The Pink Panther Strikes Again (soundtrack)

The Pink Panther Strikes Again is the soundtrack album for the 1976 comedy film of the same name, composed and conducted by Henry Mancini. The film is the fifth installment in the Pink Panther series directed by Blake Edwards and starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The album was originally released in 1976 by United Artists Records and includes a mixture of original compositions and variations on established themes from earlier entries in the series.

As with previous Pink Panther scores, the album builds upon musical themes introduced in The Pink Panther (1963) and A Shot in the Dark (1964), while introducing new material composed specifically for this installment. Among these, Mancini reintroduced "The Inspector Clouseau Theme" and developed new motifs to accompany recurring characters and situations. The score was conceived to match the film's blend of slapstick comedy and spy parody, incorporating jazz, orchestral, and pop elements. Each cue was composed to reflect the narrative tone of the corresponding scenes, often utilizing thematic material in varied arrangements depending on the character or location.

Over the years, The Pink Panther Strikes Again gained attention from soundtrack collectors, particularly due to the partial nature of its original LP release and the absence of a comprehensive edition. Expanded editions were released in 1998, and 2015, by Rykodisc and Quartet Records, respectively, featuring unreleased cues, alternate takes, and improved audio quality. Those reissues allowed for a more detailed evaluation of the score's structure and its contribution to the overall sound of the Pink Panther franchise.