Hope you all had a great Easter! A week this Thursday, I’m going down London to see the Hans Zimmer Live Concert which I’m extremely excited for! So in spirit of things, I’ve decided to rank the top 10 pieces music by Hans Zimmer in the movies! It’s hard to round up all of his amazing work as there are so many to choose from, but I will try my best to rank the top ten favourites which I’m eager to hear performed! No rules here except of course only music that was composed by Han Zimmer himself will be featured, so for instance the theme to Pirates of the Caribbean will not feature in the top ten!
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10.
This Land
from The Lion King
To start off the list the place of number 10 goes to This Land from The Lion King! Such a majestic piece! The first part features near the beginning when we see parts of Africa in the storm and rain, then the remainder is featured when Simba sees the apparition of his father Mufasa. The motif recurs throughout the film but goes extremely well with the scene of Mufasa’s ghost! And the choral singers at the end are a brilliant way to conclude the tune and signify Simba’s revelation!
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9.
Aggressive Expansion
from The Dark Knight
I was mixed between quite a few of the Dark Knight Trilogy tunes, especially Mind if I Cut In (Catwoman’s theme) which probably came about 11th in the rankings! But I had to have the Zimmer’s own Batman theme in this list! It is a very bold theme going with the character himself and for me always brings back images of him driving away in bat mobile or bat bike! The legend of the Batman! I’ve yet to see Batman vs. Superman (another Batman film Zimmer is working with) but I think it could be especially difficult for Zimmer to top the Dark Knight trilogy soundtrack!
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8.
Jack Sparrow
from Dead Man’s Chest
I’ve found there is often controversy on whether or not Zimmer wrote the Pirates of the Caribbean theme for the franchise; the facts however are that he helped to created it but Klaus Badelt is credited as composer for that specific theme. However the theme for Jack Sparrow is just as brilliant a tune! The strings in this piece sound like Jack trying to walk while drunk, stumbling about and then it seems more like a fiddle being played for the up beat energetic parts emphasising all the trouble he gets himself into! A brilliant personification of Jack Sparrow’s character.
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7.
No Time for Caution
from Interstellar
Interstellar is one of Hans Zimmer’s more recent projects and is a film I’ve only seen for the first time in the last month! I wouldn’t say the film itself has become a favourite unlike Dark Knight or Inception, but the music as always is stupendous. This piece goes along with the scene where the astronauts are in a fight against time to catch and regain control of their drifting spaceship. This piece emphasises the urgency with with the continuous steady beat and the organ almost signifies the feat it is to take on space and time against all odds!
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6.
King of Pride Rock
from The Lion King
Another entry from Disney’s The Lion King; I don’t care what everyone is saying about Frozen – The Lion King is the best Disney animation movie so far! This piece has an array of different emotions in it; it starts off dark and sad, then moves straight into angry aggressive tones as Simba confronts Scar, and concludes with Simba’s triumph! The Lion’s roar is not in this piece itself, but the build up is amazing neither-the-less and what better way to end than with the Circle of Life in which began the film ironically! Shiver down spine kind of music!
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5.
The End?
from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Otherwise known as the Sherlock Holmes theme tune, this piece has different variations and features many times through both films, but this is in my opinion the best version. It is pretty obvious from the name, but this piece features in the credits as the film ends. It makes me think of the mechanics of a machine in operation or the ticks of clock signifying the deductions and calculations formulating in Sherlock’s clever-clogs brain. It also has that harpsichord vibe about it to go with the vintage style of the film. All data, data, data though; one cannot make bricks without clay!
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4.
Kraken
from Dead Man’s Chest
The second tune in this list is from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. The Kraken! The return of the organ really does it for this piece. First there’s a sense of rush and danger especially with the deep sounds and swift swipes from the strings. And then the organ comes in for the ‘Kraken’s theme’ as it destroys the ship losing all hope of survival! Even although the organ adds a vintage pirate-y theme to the tune, there’s a modern addition to the orchestra with the guitar giving the piece it’s full echo and emphasis that makes you shiver with terror!
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3.
Maestro
from The Holiday
I know that the Holiday is a click flick but I actually like it, and I love the music in it especially the main theme! It goes back and forward from slow piano parts to energetic sections with the full orchestra. The whole tune seems build up with anticipation and also provide a sense of hope as well as stopping to think about the downside; very much like the thought process with Iris and her un-requited love. As an aspiring piano player, it’s a movie tune I would love to learn how to play fully in the future.
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2.
Time
from Inception
What an ending to a film! The music and that spinning top! The music acts like Cobb’s anticipation gradually building as he gets closer and closer to seeing his kids again! And goes quiet as soon as he goes to his children; the moment he’s been waiting and dreaming of for so long. Then ending unnaturally as it cuts to black further emphasising the possibility it could still be a dream! Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer sure know how to keep us on the edge our seats!
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Before I reveal the number one tune from Hans Zimmer, here are some honourable mentions which I feel I should noted:
- Mind if I Cut In from The Dark Knight Rises
- Flight from Man of Steel
- Theme from Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
- Romanian Wind from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
- It’s So Overt It’s Covert from Sherlock Holmes
- Dinner is Served from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
- Earth from Gladiator
Number. 1
Dream is Collapsing
from Inception
The Dream is Collapsing without a doubt gets the number one position! There’s something about this piece that is surreal; maybe it’s echoing guitar rhythm throughout the piece, or the surges of electrical noises or the fact that it almost grinds to a halt before the tubas, drums and bells strike emphasising the final fate of the collapsing dream! It all has a very electrical artificial vibe to it and puts you on edge from beginning to end. I am excited for this piece the most at next week’s concert!
Hope you enjoyed my list of the top ten tunes by Hans Zimmer! Do you agree with the order that I’ve put these tunes in? What order would you put them in? Which is your favourite? Comment what you think below and be sure to look out for other rankings of music and films in the future!