The Last Emperor is the soundtrack album for the movie 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]

Track listing

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"First Coronation"	Ryuichi Sakamoto	1:46
2.	"Open the Door"	Ryuichi Sakamoto	2:54
3.	"Where Is Armo?"	Ryuichi Sakamoto	2:26
4.	"Picking Up Brides"	Ryuichi Sakamoto	2:39
5.	"The Last Emperor – Theme Variation 1"	Ryuichi Sakamoto	2:19
6.	"Rain (I Want a Divorce)"	Ryuichi Sakamoto	1:49
7.	"The Baby (Was Born Dead)"	Ryuichi Sakamoto	0:55
8.	"The Last Emperor – Theme Variation 2"	Ryuichi Sakamoto	4:28
9.	"The Last Emperor – Theme"	Ryuichi Sakamoto	5:54
10.	"Main Title Theme (The Last Emperor)"	David Byrne	4:01
11.	"Picking a Bride"	David Byrne	2:00
12.	"Bed"	David Byrne	5:00
13.	"Wind, Rain, and Water"	David Byrne	2:18
14.	"Paper Emperor"	David Byrne	1:49
15.	"Lunch"	Cong Su	4:54
16.	"Red Guard (Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman)"	The Red Guard Accordion Band	1:20
17.	"The Emperor's Waltz"	The Ball Orchestra of Vienna	3:06
18.	"The Red Guard Dance"	The Girls Red Guard Dancers	0:39

Personnel

Production

Ryuichi Sakamoto – composer, producer, performer
David Byrne – composer, producer, performer, arranger, mixer
Cong Su – composer, performer
Gavyn Wright – conductor
Aki Ikuta – associate producer
Hans Zimmer – associate producer, programmer
Hiro Sugawara – programmer
Kayo Itose – production secretary
Ray Williams – music supervisor
Kōji Ueno – arranger
Lau Hong Quan – arranger
Yuji Nomi – arranger

Technical

Hayden Bendall – engineer
Mike Jarratt – engineer
Shinichi Tanaka – engineer
Clive Martin – engineer
Ian Sylvester – engineer
Michio Nakagoshi – engineer
Shigeru Takise – engineer
Greg Fulginiti & Greg Calbi – mastering
Glen Rosenstein – mixer
Steve Nye – mixer
Mark Roule – mixer

Charts

Chart (1988)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[2]	93
US Billboard 200^[3]	152

References

^ "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.
^ 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.
^ "Ryuichi Sakamoto - Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 28 January 2016.

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Studio albums

Solo	Thousand Knives B-2 Unit Futurista Neo Geo Beauty Heartbeat Sweet Revenge 1996 BTTB Chasm Async 12

Collaborations	Summer Nerves Vrioon A Day in New York Insen Cendre utp_ Summvs Flumina

Extended plays

Live albums

Compilations

Tokyo Joe
Async – Remodels

Soundtracks

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
The Last Emperor
The Sheltering Sky
Tacones lejanos (High Heels)
Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights
Wild Palms
Little Buddha
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon
Snake Eyes
Gohatto
Femme Fatale
Tony Takitani
The Revenant

Songs

Filmography

Related artists

Related articles

v t e David Byrne
Discography
Studio albums	My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (with Brian Eno) Rei Momo Uh-Oh David Byrne Feelings Look into the Eyeball Grown Backwards Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (with Brian Eno) Love This Giant (with St. Vincent) American Utopia
Live albums	David Byrne Live at Union Chapel Live from Austin, TX Live at Carnegie Hall
Soundtrack albums	The Catherine Wheel Music for "The Knee Plays" Sounds from True Stories The Last Emperor The Forest In Spite of Wishing and Wanting Lead Us Not into Temptation Big Love: Hymnal Here Lies Love (with Fatboy Slim)
Remix albums	The Visible Man
Singles	"The Jezebel Spirit" "Like Humans Do" "Strange Overtones"
Featured singles	"Toe Jam"
Concert tours	Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour Love This Giant Tour
Other works	True Stories Playing the Building How Music Works
Related articles	Talking Heads Ride, Rise, Roar American Utopia (film) Luaka Bop

