Born on the 4th of July, Soundtrack
Various ArtistsBORN ON THE
FOURTH OF JULY.
The Born on the Fourth of July soundtrack combines period songs with a John Williams score, giving Oliver Stone's film both a historical musical world and a separate orchestral voice.
Album artwork shown for commentary and historical reference. Image source: Cover Art Archive / MusicBrainz.
SEVEN THINGS
WORTH KNOWING.
Recording stories, personnel, physical details and numbers worth keeping with the record.
The original Born on the Fourth of July soundtrack was released in 1989 and contains 14 tracks.
The first part of the album is built from period songs heard in or associated with the film.
The final six tracks are score selections composed and conducted by John Williams.
Armin Steiner is credited as recording engineer and mixer for the score.
Ken Wannberg is credited as music editor.
Trumpeter Tim Morrison performs the prominent solo trumpet part in Williams's score.
The album was released by MCA in the same year as Oliver Stone's film.
WHY THIS
ALBUM MATTERS.
The soundtrack is interesting because it does two different jobs on one disc, using familiar period recordings to locate the story historically and Williams's score to carry its emotional weight.
THE
NUMBERS.
TRACKS
The soundtrack contains fourteen selections.
SCORE CUES
The final six tracks come from John Williams's score.
RELEASE
The album arrived with the film in 1989.
THE
PHYSICAL OBJECT.
The package uses the film's patriotic imagery, while the music inside repeatedly complicates that surface with songs and score cues tied to war, memory and disillusionment.
RESEARCH SOURCES
Facts are checked against official artist archives, release databases, recording credits and established archival sources before publication.
KEEP
DIGGING.
More recording stories, strange credits, cover art, chart numbers and details hiding inside the records.