Since the film takes place in the 1970s, Jackman blended '70spsychedelicguitars into the score, which was considered to be a combination of mixingelectronic sounds withsymphony orchestra.[6] Jackman stated that "The great thing about a monster movie is that it opens the door to use the symphony orchestra in its most sumptuous way. [Director] Jordan [Vogt-Roberts] was happy to celebrate the gravity and history that comes with a full orchestra, but we also explored less traditional elements. That's a field day for a composer."[7] The score was recorded atAIR Lyndhurst Studios with theLondon Voices and conducted byGavin Greenaway, with additional music by Alex Belcher,Halli Cauthery, andStephen Hilton.[7][8]
Regarding the music used in the film, Vogt-Roberts stated, "I wanted to use songs from the Vietnam era and a myriad of hits from the '70s... [T]his provides a striking dichotomy, sets the tone and gives us great moments of fun. The music, which serves to both heighten the film's emotion and underscore the action, was one of the final creative elements to fall into place during post-production. It was the culmination of a massive undertaking that had taken the production to three continents."[7]
For the sequelGodzilla vs. Kong (2021), the original cues composed forKong: Skull Island were disregarded andTom Holkenborg composed fresh themes for Kong's character in the film.[9][10]
