1997 OSCAR NOMINEES BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Hercules, “Go the Distance”: Alan Menken & David Zippel
Con Air, “How Do I Live”: Diane Warren
Anastasia, “Journey to the Past”: Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens
Good Will Hunting, “Miss Misery”: Elliott Smith
Titanic, “My Heart Will Go On”: James Horner & Will Jennings
12 hours ago
7 comments:
You just blew my mind. The same guy who wrote the score for Star Treks II and III wrote "My Heart Will Go On"? How did I not know that.
I know! These folks, except the one fish out of water, are all one- or two-person megahit factories. The bios are astounding (check out Diane Warren's list of hits) but the sameness of the music loses some of its mystery when the perpetrators step into the light.
This moment is the start of this excellent short book, which I recommend.
Also, when you look at their discographies, the seamless flow from Broadway to film work to Top 40 radio to television news themes is like reading the score to late capital.
Chris,
Didn't know of this one. Off to the Powell's on Hawthorne 33 1/3 spinner rack ...
It's the best in the series (that I've read, and by others' comments as well), although Douglas Wolk's James Brown Live at the Apollo is also very nicely done.
P.S. Lynn Ahrens wrote and sang some of the classic “Schoolhouse Rock” episodes in the ‘70s, so there’s that. Then again, she perpetrated “Seussical the Musical.” On the third hand, neither she nor Flaherty (so far as I know) stabbed themselves—or got stabbed—in the chest at 34. So choose your nightmare.
Elliott Smith chose Dreamworks over Kill Rock Stars, and L.A. over Portland. I think that's what they call at my son's school "wrong choices."
Clearly have too much to say about this. Chalk it up to my real dream--to be part of a Bollywood songwriting team, anytime from 1950 to 1980.
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