15 tracks that should be on a ‘Midnight Sun’ soundtrack

With the release of the latest installment in the Twilight saga, Midnight Sun, detailing the events of the first novel through the eyes of vampire Edward Cullen, we’ve got one thing on our minds—whether this next phase will get the same blockbuster Hollywood treatment as its predecessors. Each Twilight movie came equipped with storming soundtracks, so which songs should play when we see Edward’s world from his own perspective?

Of course, the movie’s casting is up in the air given the original actors’ career shifts in the eight years since Breaking Dawn: Part 2. But that doesn’t stop us from speculating over which tracks we could be hearing when we view Edward’s side of the story. Armed with all the Midnight Sun spoilers and hope for a new film, let’s dig out which sounds should accompany Edward’s story in his own words.

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The Used – “Blood On My Hands”

When Edward first met Bella Swan, she could see his initial response to her was hostile, but her account couldn’t explain how. Midnight Sun details Edward’s thoughts in that infamous first Biology class as his knuckles turned white and his face skewed, his mind racing through the ways he could kill every witness in the classroom before he could taste Bella’s blood. Edward’s battle against his own thirst in that moment of weakness would suit the Used’s murderous anthem “Blood On My Hands” if we ever see these moments on the silver screen.

Billie Eilish, Khalid – “lovely”

At the opening of Midnight Sun, Edward feels isolated, a lone wolf if he could bear the irony. Filling in the gap in Bella’s story where Edward didn’t show up to school for a week after their first encounter, the new novel details his visit to the Cullen family’s vampiric friends in Denali, Alaska. Sitting in isolation contemplating his next move, whether he should leave Forks, Washington, for good and break Carlisle’s long-standing immortal family apart in the process, Edward’s heartbreaking reflections would definitely suit this haunting Billie Eilish and Khalid number.

Bush – “Flowers On A Grave”

As he assesses Bella’s character from afar without the advantage of reading her thoughts, Edward uses his powers to examine the minds of other students at Forks High to get a glimpse of her personality. Watching boys ask her for invites to the dance and prom, witnessing the bitterness of Jessica Stanley and the selfless kindness of Angela Weber, Midnight Sun uncovers Edward’s hatred of Mike Newton and his fear that Bella prefers the average high schooler to him. While his confusion develops over the girl who seems to say what others want to hear, we can hear Bush’s “Flowers On A Grave” narrating Edward’s loss of direction.

Cvlt Ov The Svn – “Twilight”

It’s almost as if eerie Finnish “occult murder pop” band Cvlt Ov The Svn wrote “Twilight” for a potential Midnight Sun movie. This sinister track would sit neatly with the portrayal of Edward’s side of the events in Port Angeles, watching the group of men preying on Bella in a dark alley and hearing the main culprit’s thoughts that would make his blood boil if it could. The track comes as a sincere ode to the traditional vampires we’ve known and loved since Bram Stoker’s Dracula. “Twilight” brings a sense of foreboding danger that this chapter needs, voicing a threat that Edward would surely have acted upon if it weren’t for the need to protect Bella from seeing his true form.

Mayday Parade – “It’s Hard To Be Religious When Certain People Are Never Incinerated By Bolts Of Lightning”

Throughout Midnight Sun, Edward bickering with his sister Rosalie turns out to be a much more frequent occurrence than Bella’s account let us know. Rose’s reluctance to help her brother and risk her family’s safety comes off as insensitive throughout Twilight, but Edward’s perspective expands on the backstory behind her bitterness in a way that Breaking Dawn could not. She speaks from her own fears of Bella letting go of her mortal life in exchange for one that Rose wouldn’t have chosen given the chance. This sibling rivalry deserves a troubled soundtrack, and Mayday Parade’s “It’s Hard To Be Religious…” vocalizes their regular disputes perfectly.

Claude Debussy – “Rêverie”

Bella’s personal insecurities meant the first novel didn’t expand on the times Edward asked her endless questions about her life and interests in exchange for grilling him about his powers. Through the seemingly mundane topics of favorite movies and colors, Edward discovers Bella’s relationship with her parents and her love of the places she’s visited that he could never see for himself… or so he thought at first. As we’re already aware of Edward’s fondness for composer Claude Debussy, we’re picturing these sweet scenes unfolding to the beautiful tones of Debussy’s “Rêverie”—as Edward unwittingly falls even harder for the human girl who changes his life beyond recognition and even shares his love of classical concertos.

Ghost – “Cirice”

We’ve already seen the iconic meadow scene on the silver screen through Bella’s awestruck eyes, but how would we see it from Edward’s shame-ridden perspective in Midnight Sun? Once he exposes his glittering skin in the sunlight, Edward tries to show Bella his flaws and powers that could endanger her life if she stays with him, explaining how both Edward and Emmett struggled with their vegetarian ways inherited from Carlisle. Edward and Bella, meet Ghost’s “Cirice,” packed with sinister atmospherics that could easily accompany this significant exposition in the young lovers’ story. Also, we’re just dying to hear Ghost on a Hollywood blockbuster soundtrack.

