Die Hard: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for John McTiernan's 1988 action film Die Hard starring Bruce Willis, that features an original score composed by Michael Kamen and incorporates diegetic music pieces. It has been critically acclaimed and assessed as one of Kamen's best works in film music and won him a BMI TV/Film Music Award for his work on the score.[1]
The album was not officially released alongside the film, until 2002, when Varèse Sarabande issued a 21-track album featuring Kamen's score. It was then reissued in November 2011 by La-La Land Records, that consisted the full score packed into a two-disc set into a limited edition of 3,500 units, and again reissued in March 2017 of over 2,000 units.
In November 2018, La-La Land Records released Die Hard: 30th Anniversary Remastered Edition featuring additional cues and demos, and sold over 5,000 units.
Background
Kamen initially saw a mostly incomplete version of Die Hard and was unimpressed,[2] as he saw the film as primarily about a "phenomenal bad guy" who made McClane seem less important.[2] He was initially dismissive of film scores, believing they could not stand alone from the film, until he agreed to do so.[3] His original score incorporates pizzicato and arco strings, brass, woodwinds and sleigh bells added during moments of menace to counter their festive meaning.[4]
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Instrumental Version)"
2:00
Total length:
77:04
Reissues
2011 reissue
La-La Land Records reissued and released the full score album on November 29, 2011, in a two-disc set.[12][13] The album featured 39 tracks that included the score cues and few musical references heard in the film. The bonus tracks included variations of the score, that are either alternates or mono sources of the existing cues.[13]
The album was again reissued by La-La Land Records and released on March 31, 2017.[12]
30th Anniversary Remastered Edition
In 2018, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the film's release, a remastered edition of Kamen's score was announced by La-La Land Records and set for release on November 5, 2018, in a three-disc set that contains 74 tracks. The album featured the full score, including cues and existing pieces of diegetic music referenced in the film, while multiple variations of the score which includes, source music, alternatives and mixes heard in the film being included in the album. It also included previously unreleased material from Kamen's score in full or partially heard in existing cues.[14]
Robert Lockard of the Deja Reviewer mentioned "The music in Die Hard is adequate, but it's nothing special. It's ironic for a film that took so many chances and got so much right to go so middle-of-the-road with its soundtrack."[15]Mfiles wrote "It's a rare action score that blends sincerity and self-parody in a manner that never compromises its respective movie, although one suspects McTiernan dialled down some of Kamen's more eccentric flourishes for that very reason... This review is a testament not only to a great Christmas movie and score, but also to both of their formidable legacies."[16] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "it's easy to see why it came about – Die Hard in particular is a fearsomely complex work that (somewhat against the odds, for reasons explained later) works simply brilliantly in the film and became one of the most influential scores of its time."[17]
Jonathan Broxton believed Die Hard to be one of Kamen's best action music compositions. He praised "the clever combination of the themes, the interpolation of the classical music and the songs, and the rich and vivid action set pieces". Broxton summarised it as "an iconic 1980s action score which demands attention."[18] Neil Shurley of AllMusic called it as an "outstanding presentation of a seminal score".[8]Soundtrack Beat wrote "Kamen's score masterfully builds suspense, propelling all the plot's high-octane action while enriching the characterizations."[19]
Filmtracks.com wrote "Kamen's score is defined by a series of repeated, pseudo- Western and pseudo-oriental riffs on acoustic guitar and lightly jingling bells representing the holidays... Kamen's music for Die Hard doesn't translate well onto album... Only once the party really begins, and the Plaza is under siege by the ineffectual police and FBI force, does Kamen's score begin to hold its own. The same applies to the score's revisitation of that mode in its end credits... the weak early and middle portions of the Die Hard score function to basic degrees in the film, sometimes as mere sound effects, and the movie might have succeeded just as well with outright parody adaptations of Christmas carols."[7]
Lichtenfield, Eric (2017). "Die Hard"(PDF). National Film Preservation Board Documents. Washington, D.C., United States: Library of Congress. Archived(PDF) from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
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