Terminator 2 Soundtrack

From LoveToKnow Music

With the scoring of the Terminator 2 soundtrack, composer Brad Fiedel succeeded in elaborating, updating, and accentuating his original work from the first Terminator film. The album is a technological update of the first's score, utilizing many of the same motifs and industrial effects.

The Terminator 2 soundtrack features 20 songs and runs just over 50 minutes. The entire album is orchestral and was composed specifically for the film. There are no popular artists featured and there are no songs containing lyrics.

About Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released in the summer of 1991 and stared Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Edward Furlong. Like the first Terminator movie, James Cameron directed the film and Brad Fiedel composed the score. This second film of the popular franchise was a futuristic thrill ride that kept audiences on the edge of their seats. Like the film, the soundtrack is intense and pulsates with energy.

The Terminator 2 Soundtrack

Fans of the stark, moaning, experimental music of the first Terminator soundtrack are likely to enjoy the similar mechanical tone of the second. The industrial style that dominated the original Terminator film is refashioned and magnified in the sequel. As per director James Cameron's instructions, the score contains little traditional music, and relies instead on electronic effects, tones, and rhythms.

A Soundtrack Rare for its Time

Releasing a soundtrack with an industrial theme and orchestral motif was rare at the time Terminator 2 was released. Film soundtracks tended to feature the music of popular artists of the moment. This type of collaboration has always been a favorable one as the film gets to highlight popular music and the musicians are able to publicize their latest offerings. The fact that the soundtrack of Terminator 2 eschewed this type of partnership was something of an oddity, especially for this type of action/adventure film.

Songs Not Included on the Album

Even more surprising is that there were three songs featured in the movie that were not included in the soundtrack. You Could Be Mine performed by Guns N' Roses, Bad To The Bone performed by George Thorogood & The Destroyers, and Guitars, Cadillacs performed by Dwight Yoakam, were all left out of the soundtrack. While many fans balked at the exclusion of the three lyrical songs, the move was deliberate. As it stands, the soundtrack is a cohesive, mechanical unit (one that runs like a well-oiled machine). The appearance of popular songs, complete with lyrics, may have created a disjointed effect Fiedel simply didn't want.

How the Soundtrack Relates to the Film

The mechanical score is aptly suited to the theme of the film. With the Terminator 2 soundtrack, Brad Fiedel creates appropriately effective electronic sounds that more than adequately represent the technological and apocalyptic horrors that take place on screen. As with any sequel, the continuation of the primary theme and supporting subjects is important, and Fiedel does a terrific job of incorporating all the elements from the first score into the second.

Tracks on the Terminator 2: Judgment Day Soundtrack

The album starts with the instantly recognizable and foreboding Terminator theme and gets progressively ominous from there. The synthesizers and pounding percussion that run throughout the score seem to imply danger lurking ahead. Tracks like Sarah on the Run, Escape From the Hospital, and Sarah's Dream are intense arrangements that make it easy to believe that the world is coming to an end. The closing theme, It's Over, takes on a less menacing tone and makes for a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, the album is an industrial one with lots of metallic percussion and a definite techno-rock vibe. It effectively validates the theme of the film and pulsates with power and intensity. While not an upbeat soundtrack, fans of the film and fans of industrial music are unlikely to be disappointed.

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