The Right Stuff soundtrack: every song and Bill Conti's iconic score

But the music in the film goes well beyond Conti's compositions. Here's a full breakdown.

Bill Conti's original score

Conti was actually a last-minute hire. Composer John Barry was originally attached but departed due to creative differences with director Philip Kaufman. Producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler — who'd worked with Conti on Rocky — brought him in to rescue the score with just four weeks to compose and record.

The result was a stirring orchestral work performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony and conducted by Conti himself. Key cues from the score include "Breaking the Sound Barrier," "Yeager and the F-104," "Glenn's Flight," "Light This Candle," "Daybreak in Space, " "Yeager's Triumph," and the main theme, simply titled "The Right Stuff." The music draws on a grand, patriotic register — triumphant horns, soaring strings — that perfectly captures the ambition and danger of the era.

Classical and traditional pieces in the film

Kaufman's temporary music track heavily influenced the final soundtrack. Several classical works appear prominently in the film:

• Gustav Holst — "Mars, the Bringer of War" from The Planets, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa. This piece accompanies some of the film's most intense sequences.
• Claude Debussy — "Clair de Lune" — used in a quieter, more reflective moment.

A number of traditional American songs also feature, all arranged by Conti for the barbecue and parade sequences:

• "The Eyes of Texas"
• "Yellow Rose of Texas"
• "Deep in the Heart of Texas"
• "Dixie"
• "Battle Hymn of the Republic" — heard during John Glenn's ticker-tape parade.
• "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" (The Navy Hymn) — heard at a funeral.

Pop songs

• The Everly Brothers — "Wake Up Little Susie" — period-appropriate and used to ground the story in its late-1950s setting.

The 2020 Disney+ series

The TV adaptation features a completely separate score composed by Adam Taylor (known for his work on The Handmaid's Tale). The soundtrack album, containing 25 tracks, was released by WaterTower Music on 20 November 2020. The series also incorporates various period songs from the late 1950s and early 1960s throughout its eight episodes.