The Last Emperor
Soundtrack album by
Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne & Cong Su
ReleasedDecember 8, 1987
Studio
GenreSoundtrack
Length50:17
LabelVirgin Records
ProducerRyuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne
Ryuichi Sakamoto chronology
Neo Geo
(1987) 		The Last Emperor
(1987) 		Beauty
(1989)
David Byrne chronology
Sounds from True Stories
(1986) 		The Last Emperor
(1987) 		Rei Momo
(1989)

The Last Emperor is the soundtrack album for the film of the same name. It features nine pieces composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, five by David Byrne, one from Cong Su, and a few incidental pieces of source music. The album won the Best Original Score award at the 1987 Academy Awards,[1] and won the Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media award at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989.[2]

Track listing

No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."First Coronation"Ryuichi Sakamoto1:46
2."Open the Door"Ryuichi Sakamoto2:54
3."Where Is Armo?"Ryuichi Sakamoto2:26
4."Picking Up Brides"Ryuichi Sakamoto2:39
5."The Last Emperor – Theme Variation 1"Ryuichi Sakamoto2:19
6."Rain (I Want a Divorce)"Ryuichi Sakamoto1:49
7."The Baby (Was Born Dead)"Ryuichi Sakamoto0:55
8."The Last Emperor – Theme Variation 2"Ryuichi Sakamoto4:28
9."The Last Emperor – Theme"Ryuichi Sakamoto5:54
10."Main Title Theme (The Last Emperor)"David Byrne4:01
11."Picking a Bride"David Byrne2:00
12."Bed"David Byrne5:00
13."Wind, Rain, and Water"David Byrne2:18
14."Paper Emperor"David Byrne1:49
15."Lunch"Cong Su4:54
16."Red Guard (Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman)"The Red Guard Accordion Band1:20
17."The Emperor's Waltz"The Ball Orchestra of Vienna3:06
18."The Red Guard Dance"The Girls Red Guard Dancers0:39

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 93
US Billboard 200[4] 152

Impact

The film "brought Sakamoto's work to international attention, and as a direct result of its success he went on to work with Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci.’’[5]

References

  1. ^ "The 60th Academy Awards - 1988". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  2. ^ "1988 GRAMMY WINNERS : 31st Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy.com. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 284. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Ryuichi Sakamoto - Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  5. ^ Cooke, Mervyn (25 September 2008). A History of Film Music. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-26486-7.
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