''Superman III: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'', based on the film ''

Superman III ''Superman III'' is a 1983 superhero film directed by Richard Lester from a screenplay by David Newman and Leslie Newman based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the third installment in the ''Superman'' film series and a sequel to ''Su ...

'', features contributions by

Ken Thorne Kenneth Thorne (26 January 1924 – 9 July 2014) was a British television and film score composer. Early life Thorne was born in Dereham, a town in the English county of Norfolk. Thorne began his musical career as a pianist with the big bands ...

and various artists and was released in 1983. A CD of this album coupled with the '' Superman II'' album was released in Japan.

Background

As with the ''

Superman II ''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment in the ''Superman'' film seri ...

'', the musical score was composed and conducted by

. It makes use of the 'Superman theme' and most other themes from the first film composed by

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

. Part of the score was

ghost-written A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...

Edward Gregson Edward Gregson (born 23 July 1945) is an English composer of instrumental and choral music, particularly for brass and wind bands and ensembles, as well as music for the theatre, film, and television. He was also principal of the Royal Northern ...

. To capitalize on the popularity of synthesizer pop,

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance mu ...

was hired to create songs for the film, though their use in the film is minimal.

Release

The score for the film was released in 1983. A 3-disc fully expanded limited edition of the film's score, along with the extended score for ''

'', was released in the expanded archival collection by La-La Land Records as part of Superman's 80th anniversary in October 2018.

Content

''Superman III'' was the first of the films to have a score and soundtrack on the same release. Side A was devoted to 20 minutes of Ken Thorne's score (including new material such as a comedic cue that corresponds with the opening slapstick sequence, a theme for

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

's character,

Gus Gorman ''Superman III'' is a 1983 superhero film directed by Richard Lester from a screenplay by David Newman (screenwriter), David Newman and Leslie Newman based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the third installment in the Superman in film#Sa ...

, and the climactic fight between

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publish ...

and Evil Superman). Side B was devoted to music by

. He specifically contributed a synthesized version of the main title march from ''Superman II'', although it wasn't used in the film. He also created a new love theme for Clark and

Lana Lang Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She has appeared in other media adaptations of Superman, typically as a teenager. These portrayals include the '' Adventures of Superboy'' t ...

and contributed three other songs that appear mostly as instrumentals in the film, the most prominent being "They Won't Get Me" for

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping Country music, country and pop hits "King of the Road (song), Ki ...

, which is heard twice during Gus' presence in Smallville.

Track listing

The track listing on the soundtrack album is as follows: #"Main Title (The Streets of Metropolis)" (5:23) #"Saving the Factory—The Acid Test" (6:09) #"Gus Finds a Way" (0:58) #"The Two Faces of Superman" (2:50) #"The Struggle Within—Final Victory" (4:16) #"Rock On" –

Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and "Whenever You're on My Mind." He i ...

(3:35) #"No See, No Cry" –

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

(3:18) #"They Won't Get Me" –

(3:20) #"Love Theme" –

Helen St. John Helen St. John is a singer-songwriter, pianist, lyricist and recording artist. St. John's claim to fame came as a result of her piano performances on the soundtrack of the motion picture ''Flashdance'', "Love Theme from Flashdance," which resul ...

(3:14) #"Main Title March" –

(4:20)

Additional music

Roll Over Beethoven "Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit song written by Chuck Berry, originally released on Chess Records single, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace clas ...

" by the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

remake of

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

's hit) and "

Earth Angel "Earth Angel", occasionally referred to as "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)", is a song by American doo-wop group the Penguins. Produced by Dootsie Williams, it was released as their debut single in October 1954 on Dootone Records. The Penguins ...

" by the

Penguins Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...

can be heard at Clark's high school reunion. A rare instance of the Beatles granting use of their music in a non-Beatles film, the three surviving members granted permission due to their friendship with director Richard Lester, who had directed their first two films. Like the use of "

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was record ...

" in the first film, the use of the 1950s-era "Earth Angel" recording appears anachronistic for the "Class of 1965" reunion.

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...

's "King Cotton" military march and the traditional Italian standard "When Your Mama Made You" are heard later in the film.

References

{{Giorgio Moroder 1983 soundtrack albums Superman soundtracks Warner Records soundtracks Superhero film soundtracks Superman (1978 film series)