Kong: Skull Island (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2017 American monster film Kong: Skull Island. A reboot of the King Kong franchise and while also serving as its 11th film, it is the second film in Legendary's MonsterVerse.[1][2] The musical score composed by Henry Jackman, featured 24 tracks which was digitally released on March 3, 2017, through WaterTower Music.[3] It was bundled into a double LP format published by Waxwork Records and was released on January 19, 2018.[4] In 2022, Reservoir Media acquired the rights to the catalog of Jackman's film scores, with Kong: Skull Island also being included in this catalog.[5]
| Kong: Skull Island (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | March 3, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 2016–2017 | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 56:56 | |||
| Label | WaterTower Music | |||
| Henry Jackman chronology | ||||
| ||||
| MonsterVerse chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Soundtrack Universe |   [1] |
| Movie Wave Net | [2] |
| Filmtracks | [3] |
| Sci-Fi Bulletin |   [4] |
Development
editSince the film takes place in the 1970s, Jackman blended '70s psychedelic guitars into the score, which was considered to be a combination of mixing electronic sounds with symphony orchestra.[6] Jackman stated that "The great thing about a monster movie is that it opens the door to use the symphony orchestra in its most sumptuous way. [Director] Jordan [Vogt-Roberts] was happy to celebrate the gravity and history that comes with a full orchestra, but we also explored less traditional elements. That's a field day for a composer."[7] The score was recorded at AIR Lyndhurst Studios with the London Voices and conducted by Gavin Greenaway, with additional music by Alex Belcher, Halli Cauthery, and Stephen Hilton.[7][8]
Regarding the music used in the film, Vogt-Roberts stated, "I wanted to use songs from the Vietnam era and a myriad of hits from the '70s... [T]his provides a striking dichotomy, sets the tone and gives us great moments of fun. The music, which serves to both heighten the film's emotion and underscore the action, was one of the final creative elements to fall into place during post-production. It was the culmination of a massive undertaking that had taken the production to three continents."[7]
For the sequel Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), the original cues composed for Kong: Skull Island were disregarded and Tom Holkenborg composed fresh themes for Kong's character in the film.[9][10]
Track listing
editAll music is composed by Henry Jackman
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "South Pacific" | 0:35 |
| 2. | "The Beach" | 1:27 |
| 3. | "Project Monarch" | 2:02 |
| 4. | "Packard's Blues" | 1:14 |
| 5. | "Assembling the Team" | 1:48 |
| 6. | "Into the Storm" | 2:44 |
| 7. | "The Island" | 1:16 |
| 8. | "Kong the Destroyer" | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Monsters Exist" | 2:27 |
| 10. | "Spider Attack" | 1:39 |
| 11. | "Dominant Species" | 2:00 |
| 12. | "The Temple" | 5:47 |
| 13. | "Grey Fox" | 2:33 |
| 14. | "Kong the Protector" | 1:49 |
| 15. | "Marlow's Farewell" | 2:37 |
| 16. | "Lost" | 1:27 |
| 17. | "The Boneyard" | 1:52 |
| 18. | "Ambushed" | 2:21 |
| 19. | "The Heart of Kong" | 2:11 |
| 20. | "Man vs. Beast" | 2:31 |
| 21. | "Creature from the Deep" | 2:44 |
| 22. | "The Battle of Skull Island" | 5:46 |
| 23. | "King Kong" | 2:42 |
| 24. | "Monster Mash (Bonus track)" | 1:27 |
| Total length: | 56:56 | |
- Music appearing in the film and not included in the soundtrack[11]
| # | Title | Performer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Time Has Come Today" | The Chambers Brothers |
| 2 | "Mat Troi Den" | Minh Xuân |
| 3 | "White Rabbit" | Jefferson Airplane |
| 4 | "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" | The Hollies |
| 5 | "Down on the Street" | The Stooges |
| 6 | "Paranoid" | Black Sabbath |
| 7 | "Brother" | Jorge Ben |
| 8 | "Bad Moon Rising" | Creedence Clearwater Revival |
| 9 | "Ziggy Stardust" | David Bowie |
| 10 | "Run Through the Jungle" | Creedence Clearwater Revival |
| 11 | "We'll Meet Again" | Vera Lynn |
References
edit- ^ Williams, Trey (March 11, 2017). "Kong: Skull Island is Step 1 in Warner Bros. reboot of 1933 classic as monster franchise". Market Watch. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (March 13, 2017). "The Monkey and the Metaphor: What Every King Kong Movie Is Really About". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ Gonzalez, Michael (March 10, 2017). "'Kong: Skull Island' Soundtrack Is Now on Spotify, and Is Indeed Fit for a King". IndieWire. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ Anderton, Ethan (January 19, 2018). "Cool Stuff: Henry Jackman's 'Kong: Skull Island' Score Gets a Lava Vinyl Soundtrack". /Film. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (March 22, 2022). "Reservoir Acquires Composer Henry Jackman's Film Score Catalog". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ Knutson, Madeline (March 19, 2017). "Kong: Skull Island Composer Henry Jackman: The Blast Interview". Blast Magazine. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Kong: Skull Island Production Notes". SciFi Japan. February 18, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ March 03, Derek Lawrence; EST, 2017 at 10:00 AM. "Hear an Exclusive Song from the 'Kong: Skull Island' Soundtrack". EW.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "The music of Godzilla and King Kong". ABC Classic. June 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ "Every Song In Godzilla vs Kong". ScreenRant. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ "Music from Kong: Skull Island". Tunefind. Retrieved March 30, 2022.