Pearl Harbor
“It’s extremely repetitive but is still very, very pleasant to listen to”
The songs sound the same, but they sound good. It’s the paradox of reviewing tracks in a vacuum… sometimes it’s not a good, cohesive whole package.
A tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941.
I’m not exactly sure where I got this album. It’s definitely bootlegged because the tracks are all out of order, but it has a lot of other tracks that weren’t on the official release. Zimmer’s Pearl Harbor hits softer than you’d think, but, as people said, the soundtrack exceeds the movie.
Goliath (Steve Jablonsky) I remember when I was getting into the movie music scene, and this song drove a wide range of members insane. It was the soundtrack used in the trailer for Pearl Harbor, and the crowd was mesmerized by a trailer that would ultimately be better than the movie. Steven Jablonsky composed this trailer. At 3 minutes in length, it’s an incredible piece. It starts almost like there are waves of the ocean, but then it starts a slow and steady ramp that incorporates the entire orchestra. Goliath is an excellent piece.
Track by track
53 tracks · rated out of 5Pearl Harbor Hall of Fame
2:28A sentimental, soft introduction to this Michael Bay film. Pleasant strings accent the piano as it almost waves the main theme into the broader fold. It’s a short and beautiful song. As it continues, it builds into a heartfelt American theme that the movie entails. I love listening to this one.
Trapped Sailors - Roosevelt's Speech
3:33The sailors were caught in the ships as they began to sink. The bomb had just dropped, and any veil of peace was over. A lesser composer may have taken this opportunity to bombard you with nothing but bass notes, but this track is a soft reminder of the losses that were carried.
International Trailer Hall of Fame
2:58People were looking for this trailer, originally composed by Steven Jablonsky. It’s a rousing three-minute piece that would almost remind you of Christmas if it didn’t end up so patriotic.
I'm A Pilot
0:374/5
President's Stands - Newsreel #3
1:033.5/5
Tennessee
3:40This track could positively be a waltz if you didn’t know the context. Played in a slow tempo, it’s a soft piece that features strings and piano at its forefront. I just love listening to this one.
Brothers
4:043/5
Funeral
1:594/5
Young Rafe to the Rescue
1:233/5
...And Then I Kissed Him
5:36A beautiful piece. Slow with emphasis on the strings and piano. It swells and ebbs and is just wonderful to listen to.
I'm Pregnant
3:584/5
Rafe Begs
0:413/5
First Kiss
1:29Another gorgeous piano piece. It’s fleeting with quick rising action accented by the symphony.
I Will Come Back
2:543.5/5
Top Secret
0:503/5
Attack Hall of Fame
8:56The longest piece that I’ll review on this album, although it’s a bit tough because it depends on which pirated version of the album you get. The first minute definitely brings out vibes from The Last Samurai; it turns out that Zimmer is a master of Japanese-sounding pieces. After the planes take off, Zimmer takes a moment to pause and turn the sound softer. A choir takes over as we get ready for the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the drums fade. The impact of the attack becomes clear as a gothic choir reminds you of the mortality of the event taking place. The track’s utter sadness takes over and dominates its flow. But it’s a wonderful listen, and one I would do over and over again.
First Date
1:554/5
I'm Pregnant End
0:273/5
December 7th
5:07A quick, ramping piece. Before Hans Zimmer perfected the repetitive rising action that he uses in The Da Vinci Code and Interstellar, he definitely experimented in other pieces. This track is one of those times. He oscillates the pitch of the piece, shifting back high and low with his orchestra. It’s not quite as brilliant as what we hear in his later pieces, but the framework is there. The second half of the piece shifts to a gothic-style choir as it fades out over the last couple of minutes.
Rafe Bruns the Letters
0:293/5
Rafe Says Goodbye
3:18Another soft piece with heavy emphasis on the piano. It follows the same theme that we’ve been hearing the whole time, but again, I am reviewing songs in a vacuum. It’s a great piece.
Doolittle Training Hall of Fame
2:59After a bunch of softer pieces, Zimmer goes back to his roots with a hard-hitting one. The drums quite aren’t pounding, but they accent the piece into the broader main theme. As the theme fades away, the intensity darkens but rises. Zimmer introduces a little chaos into the piece to demonstrate the intensity of what is going on. It ramps and then gloriously goes into the main theme to finish it off in rousing, patriotic fashion.
