The Prince of Egypt (soundtrack)

1998 soundtrack album by various artists

The Prince of Egypt

Soundtrack album by

various artists

Released| November 17, 1998
Genre|

* Soundtrack
* religious
* R&B
* gospel

Length| 76:00
Label| DreamWorks
Producer|

* Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
* Babyface
* Michael Omartian
* Hans Zimmer

The Prince of Egypt chronology
| The Prince of Egypt (Nashville)
(1998)  | The Prince of Egypt
(1998)  |

|
|

Singles from  The Prince of Egypt

1. "When You Believe"
Released: November 2, 1998
2. "I Will Get There"
Released: December 29, 1998

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic|  link
Filmtracks| [1]

The official soundtrack for The Prince of Egypt was released on November 17, 1998. It features songs and scoring from the film, as well as songs not used in the film. The album peaked at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Top Contemporary Christian chart, and No. 25 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In addition to this album, tie-in albums were also released; a collector's edition, a country edition, and an inspirational edition. These other albums contained music that was not featured in the film but rather inspired by the Biblical story of Exodus.

The album also spawned a pair of hit singles. The first track, "When You Believe", was a duet performed by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, while the sixteenth track, "Through Heaven's Eyes", was performed by R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, and the album's final track, "I Will Get There", was performed a cappella by R&B quartet Boyz II Men.

## Songs

[edit]

"Deliver Us" is the film's opening number, serving to show the violence and hardships endured by the Jewish slaves, and the despair of Moses's mother.[2] The song alternates dramatically between male slave voices over heavy drum beats, and women's voices singing a gentle lullaby to the baby Moses.[3]

The lullaby portion of "Deliver Us" was performed by Israeli singer Ofra Haza (the first verses in Hebrew across all dubbed versions) and Disney actress Eden Riegel, with music composed by Hans Zimmer.[4] Christopher Coleman explained that "'Deliver Us' features the powerful vocals I was hoping for... This track concludes with an abruptness which is very similar to the opening track of Zimmer's Oscar-winning score for The Lion King".[5] Stephen Schwartz explained his use of the word "Elohim" in the song: "I wanted an authentic sounding Hebrew reference to God to help set the time and place. My first choice was "Adonai", but I was told by the religious consultants on the film that it would have been sacrilegious to use that term in that way in those days. So I selected "Elohim" instead, partly because it was slightly archaic, and partly because the scansion of the word fit the music!"[6]

"All I Ever Wanted" is sung by Amick Byram as Moses, after Moses discovers he is adopted, which results in him questioning his Egyptian identity and his Jewish heritage. It is reprised shortly after by Linda Dee Shayne playing the role of Queen of Egypt, who reassures Moses of his place in their family. The song was written by Stephen Schwartz, who visited an Egyptian temple for inspiration: "There was something about walking through those beautiful white columns reflected in the moonlight and seeing the hieroglyphs that triggered the tune which became, 'All I Ever Wanted'".[7] Filmtracks wrote that "the uplifting and buoyant 'All I Ever Wanted' is the closest Schwartz comes to emulating the hero's song of aspiration that Alan Menken made famous throughout the decade. The determination in this short song is convincing and the queen's reprise is elegantly merged with the river melody from 'Deliver Us' at its conclusion".[1] However, Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Even on repeat listenings, Moses' requisite I-want song – called, lamely, 'All I Ever Wanted'– simply isn't memorable, no matter that the star-crossed royal helpfully whistles snatches of it in another scene".[8] LA Weekly described it as "one of Stephen Schwartz's awful songs".[9]

"Through Heaven's Eyes" is performed in the film by Brian Stokes Mitchell, while the pop single version is performed by R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo. Stokes Mitchell provides the singing voice for Danny Glover's Jethro character, Tzipporah's father and Moses's future father-in-law. Music and lyrics are by Stephen Schwartz, who said the song was his "favorite" of the film: "...one of the directors, Steven Hickner, came in with a poem called 'The Measure of a Man', and I based the lyric for the song on the philosophy in the poem..." Filmtracks said the song is a listener favorite but the voice of Stokes Mitchell overwhelmed the folk music background. Filmtracks wrote that "the K-Ci & Jo Jo version of 'Through Heaven's Eyes', will be intolerable for most film score collectors".[1] Entertainment Weekly described the song as "the 'Hava Nagila'–style campfire rave".[8]

