Discover the Hijack Season 2 theme song, the meaning and lyrics of ‘Kiss the Sky’ by Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra and why it fits Sam Nelson’s new mission.
The second season of Hijack arrives on Apple TV+ at the beginning of 2026, satisfying fans’ thirst for a captivating story about dangers we could experience in our daily lives, characters with deep psychology trying to achieve their goals, and the desire to save oneself from a collective threat. Sam Nelson (interpreted again by Idris Elba) returns two years later; this time he is in Berlin, attempting to reach the British embassy, but he plans something unexpected for his metro journey.
Can lightning strike twice in the same place? It would seem so in the case of Sam Nelson, once again dealing with a complex situation inside a crowded transport vehicle. This time, however, the protagonist brings a different persona: less spontaneous than before, calculating, and focused on a different mission. There is no room for small talk; Sam has something important to take care of, and he’s ready to cross a line to get it.
And once again, the opening titles strongly reflect Sam’s spirit, with a song featuring an engaging sound and lyrics with a clear message that occasionally contrasts with the story we see in Hijack Season 2. There is an important key to interpretation, however: let’s find out.
Kiss The Sky: The Hijack Season 2 Theme Song
The song we hear in the opening credits of the second season of Hijack is a beautiful track written by Shawn Lee and his Ping Pong Orchestra in 2006: it is called ‘Kiss The Sky’ and it is part of his album Voices and Choices. It is a collaboration with the American multi-instrumentalist Nino Moschella: you can listen to it in full streaming below.
‘Kiss The Sky’ has a slow and intense pace: the sound of the strings accompanies us in an upward progression, with lyrics that talk specifically about reaching out to touch the sky. This strongly contrasts with a story set in the German subways, where darkness dominates the scene and the protagonist won’t see the sky for quite a while.
Yet, the meaning of the lyrics in ‘Kiss The Sky’ has a lot to do with the character Sam Nelson shows in Hijack Season 2. The song offers a heartfelt analysis of what one feels in life when one feels death approaching: one focuses on how much good we can still do with our actions, and there is trust. The fruits will be harvested, perhaps by new generations, and we will continue to keep our gaze high, with pride, sure of having done something good. These are the verses we hear in the opening credits:
I hold my head up just enough to see the sky
And when we go we won’t go slow, we’ll put up such a fightAnd you will be one day exactly what you are
Just keep your head held high, kiss your fist, and touch the skyToo late to keep the world from dying
One day, we’ll all be there, yeah
We won’t go silently. We will fight, and the world will see the energy we have in life; it will see what we are capable of doing with the strength of a single individual. Perhaps we won’t save the world, but even a small action, done with the right spirit, can make the world a better place. This is the true meaning of the lyrics of ‘Kiss The Sky,’ and we can see how the presence of Sam Nelson—a hero who saved a crowd in danger in the first season and is still trying to find the responsible in season 2—is strongly linked to the idea of not leaving without a fight, and doing what is right to leave the world in order.
Yet, the world has worsened in the meantime. Hearing the line ‘Too late to keep the world from dying’ while Idris Elba’s silhouette moves among the colored lines representing the connections of the Berlin subway can give us a new key to interpreting what the protagonist’s heart hides.
A different soundtrack for the new Sam Nelson
Already from the first episode of the second season, Sam Nelson appears different to us. Taciturn, worried, calculating. He doesn’t connect emotionally with anyone, and he has no direct relationships with any of the people he cared about in the first season. His ex-wife is alone in an isolated cottage and receives flowers, while there is no trace of his son Kai. As the first episode ends, we see a Sam Nelson who is completely focused on himself and on what is unfolding before his eyes.
Two years have passed, and Sam is still trying to bring those responsible for the hijacking in the first season to justice. In those two years, his heart has surely hardened. This time, the Hijack theme song can be read as a commentary on his new cynicism: the world cannot be saved—there are too many wounds and too many horrors for just one man to eliminate. The transition from the theme song of the first season and the care of one’s soul, to the struggle against the world found in the soundtrack of the second season, is telling us something specific. The forces we are fighting against this time are likely much larger than before.
But the actions of an individual can still count for something. This is why Sam acts rather than just standing by. He does so perhaps with greater bitterness than in the past, yet he still feels the call of duty. He must do something, even though he is likely struggling against forces much greater than himself.
The lyrics of ‘Kiss The Sky’ guide us toward what might be the motivating force behind the protagonist’s actions in Hijack Season 2: not necessarily trust in the future or optimism, but a sense of duty. You have to do the right thing, always and no matter what; you have to maintain the right attitude toward life. No matter how difficult it may be, we roll up our sleeves, kiss our fist, and with it, touch the sky—even if we are in the darkness of the Berlin subway.
Who is Shawn Lee? The Genius Behind the Hijack 2 Theme Song
If the sound of this season feels familiar, it’s because Shawn Lee’s signature is one of the most recognizable and respected in the world of “cinematic” music. An American multi-instrumentalist and producer based in London, Lee is the soul behind Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra, a project that blends funk, soul, psychedelia, and library music.
Known to gamers for scoring the Rockstar Games cult hit Bully, Shawn Lee is a master at creating atmospheres that feel like they’ve been ripped from a 70s crime thriller, yet with a completely modern freshness. The choice of “Kiss The Sky” is therefore no accident: the track, with its mix of elegant strings and hypnotic rhythm, gives Hijack 2 a urban conspiracy thriller identity that clearly distinguishes it from the “disaster movie” aesthetic of the first season.
Therefore, “Kiss The Sky” is much more than a theme song: it is the manifesto of the 2026 Sam Nelson in the Hijack universe. Through Shawn Lee’s notes, the series suggests that even if the world is “dying”, our moral compass can still point upward. It is not the optimism of someone who believes everything will be fine, but the melancholic pride of someone who has decided that, as long as he has breath, he will keep fighting to do the right thing. Even if, for now, he can only imagine the sky.