Train Station Goodbye
1:404/5
War Hall of Fame
5:15This almost sounds a bit like Avatar by James Horner. It’s the same ramping drum and orchestra theme that we heard earlier, with emphasis on aggression. Again, it’s just a good piece, very pleasant on the ears. It’s the rousing, patriotic version of the main theme that flows so well off the tongue.
Heart Of A Volunteer Hall of Fame
7:05Arguably the best piece on the entire album. It starts off with a bit of intensity to show the harrowing loss of war, and then goes into quiet mode with the strings leading the charge. A choir finishes it off, and it’s just a lovely song, again.
Tip of the Sword
1:062.5/5
Welcome to the RAF
1:042.5/5
30 Seconds Over Tokyo
8:45Another good battle piece. It sounds like every other battle piece on the album(s), but hey, they sound good in a vacuum.
Meet the Japanese - Pearl Harbor
1:082.5/5
Meet the Japanese - Pearl Harbor (alternate)
1:032.5/5
Danny Arrives - Letters From Rafe
1:593.5/5
Japanese Prepare - Battle of Britain Pt. I
2:293/5
Battle of Britain Pt. 3 - Rafe Shot Down Hall of Fame
1:23It’s short, but it’s brilliant. Horns accent the depressing orchestras, doing a great job of demonstrating the fact that somebody is about to die.
Evelyn Gets the News
2:573.5/5
Carrier Prep
1:122.5/5
Mourning Montage
1:013.5/5
Evelyn Says Goodbye to Rafe
0:522.5/5
Evelyn Says Goodbye to Rafe (alternate)
0:432.5/5
Danny and Evelyn Make Love
2:58It’s more of the same, but I like it.
Evelyn Can't Break Up - Spy - Romp
3:07It’s shocking how much this piece reminds me of James Horner’s Casper, at least in the beginning. Then it becomes much more like The Last Samurai in an abrupt, if at least entertaining, shift. And then… it goes back to the main theme. What a ride.
Kimmel Briefing - The Dentist
2:04Another piece that reminds me more of The Last Samurai than Pearl Harbor. It’s a promising battle piece until it’s not. I ended disappointed.
Rafe Returns
1:542.5/5
Rafe Gets the News
1:463.5/5
Calendar Page Turns
0:332.5/5
The Attack
6:32A rousing start to this piece reminds me again of The Last Samurai. Zimmer’s influence here is clear. The first minute focuses on the Japanese fleet as it gets ready to attack Pearl Harbor, before a quiet silence takes back over. Methodical but soft drums amp the tension up for the next two minutes. Then, we can practically hear the planes approaching their targets. A soft female vocalist accents the piece, and four minutes in, Zimmer still hasn’t amped up the volume. It started strong but ended weak.
We're Being Bombed
0:393/5
Evelyn Awakes
0:440.5/5
The Captain Dies - Airstrip Bombed
2:443.5/5
Dorie The Hero Hall of Fame
0:59Short but sweet. Dorie’s heroics are well felt in this rising action piece that’s under a minute in length.
Oklahoma - First Hospital Hall of Fame
4:41It’s got the goods. It’s got the frantic strings as the Oklahoma starts to sink, and then the harrowing choir as the ship goes underwater. I think this is all part of Attack, but I honestly can’t remember. But remember, we review songs in a vacuum. Way to pad the stats, Hans.
Roosevelt Gets the News
2:474/5
Bunker Tension
0:572/5
Air Battle
8:28The introduction outright sucks to this piece that’s over 8 minutes long, but it redeems itself with frantic sounds of air battles over Hawaii. All of the pieces are similar to what we’ve heard but in different keys. It sounds more like Ori and the Blind Forest than it does Pearl Harbor, with remarkable changes in shift, key, tone, and direction. The full orchestra plays a part in this one too.
Time weighted averages each track’s rating by its runtime (longer tracks count more). Track weighted treats every track equally. Both are computed directly from the ratings above.