Rach's Musical Brain - Throwbacks

So here we have part 2 of the musical throwbacks I had queued back in 2022. Again, I looked at them and thought they were too good not to look at, so I've brought them back out into the light to shine.

As per previous post, and all going forward, the current 10 is sat in this playlist, on my Spotify Profile for you guys to enjoy if you want. Equally, if you want to visit the previous choices, from prior top 10s (which I will revisit sometimes!) you can find them at this playlist too!

So let's see what's on the roster for today's post...

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1 - The Foundation Theme - Junkie XL

So this track is the one that closes out the film. It’s when all the characters are kind of moving on with the next steps of their lives, embracing who they are and coming into what they’re supposed to be.

The track starts with Barry showing his Dad he’s got a job at a crime lab (the crappiest one, but its still a job), then it moves to Superman, who is able to be happy and settle down with Lois, who is holding a bassinet (so sad we never got to see Superman as a Dad!), before it moves through Victor, Diana and Bruce as well.

In the Snyder Cut, Victor’s storyline is the underpinning of it all, and its the part I think was sorely lacking in the Joss Whedon edit in 2016. As the music starts to build on this track, its Victor’s father who is speaking to him (and us) in this epilogue speech. Throughout Cyborg’s story, he’s not accepting of who he is. He hides himself under a hoodie and hides in the shadows, but having been part of a team who accept him for who he is, even despite what he has become, it encourages him to step into the light and embrace this new side of him. As we watch that particular bit, he strips off the tracksuit, smiles at his father’s grave as the speech comes to end, and then flies off, smiling.

Honestly, I am so glad we got the Snyder Cut of Justice League. The original 2017 cut in the cinemas, I came out feeling so disappointed. Having built up the individual films so far, as well as Batman vs Superman, we then got that, and it was the biggest superhero team-up letdown in, probably, cinema history. The fans were clamouring and begging for the Snyder Cut, as Snyder sadly had to exit the project for personal reasons, and in 2021 we got our redemption.

I think this one sticks because it represents more than just a good piece of music for me - it represents what could, and should have been all along. Watching the Snyder Cut for the first time, even though you’ve seen most of the movie before, there is still that constant sense of discovery. You’re seeing a version of the film that finally makes room for all of its characters to breathe. Cyborg’s story was pushed back to make way for the more well-known characters, but in this film, he’s at the heart of it.

It feels strange going back now, and thinking about how little of his story we actually had, and I feel like this track is a symbol of that lost potential being restored. It isn’t louder, or flashier, it’s just deeper, more considered… and ultimately, more human!

2 - The Prince That Was Promised - Ramin Djawadi

We’d all been so excited for another instalment, and we’ve not been let down with House of the Dragon.

Unlike a lot of the tracks in the season prior to this one, where they’re a bit more explosive, this one feels a lot more gravitational… like it’s pulling you towards something like destiny. I don’t think the track is tied to a single moment of action either, but to an idea of the prophecy, threading its way through the series.

The words destiny and duty come to mind, and with the direct link back to Djawadi’s iconic Game of Thrones masterpiece, it gives it a more reflective and cautious tone, as you connect the dots from what we already know about the inevitable Targaryen line.

This track is so clever as well. Drawing on that original Game of Thrones theme, he extends it, softening it and makes it more stretched and contemplative than the powerful tracks we remember from the emerging Targaryen themes in the latter Game of Thrones series.

He paces it cleverly too, with no overwhelming crescendo, not building, which is what you’d expect from this kind of ‘prophecy’ theme. Instead I feel like it sounds unresolved, which fits, given we hear it in the very first episode of the series. That prophecy is still very much unclear, open to any form of interpretation and therefore easy to misunderstand.

I know a few other examples of Djawadi’s work - Uncharted, Eternals, Thunderbirds and Pacific Rim are my favourite examples - but if you ask anyone what they think he’s done, it’ll be Game of Thrones. His use of strings in particular is almost second to none, and instantly recognisable, activating an entire fandom in one fell swoop!

