Empire of the Sun (soundtrack)

1987 film score by John Williams

Empire of the Sun

Film score by

John Williams

Released| December 9, 1987 (original version), June 24, 2014 (expanded version)
Recorded| 1987
Genre| Soundtrack
Length| 54:11 (original version), 108:29 (expanded version)
Label| Warner Bros.
John Williams chronology
| The Witches of Eastwick
(1987)  | Empire of the Sun
(1987)  | The Accidental Tourist
(1988)

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Filmtracks|

Empire of the Sun is the soundtrack, on Warner Bros. Records, of the 1987 film Empire of the Sun. The original score was composed and conducted by John Williams, performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony and recorded during September and October 1987.

The album is a 54-minute selection of music from the film, but the order of the track listing does not follow the film's chronology.

The album won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.

A version of the track "Jim's New Life," performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra, was included on the 1995 album Williams on Williams: The Classic Spielberg Scores. A Boston Pops Orchestra version of "Cadillac of the Skies" is on disc one of the 1999 double album John Williams Greatest Hits 1969–1999.

A limited edition, two-disc edition of the Empire of the Sun soundtrack, produced and remastered by Mike Matessino, was released by La-La Land Records in 2014. This edition of the soundtrack runs twice as long as the original album. The first disc contains a full presentation of the film score (in chronological order, and including never-before-released music), and the second disc features a selection of alternate cues and other additional music.[citation needed]

## Track listing (original 1987 album)

[edit]

1. "Suo Gân" 2:19
2. "Cadillac of the Skies" 3:48
3. "Jim's New Life" 2:33
4. "Lost in the Crowd" 5:39
5. "Imaginary Air Battle" 2:35
6. "The Return to the City" 7:45
7. "Liberation: Exsultate Justi" 1:46
8. "The British Grenadiers" (traditional) 2:25
9. "Toy Planes, Home and Hearth" (Chopin Mazurka Opus 17 No. 4) 4:37
10. "The Streets of Shanghai" 5:11
11. "The Pheasant Hunt" 4:24
12. "No Road Home/Seeing the Bomb" 6:10
13. "Exsultate Justi" 4:59

"Suo Gân" performed by the Ambrosian Junior Choir (director: John McCarthy, soloist: James Rainbird).

All tracks written by John Williams, except "Suo Gân" (traditional/Robert Bryan), "The British Grenadiers" (traditional), and "Chopin Mazurka Opus 17 No. 4" (Frédéric Chopin).

## Track listing (2014 Expanded Archival Collection edition)

[edit]

### Disc one

[edit]

1. "Suo Gan" (extended version)** 3:29
2. "Home and Hearth"** 3:50
3. "Trip Through the Crowd" 2:33
4. "Imaginary Air Battle" 2:38
5. "Japanese Infantry"* 3:00
6. "Lost in the Crowd" 5:44
7. "Alone at Home"* 2:43
8. "The Empty Swimming Pool"* 3:14
9. "The Streets of Shanghai" 5:15
10. "The Plane" 3:15
11. "Jim’s New Life" 2:34
12. "The Pheasant Hunt" 4:28
13. "The British Grenadiers" (Traditional) 2:29
14. "Cadillac of the Skies" 3:53
15. "Mrs. Victor and James"* 2:11
16. "The Return to the City" 7:50
17. "Seeing the Bomb"** 4:48
18. "Bringing Them Back"* 2:41
19. "Liberation: Exsultate Justi" 1:53
20. "Suo Gân" 2:23
21. "Exsultate Justi" (extended version)** 5:14

### Disc two

[edit]

1. Chopin: "Mazurka, Op. 17 No. 4" (excerpt)* 2:14
2. "Imaginary Air Battle" (alternate)* 2:41
3. "Alone at Home" (alternate)* 2: 40
4. "The Streets of Shanghai" (film version segment)* 1:18
5. "The Streets of Shanghai" (alternate segment)* 2:17
6. "Chopin Again"* 1:19
7. "The Plane" (alternate)* 3:05
8. "Cadillac of the Skies" (alternate)* 3:51
9. "The Return to the City" (alternate)* 7:50
10. "Exsultate Justi" (album version) 5:09

(*) Previously unreleased, (**) contains previously unreleased music

Tracks from the original album not present on the expanded version are "Toy Planes, Home and Hearth" (included as the separate cues "The Plane" and "Home and Hearth") and "No Road Home/Seeing the Bomb" (included as the separate cues "Trip Through the Crowd" and "Seeing the Bomb").

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John Williams

* Discography
* Composition list
* Accolades

Soundtracks|

* Jaws (1975)
* Star Wars (1977)
* Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
* Superman (1978)
* The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
* E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
* Return of the Jedi (1983)
* Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
* SpaceCamp (1986)
* Empire of the Sun (1987)
* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
* Home Alone (1990)
* JFK (1991)
* Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
* Jurassic Park (1993)
* Schindler's List (1993)
* The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998)
* Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
* Angela's Ashes (1999)
* The Patriot (2000)
* A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
* Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
* Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
* Catch Me If You Can (2002)
* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
* Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
* Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
* Munich (2005)
* Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
* The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
* War Horse (2011)
* Lincoln (2012)
* Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
* The BFG (2016)
* Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
* Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
* The Fabelmans (2022)
* Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Compilations|

* John Williams Greatest Hits 1969–1999 (1999)

Compositions|

* "Star Wars (Main Title)"
* "Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
* "The Imperial March"
* "Ewok Celebration"
* "Summon the Heroes"
* "Duel of the Fates"
* "The Five Sacred Trees"
* Horn Concerto
* "Liberty Fanfare"
* "For New York"
* "American Journey"
* "Soundings"
* "Air and Simple Gifts"
* Violin Concerto No. 2

Songs|

* "Nice to Be Around"

See also|

* Music of Star Wars
* Music of Superman
* Music of the Harry Potter films
* Barbara Ruick
* Joseph Williams
* Music by John Williams (2024)

Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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