Filmtracks notes: "'The Plagues'...challenges the lyrical nature of the film's early songs with deliberately harsh chanting..."[1]

## Critical reception

[edit]

At the 71st Academy Awards, the film won Best Original Song for "When You Believe" and a nomination for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score.

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Stephen Schwartz, except where noted. All scores composed by Hans Zimmer.

No.| Title| Performer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "When You Believe (from The Prince of Egypt)" (produced by Babyface)| Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston| 5:04
2.| "Deliver Us" (produced/arranged by Zimmer)| Ofra Haza and Eden Riegel| 7:15
3.| "The Reprimand"|  | 4:05
4.| "Following Tzipporah"|  | 1:00
5.| "All I Ever Wanted (with Queen's Reprise)" (produced/arranged by Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams)| Amick Byram and Linda Dee Shayne| 2:51
6.| "Goodbye Brother"| Ofra Haza| 5:33
7.| "Through Heaven's Eyes" (produced/arranged by Gavin Greenaway)| Brian Stokes Mitchell| 3:41
8.| "The Burning Bush"|  | 7:17
9.| "Playing with the Big Boys" (produced/arranged by John Powell)| Steve Martin and Martin Short| 2:52
10.| "Cry"|  | 3:50
11.| "Rally"|  | 0:42
12.| "The Plagues" (produced/arranged by Gavin Greenaway)| Ralph Fiennes and Amick Byram| 2:40
13.| "Death of the First Born"|  | 1:07
14.| "When You Believe" (produced/arranged by Hans Zimmer)| Michelle Pfeiffer and Sally Dworsky| 4:55
15.| "Red Sea"|  | 5:14
16.| "Through Heaven's Eyes"| K-Ci & JoJo| 5:05
17.| "River Lullaby"| Amy Grant| 3:57
18.| "Humanity"| Jessica Andrews, Clint Black, Shirley Caesar, Jesse Campbell, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Boyz II Men, Kevin Max| 4:32
19.| "I Will Get There" (writers: Diane Warren)| Boyz II Men| 4:20
Total length:| 76:00

Collector's Edition Bonus TracksNo.| Title| Performer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "It is Only Beginning..."|  | 3:44
2.| "Freedom"| Wynonna| 4:41
3.| "The River"| CeCe Winans| 3:53
4.| "Humanity"| Jessica Andrews, Clint Black, Shirley Caesar, Jesse Campbell, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Boyz II Men, Kevin Max| 4:33
5.| "Through Heaven's Eyes"| Brian Stokes Mitchell| 3:37
6.| "Chariot Race"|  | 6:27
Total length:| 26:55

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (1998–1999)  | Peak
position

|

Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] | 48
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] | 77
US Billboard 200[12] | 25
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[13] | 1

### Monthly charts

[edit]