3 - Wakanda Forever - Ludwig Goransson

You can hate me if you want for this opinion, but I think a lot will agree, that this didn't stand up anywhere near as high as the first Black Panther. BUT, I love this track.

I love it because it transcends emotional space. It begins with that familiar weight the film carries throughout, that sense of mourning as the Wakandans continue to mourn the loss of T'Challa. However, at around 30 seconds, almost without warning, the music suddenly shifts and a new theme emerges: Shuri's Black Panther theme.

Around Shuri's entrance as the Black Panther, everything changes. The hesitation, uncertainty and grief you first hear is gone, and it gives way to something fare more decisive. For me and in the film, this isn't just the character reveal, it's a statement.

I feel like this scene is hugely important because for the first time in the film, you're not watching someone processing loss, you're watching someone move through it, and the reaction from the Wakandans reflects that, accepting her, and as they do, those iconic Wakandan drums pierce through. Aw man, goosebumps every time!

So why does it work, you ask? Well, I think it's essentially transformation in real time! That opening characters the quieter reflective tone, but instead of remaining there, the new theme evolves, building with that same undertone as T'Challa's but with that something new. Her new identity.

Now T'Challa's theme is important here because it's not replaced. That power and strength of Shuri's theme comes from the weight of his theme, making what the mantle feel earned, rather inherited.

Honestly, it's so exciting to listen to each and every time, and its so clever.

4 - Sunday - Andrew Garfield

This song is very different to quite a few of the other songs in this film, which is why I like it. It interrupts the flow, but in the best way possible.

The track drops you into a New York diner, and I feel like, for everyone singing, everything suddenly lifts. Stress, deadlines, and that constant ticking time-bomb of pressure that seems to define Jonathan Larson's world... it just pauses. Then, what you are left with is just colourful, full of rhythm and movement, and a full ensemble moment that feels alive in a different way to the rest of the film.

I love how theatrical it is on purpose. You can feel that Larson influence, and his love of musical theatre baked in, and it's an emotional one because it's a reminder of why he's chasing this dream of musical theatre in the first place.

This is one of those tracks that just makes me smile. The first time you see it, or hear it, it feels fun, and a slightly unexpected standout from the whole catalogue. But, listening back, its intentional. Not just there for energy, I think it's there to show what Larson saw when he looked at the world. That even something as ordinary as a crappy, New York diner can become something more creative and musical.

Sadly, Jonathan Larson's theatre talent was cut too short, as only a few weeks into the theatrical run of Rent, he died in 1996 of an aortic dissection.

5 - White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane

This track annoys me, because its one of those tracks you know you've heard somewhere but you can't quite place where you've heard it.

I know I've heard it before this, but most recently the song is played in the trailer for Matrix: Resurrections, which was one of the most disappointing comebacks... ever. It relies too heavily on its predecessors, with poor fight choreography and awkward dialogue. But... we did get this song in the trailer!

If you google the track, you'll know its featured in MANY a TV show and film, and its effective because of how it instantly sets a tone.

It starts slow, with that hypnotic rhythm, and throughout gives us that steady escalation, which is perfect for film moments where something is shifting - time, reality, tension... or just a character stepping into something they don't fully understand.

It's called White Rabbit for a reason - the Alice in Wonderland effect - because it leans into the surreal, and almost dreamlike. It feels playful, and yet it feels like there's something darker underneath. I feel like that darkness is what makes it so reusable and workable into pretty much anything!

6 - Iorek's Armor - Lorne Balfe

Another TV one, this time from the BBC's His Dark Materials, which has one of the most beautiful TV soundtracks I'd heard at the time. The strings are so heavy in all of the tracks in this soundtrack, but this one in particular takes the biscuit!

