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Orchestrated by:
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Herbert W. Spencer
John Neufeld
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Release Date:
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December 8th, 1990
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release, but out of print in the mid-1990's.
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Awards:
Both the song ('Somewhere in my Memory') and score were nominated for Academy Awards, 1990.
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you seek one of the most memorable, purely innocent Christmas
scores in the modern age of film music.
Avoid it... if the hopelessly optimistic, spiritually seasonal nature of the
score makes it a once-a-year kind of album.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Home Alone: (John Williams) It had been a while since
John Williams had composed a score specifically aimed at children --if ever,
really-- and when he accepted the assignment of Home Alone from his
friend, director Chris Columbus, in 1990, it was an entirely new genre for
the maestro. Not only was it exciting for Williams' fans, but the composer
tackled it with a refreshing new enthusiasm that carried over into his
composition. After a year which included the dramatic, often tense scores
for Presumed Innocent, Stanley & Iris, and Always,
Williams shed all of that weight and provided the essential Christmas score.
Ever since Home Alone first won the hearts of audiences with an
outstanding record-producing showing at the box office, Williams' score has
been the highest standard for Christmas music from Hollywood. The score and
its original title song would be nominated for two Academy Awards, and the
film would cleverly combine the score with traditional Christmas carol
recordings as well as original carols written by Williams himself. Home
Alone is an example of a film and score fitting like a perfect glove for
a hand, with Williams' music successfully balancing the two sides of the
film: the wacky, stupid comedy, and the heartfelt sense of family and
religion at the holidays. Williams' own carols are very strong, proving, at
the very least, that the composer is among the best classically-inclined
artists of our time. His recordings of traditional carols also maintain a
hearty holiday swing, and it's difficult to imagine how Williams could have
accomplished all of this during the summertime of the film's
post-production. While critics may claim that the Oscar-nominated title
song, "Somewhere in my Memory" is a piece of fluff, it's important to
recognize that the spirit of the carol is what makes it effective,
completely opposite to, for instance, the lack of spirit which would sink
Williams' Sabrina score a few years later.
The underscore is deceptive as well. Seemingly less
sophisticated than Williams' larger dramatic efforts, the choice of
instrumentation is what made Home Alone a great success. Williams
went over the top assembling every tingling instrument he could find, from
chimes and bells, to synthesized high-octave organ effects. At every moment
in the score, a tingling effect is to be heard, and if you thought that
inspiration from Jingle Bells was below Williams' standards, think again.
Slower performances of the major carols are provided with grand orchestral
sweeps and lyrical passages from the various songs. Williams also throws in
a classical joust to represent chaos of the parents; during airport scenes,
Williams utilizes a neo-classical explosion of the orchestra that has a
uniquely Western feel to its rhythms. For the two bumbling criminals in the
story, Williams makes perhaps his most subtle, but effective choice. Instead
of providing an ominous theme with one of the more powerful elements of the
orchestra, the villains are accompanied only by woodwinds... an unexpected,
but strangely appropriate choice for the idiots that these characters are.
The dual performances of a bass bassoon with a clarinet or oboe keep the
theme low and ominous while allowing the flexibility to toy with their
quirky personalities. That way, they are never quite that scary to kids in
the audience, and Williams can sustain a fluffy atmosphere for even the
darker moments. A standout cue is "Setting the Trap," with a brief, but
enjoyable addition of a synthesized rhythm to the otherwise regular
performances of several themes from the film. Overall, this score is a
Christmas bonanza. Unfortunately, attempting to listen to this music in July
is difficult, and on album, the score is so well composed and presented that
it's a seasonal event. Despite this inherent weakness, this score is far
more impressive than the rehashed sequel music from Williams for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (and both are far,
far better than the crap produced by Nick Glennie-Smith for Home Alone
3). And yet, make sure there's snow on the ground outside before trying
to absorb the full magic of Williams' Home Alone. ****
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Main Titles/Somewhere in my Memory (4:53)
• 2. Holiday Flight (0:59)
• 3. The House (2:27)
• 4. Star of Bethlehem - orchestral version (2:51)
• 5. Man of the House (4:33)
• 6. White Christmas - performed by The Drifters (2:40)
• 7. Scammed by a Kindergartener (3:55)
• 8. Please Come Home for Christmas - performed by Southside Johnny Lyon (2:41)
• 9. Follow that Kid! (2:03)
• 10. Making the Plane (0:52)
• 11. O Holy Night - written by Adolphe Adam (2:48)
• 12. Carol of the Bells - written by Peter Wilhousky (1:25)
• 13. Star of Bethlehem - choral version (2:59)
• 14. Setting the Trap (2:16)
• 15. Somewhere in my Memory (1:04)
• 16. The Attack on the House (6:53)
• 17. Mom Returns/Finale (4:19)
• 18. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - performed by Mel Torme (3:05)
• 19. We Wish You a Merry Christmas/End Titles (4:15)
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The sparse insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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