Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love movies. But movies wouldn’t be what they are without the soundtracks that accompany them.
Here are the soundtracks to movies that have been like crack for my ears:
Hercules (1997)
Need I say more? I don’t have to but I will, don’t you worry.
I’d be lying if I said I don’t listen to entire soundtracks when I’m feeling a certain way, especially a Disney soundtrack. But this one right here?!!? I don’t think Disney knew what they were doing when they decided to put together the vocals of Lillias White, Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Roz Ryan and Vanéese Y.Thomas as the Muses, the narrators of this infamous (and obviously PG-ified) Ancient Greek tale.
Yeah, yeah, sure, Go the Distance is good for a title song and inspirational and all that but Zero to Hero? The Gospel Truth? A STAR IS BORN?!?! Impeccable. And let’s not forget about Meg’s legendary declaration of I Won’t Say (I’m In Love). When I want to get dramatic during my shower-concert-live performance, I try (desperately) to sing both parts of the duet and nail every. single. note. In my dreams.
Take a listen and have your life changed. I highlighted my favorites.
- “Long Ago…”
- “The Gospel Truth I/Main Title“
- “The Gospel Truth II“
- “The Gospel Truth III“
- “Go the Distance”
- “Oh Mighty Zeus”
- “Go the Distance (Reprise)”
- “One Last Hope”
- “Zero to Hero“
- “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)“
- “A Star Is Born“
Tarzan (1999)
I’m not even going to explain. Phil Collins did it for me, thank you.
- “Two Worlds”
- “You’ll Be in My Heart”
- “Son of Man”
- “Trashin’ the Camp”
- “Strangers Like Me“
- “Two Worlds” (Reprise)
- “Trashin’ the Camp ft. *NSYNC”
- “You’ll Be in My Heart” (end credits)
- “Two Worlds” (Radio version)
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
One of DreamWorks’ most underrated animated films of my childhood, The Road to El Dorado was on constant replay in my house along with The Prince of Egypt (don’t worry, it’s on this list, too). As a kid, I was drawn to almost anything colorful and this animated masterpiece is no exception.
It’s the story of two con men who obtained the supposed map to the elusive city of El Dorado and accidentally board the horrendous Hernan Cortez’s ship from Spain to the New World in hopes of escaping their troubles. Obvious fail. One night they decide to pull a prison break and escape on a rowboat with an animal companion they didn’t mean to bring.
On the brink of dehydration and starvation, the boat is beached and the three celebrate the hope of staying alive! Blah, blah, blah they make it to El Dorado and (somehow) speak to the natives and are welcomed as some ancient Aztec gods come to walk among the mortals. And con men are going to do what they know how to do. Play the long con.
Aside from the obvious downplaying of colonization/imperialism and a watered-down version of one of the worst human beings the Earth has ever seen, the movie is fun and bright and who doesn’t love Elton John (he who made the soundtrack)?!? Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh are a duo I didn’t know would supply the ongoing lyric “It’s tough to be a GOD!” in my head at random times and I wouldn’t have it any other way. And to think the genius Hans Zimmer was a part of this musical journey? I’m speechless.
Unfortunately, the soundtrack available on streaming platforms are lackluster and not as fun as singing along to the movie while it plays. I sometimes put it on if I’m not in the mood for Hercules or Beauty and the Beast as all three rank very high on my list of favorite animated movie soundtracks.
- “El Dorado“
- “Someday Out of the Blue (Theme from El Dorado)”
- “Friends Never Say Goodbye” (featuring Backstreet Boys)
- “The Trail We Blaze“
- “The Panic in Me”
- “It’s Tough to Be a God” (Duet with Randy Newman)
The Great Gatsby (2013)
This movie gets way too much hate for being “bad”. Baz Luhrmann did what he had to do to bring the greatest party thrower of he 20th century to life. With a 48% Rotten Tomatoes score (not that they’re an accredited source of movie data), it’s clear that Gatsby didn’t get the love he deserved.
With (my Spider-Man) Tobey Maguire as the story’s narrator, Nick Carraway, Carrie Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, and THE Leonardo DiCaprio as our main man, Jay Gatsby. With this casting alone, I was excited to watch the shining and glamorous take on New York during the Roaring Twenties.
