Music Behind the Screen

In this post, I wanted to focus on the numerous songs written by James Horner. Along with his film scores, some of his songs have transcended pop culture, radio charts, and Grammy and Oscar wins. This is the first part, I'm focusing on his songs for films 1986-1995.

With An American Tail (1986), Horner wrote the score and Amblin turned to Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to co-write the musical's songs. In the film we hear "There Are No Cats in America", "Never Say Never", "Somewhere Out There" and "A Duo". The end credit version of "Somewhere Out There" (performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram) became a pop hit, won 2 Grammys and the song was Oscar nominated. Don Bluth's next animated film, The Land Before Time (1988), there were no songs except the end credits song. Collaborating with lyricist Will Jennings for the first time, "If We Hold On Together" was based on the main theme and sung by Diana Ross.

Horner writing the songs and score for An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1992) , starting a collaboration with lyricist Will Jennings. The film features ballad "Dreams to Dream", "Way Out West", and lively saloon performance "The Girl You Left Behind". The Golden Globe nominated pop version of "Dreams to Dream" originally was to be sung by Celine Dion, but later replaced by Linda Ronstadt from the original film. Of course Horner kept Dion's voice in mind for another project a few years later.

For Amblimation's next project, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), John Goodman performs the song "Roll Back the Rock (To The Dawn of Time)". Writing the lyrics and co-writing the music was Thomas Dolby. The end credit version was sung by Little Richard. Horner would then work on his last fully animated musicals with the forgotten Once Upon a Forest (1993). Working with Will Jennings we hear "Once Upon a Time with Me" sung by Florence Warner Jones and the New London Children's Choir. Michael Crawford sings the poignant "Please Wake Up" and Ben Vereen performs the gospel "He's Back" (co-written with Andrae and Sandra Crouch).

Before leaving the film Hocus Pocus, Horner wrote the song "Sarah's Theme" with lyrics by Brock Walsh. Composer John Debney adapted the melody into his score and the song is sung by Sarah Jessica Parker. Horner composed the score to the live-action/animated The Pagemaster (1994). Naturally one of his main themes became "Whatever You Imagine". The song was co-written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, performed by Wendy Moten and led to another Grammy nomination for song. There's a brief scene in Legends of the Fall (1994) where Henry Thomas sings "Twilight and Mist", using the Ludlow melody with lyrics by Brock Walsh. Horner also scored Amblimation's last feature, Balto (1995). Again working with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, the song "Reach for the Light" is sung by Steve Winwood in the end credits.

As Horner moved from animated musicals, he shifted to end credit songs based on the main themes. We'll see many of those songs in Part 2.

In Part 1, I looked at the film songs of James Horner ranging from An American Tail to Balto. This next grouping of Horner's songs (1997-2009) has some of his biggest films, big song hits, and themes given pop arrangements.

James Cameron originally didn't want a song at the end of Titanic (1997), thinking it would be out of place for his drama. Horner imagined the song "My Heart Will Go On" as a lullaby and got Will Jennings to set lyrics to the love theme. They set out to record a demo with Celine Dion who was originally hesitant to record it. Eventually Cameron "went commercial" and added the song to the end credits and soundtrack album. The produced single became a worldwide hit, topping charts and becoming Dion's signature song. The song's addition on the soundtrack helped make the album one of the best-selling film scores in history. Titanic gave Horner a double Oscar win - for Original Score and Original Song, double wins at the Golden Globes and three Grammys including Song and Record of the Year.

The Mask of Zorro (1998) let Horner loose with a rollicking adventure score. The love theme was given lyrics by Will Jennings to become "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You". The romantic song was performed by Marc Anthony and Tina Arena. In Mighty Joe Young (1998), the main theme appears as the source music lullaby - "Windsong" and is heard several times in the film. Will Jennings' lyrics were translated into Swahili and the lovely choral arrangement was done by Lebo M.

For Bicentennial Man (1999), he had the formulaic ballad "Then You Look at Me" which reunited Horner with Jennings and Celine Dion. After the film's lackluster performance, Dion's single version was dropped. Horner used the main theme for The Perfect Storm (2000) in the song "Yours Forever", co-written by John Mellencamp and George Green, performed in the end credits by Mellencamp.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) gave Horner several opportunities for songs - we get source songs, a musical number and an end credits pop version. The following source songs are sung by the Whos with lyrics by Cynthia Weil: "Happy Who-lidays", "How I Love Who-liday Shopping", "Who-bilation", "Come Come All Ye Whos". Only the first source song appears on the album. In one of the few full musical numbers, Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) sings "Christmas, Why Can't I Find You?" with lyrics by Will Jennings. The pop version expanded on the song to become "Where Are You Christmas", lyrics by Jennings and Mariah Carey. Ultimately, Faith Hill recorded the song, appearing on the Billboard charts and just about every Christmas radio station since 2000.

For A Beautiful Mind (2001), Horner utilized the young soprano Charlotte Church's vocals throughout the score. Much like Annie Lennox for Apollo 13 (1995) and Sissel for Titanic (1997), Horner's wordless vocals adds so much to the score. Naturally, Church sang the plaintive end credits song "All Love Can Be" featuring lyrics by Jennings. The same technique is used in Radio (2003), with India.Arie's vocals used minimally in the score. The end credits song "Eyes of the Heart (Radio's Song)" is performed by India.Arie and written by Horner, Arie, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Big Jim Wright and Obatalye Samuel.

When Horner was brought late into the production of Troy (2004), he continued to use Tanja Tzarovska's haunting vocals in the score. With Cynthia Weil, the love theme became the end credit song "Remember", sung by Josh Groban and Tanja Tzarovska. Strangely, the song is omitted in the 2007 director's cut. For The New World (2005), Horner wrote hours of music for Terence Malick's Pocahontas tale. Much of it was left unused, including the song "Listen to the Wind" based on the love theme. Sung by Haley Westenra and featuring lyrics by Glen Ballard, the unused end credit song is on the soundtrack. For the end credits of Avatar (2009), Leona Lewis sang the song "I See You", with a melody based on the main Na'vi theme. The song was co-written by Simon Franglen and had lyrics by Franglen, Kuk Harrell and Horner. The ballad was nominated for a Golden Globe and Grammy.

Jennings, Dion, Horner - Titanic winners, 1998 Oscars

In this edition of Music Behind the Ride, I wanted to explore the musical history of The E.T. Adventure at Universal Studios.

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial was one of the biggest hits for Universal Pictures in 1982. With Steven Spielberg signed on as executive creative consultant for the new Orlando theme park, it was a no brainer to have an ET Ride. (Spielberg would also see attractions for Jaws open in 1990 and Jurassic Park in 1999 at Universal’s Islands of Adventure).

Like many Universal rides, The E.T. Adventure recreates scenes from the film and then continues/extends the story.

The first room is the preshow room, and the original preshow video begins with Spielberg sitting in a movie theater watching the finale of the film. Spielberg explains that the guests will be cast as extras in scenes inspired by the film. He describes that while ET is on earth, his home world, The Green Planet is ailing. ET’s teacher Botanicus has sent a message for ET to return and heal his planet. Our task is to ride a bike to The Green Planet and bring ET home. He also describes the process of giving your name to the "stagehand" and getting your special backstage pass. Later in the '90s, Spielberg would re-film this preshow, eliminating the film set aspect and instead mentioning the Interplanetary Passport.

The next room is full of behind the scenes photos of Spielberg and ET, and at the end of the line is where you give your name to the team member and continue into the indoor forest queue. The forest walkthrough is dark and memorably mostly for the strong pine scent in the air. You can spot include NASA figures and his Speak & Spell communication device. We also see a Botanicus animatronic giving his message. You arrive at the bike loading spot - the most popular seat is the front row middle seat with ET in the basket. At opening, they also had spaceships for seating, which aren't used today.

As the bikes take off, you and ET are spotted by the scientists. You maneuver through the forest, pass lurching trucks and you begin to lift off just as you reach the police barricade. We see the night sky, and can look down at the city diorama below us and see silhouettes of bikes pass the moon. In no time at all, we transport to The Green Planet and ET announces "home".

