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John Williams SONGS


John McClane

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:wave:

Hi everybody,

I just wanna have some help for make a compilation with all, or better, with the best songs written or arranged by JW. But, since in my scores I don't have a lot of songs, I think I need the help of you.

Right now, I only have "Moonlight" from Sabrina and the JW's arrangement of "Anything goes" from Indiana Jones and the

Temple of Doom...but wait, I don't need songs like the ones from Born on the 4th of July, only original songs by John Williams and songs re-arranged (like Anything goes, it's not original by JW but he re-arranged it)

I hope I said everything clearly :roll:

Thanks,

:mrgreen: TJ - who is listening to (and enjoying) The Terminal score.

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There's "For Always" from A.I.. Also, there are a few Christmas songs from Home Alone 1 & 2 that he wrote. What about "Double Trouble" from POA? I don't know if you want to count that one or not.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

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Fitzwilly....and that horrible thing from Heidi. There's plenty of songs by Williams, but I prefer to forget about most of them.

Marian - :wave:

:mrgreen: Star Trek - The Undiscovered Country (Cliff Eidelman)

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There is a problem...

John Williams is not so sharp or consistent when it comes to writing songs. James Horner is probably the best film composer to gap the bridge between symphonic scoring and accesible songs. Somewhere Out There, If We Hold On Together, My Heart Will Go On and I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You are well known songs to a public who are not interested in film music. And for those who may not at all value the opinion of that public; well, the songs are good.

John Williams on the other hand doesn't have a handful of famous songs. It must be said that he never really attempted to do that (and Horner did) so the comparison fails easily.

But if I were to take the best songs nonetheless I would go with:

1. For Always from A.I. Easily the most memorable and beautiful song written by Williams. Even my wife likes it.

2. How Can I Remember from Sabrina. Much more professional than Moonlight, which sounds to me like a direct copy from Fitzwilly's Make Me Rainbows (Horner gets stabbed every time he does a thing like that). The melody from ...Remember is quite good and seemed an inspiration for Mulan's Refelection from the year after.

3. Somewhere In My Memory from Home Alone. On the pop-soundtrack from Home Alone 2 you'll two nice pop arrangements; one sung by Bette Mitler and one in spanish. A beautiful melody and song.

4. The Question from the musical Thomas And The King. The only song from the musical with some potential. Wonderfully sung and stuctured. The only thing that remotely rivals Webber of Schonberg...

5. The Freedom Train from Rosewood. A truly great bridge.

Well that's it. Other nice songs are: Hold Me (The Fury), If We Were In Love (Yes Giorgio), Two Lovers (How To Steal A Million) or Sugar Blues (Some Like It Hot).

I did not include choral pieces like Duel Of The Fates, Dry Your Tears Afrika or Exsultate Justi. I don't consider them songs like mentioned in the topic opener.

Bye,

Roald

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James Horner is probably the best film composer to gap the bridge between symphonic scoring and accesible songs.

Why? Did Alan Menken pass away?

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My heart will go on?!?

Isn't it by Celine Dion? Well, by the way, yes.

No, it's basicaly Will Jennings taking the score and putting words to it :mrgreen:

The ones I like:

For Always from AI

Christmas Star From Home Alone II

Star of Bethlahem From Home Alone

Somewhere in My Memory From Home Alone

When You're Alone From Hook (though vocal version is terrible IMO. The version without vocals is a billion times superior)

Yes, Giorgio If We Were in Love from Yes, GiorgioLook Down Lord from Rosewood (This maybe a bit heavy for a compilation concidering he other songs, but it's great none the less)

The Freesom Train from Rosewood

Light My Way from Rosewood

Dream Away the Paul Williams song

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And as who's best at it, I think that Menken by far. Afterwards, Horner. Next- that's arguable. For his songs that are parts of the movie, not just end credits- JW's are the best. But overall- I would agree that Horner is very good at it (though often it is quite redundant and useless- as in A Beautiful Mind and Troy, among others. I'm quite thankfull he didn't cheapen Braveheart or Legends of The Fall by adding a song.)

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Well, I didn't like the girl in the movie at all, and I still feel the song could've been as popular as Horner's had it had another arrangement and singer at the end.

