3. "Jurassic Park Calypso" 

Arranged by: Louis Forestieri (based on a theme by John Williams)

Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure is an experiment in being "meta." After all, it's a theme park recreation... of a theme park. The Jurassic Park River Adventure is a ride gone wrong; the Discovery Center is the "real" visitor's center of the "real" park; dino-themed games along the midway can even be excused as fitting in "in-universe" since the "real" Jurassic Park is a theme park that would probably have dino-themed midway games! Get it?

Obviously, Universal could've just pumped John Williams' iconic Jurassic Park film score into the land, but the "real" Jurassic Park wouldn't be playing a film score from a movie that doesn't exist in its universe, right? Okay, if you're confused, just rest assured knowing that the "Jurassic Park Calypso" track on the Islands of Adventure soundtrack is perfection; it's the kind of lighthearted, tropical, easygoing theme park music you'd expect to be pumped into SeaWorld, with John Williams' score not-to-subtly baked in. 

2. "Ocean Trader Market"

Written by: William Kidd

No one needed to go this hard on the music of a park's "Main Street," and yet here we are. Port of Entry is already one of the coolest "entry" lands of any Disney or Universal Park. It's stylized as a peaceful, harmonious, seaside explorer's port constructed by adventurers from every continent. Its eclectic architecture reflects civilizations from around the globe, all coming together to build a safe harbor, reigned over by the Pharos Lighthouse. It's a beautiful, lively, pulpy land that manages to somehow feel like a cohesive opening act for the unreleated "islands" to follow.

"Ocean Trader Market" is – quite simply – an incredible piece of music. Capturing the same otherworldliness as "The Lost City," it's exotic and intriguing and even mysterious. Yet it's also warm, filled with chimes and gongs and steel drum, all reverberating as seagulls chatter in the distance. You could study to it. You could play it underwater in a pool. You could listen to it walking across campus. This is the kind of music that sets a tone and builds a world. It's simple, but it's iconic for a reason.

1. "The Call to Adventure"

Written by: William Kidd

"The Call to Adventure" is Islands of Adventure's theme; a rousing, orchestral march that must be heard from beginning to end. As cinematic as anything developed for a film, it's rich, vibrant, and emotional, somehow seeming to allude to and complement Port of Entry, Seuss Landing, the Lost Continent, Jurassic Park, Toon Lagoon, and Marvel Super Hero Island in one. It's pretty impossible to pass beneath the Pharos Lighthouse, under vibrant orange and yellow clam-shaped sails, and through the ancient brass gates of Port of Entry to the tune of "The Call to Adventure" without getting goosebumps. 

"The Call to Adventure" is truly incredible. It's reprised throughout Port of Entry's standard music loop, with fluttering brass instruments and soaring strings. (It's also "reprised" in the music inside Confisco's Grill – Port of Entry's full-service restaurant, filled with relics collected from each of the park's islands. There, it's more of a folksy, accordian-led polka tune you might expect from "the old country.") 

Not until Islands of Adventure had music been so thoughtfully infused into a park, not just technologically, but narratively. "The Call to Adventure" speaks the park's spirit aloud. It's captivating and joyful and bold and yes, adventurous. So next time you step into Universal's Islands of Adventure, keep your ears open. A whole lot of care went into bringing the park to life in a way you can't see... but you can definitely hear.