I rate the original version of The Windmills of Your Mind as one of the most perfect film songs in terms of the way the lyrics, the music, and the vocals match the vision behind the song and the way it’s shot.
Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly
Was it something that you said
When you knew that it was over
You were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair
Mary Poppins (1964)
—Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
—Chim Chim Cher-ee
Blade Runner (1982)- Main Theme
Chariots of Fire (1981)- Main Theme
Fascinating revelations about his epic score.
Down memory lane…
The magic of Patti LaBelle’s voice in the Miami Vice version of Moby’s song.
For those who’d like the added pleasure of director Michael Mann’s visual style: a link to the scene from the movie.
Each of us has our favourites among his film scores. At the top of my list are Cinema Paradiso and Once Upon A Time In America.
Some links worth checking out:
A 6 minute video on the maestro, put together by Channel 4 and which, despite its short length, packs in a lot.
A 1995 documentary on him from the BBC.
A 2012 presentation by Sir Christopher Frayling on the partnership between Morricone and Sergio Leone.
A trip down memory lane…
It’s always been hard for me to decide what stands out most- the music, the lyrics, or the singing (I like Noel Harrison’s version way better than anyone else’s). And then there’s that inspired scene as well (from the original The Thomas Crown Affair, obviously), without which it all seems incomplete and which, indeed, was the starting point for the song to be written.
For me, Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack was, by far, the best part of the movie.