There among the smoke and strange vegetation is Botanicus in front of ET's spaceship. We see a full figure of ET bringing life to his friends, welcoming him home and adding magical lights to the area. We get to see the multicolored planet celebration with odd creatures, baby ETs dancing with some singing the film's theme. We then see ET himself saying goodbye to each rider's name as the bikes return to the landing. Near the exit you can stop at the gift shop - ET's Toy Closet - full of all the merch and background photo ops.

After the ride opened first in Orlando in 1990, it made its way to Universal Studios Hollywood opening in the summer of 1991. It also became an opening day attraction in Universal Studios Japan in 2001. As the controversially altered film returned to theaters for the 20th anniversary, the decor at the attraction changed and bits of the ride were refurbished. Yet again, Spielberg re-filmed his part in the preshow video.

Sadly, the ride didn't last much longer in Hollywood. It closed in 2003 and was replaced by Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, a more relevant and thrilling ride. Japan's version of the ride stayed open until 2009 and then replaced by Space Fantasy: The Ride. So far, Orlando's version is the only one still running (and one of the few opening day attractions left in the park).

Like many Universal rides, the original film music plays a large part in the attraction. Even though his themes blast around Disney and Universal, The ET Adventure was the first time John Williams wrote original music for a theme park. He later would write a suite of themes for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge for Disney in 2019.

The preshow video uses the call motif, religioso alien motif, Keys' theme and of course the flying theme. The ride itself uses much of the track Abandoned and Pursued as you escape from the feds. The flying theme plays as you journey to his planet, and we hear Williams' new theme for Botanicus. The new theme is a variation of the call, letting it blend to the rest of the music. We hear an odd arrangement of the flying theme during their celebration and the flying theme continues as ET says our name and the bikes unload. Composed and conducted in 1990, the original Botanicus music wasn't heard off the ride until the 2017 La-La Land Records release of the score.

Back to our musical score time machine! For this edition, we're looking back to 2001!

What an overload of fantastic scores! Here's a look back at the scores of the year with my list of the 10 Best Scores Turning 20!

Let's start the ranking!

10. Jurassic Park III (Don Davis)

Davis continues the Williams style but brings the orchestral complexity and orchestration he is known for. Of course, we still hear the original themes in key moments, but Davis has several new themes and builds on the darker and frightening moments with a flourish.

9. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (James Newton Howard)

Like Dinosaur the previous year, Disney had another non-musical animated film. Utilizing JNH again, he applied his epic adventure formula to the animated format. We get a bunch of fantasy, whimsy and fun adventurous spirit, and even some mystical choral elements. While the film ranks pretty low on most Disney lists, the score works well and is worth a listen.

8. Amélie (Yann Tiersen)

Tiersen was an interesting choice for the film. A non-film composer, he wrote several pieces of music in addition to utilizing tracks from his previous studio albums. The film and its music became breakout hits - a surprise success for the quirky French film. His "French sound" of accordion, vibes, toy piano and bells are what help make the joyful score standout.

7. A Beautiful Mind (James Horner)

Representing the mathematical mind, Horner's score uses several pianos, electronics and repetitive motifs. Even using many aspects of previous scores, it effectively underscores the drama. The standout is Charlotte Church's vocals, adding to the human aspect of the character.

6. Monsters, Inc. (Randy Newman)

Newman doesn't stray from his signature Pixar sound, but no need to change what worked so well. We get a bit more lively big band moments, scary moments, chase scenes and the sentimental music for their relationship with Boo that oozes with that Pixar/Newman emotion.

5. Spirited Away (Joe Hisaishi)

Hisaishi's score matches the wonderful film so well. As we follow Chihiro's adventure, we hear the playful themes alternating with the darker moments, sentimental themes and plaintive romantic piano solos. It's an enchanting score that captures much of the joy and sadness of the film.

4. The Mummy Returns (Alan Silvestri)

Silvestri's score is one of the highlights of this over-the-top action adventure. He uses a massive orchestra, choir and Egyptian-ish features. Themes are bold and thrilling throughout and Silvestri works the best molding his themes into the nonstop action cues.

3. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (John Williams)

It feels like Williams branched out while using an eclectic mix of musical styles for this sci-fi tale. Sections contain distant modern, minimalist and dissonant sounds while others are intimately delicate. Much of the third act is based on his achingly beautiful and haunting melodies.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (John Williams)

Much of Harry's magical world is due to the score. Williams established the musical sound of the film franchise with a variety of themes - and these reoccurring themes are now ingrained in pop culture. He elevated the film from a standard kid-flick with adventure, magic, mystery and beauty. Thankfully he continued his mastery in the next two film entries.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Howard Shore)

Shore brings everything to the first section of Peter Jackson's huge adaptation. His instrumentation and thematic work can be looked at and studied for days. The film introduces so much music that becomes the identity of the trilogy, including the bucolic Shire music, the percussion and choir chants of Sauron's dark forces and sweeping heroics of the Fellowship.

Honorable Mentions:

Enemy at the Gates (James Horner), Evolution (John Powell), From Hell (Trevor Jones), Planet of the Apes (Danny Elfman), The Shipping News (Christopher Young), Shrek (Harry Gregson Williams & John Powell)

Any personal favorites of yours from 2001 that I didn't include?

In this edition of Spotlight On... I'm jumping right into Legendary & Warner Bros'MonsterVerse. This shared universe film series has big composers and even bigger monsters.

Godzilla (2014)
Music by Alexandre Desplat
Desplat is probably not the composer you think of for a big budget monster score. Naturally he uses large amounts of biting brass and pounding percussion. Themes are a bit subdued, but accessible. Japanese drums, flute and electric violin help define the setting in the aggressive score. (Just listen to: Godzilla!, The Power Plant, Let Them Fight)

Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Music by Henry Jackman
Filling in the gaps between the 1970s songs, Jackman combined the large orchestra with synth effects, choir and electric guitars. We get major themes for Monarch and Kong and motifs for other characters and creatures. Even with the action writing similar to other large franchises he's worked on, Jackman lets loose with the chugging string ostinatos, booming horn of doom and pounding jungle drums. (Just listen to: Project Monarch, Kong the Destroyer, Grey Fox, Battle for Skull Island)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Music by Bear McCreary
More monsters--more themes. McCreary went back to the past and (for the first time in this series) expertly used the original Godzilla and Mothra themes. He created new themes for Rodan and Ghidorah which all get musically pitted against each other. All the action beats are there as well as the massive orchestra, choir and prominent percussion. The epic scope is also thanks to the chanting, throat singing and unique instrumentation. (Just listen to: Godzilla Main Title, Rise of Ghidorah, Goodbye Old Friend, Battle in Boston)

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Music by Tom Holkenborg
For the big monster fight, Holkenborg establishes new themes for the main Titans. Much of the loud score is dominated by rumbling brass, relentless percussion, distorted guitars and electronic elements that blend with the film's soundscape. Amid the destruction, Kong's theme is used pensively to emphasize his relationship with Jia. (Just listen to: Skull Island (Kong Theme), Hollow Earth, Hong Kong)

Look for others franchises in my Spotlight On series:

Harry Potter, Batman, James Bond, Star Trek, Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men, Spider-Man, Superman, Transformers, Planet of the Apes, The Hunger Games, The Fast and the Furious, Mission Impossible, Rambo, The Terminator

Now for another major Hollywood studios logo - Columbia Pictures. Founded in 1919 as CBC Film Sales, it changed to Columbia Pictures in 1924. The Lady with the Torch, personification of Columbia, began as the main studio identifier in 1928 and has stayed in the logo through most of its history.

Here's a brief history of the major design changes and then some fun variations to the logo. Many variations are from their collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation.

