Superman Returns (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
Superman Returns is a soundtrack album
for the 2006
film of the same name
. It features music by John Ottman
, as well as the "Superman March
" by John Williams
(from the 1978 movie) inside the track "Main Titles".
Director Bryan Singer
contacted Williams and asked if he would be interested in scoring the film, but Williams declined the offer because he was already scoring three other films, including Revenge of the Sith and Steven Spielberg
's War of the Worlds remake. However, Williams recommended composer John Ottman
and also contributed two new themes. Superman Returns is the second Superman
film in which Williams has contributed material, but was not directly involved. The first was Superman II
, for which Superman Returns
is considered a direct sequel. Ironically, Williams was also approached by director Richard Donner
around the same time Singer did, who wanted him to compose a new score for his newly-assembled director's cut
of Superman II
. Williams also declined, and Donner recycled the composer's first Superman
score, supplementing it with unused cues.
Tracks do not appear in the order that they occur in the film, but instead in a succession chosen by Ottman for listening purposes. Listeners interested in hearing the selections in score order may program the album thus: 1, 7, 2, 3, 8, 5, 4 (to 1:02), 6, 9, 10, 11, 4 (from 1:02), 13, 14, 12, 15.
' score for the original 1978 film.
According to the timeline they appear in the movie, the source music included:
There are also quite a few pieces from the score that weren't included on the album.
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
for the 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
film of the same name
Superman Returns
Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
. It features music by John Ottman
John Ottman
John Ottman is an American film editor, composer and director.He is best known for his collaborations with film director Bryan Singer, acting as film editor and composing the scores for The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil, X2: X-Men United, Superman Returns and most recently...
, as well as the "Superman March
Superman music
The various film and television appearances of the Superman character have been accompanied by musical scores.-Radio, cartoons, early films:*The radio shows of the early 1940s already had the famous phrases, "Faster than a speeding bullet... It's a bird... it's a plane... it's Superman!" uttered by...
" by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
(from the 1978 movie) inside the track "Main Titles".
Director Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
contacted Williams and asked if he would be interested in scoring the film, but Williams declined the offer because he was already scoring three other films, including Revenge of the Sith and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's War of the Worlds remake. However, Williams recommended composer John Ottman
John Ottman
John Ottman is an American film editor, composer and director.He is best known for his collaborations with film director Bryan Singer, acting as film editor and composing the scores for The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil, X2: X-Men United, Superman Returns and most recently...
and also contributed two new themes. Superman Returns is the second Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
film in which Williams has contributed material, but was not directly involved. The first was Superman II
Superman II
Superman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...
, for which Superman Returns
Superman Returns
Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
is considered a direct sequel. Ironically, Williams was also approached by director Richard Donner
Richard Donner
Richard Donner is an American film director, film producer, and comic book writer.The production company The Donners' Company is owned by Donner and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner. After directing the horror film The Omen, Donner became famous for the hailed creation of the first modern...
around the same time Singer did, who wanted him to compose a new score for his newly-assembled director's cut
Director's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
of Superman II
Superman II
Superman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...
. Williams also declined, and Donner recycled the composer's first Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
score, supplementing it with unused cues.
Track listing
- "Main Titles" (3:49)
- "Memories" (3:07)
- "Rough Flight" (5:13)
- "Little Secrets/Power of the Sun" (2:49)
- "Bank Job" (2:21)
- "How Could You Leave Us?" (5:49)
- "Tell Me Everything" (3:13)
- "You're Not One of Them" (2:22)
- "Not Like the Train Set" (5:12)
- "So Long Superman" (5:31)
- "The People You Care For" (3:27)
- "I Wanted You to Know" (2:56)
- "Saving the World" (3:12)
- "In the Hands of Mortals" (2:11)
- "Reprise/Fly Away" (4:15)
Tracks do not appear in the order that they occur in the film, but instead in a succession chosen by Ottman for listening purposes. Listeners interested in hearing the selections in score order may program the album thus: 1, 7, 2, 3, 8, 5, 4 (to 1:02), 6, 9, 10, 11, 4 (from 1:02), 13, 14, 12, 15.
Music not included in the soundtrack
There are several famous songs featured in the film but not included on the soundtrack album, which concentrated on the original score composed by John Ottman with themes from John WilliamsJohn Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
' score for the original 1978 film.
According to the timeline they appear in the movie, the source music included:
- From 00:11:25 to 00:12:30, the "The Flower DuetThe Flower DuetThe Flower Duet is a famous duet for sopranos from Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé, first performed in Paris in 1883. The duet takes place in Act 1 of the three act opera, between characters Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river...