Chart (1999)  | Peak
position

|

South Korean Albums (RIAK)[14] | 18

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1999)  | Position

|

US Billboard 200[15] | 113

## Certifications and sales

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Canada (Music Canada)[16] | Gold  | 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum  | 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Filmtracks: The Prince of Egypt (Hans Zimmer)". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
2. ^ "The Critical Eye | Prince of Egypt". Purpleplanetmedia.com. 1998-11-25. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
3. ^ "Advance Review of the PRINCE OF EGYPT score and song cd!!! – Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news". Aintitcool.com. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
4. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine (1998-11-17). "The Prince of Egypt – Hans Zimmer | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
5. ^ "The Prince of Egypt". Tracksounds.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
6. ^ Stephen Schwartz (May 2017). "Stephen Schwartz Comments on the Movie The Prince of Egypt - The Songs" (PDF). www.stephenschwartz.com. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
7. ^ "Breathing Life Into The Prince of Egypt". Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
8. ^ a b "The Prince of Egypt Review - Movie Reviews and News - EW.com". EW.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
9. ^ "Holy Moses! - Film - Los Angeles - Los Angeles News and Events - LA Weekly". LA Weekly. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
10. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – The Prince of Egypt" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
11. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack – The Prince of Egypt" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
12. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
13. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
14. ^ "자료제공:(사)한국음반산업협회/이 자료는당협회와 상의없이 가공,편집을금합니다.: 1999.01월 - POP 음반 판매량" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
15. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
16. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Var – Prince of Egypt OST". Music Canada.
17. ^ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – The Prince of Egypt". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

* v
* t
* e

The Prince of Egypt

Films|

* The Prince of Egypt (1998 theatrical)
* Joseph: King of Dreams (2000 direct-to-video)

Stage|

* The Prince of Egypt (2017)

Soundtracks|

* The Prince of Egypt (Soundtrack)
* The Prince of Egypt: Inspirational
* The Prince of Egypt: Nashville

Songs|

* "When You Believe"
* "I Will Get There"
* "You Know Better Than I"

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Stephen Schwartz

Awards and nominations

Music and lyrics|

* Godspell (1971)
* Pippin (1972)
* The Magic Show (1974)
* The Baker's Wife (1976)
* Working (1978)
* Personals (1985)
* The Trip (1986)
* Children of Eden (1991)
* Wicked (2003)
* Captain Louie (2005)
* Séance on a Wet Afternoon (2009)
* The Prince of Egypt (2017)
* The Queen of Versailles (2024)

Lyrics|

* MASS (1971)
* Rags (1986)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1999)
* Thiruvasagam (2005)

Musical films|

* Godspell (1973, score and songs)
* Pocahontas (1995, lyrics)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996, lyrics)
* The Prince of Egypt (1998, songs)
* Geppetto (2000, songs)
* Enchanted (2007, lyrics)
* Disenchanted (2022, lyrics)
* Wicked (2024, score and songs)
* Wicked: For Good (2025, score and songs)

Soundtracks|

* Godspell (1971)
* Pocahontas (1995)
* The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
* The Prince of Egypt (1998)
* Wicked (2003)
* Thiruvasagam (2005)
* Enchanted (2007)
* Disenchanted (2022)
* Wicked (2024)

Film scores|

Wicked (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Hans Zimmer

* Discography
* Accolades

Soundtracks|

* Days of Thunder (1990)
* The Power of One (1992)
* True Romance (1993)
* The Lion King (1994)
* Beyond Rangoon (1995)
* The Prince of Egypt (1998)
* The Thin Red Line (1998)
* Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
* Gladiator (2000)
* Black Hawk Down (2001)
* Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
* Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
* Batman Begins (2005)
* Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
* The Da Vinci Code (2006)
* Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
* The Simpsons Movie (2007)
* Pirates of the Caribbean: Soundtrack Treasures Collection (2007)
* Kung Fu Panda (2008)
* The Dark Knight (2008)
* Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
* Sherlock Holmes (2009)
* Inception (2010)
* Megamind (2010)
* Rango (2011)
* Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
* Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
* Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
* Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
* The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
* Rush (2013)
* Man of Steel (2013)
* The Lone Ranger (2013)
* 12 Years a Slave (2013)
* The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
* Interstellar (2014)
* Chappie (2015)
* The Little Prince (2015)
* Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
* Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
* Hidden Figures (2017)
* Dunkirk (2017)
* Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
* Widows (2018)
* Dark Phoenix (2019)
* The Lion King (2019)
* The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)
* Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
* No Time to Die (2021)
* Dune (2021)
* Army of Thieves (2021)
* Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
* The Creator (2023)
* Dune: Part Two (2024)
* Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)
* Blitz (2024)
* F1 (2025)

Related|

* Remote Control Productions
* Bleeding Fingers Music
* Batman music
* Music of Superman

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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