Danny Boyle’s films are known for boasting some great soundtracks and 127 Hours is no different. From the a go-go of Trainspotting to the lethargy of The Beach, Boyle has never been shy in overflowing his films with as much pop music as possible. Powered by an original score by A.R. Rahman and peppered with an eclectic mix of songs by Sigur Ros and Bill Withers, the soundtrack is definitely worth a listen. A. R. Rahmann is already one of world’s all-time top selling recording artists, selling over 100 million records, and his Oscar winning soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire only helped make him even more popular outside of Bollywood. Creating music for a movie which focuses mainly on one individual in a small space would be a new challenge for Rahmann, but the composer delivers some of his best work, amplifying the movie’s fierce energy, and hallucinatory rhythms. Rahmann’s three openers, The Canyon, Liberation Begins and Touch Of The Sun are forgetable, but Liberation In A Dream and Liberation soar brilliantly. Rahmann also collaborates with Dido and the Gleehive Children’s Choir while Boyle chooses Russian pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy’s version of Chopin’s Nocturne No. 2 in E Flat to end the soundtrack on a serene note. Outside the score by Rahmann are Bill Withers’ divine 1977 hit, Lovely Day, Esther Phillips’ 1965 English cover of Edith Piaf’s Hymne à l’amour, If You Love Me and Plastic Bertrand’s 1977 punk hit Ca Plane Pour Moi round off the oldies nicely. Take a listen to some of the tracks below.
127 Hours Soundtrack Track-listing
1. Never Hear Surf Music Again – Free Blood
2. The Canyon – A.R. Rahman
3. Liberation Begins – A.R. Rahman
4. Touch of the Sun – A.R. Rahman
5. Lovely Day – Bill Withers
6. Chopin: Nocturne No. 2 in E flat, Op. 9 No. 2
7. Ca Plane Pour Moi – Plastic Bertrand
8. Liberation In A Dream – A.R. Rahman
9. If You Love Me (Really Love Me) – Esther Phillips
10. Acid Darbari – A.R. Rahman
11. R.I.P. – A.R. Rahman
12. Liberation – A.R. Rahman
13. Festival – Sigur Ros
14. If I Rise – Dido / A.R. Rahman