Columbia Pictures Logo (1928-1936)
Seen here in It Happened One Night (1934)
Fanfare by Mischa Bakaleinikoff

Columbia Pictures Logo (1936-1976)
Seen here in Gilda (1946)

Cinemascope version
Seen here in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Columbia Pictures Logo (1976-1982)
First seen here in Murder by Death (1976)
Theme by Suzanne Ciani

Columbia Pictures Logo (1981-1993)

Seen here in Ghostbusters (1984)

Columbia Pictures Logo (1993-current)
Fanfare by Jonathan Elias
Seen here in The Remains of the Day (1993)

Updated version (2014)
Seen here in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

And now for some fun logo variations:

The Mouse that Roared (1959) - Torch Lady runs from the mouse on the pedestal

Zotz! (1962) - Torch Lady asks director/producer William Castle "What's Zotz?"

Cat Ballou (1965) - Torch Lady transforms to Cat and shoots her pistols

Thank God It's Friday (1978) - Torch Lady transforms to a disco dancer and dances

Men in Black II (2002) - The torch flashes blue like a MIB neuralyzer

Finding Forrester (2000) - In a rare musical variation, the music is performed on guitar

The Grudge 2 (2006) - The lights flick, Torch Lady gets possessed and the logo changes names

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) - Torch Lady gets knocked off by a falling banana

Hotel Transylvania (2012) & Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) - Torch Lady turns into a bat

Django Unchained (2012) - Uses an adjusted Cinemascope logo

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) - Torch Lady is replaced by bananostrich ridden off screen by Barry the strawberry

American Hustle (2013) - Reuses the '70s sunburst logo

Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) - Torch Lady cardboard standee gets knocked over by Smurfette, using a mushroom as a torch

The Emoji Movie (2017) - A phone appears in front and an emoji appears on her face

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - Black and white logo glitches several times in different styles

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) - Favorite! The logo glitches and flashes to several animation styles, old logos and past variations

Men in Black: International (2019) - Torch Lady puts on sunglasses as the torch flashes

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) - Torch Lady uses the torch to fight off two zombies. A body and blood splatter remain as the logo finishes

The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021) - Katie's doodles cover the logo

Back to our musical score time machine! For this edition, we're looking back to 2011!
Here's a look back at the scores of the year with my list of the 10 Best Scores Turning 10!

Let's start the ranking!

10. Soul Surfer (Marco Beltrami)

The music really helped capture the spirit and emotional journey in this true-life story. Lovely themes intermingle with Hawaiian chants, ukulele strumming and drumming. Beltrami naturally excels at the attack cues but shines with the dramatic inspirational core of the score.

9. The Tree of Life (Alexandre Desplat)

Much of Desplat's music doesn't appear in the Terrence Malick film. The album thankfully gives us more of the contemplative score with minimalist aspects for piano and strings. Like the film, the score beautifully flows from cue to cue.

8. Priest (Christopher Young)

Christopher Young's massive action score is the highlight of the film. Young adds electronics, choir and church organ to the big orchestra, giving the score a grand Gothic feel. We also get many horror elements mixed into the long action cues, heroic themes and Lisa Gerrard's vocals.

7. Rango (Hans Zimmer)

Zimmer infused the spirit of Jack Sparrow, Sherlock Holmes and Ennio Morricone for this animated wacky western. We get plenty of aspects of spaghetti westerns and mariachi and the clever action beats that are full of energy.

6. The Artist (Ludovic Bource)

In this "silent" film, Bource's music obviously stood out and ruled the awards circuit. More than a pastiche of the silent era, he was able to expand on the emotion and joy of old Hollywood.

5. Super 8 (Michael Giacchino)

JJ Abrams and Giacchino captured the nostalgic feeling in their Spielberg-esque love letter. Giacchino's strong themes contain action, mystery, and militaristic suspense - but the heartwarming emotion is the highlight and strongest aspect.

4. Captain America: The First Avenger (Alan Silvestri)

Silvestri's big orchestral action score fits nicely for the Captain's film introduction. Bursts of heroics easy fit into the bombastic action set pieces. Much of the score's stylings and rousing themes would become part of the Marvel musical landscape and remain one of the MCU highlights.

3. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (John Williams)

The first animated film for Spielberg and Williams, he provided an energetic adventure score. Motifs are woven through the score for just about every character. The flighty and swashbuckling cues stand out, as does the comic and jazz moments.

2. War Horse (John Williams)

Williams evokes the English countryside with its lyrical melodies and lush orchestration. The quieter moments lead to some tense war sequences and the masterful writing of the emotion-filled finale.

1. Hugo (Howard Shore)

A children's film with a traditional score isn't the usual Martin Scorsese fare. Throughout the score, Shore incorporated French stylings, light instrumentation and unique harmonies. The charming score unfolds with childlike mystery and adventure to a wonderous effect.

Honorable Mentions:
Arthur Christmas (Harry Gregson-Williams), The Greatest Miracle (Mark McKenzie), Jane Eyre (Dario Marianelli), Kung Fu Panda 2 (Hans Zimmer/John Powell), Moneyball (Mychael Danna), Thor (Patrick Doyle)

Any personal favorites of yours from 2011 that I didn't include?

Splash Mountain is one of the most popular attractions in the Disney parks. In this edition of Music Behind the Ride, I'll explore the history of the attraction, music, problematic past and future status.

Splash Mountain was a combination of ideas - adding more thrilling "teen" rides to Disneyland, adding more traffic to Bear Country and figuring out a use for the animatronics from the soon-to-close America Sings. By the ride's opening, Bear Country would be renamed to Critter Country. So from there, the original log flume idea could turn into much more.

By the early 1980s, Song of the South had a few releases in the theaters since the 1946 debut. The cartoon characters Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear were used in merchandise and Disneyland park costumed characters. Most known was the Oscar-winning song - "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" - used by Disney television shows, Sing Along Song videos and throughout the park. To avoid controversy (that have existed with the film since the original release), Imagineers intentionally focused on the animated sequences of Uncle Remus' stories. This gave them a chance to use the songs, characters and avoid the Reconstruction-era setting.

Originally planned as Zip-A-Dee River Run, Michael Eisner later gave it "mountain status" and linked the name to the recent unrelated film, Splash (1984). Over 100 animatronic animals were brought over from America Sings attraction. Since Imagineer Marc Davis designed the characters for the attraction, they would blend with his past character designs from the film. After a blown budget, animatronic staging issues, and intense boat issues, the ride opened in Disneyland in July of 1989.

The ride generally has the same layout in subsequent versions, so here's the basic ride story: After winding through the queue, you get to the loading area and into the log boat. You rise up a small hill, float around the briar patch, up another lift hill through a barn as we hear an instrumental version of "How Do You Do?" We pass by the houses of the main Br'er characters and go over the first drop of Slippin' Falls.

As you enter the indoor portion, we see animal animatronics around fishing holes singing "How Do You Do?". The boat passes by little vignettes of Fox talking to a strung up Bear and Rabbit singing to Br'er Turtle. Bear follows Rabbit and gets attacked by bees as the boat goes down another dip. The next section features "Everybody's Got a Laughing Place" in the Rainbow Caverns with plenty more animatronics. We see Fox has caught Rabbit in a beehive. Next, we see two animal mothers sing a snippet of "Burrow's Lament" offering a warning to Rabbit as well as two vultures above giving their warning. As the boat travels up the big lift hill, we see Fox about to eat Rabbit. As Rabbit escapes down into the briar patch, the boat goes over the edge down the 52 foot drop. The ride continues into the next section and begin to hear the melody of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah". We see all the animatronic characters celebrate singing aboard the Zip-A-Dee Lady riverboat and sing a full rendition of the song. Fox and Bear are clinging to the briar patch, avoiding alligators and Rabbit is lounging happily at home.

Naturally the hit ride was brought to other parks - Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland in October 1992. WDW got a few changes in the ride: the logs fit two people across, a few more small drops and not as many animatronics throughout the ride.

Musically, the rides have a lot in common except some of the musical arrangements. Disneyland's sound is a bit more Dixieland jazz inspired while Magic Kingdom and Tokyo are country inspired with banjos and harmonicas. As mentioned before, the ride uses several songs from the film - "Everybody's Got a Laughing Place", "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" (written by Allie Wrubel and Ray Gilbert), and "How Do You Do?" (written by Robert MacGimsey). Disneyland's "Burrow's Lament" reprise of 'Laughing Place' is sung by characters but is an instrumental version everywhere else. Originally in the burrow scene, the ride used the film song "Sooner or Later" (written by Charles Wolcott and Ray Gilbert).

