After our long winter break from SCAD, Winter Quarter has finally arrived. With so much work and stress piling up, I have found that listening to music has been one of the best ways to relax and wind down after a long day – specifically, soundtracks. Why soundtracks? Since soundtracks set a specific vibe or style for a certain movie, TV show or musical, they inherently do the same for us. Soundtracks are basically audio illustrations for graphics or performances, and they can be a great source for relaxation and a bit of escapism. I have curated a few of my go-to scores, which I hope will help de-stress, entertain or touch your heart as they have done for me.
1. Prince of Egypt
The 1998 Dream Works animation is based on the story of Moses from Exodus in the Bible, from his birth to leading the Israelites out of Egypt. There are so many reasons you need to listen to this regardless of your faith:
- It’s by Hans Zimmer, the Meryl Streep of music composers and producers.
- It is well researched – The songs are Hebrew and Egyptian-inspired style songs, like how he used Egyptian instruments in numbers like “The Reprimand” and “Following Tzipporah.” “Through Heaven Eyes” also gives us tribal vibes.
- The vocals – Just OMG. I’m not just talking about the singer’s voice, but the operatic choruses are impactful and stunning. These songs will make you fling your arms as if you are the soundtrack’s conductor.
- The songs with minor chords – “Deliver Us,” “Playing with the Big Boys Now” and “The Plague” had these chords that are usually associated with anger and sadness, reflecting the severity and weight of the situation Moses was facing.
- Escapism – The soundtrack will transport you to another time and place.
2. The Holiday
I watched “The Holiday” (2006) during my Christmas break in 2011. Another masterpiece by Hans Zimmer, yet without the dangerous tones that set the tones for “The Dark Knight,” “Inception” or “Prince of Egypt.” The score has no vocals, but the melodies are so pleasant and comforting that you can listen to it for relaxation or even as background music as you work at night. At times the songs are poignant but most of the time they are positive, energetic, and homey. It uses mainly traditional instruments like violin and piano, but you’re not getting Mozart and Bach here, so don’t worry if you’re not a classical music fan.
3. Howl’s Moving Castle and Castle in the Sky
Studio Ghibli’s animations are known to be accompanied by beautiful scores, written and performed by Joe Hisaishi, which in my opinion are one of the key elements that make Ghibli’s films so successful, making the storytelling so much more compelling. My favorite scores are from Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) and Castle in the Sky (1986), which feature poignant orchestral music that expresses tenderness, glory, and mysteriousness.
4. Hamilton: An American Musical
The most talked about Hip-hop Broadway musical in the past few years was so popular and loved that our President Obama saw it about five times (and invited staffs from the White House to see it as well) and invited the original cast to perform at the White House last spring. Written and performed by the musical virtuoso Lin-Manuel Miranda, the musical received a record-setting 16 Tony Awards nominations and winning 11 of them. The historical musical tells the story of the life of one of our founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton mixed with the tale of the newborn American government coming to fruition during late 18th century. The songs, all performed and sung by people of color, was intended to tell the story of one of America’s original immigrants.
Though not your sweet escape from reality as the others may be, as the musical is inherently political and extremely relevant to today’s political climate, the Hip-hop melodies, lyrics and the actors’ interpretation of the songs are top-notch and catchy. The story is very compelling too. The Hamilton soundtrack has a lyrical narrative that you will understand whether or not you have seen the musical.
5. The Theory of Everything
The soundtrack of the movie Theory of Everything (2014) is a beautiful compilation of orchestral music that evokes a sense of mysticism and discovery that is evocative of the Stephen Hawking biopic. The movie starring our beloved Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones is definitely worth a watch.. I found the score very soothing as it has such a lightweight, feathery sound to it. The piano pieces in this soundtrack make you want to waltz, especially the song “Domestic Pressure.” This is a great soundtrack to listen to before sleep as it helps your mind to ease into a more relaxed state.
6. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
The soundtrack of the CW show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a personal favorite but might not be suitable for everyone’s taste. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a musical, comedic TV-show that addresses romantic obsession, mental illness, toxic friendships, LGBTQ community and all these important subjects that are so prevalent in our lives. The show was nominated for Golden Globes and Emmy as well. The soundtrack features hilarious original songs in literally all genres and styles of music you can imagine, ranging from Beyonce’s abstract symbolic songs (Love Kernels), Grunge Rock (I Could If I Wanted To), Irish-style (Greg’s Drinking Song), Sinatra-inspired songs (Settle for Me), Fifth Harmony-inspired (Put Yourself First) to 2000s Boy bands style (Four Joshes) or Green Day-style songs (Ping Pong Girl). The lyrics often poke fun at American culture like cultural appropriation (Group Hang), or how we tell our females to pamper themselves as a demonstration of self-love after a breakup or rejection, only to disguise their true intentions of trying to win the hearts of their love interests back. This soundtrack is a great way to escape for a bit to laugh at these cleverly written songs.