Days of Thunder (soundtrack)

Last updated
Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder (soundtrack).jpg
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
ReleasedJune 26, 1990
Genre AOR, pop rock, adult contemporary
Length51:58
Label DGC (US)
CBS/Sony (Japan)
Epic (International) [1]
Producer Various Artists
Singles from Days of Thunder (soundtrack)
  1. "Show Me Heaven"
    Released: June 1990
  2. "The Last Note Of Freedom"
    Released: October 1, 1990
  3. "You Gotta Love Someone"
    Released: October 8, 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Filmtracks Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Select U+25A0.svgU+25A0.svgU+25A0.svgU+25A0.svgU+25A1.svg [4]

Days of Thunder is the soundtrack from the film of the same name, released in 1990 in the US by DGC Records, in Japan by CBS/Sony and internationally by Epic Records. [1]

Contents

Background

"The Last Note of Freedom" was co-written by Hans Zimmer, Billy Idol and David Coverdale.

Maria McKee's "Show Me Heaven" was released as a single alongside the movie and reached number one in the music charts of the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway.

The album is also notable for the inclusion of Guns N' Roses' cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", a year before the song was released with a slightly different mix on the 1991 album Use Your Illusion II . The version recorded for the soundtrack featured these spoken word responses in the second verse, which are omitted from the later album recording:

Mama put my guns in the ground (It's wasn't their fault)
I can't shoot them anymore (How were they even supposed to know?)
That cold black cloud is coming down (All things can be healed in time)
Feels like I'm knockin' on Heaven's door (Why, why do which you're doing?)

The Cher song "Trail of Broken Hearts" was released as a B-side on the single "Love And Understanding" and belongs to the recording sessions of her 1989 album Heart of Stone .

The song "Gimme Some Lovin'" is credited to Terry Reid, but the version in the movie is actually from The Spencer Davis Group. "Gimme Some Lovin'" also featured on Reid's 1991 solo album, The Driver, along with an alternate version of "The Last Note of Freedom" with different lyrics, titled "The Driver (Part 2)".

Track listing

Side one

  1. "The Last Note of Freedom" - David Coverdale
  2. "Deal for Life" - John Waite
  3. "Break Through the Barrier" - Tina Turner
  4. "Hearts in Trouble" - Chicago
  5. "Trail of Broken Hearts" - Cher

Side two

  1. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" - Guns N' Roses
  2. "You Gotta Love Someone" - Elton John
  3. "Show Me Heaven" - Maria McKee
  4. "Thunder Box" - Apollo Smile
  5. "Long Live the Night" - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
  6. "Gimme Some Lovin'" - Terry Reid (Spencer Davis Group version appears in movie)

Charts

Chart (1990)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [5] 31
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [6] 16
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [7] 10
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [8] 41
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [9] 17
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [10] 29
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [11] 32
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [12] 2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [13] 14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [14] 11
UK Compilation Albums (OCC) [15] 4
US Billboard 200 [16] 27

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [17] Platinum100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [18] Gold25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [19] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [20] Gold500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Days of Thunder (score)

Days of Thunder
Film score by
ReleasedNovember 5, 2013
Recorded1989-1990
Media Ventures
(Santa Monica, California)
Record Plant
Lion Share Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre Score, instrumental pop, melodic rock, pop rock, hard rock
Length71:14
Label La-La Land Records [21]
Producer Hans Zimmer, Paul Straveley O'Duffy

The film score to Days of Thunder was composed by Hans Zimmer and featured Jeff Beck on guitar. While bootlegs were available for years, an official album containing the score was not released until 2013, when La-La Land Records released the film's score, with bonus tracks, for the first time. [21]

While looking back at the film's production, Zimmer said, “It was complete insanity, but again because it was [director Tony Scott] he’d just keep it recklessly fun.” Zimmer elaborated on this by explaining how the film's production was behind schedule and what originally was a day trip to meet with producers in Daytona turned into a three-month composing gig done inside a studio built within a warehouse. [22]

Track listing

  1. "Days of Thunder (Main Title)" (3:08)
  2. "Rowdy Drives/Who Is This Driver?" (02:06)
  3. "Let Me Drive/Cole Drives Rowdy's Car" (02:26)
  4. "Car Building" (02:05)
  5. "Darlington - Cole Wins" (04:47)
  6. "You're Home/Daytona Race/The Crash" (03:29)
  7. "The Hospital" (02:20)
  8. "Wheelchair Race" (00:37)
  9. "Rental Car Race" (03:50)
  10. "Claire Arrives at her Apartment" (01:55)
  11. "Physical Kiss" (01:05)
  12. "Cole Blows His Engine" (01:10)
  13. "Wheeler/Cole Smashes" (02:25)
  14. "Cole at the Laundry/Cole Agrees to Drive Rowdy's Car" (02:11)
  15. "Cole and Harry Fight/Harry Talks to Car" (02:52)
  16. "Cole in Truck/Pre-Race" (03:52)
  17. "The Last Race" (10:20)
  18. "The Last Note of Freedom" (04:57) - David Coverdale
  19. "The Hospital (Alternate)" (02:21)
  20. "Wheelchair Race (Alternate)" (00:38)
  21. "Claire Arrives at her Apartment (Alternate Ending)" (01:53)
  22. "Cole Blows His Engine (Alternate) (01:12)
  23. "Pre-Race (Alternate Mix)" (02:25)
  24. "Days of Thunder (Main Title) (Rock Arrangement)" (04:59)