Instrumental arrangements of the listed songs appear in the area and queue, and also include the film songs "Let the Rain Pour Down" (written by Ken Darby and Foster Carling) and "Uncle Remus Said" (written by Eliot Daniel, Hy Heath, and Johnny Lange). Many arrangements still heard for Splash Mountain were done by John Debney.

Music from Splash Mountain has been a mainstay on several Disney parks albums over the years - typically it's been just the favorite songs "Everybody's Got a Laughing Place" and "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah", but some albums have a longer medley with dialog. Later albums included the country version heard in Walt Disney World and Tokyo.

In June 2020, Disney announced that Splash Mountain at Disneyland and Walt Disney World would be reimagined and rethemed with The Princess and the Frog. Presumably because of the news, some digital park albums have removed the Splash Mountain Medley and "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" has disappeared from a few Disneyland music loops.

Setting the ride firmly in the New Orleans bayou, we'll see the characters from the film and hopefully some more Randy Newman music from the film. So visit the Br'er animals while you can before Tiana, Louis and Mama Odie start their adventure.

Looking at songs by John Williams, another name comes up - his friends and lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Lasting decades, together they've written several film songs.

Even if they aren't household names, Alan and Marilyn Bergman have written lyrics for some of the most known film songs of the 20th century. Some of their film work includes collaborations with Michel Legrand on the Oscar-winning "The Windmills of Your Mind" from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), the title song for Never Say Never Again (1983) and the songs for Yentl (1983). One of their biggest hits was with Marvin Hamlisch, the Oscar-winning title song from The Way We Were (1973).

Now onto their work with John Williams.

For Fitzwilly (1967), 'Johnny' Williams wrote a fun caper score. One of the main themes is the jazz-styled love theme. The love theme became the choral end credit song "Make Me Rainbows" with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The song appeared with and without lyrics on the original "re-recording" LP. It also began a life as a jazz standard with recordings by Nancy Wilson, Vic Damone and Ella Fitzgerald.

For the 1972 drama Pete 'n' Tillie, the main love theme is the basis for the score. Naturally, lyrics were added to become "Love's the Only Game in Town", but it isn't sung in the film. The sentimental song was recorded by the film's star Walter Matthau for a 45" LP in 1972. The speak-singing promo had the instrumental arrangement on the B-side. Leading actress Carol Burnett also recorded a version of the song that appeared as a bonus track on the 2004 release of her 1972 album Carol Burnett Featuring 'If I Could Write A Song'.

For the film Yes, Giorgio (1982), we get a new song for Luciano Pavarotti to sing - "If We Were In Love". It is sung by Pavarotti during a hot air balloon montage with the instrumental version reprised during the end credits. Williams only wrote the song, the film's score was done by Michael J. Lewis. The song (and instrumental) were featured on the original LP and even on the 1989 Boston Pops album, "Aisle Seat". The song was also nominated for the Best Song Oscar.

In 1995, Williams and the Bergmans reunited for the remake of Sabrina. The two main themes also became source music songs heard at the opening party scenes. We hear the songs "Moonlight" and a snippet of "How Can I Remember", both sung on screen by Michael Dees. "Moonlight" is also heard in the end credits, sung by Sting. The soundtrack has both songs heard in their entirety as well as an instrumental version of "Moonlight". The song was also nominated for a Grammy and Best Song Oscar.

In addition to their film collaborations, Alan and Marilyn Bergman provided lyrics for a few additional projects by Williams.

Written in 1982, "America, The Dream Goes On" was premiered by Williams and the Boston Pops in 1984. It features choir, vocal soloist and patriotic/inspirational lyrics by the Bergmans. It has been performed several times by the Pops and featured on their 1984 album, "America, The Dream Goes On".

In 1987, Williams and the Boston Pops premiered a march for the Special Olympics titled "We're Lookin' Good!". This instrumental version was written in celebration of their upcoming Summer Games. In July 1987 the piece was performed by the US Navy Band in the opening ceremony and subsequently with lyrics. In a similar style to the "March from 1941", the instrumental version was performed by the Boston Pops in the following seasons but never recorded by Williams and the score has never been commercially published.

Originally written for Frank Sinatra in the late 1970s, "The Same Hello, the Same Goodbye" is a lovely sentimental ballad. Sinatra didn't end up recording it and it sat unused until singer Michael Feinstein wanted to use it on an upcoming album. The first recording of the song appeared on Feinstein's 2008 album, The Sinatra Project. Barbra Streisand (one of their closest collaborators) also recorded the song on her Bergmans song album, What Matters Most in 2011.

Looking for more songs by John Williams?
Here's his list of songs with lyricist Leslie Bricusse.

With the The Jungle Cruise recently sailing into theaters, I wanted to look at the otherfilms based on Disney rides and attractions.

Tower of Terror (1997)

The first on our list was based on the ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This made-for-TV-movie debuted on The Wonderful World of Disney in October, 1997. Starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst, the film has them solving the mysterious curse placed on the Hollywood Tower Hotel in 1939. Since the ride is a drop tower, much of the story came from the ride's preshow and backstory, but no aspect of The Twilight Zone were used. The Hollywood Hotel exterior and lobby were used for scenes in the film.

Mission to Mars (2000)

Mission to Mars was a show in Disneyland (1975-1992) and Magic Kingdom (1975-1993) that simulated a space trip to Mars. The circular seating area gave guests views of Mars from screens on the floor and ceiling. Besides the ride name and general premise, that's all the connection to the film. Directed by Brian DePalma (and a score by Ennio Morricone), it has a disastrous mission, rescue and Martian encounter. When the similarly themed ride Mission: SPACE opened at Epcot, Gary Sinise played the Capcom in the preshow. That ride also contains film props in its queue.

The Country Bears (2002)

Turning the Country Bear Jamboree made sense - the audio-animatronic musical revue had humor, heart and a furry cast of characters. It was an opening day attraction at the Magic Kingdom, and ran in Disneyland (1972-2001). The film has Beary Barrington try to reunite the Country Bears rock band and save their old theater. There are tons of musician cameos, and several show characters appear in the fascinating/interesting Jim Henson Creature Shop bear suits.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

With Pirates of the Caribbean, they finally got a hit. We join the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and the rest of the newly created characters. The film has plenty of references to the ride's locations, scenarios and signature song. Of course, this would lead to sequels in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2017. In 2006, animatronics of Jack Sparrow and Barbossa were controversially eventually added into the original rides as well as main theme from the score.

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

For the film version of the The Haunted Mansion, we get Eddie Murphy as a realtor coming to the New Orleans-set Gracey mansion. The plot is new, but of course we see Madame Leota, the singing busts, famous lines recreated and "Grim Grinning Ghosts".

Tomorrowland (2015)

Not based on a specific ride, Tomorrowland uses Walt Disney's vision of the future as inspiration. The opening sequence takes place at the 1964 World's Fair and It's A Small World. In the alternate Tomorrowland, we see references to the modern spaceport look, steampunk Jules Verne style and Space Mountain in the distance.

Jungle Cruise (2021)

Another opening day Disneyland attraction, the Jungle Cruise film adds action adventure into the riverboat cruise around the world's rivers. Dwayne Johnson takes the role as the skipper, with some of the ride's signature puns. We get a few references to the ride, Dr. Albert Falls and scenes with Trader Sam.

Jane Austen (1775-1817) remains one of the most popular writers of her time. Her novels have spawned countless films, television miniseries, plays and adaptations. I wanted to do a brief run through of just the feature film versions of Austen novels and the corresponding music.

Sense and Sensibility made its way to the big screen after several BBC miniseries adaptations. This 1995 adaptation was directed by Ang Lee and written by Emma Thompson. It became a success at the box office and received several Oscar and BAFTA nominations. The music, written by Patrick Doyle is a touching classically-styled score. He also wrote two operatic songs used in the film. Doyle received his first Oscar nomination for the delightful score.