It's one of those moments that is SO key in the books, so the TV show had to get it right. It's the moment where Iorek, an armoured bear, is finally reunited with his armour, which had been stolen from him when intoxicated and tricked by humans.

I love this track because it embodies both the physical reclaiming of his armour, as well as the restoration of his identity: the true King of Svalbard. The whole scene leans into the track, and although the score only gives us just over 2 minutes, the scene is laid beautifully as the moment is allowed to unfold, as he pieces the armour back, and quite literally becomes himself again as he emerges out from where the armour had been hidden.

I feel like Lorne Balfe is the KING of a build.

The track starts low, before gradually introducing more presence, using the music to build the scale of Iorek's character. The heavy tones and deliberate pacing of the track gives us a structure that mirrors the idea of something being rebuilt. Finally, when the track does open up, it feels earned. It's triumphant in a way that feels rightful, as opposed to loud or explosive.

For me, the moment sticks because Iorek is one of the coolest characters in His Dark Materials. But this moment, this track, is one of my favourites because of its how big of a moment this truly is. The way its presented makes it feel so much bigger than just something being returned. It's pride, identity and dignity all wrapped into one powerful sequence.

The first time watching, I remember it stood out, but coming back to it now feels even more meaningful. I read these books when I was a teenager, and I always remember the scenes with the bears were always my favourite. I loved the concept of another world where you share a part of your soul with an animal. I've never read anything like it since either, and it's actually making me think it needs to be added to the (now very long) To Be Read list...

But yeah... this track. Its powerful, its punchy and its not just armour. It's who he is. You can hear in the music just how much it restores. It's awesome.

7 - Truth - Hans Zimmer

Although we see a downward slide in the calibre of these particular DC movies, we do get the occasional nugget thrown at us, which help make the films a bit easier to stomach.

This track is right at the end of Wonder Woman 1984, and is essentially the film's final breath. By this point, obviously, everything has happened - loss, choices and subsequent consequences - and I feel like this track is a sense of the path she's choosing to follow.

I always feel end-of-film tracks carry a different kind of weight, as they hold that final feeling you leave with. However, I feel like Truth doesn't go for something too explosive or overly triumphant. It chooses something more balanced, which fits Diana's character perfectly. There is still that undertone of sadness, that doesn't disappear, but rather the track is subtly layered over as something quieter, but stronger, as she accepts her sense of purpose. Then, as the track builds, it leads into that final image of Diana flying, and I feel like its less like an ending, but more like a continuation...

Unfortunately, by this point, the audience's faith in DC was really starting wane, so we never got that final Wonder Woman instalment. This film was significantly worse than its predecessor in 2017, which I thought was amazing. This one, released in 2020, felt like a weak attempt at trying to get viewers back to cinemas, and was certainly one of the duds of that year, in my opinion. Of course the subsequent DC films just went from bad to worse, ending in the catastrophe of The Flash, which was so laughably bad that I felt like I wanted to cry.

These films had so much promise, when the universe launched with Man of Steel in 2013, but by the time we got to 2023 - before The Flash had been released - it was clear this saga of films was dead in the water.

For me, I focus on these small nuggets, rather than having to revisit what should just be left alone. Now, in 2026, we have a new set of DC universe films upcoming, so I'm half wondering if Wonder Woman will make a reappearance, but that's yet to be revealed...

8 - We Need Our Army Back - Hans Zimmer

This track is one I really like for a really opposite reason to why I usually like Hans Zimmer tracks.

Hans Zimmer often enhances the powerful stories, but here, the powerful story doesn't come until later. Here, in this scene in particular, Hans Zimmer perfectly pairs the music to the images of insecurity. There is no moment of relief for these soldiers, now that they've reached the beach. It's just waiting.

The soldiers on these beaches are stranded, not celebrating the fact they're no longer fighting. They're cornered, they're standing in the cold, staring out at an empty horizon, not knowing if anyone is coming at all. There's no certainty, no safety... just time passing slowly and painfully.

