almost randomly picked between '90 and '09: a commentary of some songs from the movies of the last two decades

photo credit: Enrique Leyva

     Movies can indeed be a good source of some of the most memorable songs of every generation.  A theme song, in particular, plays a comfortable position of highlighting and summing up the story of a movie.  If a movie is very popular, one can expect that the theme song can be heard from a radio station somewhere, or sometimes, it feels like hearing it everywhere.  However, we should face the fact that this does not necessarily reflect the technical quality of the song, but still we should also be aware that song appreciation also depends on the "ear" of the beholder.  So I think that there's no such a thing as "best" even in the science behind it because even experts in music may have varying opinions about a particular song, but I think that there's a thing called "remarkable".  Something technically "remarkable" exists in a sense that experts may unanimously agree that a particular song is above average.  From that "remarkable" point of view, there are songs that can be considered timeless based on their musical arrangement.  We can in a way determine something that is timeless because we have examples of music tracks that survived after hundreds of years, which opinions of experts from different generations agree that these are good.  If you listen to many of these songs, one will notice that they have similarities.  In fact, there are classic music tracks that I can't find a strong clue why they are considered good.  Well, I still have lots of things to learn, but it's obvious that the scientific approach is not the best paradigm of learning in this discipline. 

     Early in the 1990's, there's a song entitled "Beauty and the Beast".  The widely dispersed version is of course the pop version, but I think the better version of the song is the one sang by a character called Mrs. Potts.  The opening sequence is impressive with the piano, woodwind work, and additional strings, and the song ends like a great bedtime story.  Many soundtrack reviewers consider this as a masterpiece, and I myself, a common listener, agree with them.  The genius lies not only in the score, but also in the lyrics.  Consider these lines:

Alan Menken as a "Disney Legend" (photo credit: Loren Javier)

Tale as old as time
Tune as old as song
Bittersweet and strange
Finding you can change
Learning you were wrong
Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme...     

     
     

     
     There are many popular songs from the animated films of the 90's, but maybe I can talk about them some time in the future.  However, I would like to mention another song from an animated film: "Go the Distance" from the movie "Hercules".  I think that in this song it is the singer's interpretation that gave the most impact here.  Of course, we cannot ignore the musical composition because it's one of the most inspiring tunes around.  Consider the heroic sequence that delivered a compelling message of aspiration.

     In interpreting a particular song, a composer may have designed it to be performed as a duet.  There are lots of good duets in the 90's, and one of the classic ones is the "The Prayer".  It is one of those challenging songs for singers.  This is probably the reason why many great singers of our time take turns to sing this song.  Other notable duets include "Beauty and the Beast" and "A Whole New World".  Well, they're both from Disney.
     
     Sometime in the late 1990's is a popular song, and it's called "My Heart Will Go On".  As we all know it came from one of the highest grossing movies of all time in the world.  You might have hated it because it was very popular, but setting the handicap aside, it's a good song.  A friend of mine finds the song cheesy.  Well, I think that the context in which it was sang is in a way cheesy (of course, you can disagree), but hey, setting this aside, I still hold to the point that the song arrangement is really good.  Think about the woodwind sequence minus the memories of something that pertains to the sinking ship inside your heads when the song is being played.  It can be cheesy, but it's like a good idea being said over and over again such that it already hurts the degree of its goodness.  The lyrics can be average, but the melody is not your ordinary musical composition (if one can't stand the original, try an instrumental version).

     The songs mentioned do not really represent the 90's well, but since there's something from "Titanic", you can at least say, "yeah, he's trying hard to talk about the 1990's; and now, he's in trouble trying to talk about the 2000's".

Howard Shore of "The Lord of the Rings" and Orchestra (photo credit: Henry Burrows)

      

     In the early 2000's, there's the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.  Well, the trilogy produced three good songs, and one of them is a "weird" song.  You may have remembered "May It Be" and "Into the West", but maybe you have also remembered the "Gollum's Song" from the second movie of the trilogy.  "May It Be" and "Into the West" are two of the most inspiring compositions around.  They can be considered as songs of hope, while the "Gollum's Song" is a song of despair.  Since they are theme songs, you can actually say that the trilogy is moving along this path: hope --> despair --> hope.  Well the second "hope" is hope in a triumphant sense; but hey it can be: hope --> despair --> triumph.  Well, the three songs are good enough to represent the journey being told in the three movies.  Also take note of the lyrics of "Into the West"; it's kinda genius.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova of "Once" (photo credit: Vince Kmeron)

     Apart from something big as "Lord of the Rings" comes the songs from the "smaller" movies.  Two songs worth mentioning are "Falling Slowly" from "Once" and "In the Deep" from "Crash".  They can be categorized under the "easy listening" genre especially "In the Deep".  "Falling Slowly" sounds a little bit conventional because it sounds like the usual guitar song, but if you'll focus on the lyrics and the harmony of guitar and violin, you can say that this is not just an ordinary love song.  Speaking of this genre, there's a song that I haven't really paid much attention because it sounds rather conventional (plus it was played during an amusing portion of the movie).  However, paying more attention the second time around, you can say that it's amusing enough to be part of the movie.  The title of the song is "Accidentally in Love".

     There's a unique entry in the 2000's and it's called the "Slumdog Millionaire".  There are several songs in that film, and I would like to note that "O... Saya" and "Jai Ho" (not the altered pop version) are the most remarkable ones.  The impressive instrumentation in both songs can catch the attention of somebody who is searching for something that has unique cultural undertones.  I have searched for the English translation of the Hindi portions, and I think "Jai Ho" represented the movie better.  The vibrant instrumentations are brainy enough such that one can't simply categorize them as ordinary pop songs.

