Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor (movie soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer

Warner Bros. Records Inc., 2001

The movie Pearl Harbor is a Jerry Bruckheimer show-stopper rich on patriotism and impressive visual spectacle. The soundtrack includes some of the best melody-driven moments of Hans Zimmer’s career.

Hans Zimmer is known for creating soundtracks with fully orchestrated drama. Fans of the more recent Pirates of the Caribbean series may recognize emerging motifs in this earlier Pearl Harbor soundtrack.

Most of the music included on the Pearl Harbor soundtrack is lyrical and uplifting, and the pieces have been curated to provide a listening experience that closely aligns with watching the movie.

The hit single pop song “There You’ll Be,” featuring Faith Hill, opens the album.

Listeners are guided into soundtrack mode with the next three tracks (“Tennessee,” “Brothers,” and “And Then I Kissed Him”), which feature lovely exchanges between piano and orchestra. The rolling, forward movement accomplished by the string section recalls airplanes arcing across a peaceful blue sky, while the prominent bass part grounds listeners.

One theme throughout the album—a slow descent down an octave, one full step at a time, while twirling countermelodies dance around each held note—is a constant reminder that all flights must eventually return to earth. Movie watchers hear the plummeting theme at its most poignant during footage of the devastating assault on a significant character’s fighter jet.

A short fifth track (“I Will Come Back”) hints at coming excitement, and war arrives in track six (“Attack”) with growing energy. Track seven (“December 7^th”) is a patriotic forward march that ends with a sacred-sounding choral segment befitting profound loss.

Track eight (“War”) gives fans of traditional Hans Zimmer music what we’ve been hoping for—a brilliant score accented by a comprehensive percussion section, climaxing in wide, elevated release from a full orchestra. The album ends with “Heart of a Volunteer,” which renews the dominant themes and features the orchestra’s horn section and a full choir.

Listen to this album and remember the film, or let the music be an accompaniment to your own imagination. There is always room for more patriotism.

What are your favorite films scored by Hans Zimmer?

(Click here to listen to a shortened version of the album.)

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