" from the operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
"LakméLakméLakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Delibes wrote the score during 1881–82 with its first performance on 14 April 1883 at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Set in British India in the mid 19th century, Lakmé is based on the 1880 novel...
" by Léo DelibesLéo DelibesClément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...
is used when Katherine "Kitty" Kowalski says Lex Luthor's friends are giving her creeps and Lex Luthor tells the story of PrometheusPrometheusIn Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
. - From 00:47:36 to 00:47:54, The DriftersThe DriftersThe Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
' rendering of the English version of Quando Quando Quando is featured when Clark Kent gestures to Lois Lane in a jam-packed elevator. - From 00:50:50 to 00:52:08, the instrumentalInstrumentalAn instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
version of "Heart & Soul" by Frank LoesserFrank LoesserFrank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
and Hoagy CarmichaelHoagy CarmichaelHoward Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
was performed by Jason when Superman overhears the conversation between Richard White and Lois Lane outside their house. - From 01:04:52 to 01:05:41, "Spring" from Antonio VivaldiAntonio VivaldiAntonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
's violin concertoConcertoA concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
"The Four SeasonsThe Four Seasons (Vivaldi)The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season...
" is featured when Katherine "Kitty" Kowalski is going to slap Lex Luthor for his cutting off her car's brake. The music is performed by the Budapest String Quartet. - From 01:20:50 to 01:22:14, the ariaAriaAn aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
"HabaneraHabanera (aria)In the form of habanera, there is a famous aria from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. It is sometimes referred to as "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle." . Its score was adapted from the habanera "El Arreglito," originally composed by the Spanish musician Sebastián Yradier...
" from the operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
CarmenCarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
by Georges BizetGeorges BizetGeorges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
is featured when Lois Lane investigates Lex Luthor's yacht. The music is performed by the Slovak Philharmonic OrchestraSlovak Philharmonic OrchestraThe Slovenská filharmónia is a symphony orchestra in Bratislava, Slovakia.Founded in 1949, the orchestra has resided since the 1950s in the Baroque era Reduta Bratislava concert hall constructed in 1773...
. - From 01:23:00 to 01:24:28, the 2nd movementMovement (music)A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
called "Andante in F majorF majorF major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
" from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21Piano Concerto No. 21 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467, was completed on March 9, 1785 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, four weeks after the completion of the previous D minor concerto.- Structure :There are three movements....
in C majorC majorC major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
KKöchel-VerzeichnisThe Köchel-Verzeichnis is a complete, chronological catalogue of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which was originally created by Ludwig von Köchel. It is abbreviated K or KV. For example, Mozart's Requiem in D minor was, according to Köchel's counting, the 626th piece Mozart composed....
467 is used when Lex Luthor "agrees" to Lois Lane's interview. The music is performed by The Concentus Hungaricus. - From 01:30:40 to 01:33:28, the instrumental version of "Heart & Soul" by Frank LoesserFrank LoesserFrank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
and Hoagy CarmichaelHoagy CarmichaelHoward Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
is heard on and off again when Jason plays the piano duet with Lex Luthor's henchman Brutus.
There are also quite a few pieces from the score that weren't included on the album.
- At the beginning of the film, Ottman adapted the opening of Williams' "The Planet Krypton" from Superman, but added a choir.
- The main titles is a different edit than what appears on the album, segueing directly from the primary "Superman" portion of the march to the "Can You Read My Mind" section. The final fanfare ends on a different note than Williams' original version.
- There is a quiet piece for the death of Gertrude Vanderworth, which is followed by the introduction of Lex Luthor's motif. While Lex's motif is heard throughout the album, it is only rarely heard in its 'pure' form, as it is here.
- After Superman rescues the airplane, a reprise of "The Fortress of Solitude" from Williams' original 1978 score is heard as he asks after Lois' well-being.
- From 00:21:26 to 00:21:56, a John Ottman original is used when Clark Kent first goes back to Daily Planet until he catches Jimmy Olsen's falling camera.
- From 00:59:40 to 01:00:36, a John Ottman original is used when Lex Luthor and his thugs prepares to steal kryptonite from Metropolis Museum of National History.
- From 02:34:00 to 02:37:00 A John Ottman original is used in one of the final scenes in the film, where Superman is giving the Jor-El speech to Jason.
- The end titles version of the march is combined with the main title on the album, but in the film the conclusion is much more like Williams' conclusion for the 1978 film's end title march, with the final fanfare ending in a tail that leads up to a crescendo.
Chart positions
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
110 |
| Top Internet Albums | 146 |
| Top Soundtracks | 7 |