Lewis Capaldi – “Hold Me While You Wait”

Ever since the first book was published way back in 2005, we’ve been wondering what exactly Edward gets up to while Bella sleeps. Luckily, Midnight Sun fills in those gaps in Bella’s timeline while she was shooting Zs and our favorite teenage vampire was trying his hardest not to seem creepy. From squishing spiders to racing home to change his clothes, Edward’s point of view shows us how his conflicting thoughts command those hours while Bella snoozes beside him. Lewis Capaldi’s heart-wrenching “Hold Me While You Wait” mirrored these insecurities, almost as if the lyrics could’ve been plucked from Edward’s dialogue itself.

Motionless In White – “Voices”

Midnight Sun exposes more of Edward’s past than we were given through Bella’s eyes in the first novel, particularly the nature of his killings while he rebelled against Carlisle’s vegetarian lifestyle. He expresses his regret for murdering a potential child killer after reading his thoughts, uncovering his motives and sparing the life of an innocent child. Speaking of taking what he considers a technically innocent life, Edward’s internal rage in that moment would suit Motionless In White’s “Voices” down to the ground and bring some much-needed heaviness to the Twilight franchise.

Lana Del Rey – “Gods & Monsters”

Of course the celestial Lana Del Rey has to squeeze into our dream soundtrack somewhere. Edward’s account of the baseball game, where the Cullens cross paths with vampires Laurent, James and Victoria, details each family member’s power and puts a particular emphasis on Jasper’s protection of his family and their human friend Bella—something we couldn’t see through her viewpoint because she didn’t know the extent of his calming powers. Shedding light on the Cullens’ collective strength against a threat, the haunting notes of “Gods & Monsters” would match this tense moment.

Chase Holfelder – “Every Breath You Take”

Midnight Sun gives us an in-depth insight into the Cullens gearing up to defend Bella from the tracker James. As Esme and a reluctant Rosalie head to keep a watchful gaze on Bella’s father Charlie, Edward and the rest of his family are visited by Laurent, who warns them of James’ determination. Intent on looking after Bella at all costs, the coven’s battle preparations need a foreboding soundtrack, and following the continuous trend of soundtracks using key-changed covers of timeless hits, look no further than Chase Holfelder’s sinister rendition of the Police classic “Every Breath You Take.”

Bring Me The Horizon – “Parasite Eve”

One significant chapter we didn’t see through Bella’s eyes in the first Twilight novel is the Cullens’ race against time to save Bella from the clutches of James. The high-speed car chase involving Edward stealing vehicles and speeding down Arizona freeways needs a high-octane song to boot. We can’t think of anything better than the pulverizing “Parasite Eve” to play this sequence out on screen as Edward slams the pedal to the floor while battling Alice’s images of Bella’s fate. If there’s any justice in the world, Bring Me The Horizon should make it onto the hallowed Twilight soundtracks once and for all. 

Avatar – “Bloody Angel”

Edward often reflects on Alice’s vision of Bella in the near future, with sunken cheeks, cold and pale skin and blistering red irises—a newborn. But nothing could prepare him for the vision as he finds Bella bloodied and bitten on the dance studio floor, battling for life in a pool of crimson as Carlisle frantically stitches her wounds. Avatar created the perfect soundtrack to this desperate scene with “Bloody Angel,” full of drama to suit Edward’s struggle to cleanse Bella’s blood of James’ venom without killing the girl he loves. This scene was a lot shorter in the first novel as, understandably, Bella was barely conscious, but Midnight Sun expanded it to great effect through Edward’s despairing eyes.

Knuckle Puck – “Untitled”

As Bella recovers in the hospital, Edward goes to another room to watch the tape James made as he tortured the human girl who held Edward’s heart. Fighting back rage and tears, he realizes the extent of the danger he indirectly inflicted on Bella, how close she was to death and how determined James was to destroy what Edward loved. We couldn’t find anything more heartbreaking to accompany this gutting scene other than Knuckle Puck’s “Untitled.” Its mood swings between sorrow and frantic despair to match Edward’s torn heart as he debates leaving Bella forever.

Lord Huron – “The Night We Met”

The regretful tones of “The Night We Met” suits almost any opportunity where Edward thinks about the danger he poses to Bella’s life, wishing he could take a step back and let her continue her life without him. Perhaps most of all, this would befit the famous prom scene, previously soundtracked by Iron & Wine’s “Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” outlining the moments where Edward battles his conscience over Bella’s life as she asks him to change her, willing himself to walk away once Bella is fully healed from her ordeal. Lord Huron’s reflective song featured heavily in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why would fit right in with Twilight’s iconic soundtracks.