Conclusion: These are some of the songs from the movies in the last two decades that can be considered remarkable. 

"I have heard some of these, and they're indeed remarkable because they did hurt my ears."

space between the notes: some of the notable film music of the last two decades

Below is my pick of film music within this span of 20 years: 1990-2009.   I haven't watched all films in the list, but I did at least hear the music from the soundtracks.  At least they already sound great given that they were played outside the context of the film, so I think that they will in a way work well in context (all of those that I have heard in context are really good).  The list may not include the other so-called critically acclaimed original scores since my scope is way more limited than that of the critics.  Basically, these are the scores that I think will stand the test of time (arranged in chronological order).


1990s:

Beauty and the Beast
The 1990's is the decade where Disney animations have many memorable songs and original scores (especially songs).  Well, I consider film music from this one to be the most remarkable among the Disney/Pixar line so far.

Schindler's List
This is an outstanding example of a mournful score whether it is the version of the strings or the piano.  One thing stands out: a heavy heart is involved here.

The Lion King
Speaking of African music and its contribution to the field of music, this film has made use of the African element very well.  A lot of nice "folk things" can be classic enough.  

Braveheart
It's the good old Celtic thing.  Think about the flute and the strings and how they can pull some heart strings and brain strings.

Il Postino
This is a very good example of film music that was given an integral role in the film.  If you talk about the "space between the notes", the composer indeed knew how to use this important "musical note".

Sense and Sensibility
There's not much variation in the music, but this exhibits good use of stringed instruments.  It's a score, but one might like to call it "poetic".

Shakespeare in Love
It's Shakespeare so one might expect some heavy blow of romance and drama in the music, but the score in a way defies the Shakespearean atmosphere; maybe it represents the whimsical side of Shakespeare.  Overall, it is a light-hearted and inspiring composition, in which one of the "Shakespearean" detractors might say, "I like this side of Shakespeare".


2000s:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
This is one of those mournful film music played using the violin.  It's a slow movement that has the capability to keep the listener engaged.  It can also help you appreciate the Chinese culture together with its striking simplicity.

Gladiator
If you like something heroic, then try listening to this score.  There is "new age" element in the music, and it can indeed bring you to the days of the Roman Empire.  Amidst the action-packed musical ride is a nice flute sequence that lightens the heavy atmosphere of the battle.

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
The odd combination of something mechanical and organic is well done here.  Just the notion of combining both mechanical and organic into a harmonious musical sequence is remarkable enough to consider the composer kinda genius to "meddle" with "too many notes".

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Three things that will remind me of the score -- the flute, the strings, and the voices.  This is a good example of a score with multiple themes but unified successfully by the composer a la "one ring to bind them all".

Babel
This is guitar in one of its finest moments.  Listening to this is like subjecting your mind into seemingly endless anticipation.  Of course, it's a good form of anticipation that doesn't disappoint.  It can actually motivate you to embark on taking guitar plucking seriously if you think that plucking per se hates you as a "guitarist".

Pan's Labyrinth
There have been many lullabies, but this one has some eerie feeling added to it.  That's lullaby, fairy tale, and some kind of horror combined into one original film music -- that's simply not your ordinary lullaby.

Atonement
If you talk about mystery, then this is a slow mystery score.  The music gives off melancholic atmosphere when played from start to finish; in fact, there are moments that can be considered "heartbreaking".  Similar to the other remarkable compositions, silence has been used well in the arrangement.


I would like to mention original scores in 2010 that I consider to be more or less in the same level of regard as the ones I mentioned above:

The King's Speech
One thing is remarkable about the original portion of the score: it sounds like the music from one of the classical composers, which is really job well done.

The Social Network
It is most of the time mentally engaging, and the thing that I will remember most about the score is its hi-tech character.  A lot of technical things are working for this score.


A lot of creativity is involved in these compositions, so what's next? 
Maybe in the future a composer might think about including some awkward sequences, e.g. stuttering a la "The King's Speech" -- that can be challenging enough to gain some recognition.

from 0 to infinity

     An entity is composed of molecules governed by the laws of nature.  One might wonder about the essence of the laws of nature.  Do they exist to prevent an entity from becoming a free entity? Or do they exist in order to be in harmony with the other entities of the universe?  In the age of liberalism, something that defies the laws of nature is fascinating, but does this something that defy the laws of nature really exist?  Or is it simply just an undiscovered phenomenon not yet articulated by the abstraction of the human mind?  If one would say that something defies the laws of nature, is somebody sure that these laws of nature have been completely defined by the means of abstraction employed under the natural sciences?  Is the scientific thought able to define every phenomena through its limited language so that it deserves the right to be the last stand when it comes to the proclamation of the "natural truth"?  If one believes the notion that there is a higher form of abstraction than what the human mind is capable of, then the scientific thought can never attain the fullness of natural truth because it is a bounded or limited form of abstraction.  It is a form of abstraction that is confined to what phenomena were observed so far.  
     
     However, there is something good in the scientific thought that enabled us to appreciate the essence of the natural law.  It may not be able to discover everything, but it can help us appreciate that the existence of this world is real; and in order to exist in accordance to the "rules of the game", one must appreciate the reality in its simplest form through the so-called "little things" of everyday life.  This talk about abstraction can go on and on like from number 0 to positive infinity.  If it is overwhelming, then one can always turn around and find number 0 again; then proceed to negative infinity.  One can always move that way entangled in the infinite loop, and miss everything in his/her bounded duration of existence in this world.

 

[thoughts to think about, but don't forget that there is something higher than the natural law]