The theme song, “GoldenEye”, was written by Bono and the Edge, and was performed by Tina Turner. As the producers did not collaborate with Bono or the Edge, the film score did not incorporate any of the theme song’s melodies, as was the case in previous James Bond films. Swedish group Ace of Base had also written a proposed theme song, but label Arista Records pulled the band out of the project fearing the negative impact in case the film flopped. The song was then rewritten as their single “The Juvenile”.

The soundtrack was composed and performed by Éric Serra. Prolific Bond composer John Barry said that despite an offer by Barbara Broccoli, he turned it down. Serra’s score has been criticised: Richard von Busack, in Metro, wrote that it was “more appropriate for a ride on an elevator than a ride on a roller coaster”, and Filmtracks said Serra “failed completely in his attempt to tie GoldenEye to the franchise’s past.” The end credits song, Serra’s “The Experience of Love”, was based on a short cue Serra had originally written for Luc Besson’s Léon one year earlier.

Later John Altman provided the music for the tank chase in St. Petersburg. Serra’s original track for that sequence can still be found on the soundtrack as “A Pleasant Drive in St. Petersburg”. Serra composed and performed a number of synthesiser tracks, including the version of the “James Bond Theme” that plays during the gun barrel sequence, while Altman and David Arch provided the more traditional symphonic music.