Pride and Prejudice first appeared on the screen with the MGM adaptation in 1940. It starred Greer Garson as Elizabeth and Laurence Olivier and Mr. Darcy. The well received film had a score by MGM studio composer Herbert Stothart.

The next big theatrical release was Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation. Just as the script stays faithful to the original novel, the Dario Marianelli score is musically faithful to the time period. He had to compose several piano source cues before filming, and the score features eighteen century-styled dances and performances by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the English Chamber Orchestra. With this score, Marianelli was introduced to American audiences and was Oscar nominated.

Mansfield Park, Austen's 1814 novel, made its big screen debut in 1999. It altered several aspects of the novel and had a period appropriate score by Lesley Barber.

Emma, one of Austen's most popular works, launched onto the big screen with the 1996 adaptation starring Gwyneth Paltrow. It became a hit at the box office, with Rachel Portman's lovely string-led romantic score winning the Oscar. For those fact lovers, Portman's win was the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Original Score.

In 2020, we got a picturesque adaptation of Emma, with Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma Woodhouse. The film featured traditional folk songs and a charming score by Isobel Waller-Bridge and David Schweitzer.

For Austen's posthumously released novels, Northanger Abbey has been adapted for television and radio several times, but hasn't received a full theatrical adaptation. A first feature adaptation of Persuasion is due to be released in 2022.

Of course, a list wouldn't be complete without mentioning the updated version of Emma - Clueless(1995) with a pop soundtrack and score by David Kitay. There's also the parody adaptation, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) with a score by Fernando Velázquez.

Composer Cameos are back! Here are a bunch of new cameos and some familiar faces! I have featured many other composers in the past posts, which are linked here: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6

TERENCE BLANCHARD

Blanchard playing trumpet for Billie Holiday in Malcolm X (1992)

Blanchard playing trumpet in Just Wright (2020)

BILL CONTI

Conti plays piano in a dance rehearsal in Slow Dancing in the Big City (1978)

ADOLPH DEUTSCH

Deutsch conducting the pit orchestra in Torch Song (1953)

DANNY ELFMAN

Elfman (with Oingo Boingo) perform in Longshot (1981)

MICHAEL GIACCHINO

Giacchino reprises his Force Awakens cameo as trooper FN-3181 in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL

Goldenthal (front left) appears behind Gloria Steinem in The Glorias (2020)

MARK GRAHAM

Head of music preparation/orchestrator/conductor Graham conducts an orchestra on an episode of The Orville (2019)

HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS

Gregson-Williams performs as an accompanist in an episode of Doctor Finlay (1993)

MARVIN HAMLISCH

Hamlisch plays himself on an episode of the Simpsons (2012)

RAY HEINDORF

Heindorf appears as himself at a premiere party in A Star is Born (1954)

ENNIO MORRICONE

Morricone appears as a factory worker in La classe operaia va in paradiso (1971)

IRA NEWBORN

Newborn appears in the Silly Pate segment of Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

JOHN OTTMAN

Ottman walks by as the TV director in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

DANIEL PEMBERTON

Pemberton plays Drunk Guitarist in Blood (2012)

RICHARD M. SHERMAN

Sherman sings and playing piano on the beach during the credits of Christopher Robin (2018)

JOHN WILLIAMS

Williams appears as Oma Tres among film score references in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

No Time to Die
Music composed by Hans Zimmer

Score produced by Steve Mazzaro
Additional music by Steve Mazzaro
Orchestrated by Oscar Senen, Joan Martorell, Vincente Ortiz Gimeno, Pedro Osuna, Rob Westwood
Orchestra and choir conducted by Matt Dunkley
Score recorded at Air Lyndhurst, British Grove Studios, The Bunker
Album running time: 71 minutes
Available on Decca

Daniel Craig's run of Bond has had scores by David Arnold, Thomas Newman and now Hans Zimmer joins the list. Of course it sounds like what you'd expect from a recent Zimmer effort, it also contains nods to past Bond scores and several interpolations of Billie Eilish's title song.

I guess the use of certain themes is spoiler territory - so read with caution.

The album begins with the Gun Barrel sequence. Like many Bond films, we hear the strings introducing the vamp before the brass come in with the pretty standard gun barrel rendition. We get one classic sounding Bond guitar chord as the film starts (Johnny Marr on guitar). Matera starts off with some lush, romantic strings leading an instrumental return of "We Have All the Time in the World" from On Her Majesty's Secret Service (John Barry, 1969). It's unique to have such a direct lift from another composer's Bond score, and this one is linked into the story.

Message From An Old Friend begins with some atmospheric and orchestral sound design. This leads to brass using fragments of the Bond vamp and theme on electric guitar. We get brass blasts among the percussion and driving strings that help highlight Bond's action motif for the film. Square Escape uses a beefy version of the Bond theme and the elements turn into a churning ostinato. It also features a sorrowful cello feature which comes back later in the score.

Someone Was Here features more dissonant sound design. We hear elements of the Bond theme, and some exotic woodwind solos building the suspense with a few hints of traditional Bond brass. Not What I Expected has more exotic woodwinds and hints of acoustic guitar under ambient strings and synths. What Have You Done? has a more sinister sound with low male voices. The Bond theme grows with some featured guitar.

Seductive woodwinds are featured again in Shouldn't We Get To Know Each Other First until Bond's vamp comes in. Cuba Chase begins with some creepy, dissonant writing before the action kicks off again. One of the most fun cues in the score, we get the driving rhythms of an action cue overlaid with Cuban percussion, guitar and some flashy Arturo Sandoval trumpet solos. The beefy Bond theme returns with added electronic buzz.

Back to MI6 brings a strong Bond theme reprise, and in Good to Have You Back, as Bond returns to service, we hear the a slowed version of the main theme from On Her Majesty's Secret Service - the second but not last John Barry quote from the film. Lovely to See You Again brings a strong sound design, and piano intro of "No Time to Die". The song is used the most in Home. First we hear Bond's sorrowful cello theme, the song intro, the melody on piano/voice and eventually the melody on strings.

Norway Chase starts off with some unsettling underscore, and charging rhythms kick in with choir chants and brass punctuations. The Bond theme is given an interesting variation near the end. Gearing Up begins with a guitar ostinato, which the strings take over and a section of the Bond theme. Poison Garden brings the sinister vocals, eerie string harmonics, and a hypnotic motif that underscore much of Safin's creepy monologues. The Factory brings in Bond's new action motif, and lots of effects to keep the tension - we hear the ticking and synth pulse with some low brass interruptions. We also hear some clear examples of the Safin's sliding villain theme.

I'll Be Right Back continues the electric pulse, with a Batman Begins-esque string pattern added in. The melody of "No Time to Die" comes in on strings and we continue with relentless low strings and low brass crescendos and bits of the Bond vamp. Opening the Doors brings the beefy Bond theme variation and action motif among the brass growls building to a shrieking climax. Final Ascent begins with a cello solo and transforms it into an lament. It follows the form of Zimmer molds "Journey to the Line", "Time" and "Chevaliers de Sangreal" and uses the piano intro of "No Time to Die" and searing strings. No doubt why they used this formula - it's quite effective in the film.

The Billie Eilish title song, "No Time to Die" ends the album. Obviously it is the credits song featured earlier in the film, but it wraps up the album nicely. For those keeping track, the title song hasn't been featured on the album since Quantum of Solace (2008).

Zimmer and Mazzaro really understood the task at hand. First, they replaced composer Dan Romer who had previously worked with director Cary Joji Fukunaga. I like how elements of the James Bond theme were integrated into the score (and just about every track on the album) even if some moments have the feeling of trailer music. The villain material doesn't quite connect and isn't well represented on the album. In the film, we get a handful of John Barry's On Her Majesty's Secret Service in score and song and David Arnold's Casino Royale theme for Vesper (not on album). The new material sits clearly in Zimmer and Mazzaro's wheelhouse - the moody synths, ticking pulses, growling low brass, churning strings and the emotional finale. Overall, the album seems to be a nice representation of the score.

Of course with a new Bond actor on the way, I'm interested to see what musical direction the films will go in next.

