The Power Of One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Soundtrack]

Hans Zimmer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 19, 1992)
• Original Release Date: May 19, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002HB2
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,677 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Rainmaker

2. Mother Africa

3. Of Death And Dying

4. Limpopo River Song - Bulawayo Church Choir

5. The Power Of One - Teddy Pendergrass

6. Woza Mfana

7. Southland Concerto - J. Clegg

8. Senzenina - J. Clegg

9. Penny Whistle Song

10. The Funeral Song - Bulawayo Church Choir

11. Wangal Unozipho - Bulawayo Church Choir

12. Mother Africa Reprise

Editorial Reviews

Director John G. Avildsen's inspirational and triumphant epic of one boy's battle against hatred and oppression is set to a moving African score composed by Hans Zimmer, featuring the music of the Masibemunye Bulawayo Choir.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Open your mind & your ears. African music is for everyone., April 23, 2004

By 

D. COLLIER "Top Guhzillion Reviewer" (Brownwood, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Power Of One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

When I first saw this film at the theater in 1992, I and my friend who was with me were both stunned by how incredible and beautiful this music was. It left on us that kind of impression where you just can't wait to go get the soundtrack.

I'm a music lover. I own over 150 CDs, and this is one of the first CDs I've ever owned. And it's still one of the best that I have. The music on this soundtrack is far more beautiful and soothing to the ear than most of the movie soundtracks out there today. There are even four songs on the CD which are not contained in the film: "Limpopo River Song," Power of One" (performed by Teddy Pendergrass), "The Funeral Song," and "Wangal Unozipho". These great songs only go further in complementing the score as a whole. Unlike even some of the very best movie soundtracks out there, this one contains no boring tracks. All the songs are vibrant and uplifting whether they are fast or slow. The sounds of African voices (notably the Bulawayo Church Choir of Zimbabwe) mix in wonderfully with the ominous percussions and orchestra music composed by Hans Zimmer.

Hans Zimmer has proven to be the master of variety when it comes to composing film scores. In 1989, he composed the music for DRIVING MISS DAISY, POWER OF ONE in 1992, THE LION KING in 1994 (for which he won an Academy Award), and even such action films as THE ROCK, CRIMSON TIDE, and GLADIATOR. He has earned his place of honor among such greats as John Williams, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, and Alfred Newman.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Close your eyes and let it carry you away..., June 21, 2000

By 

shel99 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power Of One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

If you liked the African-flavored tracks on the soundtrack to Disney's "The Lion King", you will love this album. Not being an expert, I don't know whether or not this is "authentic" African music, but I can tell you that it is some of the most emotionally stirring music I've heard. The rhythms and harmonies totally sweep you away. I've tried to use this CD as background music to study by, and it doesn't work because I just have to sit back and lose myself in the music; needless to say, my work never got done until I turned it off and put in something a little bit less involved. This is definitely a purchase that you won't regret.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't have a music collection, if you don't have this., November 5, 2005

By 

ChicagoLarry - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power Of One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

Rid the words "powerful" and "moving" of their triteness--learn them anew by hearing this incomparable soundtrack. The harmonies! The instruments! The richness and precision of the African voices! And lyrics that some have said move them to tears. Put on headphones--this is something you listen to with full attention to the details. No music can stir the soul more than Mother Africa, for example, with its slow crescendo (14 minutes including reprise) that gathers like a storm and then fades into the distance leaving a lone voice in the calm.

I thought the inclusion of African-American Teddy Pendergrass, singing the title track ("Standing lost by a river / In a land far from you...") was a brilliant touch.

I have already used one track of this CD, so far, as background music for a slideshow of pictures I've taken in tribal Africa. Senzenina, like most of the music on the CD, it is not in English, enabling it to speak to each listener individually. (I know what it says to me....) The one thing people invariably say after seeing my slide show is, "What is that music? Where can I get it?"

Over all, I would say this music is a blend of both earthy and choral sounds, both primitive and contemporary percussion and rhythm, both sorrow and courage, a nod to the hard past and the rivers of blood that continue to forge a strong and powerful and endless march into the future. In spite of the seeming triviality of our every-day lives, in the end, life is profound--and that's what this is about. That it is about life that continues to this day in the cradle of our birth makes it all the more profound.

It's hard to imagine anyone not being blown away by this work of Hans Zimmer.