Zimmer said that his music for the series is "making orchestras play rock 'n' roll" as he felt that "pirates were the rock 'n' rollers of many many years ago", and that he decided to add a "Spanish element" to On Stranger Tides. To make the soundtrack album stand out, Zimmer tried to focus on the Rodrigo y Gabriela tracks, as well as providing remixes that "fit the themes". Seven remixes overall are featured. The soundtrack was released on May 17, 2011, three days before the US release of the film.