As Walt Disney World celebrates its 50th anniversary, I wanted to take a look at an opening day attraction that featured some of the company's most popular songs and characters. In this edition of Music Behind the Ride, I'll be taking a look back at the stage show Mickey Mouse Revue.

Walt Disney himself mentioned wanting an Audio-Animatronic show with all the Disney characters, but it would take several years after his passing for it to become a reality. The theater with the Mickey Mouse Revue was located right beyond Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World's Fantasyland.

The 8 minute preshow film showcased clips of original Mickey shorts, including Steamboat Willie, Mickey's Follies, The Band Concert, Thru the Mirror, Mickey and the Beanstalk and Fantasia, among others. At the end, we see lots of clips of characters playing instruments and eventually live action characters dancing with kids around Disneyland to "The Mickey Mouse Club March".

In the main theater, the large ensemble of animatronic characters holding instruments rose up from the center floor section. The group is made of Minnie (violin), Goofy (string bass), Gus and Jaq (trombone), Mad Hatter (bass clarinet), Scrooge McDuck (guitar), Piglet (harmonica), Winnie the Pooh (kazoo), Rabbit (slide whistle), King Louie (xylophone and bass drum), Pluto (hi-hat cymbal), Huey/Dewey/Louie (trumpet), Abner Countrymouse (saxophone), Monty Citymouse (clarinet), Daisy Duck (cello), Kaa (playing his tail), Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse (tuba). And of course in the center is our conductor - Mickey Mouse in tux and tails.

The large character ensemble starts up a newly arranged medley of Disney classic songs: "Heigh Ho", "Whistle While You Work", "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee". As the instruments are featured, spotlights hit the characters and hoisted up and down.

On a separate part of the stage, we see a silhouette of the Big Bad Wolf and the curtain rises to uncover animatronics of the Three Little Pigs. They sing and play "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf". Next we focus on another part of the stage showing Snow White, crouched down with her animal friends singing "I'm Wishing". Nearby is the Seven Dwarfs playing "The Silly Song".

We switch to another section and see Alice surrounded by the large flowers singing "All in the Golden Afternoon". Next up is The Three Caballeros singing "The Three Caballeros" - their characters appear separately in various sections of the auditorium. Next, The Fairy Godmother sings "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" and during the song, Cinderella transforms into her dress gown. After that we see a silhouette of Cinderella and Prince Charming dancing to "So This Is Love".

We see Br'er Fox, Br'er Rabbit and Br'er Fox sing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" and they are joined by the full ensemble and eventually all the past characters scenes are shown. We see the characters from Cinderella, Snow White, Three Caballeros and Alice in Wonderland all sing and move together. As Mickey turns to the audience to bow, they sing the end of the "Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater".

The Mickey Mouse Revue was a Walt Disney World opening day attraction in October, 1971. A few years later in 1973, the attraction was downgraded from an E-ticket attraction to D-ticket. The show ran in the Magic Kingdom until 1980. Instead of traditionally copying the ride's parts, the entire attraction was sent to Tokyo Disneyland. It appeared in Tokyo Disneyland's 1983 opening day in Fantasyland where it (shockingly) stayed until 2009. There were slight song adjustments in Japan, but there were no updated scenes or characters.

The Walt Disney World theater sat empty for several years before becoming host to Magic Journeys the 3D film (1987-1993) and then puppet stage show Legend of the Lion King (1994-2002). Since 2003, the theater has been home to the 3D musical film Mickey's PhilharMagic - bringing it all full circle.

The music for the revue was done by Disney World music director Buddy Baker - the show had different arrangements and singers from the film soundtracks. A 1971 book & LP titled Mickey Mouse "This Is My Life" was released to promote the ride. It featured music from some Mickey shorts and the original songs from the films featured in the attraction. The opening number "Mickey Mouse Revue Overture" was featured on the 1978 compilation The Magical Music of Walt Disney. The entire Japanese-translated show was featured on a Tokyo Disneyland Music Album in 2001.

So that's the story behind one of Walt Disney World's opening day attractions that's generally forgotten. It featured the park's first Mickey Mouse animatronic, and also animatronics used later in the Gran Fiesta Tour and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Of course, it also has some of their best known songs at the time. Where else can you see Dumbo play a tuba?!

As a full musical theatre fanatic, I wanted to honor the late Stephen Sondheim. Known for his groundbreaking work as composer and lyricist in a decades long career that earned him 8 Tony Awards, an Oscar, several Grammys, Pulitzer Prize, Kennedy Center Honor and Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The musicals he wrote of course work the best on the stage, but I wanted to feature the adaptations and songs written for films.

West Side Story (1961)

Sondheim made his Broadway debut as lyricist in 1957, and became his first film adaptation. With songs changing placement and censorship, several songs had lyrics adjusted by Sondheim. It went on to be one of the highest grossing musical films of all time and winning 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Gypsy (1962)

Sondheim's work as lyricist returned to the screen with the faithful adaptation of the 1959 musical. We get Rosalind Russell as Mama Rose and Natalie Wood as Gypsy Rose Lee. It has some fans but it's not in the top of 1960s film musicals.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)

Sondheim's big Broadway break as composer & lyricist came to the screen directed by Richard Lester. Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford reprised their roles as Pseudolous and Hysterium, respectively. The film doesn't quite capture the farce of the Burt Shevelove/Larry Gelbart book. Notably, the film cut around half of Sondheim's songs. Ken Thorne's adapted score won the Oscar.

Stavisky (1974)

Sondheim provided an original underscore for this French film directed by Alain Resnais. This charming score (with great chamber orchestra orchestration by Jonathan Tunick) is full of 30's pastiche and waltzes. Some of the cues are reused cut songs from his musical Follies (1971).

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)

For this Sherlock Holmes tale, Sondheim provided the song "The Madame's Song (I Never Do Anything Twice)". The film was directed by Herbert Ross, who also directed The Last of Sheila (1973) which was co-written by Sondheim.

A Little Night Music (1977)

Stage director and producer extraordinaire Hal Prince adapted the 1973 Broadway musical. While it's close to the show, it lacks much of the charm and humor. It does feature most of the songs, many original stage actors and a new version of "The Glamorous Life". Jonathan Tunick won an Oscar for Adaptation Score.

Reds (1981)

For Warren Beatty's historical epic, Sondheim was hired to score the film. Instead, he wrote a moving love theme that was used through the score and as the song "Goodbye For Now". Dave Grusin filled in the rest of the scoring duties.

Dick Tracy (1990)

Returning again to Warren Beatty, Sondheim wasn't interested in scoring the film, but wrote five new songs: "Back in Business", "Live Alone and Like It", "What Can You Lose?", "More" and "Sooner or Later". Danny Elfman provided the heroic-sounding score. The Madonna-led "Sooner or Later" won Sondheim the Academy Award.

The Birdcage (1996)

Sondheim provided two original songs to be performed in the drag nightclub: "It Takes All Kinds" and "Little Dream". The first song was cut entirely and replaced for the opening titles and we only get a snippet of Nathan Lane singing the latter. During the film we also hear "Love is in the Air" cut from 'Forum' and "Can That Boy Fox Trot" cut from Follies.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Director Tim Burton managed to bring the horror and humor of the original musical. Much was written about both leads' lack of musical strength but they still add a lot to the film. The adaptation cut and reshaped a few songs, and cut the ensemble chorus. Regardless, the film was a box office success and brought Sondheim's work to the mainstream.

Into the Woods (2014)

Years after other attempts to bring the show to the screen, the film eventually was directed by Rob Marshall. Much of the story was compressed, with a handful of songs cut and heard instrumentally instead. A new song for the Meryl Streep's Witch, "She'll Be Back" was written an ultimately cut. The film ended up being a box office success.

West Side Story (2021)

Always wanting to make a musical, Steven Spielberg turned to one of his favorite musicals. With a new script by Tony Kushner, the film returns many aspects of the original production with some interesting new changes and sparkling performances.

In 1992, Sondheim wrote songs for an original musical film about making a musical film titled Singing Out Loud. While some songs have been recorded the film never was filmed. Considered unfilmable, a film adaptation of Follies was discussed in 2019 with Dominic Cooke at the helm. That same year, Richard Linklater set out at an adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along with Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein - filming over the next years as the characters and actors age.

