954 Others' motif ("The Lie")
- Desmond's action motif ("Jughead")
- Sawyer's love theme ("The Little Prince")
- DHARMA/Widmore motif ("LaFleur")
- Duel motif ("Follow the Leader")
- Jacob's theme ("The Incident, Part 1")
Season 6[]
- Deja vu motif ("LA X, Part 1")
- Temple theme ("LA X, Part 2")
- Kate's sideways theme ("What Kate Does")
- Hurley's sideways theme ("The Substitute")
- Jack's sideways motif ("Lighthouse")
- Sayid's sideways theme ("Sundown")
- Ben's 2nd action motif ("Dr. Linus")
- Sawyer's sideways theme ("Recon")
- Richard's theme ("Ab Aeterno")
- Team Widmore's theme ("Happily Ever After")
- Confrontation motif ("Everybody Loves Hugo")
- Preparation motif ("The Last Recruit")
- Claudia's theme ("Across the Sea")
- Ford and Straume's motif ("The End")
See also[]
- Michael Giacchino
- Soundtracks - All six seasons have soundtrack albums featuring music from the show.
- The Lost Symphony - A symphonic work for orchestra featuring music from the show.
- Songs featured in Lost
- January 9, 2006 Official Lost Podcast - A special orchestra edition in which Michael Giacchino takes a tour of the scoring stage, and introduces musicians and instruments that make up the sound of Lost
- April 10, 2007 Official Lost Podcast - A video podcast in which Giacchino is interviewed and takes a tour of the scoring stage
- Incidental music download thread - A collection of Lost music tracks captured from various episodes
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