It's what this track captures so perfectly. This track doesn't emphasise the rescue, but rather than absence of it. The feeling that something needs to happen, but it might not. It's Kenneth Branagh who speaks the line 'we need our army back' as he stares across the channel, tears in his eyes, and its delivered perfectly with this track underneath it.

Hans Zimmer is so clever here, because everything in this track feels restrained, distant and cold, like the sound design mimics the environment itself. It's shots of the soldiers, standing knee-deep in the cold channel, or sitting on the beach with sea spraying up at them. Wind, water and emptiness. It's space, but not comforting space. It feels exposed somehow.

With everything in Dunkirk, it centres around time. The various storylines - The Mole, The Sea and The Air - each have their own timelines, and here you get the sense that time isn't helping. That is where that haunting quality comes in. There's no clear melody to hold onto like most films, nothing warm grounding, just this constant underlying dread. It doesn't build to hope, but rather to the possibility that there won't be any.

9 - Andor: Main Title Theme (Episode I) - Nicholas Britell

This is the only Star Wars soundtrack that’s been done by Nicholas Britell. He’s done a few things people may recognise (namely The King, Cruella and Succession, to name a few) but I think he’s done something really clever here, by not leaning too heavily into the traditional Star Wars identity. Without looking at the album cover or knowing what it is, you don’t automatically jump to ‘oh yeah it’s Star Wars’, which works so well here.

The thing with Andor is that we already know how his story ends, we just don’t really know how it started, and I think that’s why the track works. It’s not a story about destiny, or ‘chosen ones’, it’s about people, systems and pressures. It’s that slow-build of something much larger beneath the surface. It’s perfect because Andor isn’t about explosive moments (at least not at first). It’s about slow tension, careful moments and that gradual formation of rebellion.

I feel like its a theme that grows on you. The first time hearing it, I didn’t think much of it, but as the episodes go on, it all starts to make a lot more sense. It reflects the show’s identity so well - not loud and heroic in the traditional sense - grounded, deliberate, quietly building towards something much bigger.

Andor was one of those series that I underestimated. So many people were clamouring for it, for a long time, before Disney finally announced it, and the wait for season 2 felt longer than any other series weight, because of just how much more story there was to tell. Going back to this, I think the main title sets the perfect tone for both the episode (as this was from Episode 1 of Series 1) but also the tone of the entire series.

What I also love about this series in particular is that each main title track changes for each episode, and each builds from the episode before. The first is slow, the second has more build, the third is more intrigue and picks up the pace, almost giving an illusion of running footsteps, and the last is a lot more fast-paced and decisive. Honestly, its such a good program, and even if we know the outcome of Andor’s story, we know its building towards something larger.

10 - He Mele No Lilo - Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu

Who doesn't love Lilo & Stitch right? And as one of the first tracks you hear, it immediately tells you where you are, and more importantly what story and culture its rooted in.

It's before the chaos - before Stitch arrives, before everything that unfolds, and its just innocent Lilo feeding her favourite fish at the bottom of the ocean. It's a traditional Hawaiian chant, paired with hula, ocean and landscape. It's calm and grounded and its fun as well.

This is one those tracks you hear and it instantly transports you. You hear it, you're there under the water as Lilo swims, taking pictures of sunburnt tourists. It's soft and its welcoming, and it serves as an incredible piece of nostalgia.

Now, who else was hoping it was going to be in the Lilo and Stitch? I certainly was, but I was kind of glad it was in there, but there's a difference. The song iconic in itself, and it has its own identity. So, when I heard the opening sequence in the new Lilo and Stitch, I was strangely relieved that we got a new version. Not only because we have 2 versions of such an amazing, beautiful song, but also because I think the new evolved fits better with the new, and the original is left untouched, as it should be.

I didn't enjoy the new one as much as I did the original... probably because I carry too much nostalgia for the old one, but I won't deny that Stitch is super cute still.

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So there we have it. Throwbacks complete!