Awards for The Last Emperor album

v t e Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
1940s	Life with Father – Max Steiner (1947) The Red Shoes – Brian Easdale (1948) The Inspector General – Johnny Green (1949)
1950s	Sunset Boulevard – Franz Waxman (1950) September Affair – Victor Young (1951) High Noon – Dimitri Tiomkin (1952) On the Beach – Ernest Gold (1959)
1960s	The Alamo – Dimitri Tiomkin (1960) The Guns of Navarone – Dimitri Tiomkin (1961) To Kill a Mockingbird – Elmer Bernstein (1962) (1963) The Fall of the Roman Empire – Dimitri Tiomkin (1964) Doctor Zhivago – Maurice Jarre (1965) Hawaii – Elmer Bernstein (1966) Camelot – Frederick Loewe (1967) The Shoes of the Fisherman – Alex North (1968) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Burt Bacharach (1969)
1970s	Love Story – Francis Lai (1970) Shaft – Isaac Hayes (1971) The Godfather – Nino Rota (1972) Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Neil Diamond (1973) The Little Prince – Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe (1974) Jaws – John Williams (1975) A Star is Born – Kenneth Ascher and Paul Williams (1976) Star Wars – John Williams (1977) Midnight Express – Giorgio Moroder (1978) Apocalypse Now – Carmine Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola (1979)
1980s	The Stunt Man – Dominic Frontiere (1980) No Award (1981) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – John Williams (1982) Flashdance – Giorgio Moroder (1983) A Passage to India – Maurice Jarre (1984) Out of Africa – John Barry (1985) The Mission – Ennio Morricone (1986) The Last Emperor – David Byrne, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su (1987) Gorillas in the Mist – Maurice Jarre (1988) The Little Mermaid – Alan Menken (1989)
1990s	The Sheltering Sky – Richard Horowitz and Ryuichi Sakamoto (1990) Beauty and the Beast – Alan Menken (1991) Aladdin – Alan Menken (1992) Heaven & Earth – Kitarō (1993) The Lion King – Hans Zimmer (1994) A Walk in the Clouds – Maurice Jarre (1995) The English Patient – Gabriel Yared (1996) Titanic – James Horner (1997) The Truman Show – Burkhard Dallwitz and Philip Glass (1998) The Legend of 1900 – Ennio Morricone (1999)
2000s	Gladiator – Lisa Gerrard, Hans Zimmer (2000) Moulin Rouge! – Craig Armstrong (2001) Frida – Elliot Goldenthal (2002) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Howard Shore (2003) The Aviator – Howard Shore (2004) Memoirs of a Geisha – John Williams (2005) The Painted Veil – Alexandre Desplat (2006) Atonement – Dario Marianelli (2007) Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman (2008) Up – Michael Giacchino (2009)
2010s	The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (2010) The Artist – Ludovic Bource (2011) Life of Pi – Mychael Danna (2012) All Is Lost – Alex Ebert (2013) The Theory of Everything – Jóhann Jóhannsson (2014) The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone (2015) La La Land – Justin Hurwitz (2016) The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat (2017) First Man – Justin Hurwitz (2018) Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir (2019)
2020s	Soul – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste (2020) Dune – Hans Zimmer (2021) Babylon – Justin Hurwitz (2022)

v t e Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
1959−1980	Anatomy of a Murder – Duke Ellington (1959) No Award (1960) Exodus – Ernest Gold (1961) Breakfast at Tiffany's – Henry Mancini (1962) No Award (1963) Tom Jones – John Addison (1964) Mary Poppins: Original Cast Soundtrack – Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman (1965) The Sandpiper – Johnny Mandel (1966) Doctor Zhivago – Maurice Jarre (1967) Music from Mission: Impossible – Lalo Schifrin (1968) The Graduate – Dave Grusin & Paul Simon (1969) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Burt Bacharach (1970) Let It Be – The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr) (1971) Shaft – Isaac Hayes (1972) The Godfather – Nino Rota (1973) Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Neil Diamond (1974) The Way We Were: Original Soundtrack Recording – Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Marvin Hamlisch (1975) Jaws – John Williams (1976) Car Wash – Norman Whitfield (1977) Star Wars – John Williams (1978) Close Encounters of the Third Kind – John Williams (1979) Superman – John Williams (1980)
1981−2000	The Empire Strikes Back – John Williams (1981) Raiders of the Lost Ark – John Williams (1982) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – John Williams (1983) Flashdance – Michael Boddicker, Irene Cara, Kim Carnes, Doug Cotler, Keith Forsey, Richard Gilbert, Jerry Hey, Duane Hitchings, Craig Krampf, Ronald Magness, Dennis Matkosky, Giorgio Moroder, Phil Ramone, Michael Sembello & Shandi Sinnamon (1984) Purple Rain – Prince and the Revolution (1985) Beverly Hills Cop – Marc Benno, Harold Faltermeyer, Keith Forsey, Micki Free, John Gilutin Hawk, Howard Hewett, Bunny Hull, Howie Rice, Sharon Robinson, Danny Sembello, Sue Sheridan, Richard Theisen & Allee Willis (1986) Out of Africa – John Barry (1987) The Untouchables – Ennio Morricone (1988) The Last Emperor – David Byrne, Cong Su & Ryuichi Sakamoto (1989) The Fabulous Baker Boys (Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Dave Grusin (1990) Glory – James Horner (1991) Dances with Wolves – John Barry (1992) Beauty and the Beast – Alan Menken (1993) Aladdin – Alan Menken (1994) Schindler's List – John Williams (1995) Crimson Tide – Hans Zimmer (1996) Independence Day – David Arnold (1997) The English Patient – Gabriel Yared (1998) Saving Private Ryan – John Williams (1999) A Bug's Life – Randy Newman (2000)
2001−2020	American Beauty: Original Motion Picture Score – Thomas Newman (2001) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Tan Dun (2002) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Howard Shore & John Kurlander (engineer/mixer) (2003) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Howard Shore, John Kurlander (engineer/mixer) & Peter Cobbin (engineer/mixer) (2004) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Howard Shore, John Kurlander (engineer/mixer) & Peter Cobbin (engineer/mixer) (2005) Ray – Craig Armstrong (2006) Memoirs of a Geisha – John Williams (2007) Ratatouille – Michael Giacchino (2008) The Dark Knight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard (2009) Up – Michael Giacchino (2010) Toy Story 3 – Randy Newman (2011) The King's Speech – Alexandre Desplat (2012) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (2013) Skyfall: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Thomas Newman (2014) The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat (2015) Birdman – Antonio Sánchez (2016) Star Wars: The Force Awakens – John Williams (2017) La La Land – Justin Hurwitz (2018) Black Panther – Ludwig Göransson (2019) Chernobyl – Hildur Guðnadóttir (2020)
2021−present	Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir (2021) The Queen's Gambit – Carlos Rafael Rivera / Soul – Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (2022) Encanto – Germaine Franco (2023)