The Hunchback of Notre Dame (soundtrack)

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
Soundtrack by Various Artists
Released July 3, 1996
Length 63:34
Label Walt Disney Records
Producer Alan Menken
Stephen Schwartz
Professional reviews

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Disney's 1996 animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It includes songs written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz with vocals performed by Paul Kandel, David Ogden Stiers, Tony Jay, Tom Hulce, Heidi Mollenhauer, Jason Alexander, Mary Wickes, and Mary Stout, along with singles by All-4-One/Eternal and Bette Midler, and the film's score composed by Alan Menken. The single Someday originally performed by All 4 One on the United States release, was redone by British R&B girl group Eternal for the U.K. release. The album was released on July 3, 1996 by Walt Disney Records, and went on to peak at #11 on The Billboard 200.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. The Bells of Notre Dame - Paul Kandel/David Ogden Stiers/Tony Jay/Choir
  2. Out There - Tony Jay/Tom Hulce
  3. Topsy Turvy - Paul Kandel/Chorus
  4. Humiliation (Score)
  5. God Help The Outcasts - Heidi Mollenhauer/Chorus
  6. The Bell Tower (Score)
  7. Heaven's Light/Hellfire - Tom Hulce/Tony Jay
  8. A Guy Like You - Jason Alexander/Charles Kimbrough/Mary Wickes/Mary Stout
  9. Paris Burning (Score)
  10. The Court Of Miracles - Paul Kandel/Chorus
  11. Sanctuary! (Score with Choir)
  12. And He Shall Smite The Wicked (Score with Choir)
  13. Into The Sunlight (Score)
  14. The Bells Of Notre Dame (Reprise) - Paul Kandel/Choir
  15. Someday - All-4-One (U.S.A)/Eternal (U.K.)
  16. God Help The Outcasts - Bette Midler (Not featured in the movie)

[edit] Score Cues Left Off the Soundtrack

  1. The Bird
  2. Gargoyles/Enter Frollo
  3. You Were Thinking About Going to the Festival
  4. Phoebus Arrives in Paris
  5. Gypsy Music
  6. Helping Esmeralda/Palace of Justice
  7. Find the Court
  8. "Topsy-Turvy" (Movie Version)
  9. Esmeralda's Escape
  10. Quasi Returns to Notre Dame
  11. Phoebus and Esmeralda/Frollo's Threat
  12. Esmeralda Follows Quasi
  13. Out of the Belltower/Quasi Meets Phoebus
  14. "Heaven's Light/Hellfire" (Movie Version)
  15. The Mill/The Search Continues
  16. Broken Heart/"Heaven's Light Reprise"
  17. Frollo's Coming/Stash the Stiff/Interrogation
  18. Do it Out of Love
  19. It's a Map/Entering the Court
  20. "Court of Miracles" (Movie Version)
  21. These Men Aren't Spies/The Soldiers Attack
  22. Sanctuary! (Full Version)
  23. End Titles

[edit] The Songs

[edit] The Bells of Notre Dame

Main article: The Bells of Notre Dame

"The Bells of Notre Dame" is the opening song for the movie, in which Clopin narrates the backstory of how Frollo met Quasimodo. The song is woven in with Latin chants, and is reprised at the end, once again by Clopin.

[edit] Out There

Main article: Out There (1996 song)

"Out There" begins with a dark introduction by Frollo, telling Quasimodo to stay up in the tower where he will not be reviled as a monster. Once the judge leaves the scene, everything seems so much brighter and Quasi sings to his gargoyle friends of his dreams of leaving the belltower and leading a normal life amongst the people he sees every day. This song may have been what finally convinced him to escape down into the Festival of Fools.

[edit] Topsy Turvy

It's the Festival of Fools, and the bouncy number is led by Clopin, who is the M.C. of the event. After describing the events on Topsy-Turvy Day, there is a lengthy dance by Esmeralda, setting up the bulk of the movie's plot as Frollo, Phoebus, and Quasimodo all fall in love with her at the same time. At the end of the song, Quasi is crowned the king of fools, and received warmly, before things take a sharp turn for the worst.

[edit] God Help the Outcasts and Someday

"God Help the Outcasts" is a soft ballad sung by Esmeralda inside Notre Dame after she sees how Quasimodo and her people are treated by society. It replaced another song, "Someday," which was cut when the directors wanted a quieter song in a cathedral. A pop version of "Someday" is performed over the movie's credits.

[edit] Heaven's Light

"Heaven's Light" is another gentle song sung by Quasimodo, smitted by Esmeralda. He wonders if the beautiful gypsy, the first person who really reached out to him, loves him back. This is reprised later in Quasi's mind as his heart breaks when he sees Esmeralda and Phoebus.

[edit] Hellfire

As "Heaven's Light" reaches its close, we are brought to Frollo's Palace of Justice where the judge sings "Hellfire." Whereas Quasimodo's song was about how happy the hunchback was to make a friend and full of hope, Frollo's song is one of Disney's darkest. Frollo is convinced he's under some kind of black spell, as his lust for Esmeralda can't be on purpose in his eyes. He imagines being surrounded by flames and monks in red robes, all chanting loudly in Latin. A flaming vision of a dancing Esmeralda completes the nightmarish imagery.

[edit] A Guy Like You

"A Guy Like You" is the gargoyles' chance to sing, assuring Quasimodo that Esmeralda loves him in the same way he loves her in a fun, Broadway-style number. It was meant to give the audience a break from the movie's dark overtones.

[edit] Court of Miracles

"Court of Miracles" is the third comic number in the movie. Unlike "Topsy-Turvy," and "A Guy Like You," however, this song is based on black humor. Clopin and the gypsies have captured Quasimodo and Phoebus, assumed spies, and sing about how "it's a miracle if you get out alive!" Taking delight in tourmenting his victims, Clopin stages a mock trial, making rapid transformations into various figures, even pulling out a jury consisting of one puppet in his likeness! Thankfully, Esmeralda arrives before any harm can come to her friends.

[edit] The Score

Although Alan Menken's score is darker than he normally writes, in addition to the many dramatic Latin chants and cues, there are also quite a bit of comic ones that were mostly left off the soundtrack.

Almost all the movie's songs are in the score at one point. "The Bells of Notre Dame," "Heaven's Light," and "Hellfire" all share the same basic melody at one point. "A Guy Like You" is used near the beginning when the Gargoyles encourage Quasimodo to step out of Notre Dame. "Out There" is often associated with Quasimodo, and even "Someday" is used near the end, despite being cut from the movie and used during the credits.

[edit] See also