The two releases of the Kill Bill Soundtrack came out soon after each volume of the Kill Bill movies. Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack was released on September 23, 2003 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 Original Soundtrack was released on April 13, 2004. The two soundtracks are quite different, reflecting the different tones of Kill Bill Volume One and Kill Bill Volume Two. As with all of Tarantino’s earlier soundtracks, the albums contain dialogue excerpts from the film.

Both Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack and Kill Bill Vol. 2 Original Soundtrack are worth of entry into the pantheon of Quentin Tarantino movie soundtracks. They inspire the fun, suspenseful and action-heavy vibe of the films. Preview the two soundtrack albums here:

Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack was produced by RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan. The album reached number 45 on the Billboard 200 album chart as well as hitting number one movie soundtracks chart. It features a mixture of music inspired by both Western and Eastern martial arts movies. There are 22 tracks on the album, but the last three are action sound effects from the movie.

Buy Kill Bill: Volume 1 from Amazon

Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack Track Listing:

1. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) by Nancy Sinatra (length: 2:40)
2. That Certain Female by Charlie Feathers (length: 3:02)
3. The Grand Duel (Parte Prima) by Luis Bacalov (length: 3:24)
4. Twisted Nerve by Bernard Herrmann (length: 1:27, from the eponymous film.)
5. Queen of the Crime Council by Lucy Liu and Julie Dreyfus (length: 0:56)
6. Ode to O-ren Ishii by The RZA (length: 2:05)
7. Run Fay Run by Isaac Hayes (length: 2:46)
8. Green Hornet Theme by Al Hirt (length: 2:18)
9. Battle Without Honor or Humanity by Tomoyasu Hotei (length: 2:28)
10. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood by Santa Esmeralda (length: 10:29)
11. Woo Hoo (cover The Rock-A-Teens) by The 5.6.7.8′s (length: 1:59)
12. Crane/White Lightning by The RZA and Charles Bernstein (length: 1:37)
13. The Flower of Carnage by Meiko Kaji (length: 3:52, from Lady Snowblood)
14. The Lonely Shepherd by Gheorghe Zamfir (length: 4:20)
15. You’re My Wicked Life by David Carradine, Julie Dreyfus and Uma Thurman (length: 1:14)
16. Ironside (excerpt) by Quincy Jones (length: 0:16)
17. Super 16 (excerpt) by Neu! (length: 1:06)
18. Yakuza Oren 1 by The RZA (length: 0:22)
19. Banister Fight by The RZA (length: 0:21)
20. Flip Sting (sound effect) (length: 0:04)
21. Sword Swings (sound effect) (length: 0:05)
22. Axe Throws (sound effect) (length: 0:11)

Kill Bill: Volume 2 Original Soundtrack was produced by frequent Tarantino collaborator and friend Robert Rodriguez. RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan returned from producing the first Kill Bill soundtrack to assist on the second. Robert Rodriguez reportedly produced the soundtrack for one dollar, with Tarantino directing a scene from Rodriguez’s Sin City for the same fee. The two would also collaborate on the Grind House movies, with Rodriguez directing Machete and Tarantino directing Death Proof.

The soundtrack to Volume Two it peaked at number 58 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and on the movie soundtracks Billboard chart it reached number two.

Buy Kill Bill: Volume 2 from Amazon

Kill Bill: Volume 2 Original Soundtrack Track Listing:

1. A Few Words from the Bride by Uma Thurman (length: 0:42)
2. Goodnight Moon by Shivaree (length: 4:03)
3. Il Tramonto by Ennio Morricone (length: 1:15)
4. Can’t Hardly Stand It by Charlie Feathers (length: 2:48)
5. Tu Mirá (edit) by Lole y Manuel (length: 4:00)
6. Summertime Killer by Luis Bacalov (length: 3:39)
7. The Chase by Alan Reeves, Phil Steele, and Philip Brigham (length: 1:03)
8. The Legend of Pai Mei by David Carradine and Uma Thurman (length: 2:06)
9. L’Arena by Ennio Morricone (length: 4:46)
10. A Satisfied Mind by Johnny Cash (length: 2:50)
11. A Silhouette of Doom by Ennio Morricone (length: 2:54)
12. About Her by Malcolm McLaren (length: 4:49)
13. Truly and Utterly Bill by David Carradine and Uma Thurman (length: 0:47)
14. Malagueña Salerosa by Chingon (length: 4:05)
15. Urami Bushi by Meiko Kaji (length: 3:33)