Pearl Harbor (soundtrack)

Pearl Harbor: Music from the Motion Picture
Official album cover
Soundtrack album by
Hans Zimmer
ReleasedMay 22, 2001 (2001-05-22)
GenreFilm score
Length46:21
Labels
Producers
Hans Zimmer chronology
Invincible
(2001)		 Pearl Harbor
(2001)		 Riding in Cars with Boys
(2001)

Pearl Harbor (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack album to the 2001 film Pearl Harbor directed by Michael Bay starring Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale and Josh Hartnett. The album features the film score composed by Hans Zimmer and the original song "There You'll Be" performed by Faith Hill. The album was released through Hollywood Records on May 22, 2001. The score received the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, while "There You'll Be" received an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Background and development

Pearl Harbor is Hans Zimmer's sophomore collaboration with Michael Bay after The Rock (1996). Zimmer felt that Pearl Harbor was not "the type of movie [he] signed on for" recalling that two years ago, producer Jerry Bruckheimer provided an animated version of the Pearl Harbor attack put to Zimmer's music from The Thin Red Line (1998) which was the first from his contract he signed on for the film.[1] Eventually, the film's budget was reduced and Bruckheimer prompted to Zimmer to tear up the deal, which had him to be attached on the project very earlier. Bruckheimer described it as a "great love story", which Zimmer liked it and approached the way, although the war being the central conflict. Zimmer added that, he had to deliver music to the love story within ten minutes, as the rest of the other aspects focusing on war, adding:[2]

"Usually you have a whole movie to develop these themes and not repeat them, and build it up. But the job here is ultimately Pearl Harbor - people want to see the bombs drop. It's really difficult because you're forced into a situation where you have to make an audience believe in the love story very quickly. And that's just impossible."[2]

Zimmer did not want to put much action music in the album, making it shorter, as it had to complement the action screen, referencing Gladiator (2000) and instead focusing on the romantic and emotional aspects.[2] Zimmer recalled that the album was completed in less than a night, in the middle of him trying to complete the entire score. As Zimmer completed the score, the following day at 8:00 a.m. in the morning, few members from the music team wanted to take it to the editing room to assemble the music. After the editing was done, Zimmer listened to the final cue, which he felt was slow and boring, though the music team persuaded him to take the album to Philadelphia where it was being manufactured. Zimmer then met editor Bob Badami concerning about how the music was slow, as he was tired. But after adding those timings, the duration went on for 42 minutes, and realized that the album was mastered entirely at the wrong speed. Hence, Zimmer enthusiastically said "stop the presses", a phrase which made him popular, as he found the perfect musical theme for the film. Eventually, another person from his Media Ventures company had sent one of their executives as the person who had the musical album had already on flight when the remastering and editing was happening parallelly.[3][4]

Faith Hill contributed to the original song "There You'll Be", written by Diane Warren, produced by Trevor Horn and Byron Gallimore and orchestrated by David Campbell.[5][6] The song was also included in her eponymous greatest hits album and The Hits (2007).[7] Zimmer added that "I don't think it hurts to have a really pretty blone girl who's a major star singing" and it felt useful as her contribution was also being the reason for the soundtrack's success.[2]

Reception

Unlike the film, which mixed reviews, Zimmer's score was acclaimed by music critics as a standalone film, while the film critics found it to be misplaced. The Hollywood Reporter's David Hunter described it as a "relentless blitzkrieg of forgettable music",[8] and Todd McCarthy of Variety said "Score is unusually overbearing coming from Hans Zimmer, with echoes of Gladiator bouncing around throughout."[9] However, Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine said that "Hans Zimmer's score has a way of menacingly swelling".[10] In retrospect, Sarah Sicard of Military Times added that "while the overall sound is certainly derivative of just about every war movie score ever made, Zimmer's masterful ability to distill that much flag-waving patriotism in eight tracks just about saves Pearl Harbor from being the worst military movie in history."[11]

Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK said, "In a summer (2001) where the majority of the scores released have been greeted with derision or indifference, Pearl Harbor is undoubtedly one of the better efforts to emerge from Hollywood – praise, for sure, but when you think about it, that's really nothing more than faint praise."[12] Christian Clemmesen of Filmtracks, however, added "Overall, it's important to remember that his music isn't terrible by any means. It's simply moronic and juvenile for the context. The album is a very strong listening experience and will likely be a deserving and frequent listen for many Zimmer collectors. He did indeed accomplish his task of composing a beautiful theme, but he stopped there, creating an epic failure, an inexcusable and shortsighted piece of beauty with no respect for history. It's a score that will be a startling disappointment for nearly any historian or fan of serious, dramatic soundtracks. It isn't bad music; it's simply the wrong music."[13] Classic FM ranked the album at No. 10 on Hans Zimmer's best film scores.[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hans Zimmer.