The last track, although marked as an alternate version of the main title, is in fact an instrumental version of "The Last Note of Freedom", with some studio outtakes of Jeff Beck performing parts of "Darlington - Cole Wins" and "The Last Race" at the end. The track also includes some studio chatter, presumably between Jeff Beck and editor Chris Lebenzon.

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>Use Your Illusion II</i> 1991 studio album by Guns N Roses

Use Your Illusion II is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. The album was released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion I. Both albums were released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour. Bolstered by the lead single "You Could Be Mine", Use Your Illusion II was the slightly more popular of the two albums, selling a record 770,000 copies its first week and debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, ahead of Use Your Illusion I's first-week sales of 685,000. As of 2010, Use Your Illusion II has sold 5,587,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Both albums have since been certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for a single week.

<i>Days of Thunder</i> 1990 film by Tony Scott

Days of Thunder is a 1990 American sports action drama film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams, and Michael Rooker. It also features appearances by real life NASCAR racers, such as Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, Neil Bonnett, and Harry Gant. Commentator Dr. Jerry Punch, of ESPN, has a cameo appearance, as does co-producer Don Simpson.

<i>Eliminator</i> (album) 1983 studio album by ZZ Top

Eliminator is the eighth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records, and rose high on the charts in many countries. Four hit singles were released—"Gimme All Your Lovin'" which reached the American Top 40, "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and their most successful single, "Legs". Eliminator is ZZ Top's most commercially successful release, with sales of 11 million and diamond certification in the US.

<i>Retro Active</i> 1993 compilation album by Def Leppard

Retro Active is a compilation album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released in 1993. The album features touched-up versions of B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from the band's recording sessions from 1984 to 1993. The album charted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 and No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gimme Some Lovin'</span> Song written by Steve Winwood, Spencer Davis and Muff Winwood

"Gimme Some Lovin'" is a song first recorded by the Spencer Davis Group. Released as a single in 1966, it reached the Top 10 of the record charts in several countries. Later, Rolling Stone included the song on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knockin' on Heaven's Door</span> 1973 single by Bob Dylan

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, reaching the Top 10 in several countries. The song became one of Dylan's most popular and most covered post-1960s compositions, spawning covers from Eric Clapton, Guns N' Roses, Randy Crawford, and more.

<i>Killers</i> (Kiss album) 1982 greatest hits album by Kiss

Killers is the second compilation album by American hard rock group Kiss. It was released only outside the US, but quickly became available as an import. Of the album's twelve songs, four were new compositions recorded specifically for it: "I'm a Legend Tonight," "Down on Your Knees," "Nowhere to Run" and "Partners in Crime." These new songs were recorded at the behest of Phonogram, in response to the commercial failure of 1981's Music from "The Elder".

<i>The Prince of Egypt</i> (soundtrack) 1998 soundtrack album by various artists

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.

<i>The Simpsons</i> discography

The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening that has aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company since December 1989. It is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, and many aspects of the human condition. The popularity of The Simpsons led to the release of the 1990 double platinum album The Simpsons Sing the Blues, which contains original songs performed by the cast members of the show as their characters. The album spawned two hit singles—"Do the Bartman" and "Deep, Deep Trouble". A less successful sequel, The Yellow Album, was released in 1998.

<i>The Simpsons Movie: The Music</i> 2007 film score / Soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

The Simpsons Movie: The Music is a soundtrack album for the 2007 film The Simpsons Movie. It was composed by German film composer Hans Zimmer. The soundtrack was released on July 24, 2007, by Adrenaline Music Group and peaked at number 108 on the Billboard 200 chart. A limited edition version was released on July 31, 2007. Critics have given the album generally positive reviews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gimme All Your Lovin'</span> 1983 single by ZZ Top

"Gimme All Your Lovin'" is a song by American rock band ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. It was released as the album's first single in early 1983. The single reached No. 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart. It ties with the band's 1992 cover of Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" as their highest-charting single in the UK. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning.

<i>Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides</i> (soundtrack) 2011 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer featuring Rodrigo y Gabriela

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2011 eponymous film. Hans Zimmer, who produced Klaus Badelt's score for The Curse of the Black Pearl and composed the music for Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, returned to score the fourth installment of the Pirates franchise. Collaborators included Rodrigo y Gabriela, which are listed as featured artists, and composers Eric Whitacre, Eduardo Cruz and Geoff Zanelli.

