So, you just finished watching I Am Number Four for the tenth time on a random Tuesday night, and you’re probably wondering why that one song during the final battle isn't in your library yet. It’s a weirdly common frustration. Honestly, the way this movie handled its music is a bit of a tragedy for soundtrack collectors.
While the movie was a modest hit back in 2011, it never actually got a traditional "Various Artists" soundtrack release. You know the kind—the glossy CD or digital album with all the cool indie-rock and pop hits featured in the scenes. Instead, fans were left with a score-only album by Trevor Rabin and a scavenger hunt to find the actual songs played during the movie.
If you're looking for the I Am Number Four soundtrack list to rebuild it yourself, I've got the real rundown of what played, when it played, and why some of these tracks are basically ghost stories in the music industry.
The Songs You Actually Heard (The Unofficial Tracklist)
Most people remember the vibe of this movie being very "early 2010s moody indie." That’s because the music supervisor, Jennifer Hawks, leaned heavily into the alternative scene of the time. Think Civil Twilight, The xx, and The Black Keys.
Here is the list of songs that appeared in the film but were never bundled together for sale:
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- "Radioactive" by Kings of Leon: This plays early on, setting that high-stakes, "I'm on the run" energy.
- "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys: You'll hear this during the beach party bonfire scene. It’s basically the quintessential 2011 "cool kid" song.
- "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele: Back when Adele was just starting to take over the entire planet, this song played right as Number Six (Teresa Palmer) literally blows up a house. Very fitting.
- "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell: A bit of a classic nod, this serves as John’s ringtone. Kinda on the nose for a guy being hunted by aliens, right?
- "Shelter" by The xx: This plays during the montage where John is trying to settle into his new life at school. It perfectly captures that "I don't belong here" melancholy.
- "Soldier On" by The Temper Trap: Another atmospheric indie gem that fits the lonely-alien-hero trope.
- "Invented" by Jimmy Eat World: Used during the more grounded, "human" moments of the film.
- "As She's Walking Away" by Zac Brown Band: A bit of a genre curveball, but it works in the small-town Ohio setting.
- "Letters From The Sky" by Civil Twilight: This is the big one. It plays during the ending scene and the start of the credits. It’s the song everyone searches for.
The Mystery of Beck's "Curfew"
There is a specific piece of lore regarding the I Am Number Four soundtrack list that collectors obsess over: a song called "Curfew" by Beck.
For years, this was the "Holy Grail" for Beck fans. He specifically wrote it for the movie, and it appears very briefly in the background. Because there was no official soundtrack album, the song was basically lost to time. It wasn't on any of Beck's albums, and it wasn't on Spotify.
It wasn't until around 2017 that the full version finally leaked online. It’s a fuzzy, slightly menacing track that includes the lyric "call out your number," which makes it pretty clear it was tailor-made for John Smith’s story. If you're a completionist, you have to dig through YouTube or fan forums to find it because it still isn't "officially" out there on major streaming platforms.
The Trevor Rabin Score
While the pop songs were left out in the cold, Trevor Rabin’s orchestral score actually did get a release through Varèse Sarabande. Rabin is a legend—he was the guitarist for Yes and did the music for Armageddon and National Treasure.
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His work on I Am Number Four is aggressive and sci-fi heavy. If you’re looking for the epic music during the school hallway fight or the Mogadorian attacks, that’s Rabin. Some of the standout tracks from the score include:
- Welcome To The Jungle (Not the Guns N' Roses song, just Rabin's intro)
- VI To The Rescue
- Hit Me With Your Lumen (A clever pun on John's glowing hands)
- Commander Mog Explodes
It’s a solid score, but let’s be real: most people are looking for that Civil Twilight song.
Why You Can't Find an Official "Songs From" Album
It’s all about licensing. Back in 2011, the transition from physical CDs to digital was in a weird spot. Often, movie studios would have to pay extra to include songs like Adele’s or Kings of Leon’s on a separate album. Since I Am Number Four didn't launch a massive Twilight-level franchise as Disney/DreamWorks hoped, they likely didn't see the profit in clearing all those expensive music rights for a secondary album.
Basically, they paid to have the songs in the movie, but not to sell them to you later. It’s annoying, but it’s the reality of how Hollywood works.
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How to Build Your Own I Am Number Four Playlist
If you want to recreate the experience, you've gotta be a bit of a DIY expert. Most of these songs are on Spotify or Apple Music individually, but you won't find them under one "Movie Soundtrack" banner.
Start with "Letters From the Sky" and "Shelter." Those two alone cover about 80% of the movie's emotional DNA. Then, grab "Tighten Up" and "Rolling In The Deep" for the energy. If you really want to go deep, search for "Beck - Curfew" on a video site to hear the "lost" track that should have been the movie's lead single.
To get the most out of your listening, follow these steps:
- Prioritize the "Civil Twilight" track: It’s the definitive sound of the film’s finale.
- Search by scene: If you remember a specific moment, use a site like Tunefind to verify the timestamp; sometimes there are tiny snippets of songs (like the ones by The xx) that only last 30 seconds.
- Don't ignore the score: Even if you want the rock songs, Trevor Rabin's "Rising From The Ashes" is a great closer for any playlist.
The I Am Number Four soundtrack list might be scattered across the internet, but it's worth the hunt. It represents a very specific era of cinematic music that we don't really see as much anymore in the age of generic "epic trailer music." It had soul, it was moody, and honestly, it deserved a proper release.
Get your playlist together, find a copy of the Beck track, and you'll have the complete experience that the studio never gave us.