The Power of the Dog

Music composed by Jonny Greenwood

Album running time: 40 minutes
Available on Lakeshore Records

Known for his work with the band Radiohead, Greenwood burst onto the film scene with There Will Be Blood (2007). Most of his film work are his collaborations with director Paul Thomas Anderson including Phantom Thread (2017), where Greenwood received an Oscar nomination. Greenwood has gotten critical attention from his 2021 work: Spencer, Anderson's latest Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

As we meet the characters in 1920s Montana, the album begins with 25 Years. We hear the Western influences with a cello plucked like a banjo. The bowed strings have sharp entrances, adding harmony and moments of dissonance. Requiem for Phil begins with a forceful horn solo with vibrato-less strings staying underneath.

So Soft is a warmer string piece, with an uneven sense of harmonic changes and disjointed bow uses. Greenwood explored the sound of a computer operated pianola and we hear the frantic sounds in Detuned Mechanical Piano. In Prelude we hear repeating patterns on strummed and bowed cello ending with a flourish like the Bach Cello Suite. The Ravine brings the high registered horns with noticeable reverb which represents the mountainous landscape.

The violin solo in Mimicry is full of blurry string crossings and double stops. West Alone gives us the film's main theme - first represented with a piano solo, later joined by viola. It features a lyrical sound with a more distinct chord structure. Miss Nancy Arrives features the banjo-plucked cello and propulsive bowed cellos - representing Phil's mocking of Peter. Figured It Out features the same style heard in the first track backed by blended strings.

Viola Quartet is a lovely piece, with plenty of minimalist elements, rolling string crossings and discordant moments somehow ending in unison. The echoing horns calls return in Best Friends with murmuring strings, giving a mysterious and unsettling feel. Paper Flowers brings the detuned piano back representing Rose's fall into madness. A Lovely Evening has the string ensemble with overlapping statements, like a close echo.

They Were Mine has rapid repeating notes in the strings, giving the piece momentum. In West, Greenwood returns to the main theme on strings. Psalm 22 (mistakenly left off the digital release for a few days) is the longest cue on the album. Another piece for string ensemble, it blurs between major and minor keys. It eventually adds a cascading piano pattern into a dreamlike atmosphere as the album ends.

Much of Greenwood's goal was to make a score that didn't interact with specific characters. Instead, he tended to score the underlying tone and emotions of the characters - specifically the nasty Phil and how his behavior shaped his brother George and ultimately Rose and her son Peter. The film and the score doesn't give the audience the typical Western feel or much emotion to latch on to - both of those aspects were done on purpose. Instead, we hear lots of Greenwood's musical influences combined together.

Due to the pandemic, many parts are performed by Greenwood himself and the smallest ensemble, giving it that intimate chamber feel. The score does blend into the film's tone, but thinking back, the most memorable music in the film is the piano and banjo match of Radetsky March by Strauss. Like Greenwood's past scores, the album isn't the easiest to listen to, but it's fascinating to hear his "experimental" film scoring ideas.

Here's the annual 2021 Roundup of Original Score nominations and winners from various awards associations. Winners will be marked in red and updated regularly!

ACADEMY AWARD
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Don't Look Up (Nicholas Britell)

Dune (Hans Zimmer)

Encanto (Germaine Franco)

Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

GOLDEN GLOBE
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*Dune (Hans Zimmer)

Encanto (Germaine Franco)

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)

Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS (BAFTA)

[nominations 3/9, awards 3/12]

ANNIE AWARDS
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE PRODUCTION

Encanto (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Germaine Franco)

Luca (Dan Romer)

Poupelle of Chimney Town (Youki Kojima, Yuta Bandoh)

Raya and the Last Dragon (James Newton Howard, Jhené Aiko)

Vivo (Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda)

SATELLITE AWARDS (INTERNATIONAL PRESS ACADEMY)
ORIGINAL SCORE

Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)

The Harder They Fall (Jeymes Samuel)

The Last Duel (Harry Gregson-Williams)

Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSIC SCORE

*Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)

Runner-up: The Power of the Dog/Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

HOLLYWOOD CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST SCORE

Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)
Last Night in Soho (Steven Price)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

SAN DIEGO FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST USE OF MUSIC
Belfast [Runner-Up Tie]

Cruella

In the Heights [Runner-Up Tie]

*Last Night in Soho

West Side Story [Runner-Up Tie]

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)

The Green Knight (Daniel Hart)

*The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

SEATTLE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)

The Green Knight (Daniel Hart)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

WASHINGTON DC AREA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Cyrano (Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner)

*Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
*Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

CHICAGO FILM CRITICS AWARDS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Annette (Ron Mael & Russell Mael)

Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)

*The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

DETROIT FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST USE OF MUSIC/SOUND

Cyrano

In the Heights

*Last Night in Soho

tick, tick...BOOM!

West Side Story

ST. LOUIS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSIC SCORE

*Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

INDIANA FILM JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSICAL SCORE

*The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Runner-Up: Dune (Hans Zimmer)

AUSTIN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST SCORE

Candyman (Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe)

Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The Green Knight (Daniel Hart)

*The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

NORTH CAROLINA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSIC

Don't Look Up (Nicholas Britell)

*Dune (Hans Zimmer)

No Time to Die (Hans Zimmer)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

DALLAS-FORT WORTH FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST MUSICAL SCORE

*Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

HOUSTON FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*Dune (Hans Zimmer) [tie]

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)

The Harder They Fall (Jeymes Samuel)

*The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood) [tie]

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

PHOENIX CRITICS CIRCLE
BEST SCORE

Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)

The Harder They Fall (Jeymes Samuel)

*The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

LAS VEGAS FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
BEST SCORE

*Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

PORTLAND CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*Dune (Hans Zimmer)

Last Night in Soho (Steven Price)

No Time to Die (Hans Zimmer)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

FLORIDA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
BEST SCORE

Annette (Ron Mael & Russell Mael)

*Dune (Hans Zimmer)

The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)

Runner-Up: The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

GEORGIA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*Dune (Hans Zimmer)

Encanto (Germaine Franco)

The Harder They Fall (Jeymes Samuel)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

LONDON FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT (FOR MUSIC)
*The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

BLACK REEL AWARDS
OUTSTANDING SCORE

Candyman (Robert Aiki Aubrey)

The Harder They Fall (Jeymes Samuel)

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Passing (Devonte Hynes)

Respect (Kris Bowers)

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS
BEST SCORE

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Nightmare Alley (Nathan Johnson)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Spencer (Jonny Greenwood)

SATURN AWARDS
BEST MUSIC

The Batman

Music composed by Michael Giacchino

Orchestrated by Jeff Kryka, Mick Giacchino, Curtis Green

Additional music by Mick Giacchino, Paul Apelgren

Orchestra conducted by Ludwig Wicki, Cliff Masterson, Jeff Kryka
Score recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London
Album running time: 115 minutes
Available on WaterTower Records

Who hasn't scored a Batman film at this point? Well, now we get the take by franchise-collector Michael Giacchino. This is his first film for DC, and a reunion for director Matt Reeves.

For Giacchino's dark take on the score to The Batman, he created four main themes - The Batman, Catwoman, The Riddler and the Bruce Wayne/family theme. Prior to the film's release, Batman, Catwoman and Riddler were released as singles. His Batman theme also appeared in the original trailer and subsequent marketing. To understand how the themes are created and used in the score, I'm going to focus on them first.

The Batman prominently uses the Batman theme - the descending third pattern. We also get to explore the less used melancholic Bruce Wayne material featured on strings with rolling cello arpeggios underneath. The theme expands to the full orchestra and becomes heroic and noble. The low piano takes over the Batman theme and it slowly builds with different instruments, low strings, brass and bells during its multiple repetitions. The never ending musical insistence is built into the character and helps build much of the foreboding tension in the film.

