A History of Movie Scores in 10 Songs

This week we explore movie scores: how they are composed, how they shape emotion, and what makes a theme unforgettable. We played legendary scores for Emily Bear (Moana 2), Jerskin Fendrix (Poor Things), and RZA (Kill Bill, Ghost Dog) and had them identify the films they are from. We also include insights from Jon Batiste on Soul and Isabela Merced on The Last of Us.

You will hear how composers start from script or picture, what separates film scoring from making a traditional album, and why certain themes live on far beyond the films.

New episodes of the Track Star Podcast drop every Wednesday on all podcast platforms. Let us know in the comments what theme you want us to explore next!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1d5i6AQX4dZaO4MDCbdhjR
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-track-star-podcast/id1836496108
iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-track-star-podcast-294088650/
More platforms: https://play.megaphone.fm/f-rd86qotxojfhckdq6uaa

This Episode’s Track List:
00:00 - Intro
04:33 - Main Titles – The Little Mermaid – Alan Menken
06:15 - The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) – Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – John Williams
10:40 - The Godfather Waltz (Main Title) – The Godfather – Nino Rota & Carlo Savina
28:48 - Theme from The Fog – John Carpenter
32:01 - Cornfield Chase – Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
37:38 - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Ennio Morricone
41:22 - The Last of Us – Gustavo Santaolalla
43:47 - Can You Hear the Music – Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson
45:34 - Overture (Ship) – The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
47:32- (Theme From) Midnight Express – Giorgio Moroder

Listen to our extended movie scores playlist:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2zZ2WXO82IJgYVVVUK9h8M?si=96d90812bb1d47e7
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-track-star-podcast-episode-6/pl.u-38oWWZ5uYx4AxYp
YouTube: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJwfZsOZW3kUzd69YwT3f7y3r8YqH0b4_&si=_s6M8iuP5FVbUJwg

#trackstar #moviescores #podcast

Track Star Team: Jack Coyne, Kieran Coyne, Henry Kornaros, Noah John, Haley Sobel, Alex Fabry, Ellen Schoenfeld, Sarah Mann, Ellie Aslanian, Ryan Dirgins