For most listeners, the glory of the soundtrack for Splash will reside completely in the flowing string theme occupying the film's titles. In "Main Titles," "Reunion," "Return Home," and "End Title," Holdridge unleashes the pleasantly romantic theme with no reservations, utilizing the familiar high string structures also present in his song orchestrations. Deeply resonating bass strings under flowing layers of violins and brass accompany the theme, with the composer's keen sense of counterpoint always merging sections of the ensemble with the usual dynamic skill. The theme may not have the gravity of those later heard in his more robust classics like Old Gringo or The Mists of Avalon, but the allure of the lovely bittersweet atmosphere it creates for Splash is undeniable. For the cues in between the full performances of the main theme for Splash, Holdridge manages to avoid most of the pitfalls of typical fluffy, light-hearted comedy scores. Although resorting to a few of those elements throughout, he builds the score around a very captivating thematic variant for a solo pianist. As the orchestra swells in and out of this theme, the piano is a constant reminder of the work's core. One of the most remarkable aspects of the score is Holdridge's ability to capture the underwater beauty and allure of the mermaid's world and then translate those musical motifs into a pop and jazzy format for the contemporary New York City lifestyle. Never do the percussive pop elements overwhelm the orchestra, however, elevating the work to a level beyond the immature silliness of a more average urban romantic comedy score. A few of the chasing action cues definitely betray the score's mid-1980's origins, but they are generally light-hearted and affably conveyed. There seems to have been some dissention regarding the extent to which the pop elements were needed; Holdridge recorded more powerful, purely orchestral variations of the film's late chase sequences (with some notable performances by the French horns) that were replaced by renditions heavier on the drums and guitars. For the most part, though, the Splash score contains a significant number of slight conversational cues, led by the acoustic guitar in "Watching TV."

The song variant on Holdridge's main theme is decently performed by Rita Coolidge, with alternate versions with sax and guitar in the lead. The music was originally released on LP in 1984, but to save on costs, the original Los Angeles recording was supplanted by a London re-recording for the album. The Royal Philharmonic performed a shorter arrangement of the score's highlights for that LP that still managed to span all the different modes of music within the broader score. The tempos and resonance of that recording are widely considered superior to that of the film version. Still, collectors eagerly awaited some form of CD release of the film's recording of Splash for years, only receiving a single track on a Ron Howard score compilation in the mid-1990's. Even Holdridge had expressed interest for years in seeing a comprehensive digital release of the Splash score, being that it was often referred to as the most popularly recognizable film music work of his career. A promotional album pressed by the short-lived Super Tracks label in 1999 finally offered the full film version of the score, properly arranged in order and featuring several bonus tracks of alternate recordings. The only thing missing from the CD is the giant fold-out poster of Daryl Hannah as a nude mermaid that came with the LP, though the CD album's art designer had to be given credit for the abundant cleavage included on the promo's packaging as possible compensation. The same team leveraged Holdridge's personal tape copy of the London re-recording for a long-overdue digital and CD-on-demand release of that performance by BSX Records in 2023. A trio of supplemental tracks, including a cover in the place of the Coolidge performance of the song, accompany that BSX presentation. The appending of the Charles Gerhardt-conducted rendition of the score's theme with the London Symphony Orchestra (originally for the "East of Eden" compilation of Holdridge scores) is a nice choice; this performance, highlighted by superb piano runs, remains the fullest and most powerful rendition of anything ever recorded for Splash. Ultimately, Holdridge collectors will find merit to both the original film and album recordings, though only the movie's most ardent enthusiasts will likely prefer the film version from the 1999 promotional product. Either way, for those familiar with the frequently gorgeous romance themes produced by Holdridge throughout the years, Splash is an easy recommendation.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download