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Uhm Uhm Uhm... What about the crappy X-mas song from Hp SS? Then there's Winter's Spell from PoA which no one knows if it's something new or a repeat of the song from the first album...

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Well, I was only giving songs I could whole heartedly recommend :mrgreen:.

And BTW TJ, if you some how want to hear more of the songs mentioned above (not only by me), you PM or email me. :wave:

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I do find Williams songs to be quiet good. Make Me Rainbows must be one of the finest, along with the ones he did in 1973 with Paul Williams -- Dream Away and Nice to be Around, and the a stranger one Wednesday Special.

I don't care too much for the songs he did with Leslie Bricuesse, the one for the Home Alone films being an exception.

For Always is a marvelous little piece as a vocalise, but as a song I really don't care about. Sounds to much like James Horner.

The Rosewood songs are amazing, as are the ones in Sabrina -- Moonlight is probably is most recorded song of later years.

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James Horner is probably the best film composer to gap the bridge between symphonic scoring and accesible songs. Somewhere Out There, If We Hold On Together, My Heart Will Go On and I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You are well known songs to a public who are not interested in film music.

That doesn't make them any better though. If you want really good songs, take Goldenthal.

...oh, please...I don't need the titles of the songs that sucks!

That severely limits your choices.

Marian - who thinks the Hook song would be nice if it weren't the cheesiest thing ever written.

:mrgreen: Star Trek: First Contact (Jerry Goldsmith)

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Because then almost every track from LOTR would be a song. ROTFLMAO

Well... Aniron is a song, and that's Elvish. The old English chorals in TTT, however, are not songs.

Marian - :spiny:

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There's also "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas" from Home Alone II.

Ray Barnsbury

A fan of that one, me not is.

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Did I ever tell you guys that I can't stand Celine Dion. I prefer that little "when you're all alone" girl about a million times more!

I can't stand the Dion wannabe on AI either. It's just not my thing.

----------------

Alex Cremers

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It's all very silly, but I love Not With My Wife You Don't! Also, many of the songs on Penelope are fun (in an Austin Powersy kind of way!) though Natalie Wood's voice is rather poor on the one she sings.

IMO the best ever Williams song is Moonlight from Sabrina. The jazz combo with Sting is a fantastic performance. It was robbed at the 1997 oscars IMO! Mind you, the version they played during the ceremony sounded like crap.

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I think Alan Menken is an amazing composer and songwriter, but I consider him to more a musical writer than someone focusing on pop-like songs.

In that regard I still think Horner is best.

But Menken's best songs like Colors Of The Wind, A Whole New World or God Help The Outcast are, ofcourse amazing and beautiful! Even Horner cannot achieve that class.

Bye,

Roald

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I can't stand the Dion wannabe on AI either. It's just not my thing.  

I'm okay with Dion in some stuff, but I can't stand Lara Fabian either.

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But Menken's best songs like Colors Of The Wind, A Whole New World or God Help The Outcast are, ofcourse amazing and beautiful! Even Horner cannot achieve that class.

Horner maybe had a couple of songs that are almost there, but certainly nowhere near as many as Menken had. And Horner's range in his songs is not very wide. 'Beauty and The Beast' and 'The Mob Song', 'God Help The Outcasts' and 'Hellfire', 'Colors of The Wind' and 'Savages'- he's never come close.

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Even though Menken's output for animated features has been tremendous (almost legendary) there is one animated film wich, in my opinion ofcourse, has even better material.

The film I'm refering to is The Prince Of Egypt. How the lyricist of some of Menken's work, Stephen Schwartz, came up with such poweful and classic songs is beyond me.

The arrangements and production of Hans Zimmer is extraordinary! The film had a huge team of orchestrators, arrangers, etc. and they turned the whole thing into a major musical project.

But the essence of the songs is pure and good. Very good. Forget about that crappy Mariah Carey/Whitney Housten version of When You Believe. Listen to the film version and you're bound to be blown away. Even the Hebrew children's chorus makes my spine tingle instead of cringing my face of. The melody is just too powerful.

And what about the song Deliver Us? Ever heard such powerful music in any aninmated picture? Even Menken's work for The Hunchback falls short...

Bye,

Roald

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I disagree. Both B&B and Hunchback were better. But Zimmer did a great job on PoE. And though a lot of people don't, I quite like some of the songs.

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