No.TitleLength
1."There You'll Be" (performed by Faith Hill)3:40
2."Tennessee"3:40
3."Brothers"4:04
4."...And Then I Kissed Him"5:37
5."I Will Come Back"2:54
6."Attack"8:56
7."December 7th"5:08
8."War"5:15
9."Heart of a Volunteer"7:05
Total length:46:21

Chart performance

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[38] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Original Song "There You'll Be"
Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren		 Nominated [39]
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Top Box Office Films Hans Zimmer Won
Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures "There You'll Be"
Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren		 Won
Awards Circuit Community Awards Best Original Score Hans Zimmer Nominated
Critics' Choice Awards Best Song "There You'll Be"
Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren		 Nominated [40]
Golden Globe Awards Best Original Score – Motion Picture Hans Zimmer Nominated [41]
Best Original Song – Motion Picture "There You'll Be"
Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren		 Nominated
GoldSpirit Awards Best Soundtrack Hans Zimmer Nominated
Best Drama Soundtrack Won
Grammy Awards Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media "There You'll Be" – Diane Warren Nominated [42]
Satellite Awards Best Original Song "There You'll Be"
Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren		 Nominated [43]
World Soundtrack Awards Soundtrack Composer of the Year Hans Zimmer (also for An Everlasting Piece, Hannibal, and The Pledge) Nominated [44]

References

  1. ↑ Lyons, Charles (March 20, 2000). "Blockbuster or ball-buster?". Variety. p. 1.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Goldwasser, Dan (June 27, 2001). "Interview – Hans Zimmer". Soundtrack.Net. Archived from the original on January 25, 2002. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  3. ↑ Thaxton, Ford A. (2001). Larson, Randall D. (ed.). "Hans Zimmer Invades Pearl Harbor". Soundtrack Magazine. Vol. 20, no. 79.
  4. ↑ Plume, Kenneth (July 10, 2001). "Interview with Hans Zimmer". IGN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Country: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1402. May 18, 2001. p. 68. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  6. ↑ Gordon, Jaymie (May 18, 2001). "Out of the Box". Radio & Records. No. 1402. p. 66.
  7. ↑ Browne, David (June 15, 2001). "There You'll Be". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  8. ↑ Hunter, David (May 30, 2016). "'Pearl Harbor': THR's 2001 Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  9. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (May 24, 2001). "Pearl Harbor". Variety. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  10. ↑ Gonzalez, Ed (May 23, 2001). "Review: Pearl Harbor". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  11. ↑ Sicard, Sarah (January 12, 2023). "How Hans Zimmer saved one of the worst military movies of all time". Military Times. Sightline Media Group. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  12. ↑ Broxton, Jonathan (May 26, 2001). "PEARL HARBOR – Hans Zimmer". MOVIE MUSIC UK. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  13. ↑ Clemmensen, Christian (May 9, 2001). "Filmtracks: Pearl Harbor (Hans Zimmer)". Filmtracks. Archived from the original on August 2, 2001. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Hans Zimmer's 10 best film scores – ranked from good to Interstellar". Classic FM. Archived from the original on July 29, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2001. 35. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Charts.nz – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 – 10 to 16 June". Official Charts Company. June 10, 2001. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack / Hans Zimmer – Pearl Harbor". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  28. ↑ "UK Albums Chart Top 100 – 10 to 16 June". Official Charts Company. June 10, 2001. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100 – 10 to 16 June". Official Charts Company. June 10, 2001. Archived from the original on March 26, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Official Classical Compilation Albums Chart Top 100 – 10 to 16 June". Official Charts Company. June 10, 2001. Archived from the original on February 9, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Billboard 200: Week of June 9, 2001". Billboard. June 9, 2001. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Soundtracks: Week of June 9, 2001". Billboard. June 9, 2001. Archived from the original on April 29, 2026. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2001". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  36. ↑ "The Year in Music 2001 – Top Soundtrack Albums". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. December 29, 2001. p. YE-81. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2026 – via Google Books.
  37. ↑ "British album certifications – Original Soundtrack – Pearl Harbor". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 24, 2022. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Pearl Harbor Original Soundtrack in the "Search:" field.
  38. ↑ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Pearl Harbor". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  39. ↑ "The 74th Academy Awards (2002) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  40. ↑ "The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards :: 2001". Broadcast Film Critics Association. January 11, 2002. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  41. ↑ "Pearl Harbor – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  42. ↑ "2001 Grammy Award Winners". Grammy.com. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  43. ↑ "International Press Academy website – 2002 6th Annual SATELLITE Awards". Archived from the original on February 13, 2008.
  44. ↑ "World Soundtrack Awards". World Soundtrack Awards. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
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