Godzilla: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Film score by
Alexandre Desplat
ReleasedMay 13, 2014 (2014-05-13)
GenreFilm score
Length60:27
LabelWaterTower Music
ProducerPeter Afterman (exec.), Paul Broucek (exec.), Gareth Edwards (exec.), Jason Linn (exec.), Dave Jordan (exec.), Dominique Lemonnier[1]
Alexandre Desplat chronology
The Grand Budapest Hotel
(2014) 		Godzilla: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2014) 		The Imitation Game
(2014)
MonsterVerse chronology
Godzilla
(2014) 		Kong: Skull Island
(2017)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Movie Wave Net

Godzilla: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2014 American monster film Godzilla, which is a reboot of Toho's Godzilla franchise and also being the 30th film in that franchise. It is also the first film in Legendary's MonsterVerse and the second Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio.[a] The score was composed and conducted by Alexandre Desplat, being the first film composer to work on the MonsterVerse franchise. The film score was released digitally by WaterTower Music on May 13, 2014,[5][6] and a separate vinyl album was launched on June 17.[7]

Development

Desplat had not composed previously for a monster film, having worked on movies such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), The King's Speech (2010) and the final two Harry Potter films. He accepted the contract after being impressed with Edwards' film Monsters. He further describes the soundtrack for Godzilla as "non-stop fortissimo, with lots of brass, Japanese drums, and electric violin."[8] Desplat described that "discovering and sustaining an emotional center against a backdrop of burning buildings, dazzling explosions and monsters" as one of his biggest challenges and to sustain this, he kept the score "organic" utilizing the various colors of an orchestra to match the nuances of the film’s ensemble cast and "emphasize these characters’ broken souls".[9][10][11]

Track listing

All music is composed by Alexandre Desplat

Godzilla: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
No.TitleLength
1."Godzilla!"2:09
2."Inside The Mines"2:25
3."The Power Plant"5:49
4."To Q Zone"2:56
5."Back to Janjira"6:00
6."Muto Hatch"3:14
7."In The Jungle"2:00
8."The Wave"3:04
9."Airport Attack"1:48
10."Missing Spore"3:58
11."Vegas Aftermath"3:23
12."Ford Rescued"1:23
13."Following Godzilla"2:02
14."Golden Gate Chaos"2:51
15."Let Them Fight"1:39
16."Entering The Nest"3:01
17."Two Against One"4:51
18."Last Shot"1:58
19."Godzilla's Victory"3:03
20."Back To The Ocean"3:40
Total length:60:27
Songs featured in the film and not included in the soundtrack[12]
# Title Performer(s)
1 "Glad About That" Linda Ballentine
2 "Breakfast in Bed" Dusty Springfield
3 "The Weathered Man" The Holy Bridge Orchestra
4 "See the Way" LikeWize
5 "Ka Huila Wai" Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
6 "My Heart Can Feel the Pain" The Tonettes
7 "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" Elvis Presley
8 "Requiem for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, 2 Mixed Choirs and Orchestra" by György Ligeti Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Chorus

Future

For the sequels in MonsterVerse, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Bear McCreary and Tom Holkenborg respectively composed the film scores for the counterparts.[13][14] While McCreary used samples from Desplat's score in Godzilla, and had also incorporated Akira Ifukube's Godzilla themes,[15][16] Holkenborg produced new themes for Godzilla vs. Kong, disregarding Ifukube's and Desplat's themes.[17]

Notes

  1. ^ The American releases of Godzilla (Godzilla, King of the Monsters!), King Kong vs. Godzilla and The Return of Godzilla (Godzilla 1985) featured additional footage produced by independent Hollywood studios. The footage featured Western actors and merged it with the original Japanese footage in order to appeal to American audiences.[2] Invasion of Astro-Monster was the first Godzilla film to be co-produced between a Japanese studio (Toho) and an American studio (UPA).[3][4] The first Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio was the 1998 film of the same name.

References

  1. ^ "Alexandre Desplat — Godzilla (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Discogs. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  2. ^ Kalat 2010, p. 25.
  3. ^ Ryfle 1998, p. 121.
  4. ^ Kalat 2010, p. 84.
  5. ^ "Godzilla: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". iTunes. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  6. ^ "Godzilla: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". WaterTower Records. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  7. ^ Alexandre Desplat - Godzilla (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), June 9, 2014, retrieved March 30, 2022
  8. ^ Romano, Andrew (February 11, 2014). "Meet Alexandre Desplat, Hollywood's Master Composer". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  9. ^ Reed, Ryan (May 12, 2014). "Alexandre Desplat Talks 'Godzilla' Score". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  10. ^ "Behind the Music of 'Godzilla'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  11. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (May 14, 2014). "Watch: Bryan Cranston & Alexandre Desplat Talk 'Godzilla' In 2 Featurettes Plus New Pics". IndieWire. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  12. ^ "Godzilla". Soundtrack.net. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  13. ^ "Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) Scoring Adam Wingard's 'Godzilla vs. Kong'". Film Music Reporter. June 10, 2020. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  14. ^ Sciretta, Peter (July 21, 2018). "Bear McCreary Will Compose 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Score, Incorporating Classic Themes [Comic-Con 2018]". Slash Film. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "Bear McCreary to Score Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Will Use Ifukube Themes". Scified. July 23, 2018. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  16. ^ Butler, Mary Anne (August 6, 2018). "Bear McCreary Talks Composing for 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters'". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  17. ^ "Godzilla vs. Kong: How Junkie XL Found New Themes for Monsters' Soundtrack". Den of Geek. March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2022.

Sources

External links

MonsterVerse
Godzilla
Alexandre Desplat
Categories