The movie came out at the end of my junior year of high school which, coincidentally, was the year to read F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s classic. Of course, they released the tracklist with previews of songs in the trailer early on in 2013 before the movie’s May premiere.
Beyoncé.
Jay-z & Kanye.
Lana del Rey
will.i.am.
Florence + the Machine
Fergie
Frank Ocean. To name a few artists credited for the major motion picture soundtrack.
I was in shock and awe when I found out Jay-Z was the executive producer for the soundtrack AND the movie itself. Baz reached out to Jay-Z to collaborate on making the look, sound, and feel of the movie to reflect the greatness of the story through jazz.
And in our age, the energy of jazz is caught in the energy of hip-hop.
Baz spoke to Rolling Stone back in 2013 before the soundtrack was previewed by the public to hype up what was supposed to be the movie of the decade.
When I think about it, maybe the poor audience rating is because the movie (and sound) is so … Black. From the first time I saw the movie, I knew it made it on my top 10 list. I enjoyed the flashy glam and unrestrained fun of what the summer of 1922 could’ve been like, including Black extras being free and happy like the rest of the cast. Not that any of the main characters are Black, but the essence of the film itself is inherently Black. Just listen to the soundtrack!!
At the time, I heard many critique the movie as terrible and a waste of time. But I didn’t hear one bad thing about the soundtrack itself. “This movie did not deserve the soundtrack that it got” was commonly thrown around. Though I agree that the soundtrack is phenomenal, I stand firm in my opinion that The Great Gatsby is a great film but it wasn’t given the chance to shine. Like the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, the one that Gatsby would look at and feel hope that he would get the happy ending he’d worked so hard to get.
But we all know how his story ends.
- “$100 Bill”
- “Back to Black“
- “Bang Bang“
- “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)“
- “Young and Beautiful“
- “Love Is the Drug”
- “Over the Love“
- “Where the Wind Blows“
- “No Church In the Wild“
- “Crazy in Love“
- “Together”
- “Hearts a Mess”
- “Love Is Blindness”
- “Into the Past”
- “Kill and Run”
- “Young and Beautiful” (Orchestral)
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
I don’t know what crack every musician and artist was sniffing in the ’90s but, man, they just didn’t miss! A DreamsWorks classic that I loved so much my mom had to buy the DVD after I basically broke the VHS from playing to so many times.
I don’t know if my mother was trying to teach me a bible story or what but the story of Moses was the last thing on my mind when Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey sing together. And what’s crazy: “When You Believe” isn’t even the best song on the soundtrack.
The movie starts with a woman vocalizing and showing the construction of the Ancient Egyptian pyramids by Jewish slaves. The opening song “Deliver Us” brings a chill to my spine and goosebumps along my skin. Want to talk about a dramatic entrance? DreamWorks wrote the book.
I’m not one for overtly Christian stories but the way this story was told was unlike those I was used to. I actually enjoyed it! After the 20th anniversary of the movie, some behind the scenes info was released where the producers, animators, and the studio itself hired Jewish historians to try and portray the story as accurately as possible since it was a retelling of the Book of Exodus where Moses (who thought he was an Egyptian Prince) learns his lineage comes from Jewish slaves and makes it his mission to free his people from the bondage of slavery.
I still put this soundtrack on when I want to feel something and possibly shed a tear. There are few pieces of art and media that cause an emotional reaction along with a physical one. It’s a feeling I can’t describe but apparently is something called frisson. According to this article from Curiosity.com, frisson is not a common occurrence and only only 50% of humans get feelings like goosebumps, a lump in the throat, or watery eyes when listening to music or “other aesthetic experience”. In summary,
…the appreciation of beauty is central to what makes us human, and frisson is just a super-charged version of that appreciation.
Apparently, I’m the only one in my family to experience frisson. Whether it be a movie, a song, or a piece of art, I feel it. And this soundtrack is no exception.
- “When You Believe”
- “Deliver Us“
- “All I Ever Wanted (with Queen’s Reprise)”
- “Through Heaven’s Eyes”
- “Playing with the Big Boys“
- “When You Believe (w/ Michelle Pfeiffer)”
- “Humanity”
KrashingWaves 
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