The Riddler theme is a twisted minor-key version of Schubert's setting of Ave Maria, which is heard in the film and is related to the character. We first hear it with quiet strings, bells and wordless vocals. The cue grows with large brass statements, strings arpeggios and the melody with trilling strings (what a great idea). When it grows large, the arrangement has a bit of grandiose Goldenthal and the minor arpeggios of Elfman. The track is quietly unnerving with bombastic moments - like the villain himself. Catwoman is given a jazzy noir theme, moves between piano solo and then strings played with extra sliding. Romantic and mysterious, it follows the lead of a John Barry-esque tune.

A great way to open the album, Can't Fight City Halloween, gives us the falling strings and rising brass features before building into several bold statements of the Batman theme. Mayoral Ducting introduces the eerie vocal version of Riddler's theme among some high-pitched string harmonics. It's Raining Vengeance gives us the most statements of Batman's dominant theme, moving a bit faster with chimes and interesting string techniques. Don't Be Voyeur with Me has the Batman theme before harmonics lead the cue into parts of Catwoman's slinky theme. Crossing the Feline underscores Catwoman's thieving skills with a repeating pattern on piano with metallic percussion.

Gannika Girl utilizes Catwoman and Riddler's theme, a bit of unnerving and moody atmosphere. Several repeated statements of Riddler's theme in Moving in for the Gil is accompanied with horror-like strings. Funeral and Far Between is a full statement of the Bruce Wayne theme for strings and piano. Collar ID adds some creepiness with knocking percussion and a string sting. Escaped Crusader turns Batman's theme into a low string ostinato and builds it into a brief action cue. Penguin of Guilt has the light metallic percussion, string slides with bits of the Batman theme and later the Catwoman theme.

Highway to the Anger Zone, the massive car chase, begins with big orchestral hits, dissonant strings and Batman's theme as action ostinato. Brass gets the big statements of Batman's theme with percussion also getting to shine. Giacchino's grandiose writing is thankfully able to be heard under the Batmobile's engine. Riddler's theme appears again in World's Worst Translator alongside some interesting textures. Riddles, Riddles Everywhere combines the Batman and Riddler theme.

Meow and You And Everyone We Know switches from a moody rendition to a stirring statement of Catwoman's theme. For All Your Pennyworth brings back the Bruce Wayne theme in a solemn setting, like some of Giacchino's work on Lost. Are You a Kenzie or a Can't-zie? is mainly slow burning suspense until it picks up with ticking percussion and Batman's theme growing in intensity. The repetitive ticking appears in An Im-purr-fect Murder which again has the ostinato Batman theme with Catwoman's theme layered on top. A few intense Batman statements round out the cue.

The Great Pumpkin Pie is unnerving with tremolo strings and growling brass. The unnerving atmosphere is definitely apparent in Hoarding School and we hear Riddler's theme over Batman's theme as Batman connects the clues. Batman's theme quickens a bit in A Flood of Terrors - we finally get the idea of Riddler's big plan. The theme grows until interrupted by Riddler's theme.

A Bat in the Rafters, Pt. 1 begins the action finale starting with the grandiose version of Riddler's theme which is built upon the whole track. Batman's theme gets a thunderous and heroic reprise in A Bat in the Rafters, Pt.2. We get lots of great moments for the orchestra to shine. In a calm moment, Catwoman's theme is reprised. A Bat's True Calling brings back the Bruce Wayne theme, with Batman's theme tolling on tubular bells and melancholic strings make up the rest of the track. All's Well That Ends Farewell again uses Bruce Wayne's theme in its strongest, most hopeful statement in the film and ending with a flourish. Gloria Cheng plays the solo piano in the suite, Sonata in Darkness. Reprising the main themes, the arrangement is fantastic and is partly heard in the end credits.

The best thing of the score is how closely it matches the director's noir/mystery/horror aspects. From there Giacchino went all in on those themes - they make up just about every aspect of the score. How much you enjoy the score is really based on the instantly recognizable and repeating Batman theme. There aren't many scores that capture the casual listeners ears like this one does.

Most of the score works far better on film as the musical soundscape of this dark version of Gotham - Batman doing real detective work with a forbodding menace always in the background. The three suites are the essential tracks - they tell you so much about Giacchino's approach.

Since 1977, excerpts from Star Wars has been gracing the concert stages. Originally conducted by John Williams, at the Hollywood Bowl and Boston Pops, many concerts featured just the Main Title and Cantina Band. Since then Williams himself has conducted just about everything listed below. Even in 2022, you'll hear the Imperial March as his final encore to the cheers of the audience. These specially arranged concert suites/themes for each film have been performed by multitudes of orchestras around the world.

Much like my list of Star Wars Source Music, here is my list of Star Wars Concert Arrangements film by film.

Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

The Flag Parade
Anakin's Theme
The Adventures of Jar Jar
Duel of the Fates

Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Across the Stars

Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Battle of the Heroes

Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Main Title
Princess Leia's Theme
Cantina Band
The Little People
Here They Come
The Battle
Throne Room & End Title

Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Han Solo and the Princess [also expanded edition in 2018]
The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)
Yoda's Theme
The Asteroid Field

Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Parade of the Ewoks
Luke and Leia
The Forest Battle
Jabba the Hutt

Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

March of the Resistance
Rey's Theme
Scherzo for X-Wings
The Jedi Steps and Finale
Adagio

Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

The Rebellion is Reborn

Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Psalm of the Sith

The Rise of Skywalker

Rey and Ben

Speeder Chase

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

The Adventures of Han

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (2019)
Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite

In 2019, Williams began arranging several themes for violin solo, as performed by Anne-Sophie Mutter. Several Star Wars cues appear on their album Across the Stars, including: Princess Leia's Theme, Han Solo and the Princess, Yoda's Theme, Luke and Leia, and Across the Stars.

The majority of these selections are available through the John Williams Signature Editions, which is how so many orchestras can perform them around the world. Currently, Episodes 4-8 have also been a major hit in the Live to Picture concerts worldwide.

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) still is one of the most popular mystery writers. Known for her characters of detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, she wrote novels, short stories and several plays. Her stories have been adapted into films, extremely long-running television shows, TV movies, plays and even some video games. I wanted to take a trip through some films and the music that accompanied.

Detective Poirot appeared in a few British adaptations in the early 1930. In 1937, there was Love From A Stranger [A Night of Terror in the US] based on a play version of her short story, Philomel Cottage. Music was written by Benjamin Britten - one of his only turns in commercial film scoring after his unhappy experience. The story was also the basis of the American-made Love From A Stranger (1947) with music by Hans Salter.

And Then There Were None (aka Ten Little Indians - one of Christie's most revived works) first became a film in 1945 with music by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. One of the most popular adaptations was Witness for the Prosecution (1957) with music by Matty Maineck. The suspenseful courtroom drama was directed by Billy Wilder and nominated for several Oscars including Best Picture.

Miss Marple made several screen appearances staring Margaret Rutherford - Murder, She Said (1961), Murder at the Gallop (1963), Murder Most Foul (1964) and Murder Ahoy! (1964) all with music by Brit composer extraordinaire Ron Goodwin. Goodwin also wrote the music to The Alphabet Murders (1965).

In the 1970s, we get Bernard Herrmann's score to thriller Endless Night (1971) and then the masterful Murder on the Orient Express (1974) with Albert Finney as Poirot. The film was nominated for several Oscars, including the score by Richard Rodney Bennett.

Ten Little Indians (1974) gets another adaptation, music by Bruno Nicolai. Peter Ustinov began his Poirot tenure with Death on the Nile (1978) - music by Nino Rota. The Mirror Crack'd (1980) featured Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple. Evil Under the Sun (1982) brought Ustinov back with a soundtrack littered with Cole Porter tunes. After some TV adaptations, Ustinov made his last Poirot appearance in Cannon Films'Appointment with Death (1988), featuring a score by Pino Donaggio.

Poirot came back to the big screen directed and starring Kenneth Branagh. Returning back to the strongest story, Murder on the Orient Express (2017) brought the detective to a new generation. The score was written by frequent collaborator Patrick Doyle. Branagh continued on with Death on the Nile (2022), again with a score by Doyle. Branagh expressed interest in continuing more Christie adaptations in the future.

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