I, Hamlette, love this soundtrack. And this movie. I bought the soundtrack shortly after I saw The Lone Ranger in the theater for the second time, more than two years ago, and I still haven't put the CD on my shelves -- it lives in the kitchen, next to the little CD player I use while I'm cooking. I listen to it at least once a week still, usually on those hard-to-get-moving mornings when I need a blend of oomph and comfort to set me on my feet. Composed and produced by Hans Zimmer, it shot quickly to the top tier of my list of favorite soundtracks, and I doubt it will ever drop out of the top ten.
By now, this music courses through my veins. It's become an integral part of my consciousness. So right now, you're going to hear the music that flows through my brain at some point just about every single day. This is what it sounds like to be inside my head, some of the time anyway.
I'll start you off with "Silver," a gentle, haunting song. It begins wistfully, then builds to a theme of yearning and desire.
"Ride" starts off sounding like something from one of Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western soundtracks. That first 45 seconds of it makes me want to jump on a horse and, well, ride. Ride toward something important, some necessary action. Then it twists, becoming quieter, more thoughtful. Later, it opens up into a sweeping theme that makes me think of wide-open spaces, with no boundaries or limitations.
And as for the "Finale," well, this is my musical happy place. I can't hear it and not smile, not get cheered up, not start to bounce. You know the familiar "William Tell" theme by Rossini, which the old TV show and radio show used for their theme song -- "Finale" takes that theme and runs wild with it. My absolute favorite part kicks in at 7 minutes when the theme returns off-cadence and minor, and then 30 seconds later these trumpets come in with what I think of as a love song to the Old West. That part makes me ache with joy.
Happy trails!
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| (Yes, my sign-off image is from this movie.) |
Not until you mentioned this soundtrack in your Top 10 Western Soundtrack post did it ever cross my mind to check out the full score, and I have to that it did not disappoint. Hans Zimmer did a great job with it.
ReplyDelete-James
I'm glad you checked it out! And that you like it :-) It's got a really cool variety of flavors and moods to it, not just the same sound or emotion over and over.
DeleteLove this music now that you've pointed it out! As James said, I'd never thought to listen to this soundtrack either! Great post; makes me want to marathon the old Lone Ranger show and then watch the movie again. XD
ReplyDeleteJamie, I'm glad you dig it!
DeleteIt's always a good time for a little Lone Ranger... or a lot :-) I was thinking of revisiting the first 3 eps again soon -- my brother and I used to watch those three over and over and over, to the point that we had all the dialog memorized. I still quote bits of it. I loved that in the movie, they kept some of the details, like the canyon ambush, the traitor named Collins, the town named Colby.