<i>Man of Steel</i> (soundtrack) 2013 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

Man of Steel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the film of the same name composed by Hans Zimmer. It was released on June 11, 2013, by WaterTower Music and Sony Classical Records. The exclusive deluxe edition of the album contains six bonus tracks, entitled "Are You Listening, Clark?", "General Zod", "You Led Us Here", "This Is Madness!", "Earth" and "Arcade".

<i>Interstellar</i> (soundtrack) 2014 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

Interstellar: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album composed by Hans Zimmer for the 2014 film Interstellar by Christopher Nolan. The soundtrack garnered critical acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.

<i>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</i> (soundtrack) 2016 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the soundtrack to the film of the same name composed by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL. It was released on March 18, 2016, by WaterTower Music. The exclusive deluxe edition of the album contains five bonus tracks, entitled "Blood of My Blood", "Vigilante", "May I Help You, Mr. Wayne?", "They Were Hunters" and "Fight Night". The soundtrack also features the Eric Whitacre Singers.

<i>Blade Runner 2049</i> (soundtrack) 2017 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch

Blade Runner 2049 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 2017 film Blade Runner 2049. Released in October 2017, the album contains music composed by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, along with additional tracks by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Lauren Daigle. The soundtrack was produced by Michael Hodges, Kayla Morrison and Ashley Culp. It also includes the piece "Tears in the Rain", which was originally composed and performed by Vangelis, the composer of the original 1982 soundtrack Blade Runner.

<i>Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings</i> 2019 live album box set by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings is a box set of 1975 live recordings by Bob Dylan, released on June 7, 2019. For this tour, Dylan assembled a loose collective of a backing band called Guam and played across North America for several dozen shows. The tie-in Netflix documentary film Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese was released the following week. A similar compilation was released in 2002 entitled Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue, as part of Dylan's ongoing Bootleg Series. That compilation was re-released on vinyl as a companion to the later release.

<i>No Time to Die</i> (soundtrack) 2021 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

No Time to Die: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 25th James Bond film of the same name. Released by Decca Records on 1 October 2021, the music was composed by Hans Zimmer, making him the sixth non-British composer after Marvin Hamlisch, Bill Conti, Michael Kamen, Éric Serra and Thomas Newman to score a film in the series. The film's theme song of the same name performed by Billie Eilish, was composed with her brother Finneas O'Connell. The 12" vinyl album version features an additional four short music cues listed only as Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deal for Life</span> 1990 single by John Waite

"Deal for Life" is a song by English musician John Waite, which was released in 1990 on the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise film Days of Thunder. The song was written by Martin Page and Bernie Taupin, and produced by Page and Ron Nevison.

Music of <i>Dune</i> (2021 film) 2021 soundtrack albums

The music for the 2021 American film Dune was composed, conducted, and produced by Hans Zimmer. Zimmer wrote several soundtracks of music for the film, including for its sequel, and heavily utilized choir—specifically female voices—percussion, and strings in the score's instrumentation, as well as acoustic and wind instruments. New, hybrid instruments were fabricated to conceive the "otherworldly" tonal desert sounds heard in the film. The music has been described as the composer's most "unorthodox" and experimental yet. In addition, the score for the film earned Zimmer his second Academy Award for Best Original Score. When Dune: Part Two was announced for a 2023 theatrical release, it was revealed that Zimmer had begun work on the film's music and had over an hour of music to assist the filmmakers in planning the film.

References

  1. 1 2 SoundtrackCollector - Days of Thunder
  2. Allmusic review
  3. "Filmtracks: Days of Thunder (Hans Zimmer)".
  4. Putterford, Mark (September 1990). "Various: Days Of Thunder". Select . No. 3. p. 94.
  5. "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder". Hung Medien.
  6. "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder" (in German). Hung Medien.
  7. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1340". RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  9. Timo (13 August 2015). "Soundtrack, eri esittäjiä". Sisältää hitin. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  11. "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder". Hung Medien.
  12. "Norwegiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder". Hung Medien.
  13. "Swedishcharts.com – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder". Hung Medien.
  14. "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder". Hung Medien.
  15. "Top 20 Compilations" (PDF). Music Week . 13 October 1990. p. 30. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  16. "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  17. "Canadian album certifications – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder". Music Canada.
  18. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Days of Thunder')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  19. "British album certifications – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder". British Phonographic Industry.
  20. "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Days of Thunder". Recording Industry Association of America.
  21. 1 2 Days of Thunder Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine at La-La Land Records
  22. Chitwood, Adam (October 16, 2013). "Hans Zimmer Talks Working with Tony Scott on DAYS OF THUNDER and TRUE ROMANCE; "If the Equipment Didn't Start Burning, We Weren't Doing It Right"". Collider.com. Retrieved October 16, 2013.