| The Prince of Egypt | ||||
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_(album_cover).jpg) | ||||
| Soundtrack album by various artists | ||||
| Released | November 17, 1998 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 76:00 | |||
| Label | DreamWorks | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The Prince of Egypt chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Prince of Egypt | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Filmtracks | [1] |
The official soundtrack forThe 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 onBillboard magazine's Top Contemporary Christian chart, and No. 25 on theBillboard 200 chart.
In addition to this album, tie-in albums were also released; a collector's edition, acountry edition, and aninspirational edition. These other albums contained music that was not featured in the film but rather inspired by theBiblical story ofExodus.
The album also spawned a pair of hit singles. The first track, "When You Believe", was a duet performed byMariah Carey andWhitney Houston, while the sixteenth track, "Through Heaven's Eyes", was performed by R&B duoK-Ci & JoJo, and the album's final track, "I Will Get There", was performeda cappella by R&B quartetBoyz II Men.
"Deliver Us" is the film's opening number, serving to show the violence and hardships endured by the Israelite 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 gentlelullaby to the baby Moses.[3]
The lullaby portion of "Deliver Us" was performed by Israeli singerOfra Haza (the first lines inHebrew across all dubbed versions) and Disney actressEden Riegel, with music composed byHans 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 forThe 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 beensacrilegious to use that term in that way in those days. So I selected "Elohim" instead, partly because it was slightly archaic, and partly because thescansion of the word fit the music!"[6]
"All I Ever Wanted" is sung byAmick 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 thehieroglyphs 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 thatAlan 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 byBrian Stokes Mitchell, while the pop single version is performed by R&B duoK-Ci & JoJo. Stokes Mitchell provides the singing voice forDanny Glover'sJethro 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]
At the71st Academy Awards, the film wonBest Original Song for "When You Believe" and a nomination forBest Original Musical or Comedy Score.
All tracks are written byStephen Schwartz, except where noted. All scores composed byHans Zimmer.
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "When You Believe (from The Prince of Egypt)" (additional music byBabyface) (produced by Babyface) | Mariah Carey andWhitney Houston | 5:04 |
| 2. | "Deliver Us" (produced/arranged by Zimmer) | Ofra Haza andEden 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 andHarry Gregson-Williams) | Amick Byram and Linda Dee Shayne | 2:51 |
| 6. | "Goodbye Brother" | Ofra Haza | 5:33 |
| 7. | "Through Heaven's Eyes" (produced/arranged byGavin Greenaway) | Brian Stokes Mitchell | 3:41 |
| 8. | "The Burning Bush" | 7:17 | |
| 9. | "Playing with the Big Boys" (produced/arranged byJohn Powell) | Steve Martin andMartin 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 andSally 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" (writers: Louis Brown III, Scott Parker) | Jessica Andrews,Clint Black,Shirley Caesar,Jesse Campbell,Beth Nielsen Chapman,Boyz II Men,Kevin Max | 4:32 |
| 19. | "I Will Get There" (writer:Diane Warren) | Boyz II Men | 4:20 |
| Total length: | 76:00 | ||
| No. | 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 | ||
Weekly charts[edit]
Monthly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| 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. | ||
The Prince of Egypt | |
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| Soundtracks | |
| Songs | |
