Years after Quentin Tarantino brought the initial concept for Kill Bill to Uma Thurman on the set of Pulp Fiction, he finally realized his martial arts revenge tale as a two-part epic and got the cameras rolling. He originally planned to release the movie as a single piece, but the producers balked at the idea of putting a four-hour movie in theaters and it was split in half.
From the opening titles of Volume 1 set to Nancy Sinatra to the end credits of Volume 2 set to Chingon, there are a ton of Tarantino’s signature memorable music moments across the two parts of the Kill Bill saga.
Volume 1: “Ironside” By Quincy Jones
When Vernita Green opens her front door in the suburbs in one of the opening scenes of Kill Bill and is shocked to find the Bride on the other side, Quincy Jones’ iconic Ironside theme bursts onto the soundtrack.
The “Ironside” theme was later reused in Volume 2 when the Bride spots Elle outside Budd’s trailer. It fits perfectly then, too.
Volume 2: “Satisfied Mind” By Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash’s “Satisfied Mind” is playing in Budd’s trailer before the Bride shows up and tries to ambush him. With a couple of awesome crash zooms, the Bride’s ambush is cut short by a shotgun blast to the chest.
Tarantino is clearly a big Johnny Cash fan, as he also featured “Tennessee Stud” in Jackie Brown and “Ain’t No Grave” in Django Unchained.
Volume 1: “Twisted Nerve” By Bernard Herrmann
The catchy tune of Bernard Herrmann’s “Twisted Nerve” is whistled by Elle Driver on her way to assassinate the Bride in the hospital. She’s disguised as a nurse, complete with a red cross eyepatch, and eager to kill her closest rival. But at the last minute, Bill calls off the hit.
Uma Thurman and Daryl Hannah reportedly clashed on the set of Kill Bill. The feud went so far that they refused to do any promotion for the movie together. But this worked in the movie’s favor, because it meant that the Bride and Elle’s rivalry rang true.
Volume 2: “L’Arena” By Ennio Morricone
After Budd thwarts the Bride’s attempt to ambush him, Kill Bill: Volume 2 takes a dark, unexpected turn when she’s buried alive. Then, there’s a montage showing her training under Pai Mei, who taught her the tools she needs to escape from her impromptu grave.
Ennio Morricone’s “L’Arena,” originally featured in the movie Il Mercenario, plays as the Bride punches through the lid of her coffin and digs herself out of her grave.
Volume 1: “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” By Nancy Sinatra
When Quentin Tarantino first brought the idea for Kill Bill to Uma Thurman, all he had was the opening shot: a woman lying, beaten and bloodied, looking up at her would-be killers, silently vowing to exact revenge on them. Thurman suggested pulling out to reveal a bridal gown. Hence, the Bride was born.
This opening shot ended up being realized in black-and-white. On the abrupt gunshot to the Bride’s head (in the middle of telling Bill that the baby is his daughter, no less), the movie cuts to black and the opening credits begin to play, set beautifully to the somber, melancholic sounds of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).”
Tarantino wanted to shed a spotlight on a lesser-known Sinatra track, since she’s usually associated with “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” and the lyrics fit perfectly with the Bride’s “baby” literally shooting her down.
Volume 2: “The Chase” By Alan Reeves, Phil Steele & Philip Brigham
At the beginning of the ninth chapter of the Kill Bill saga, as Elle drives to kill the Bride, “The Chase” plays on the soundtrack. The song initially arose from a jam session for the soundtrack to the low-budget movie Road to Salina.
Philip Brigham came up with the opening guitar riff, then Alan Reeves added some rock organ sounds to the mix. Kill Bill revived the recording.
Volume 1: “Woo Hoo” By The 5.6.7.8’s
The 5.6.7.8’s played themselves in Kill Bill: Volume 1. They’re seen playing live at the House of Blue Leaves before the Bride’s iconic fight with O-Ren and the Crazy 88.
This is one of the rare times that a cameoing performer in a Tarantino movie has played themselves. Zoë Bell appears prominently as a fictionalized version of herself in the second half of Death Proof.
Volume 2: “A Silhouette Of Doom” By Ennio Morricone
One of the many Morricone tracks featured in Kill Bill — and one of the ones that’s now more associated with a Tarantino movie than the movie it originally came from — is “A Silhouette of Doom.”
It’s used well in the opening credits of Volume 2, but it’s used even more effectively in the build-up to the Bride’s climactic fight with Elle Driver.
Volume 1: “Battle Without Honor Or Humanity” By Tomoyasu Hotei
Arguably the most memorable song to appear in the Kill Bill soundtrack, “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” plays during O-Ren Ishii, Sofie, Gogo, and the Crazy 88’s badass slow-motion entrance walking down a hallway into the House of Blue Leaves.
The track was originally recorded for the movie New Battles Without Honor and Humanity, but it wasn’t introduced to western audiences until three years later when Tarantino featured it in Kill Bill.
Volume 2: “Malaguena Salerosa” By Chingon
Chingon’s “Malaguena Salerosa” plays over the end credits of Kill Bill: Volume 2 as Tarantino cuts through a montage of every actor from both volumes. The upbeat tone and catchy melody match the Bride and B.B.’s much-deserved happy ending.
The cast montage ends with a sweet descriptor for our hero: “Uma Thurman as Beatrix Kiddo AKA The Bride AKA Black Mamba AKA Mommy.”