Playlist: The World Needs You

Batten down the hatches, and hide your liquor. Please keep your hands and feet inside of the vehicle at all times. Shit is about to get epic.

How epic, you ask? A double album of epic.

As requested, I’ve built a playlist¹ that is liquid productivity. Guaranteed to help you hit your deadline, or your money back.

Truth be told, I couldn’t help myself. I collected the albums that I wanted to include and picked my favorite track—sometimes a second—from each. It was too much². I cut and I cut, but still was left with two and half hours of music. So, I split it into two sides: (1) Side A, and (2) Side B.

Side A is caffeine for your brain. My formula was simple, I chose the opening tracks from some of my favorite soundtracks³. Openings to movies, television shows, or games exist to grab your attention and throw you into the action. Perfect for getting in the zone.

Side B is built to keep you in the zone. A force that sustains your elevated blood pressure and sense of urgency. Every one of these tracks are action sequences, most of them are from memorable or signature scenes. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the hero’s witty one-liners. For example, Tom Cruise in Oblivion⁴ saying “Fuck you, Sally” or Captain Spock in Wrath of Khan⁵, “Sauce for the goose, Lieutenant. The odds will be even.”

Don’t worry, the end of Side B will bring you back down. Working from home, I found it tough to transition from work in the short walk out of my basement. The second-to-last track Back to the Earth is silly, almost non-sensical poetry, but the vocals break out of a playlist otherwise devoid of lyrics. The final track What Are You Going to Do When You’re Not Saving the World? is one of my favorite refreshment tracks. It’s a shame it wasn’t made for a better movie.

Here’s a few liner notes:

• If you listen to the playlists and find yourself wanting more, take a look at any of the albums from this list. Nearly half of my favorite scores are represented in these playlists. It’s a soundtrack buffet.
• There is only one track published before 2000, Battle in the Mutara Nebula, which was recorded in 1982. The prevalent sound of movie scores changed after Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator score which was recorded in 2000. It is the quintessential Epic™ movie score. You’ll find it represented on Side A, track 20. It’s a classic.
• Speaking of Hans Zimmer, he’s well represented here. In addition to several scores credited to him, he’s also a producer/owner for Two Steps from Hell, and is listed as Executive Producer on both scores credited to Lorne Balfe in these playlists.
• Lorne Balfe is a recent discovery for me. Two recent favorites of his, Terminator: Genisys, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Bengazi can be found on the lists. Balfe brings a melodic quality to the raucous Zimmer sound, which is occasionally missing from Zimmer’s scores. Standout tracks not on the playlists include: Forgotten⁶ and What if I Can’t?⁷
• Finally, Side B opens with a heavy does of Bear McCreary. And it’s appropriate. In addition to being a total badass⁸, he’s one of my favorite composers. His scores for Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles and Caprica are among my most played albums in iTunes. That said, if the first two songs from Side B don’t appear (or aren’t from Bear McCreary), you can buy them for $1.29usd: Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (Opening Title), and Storming New Caprica. You won’t regret the purchase.

Subscribe to the playlists here: Side A, and Side B. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Now go, and write code⁹ like the world depends on it.

Update

Neil Inglis—friend, reader and fellow soundtrack enthusiast—has kindly posted both playlists to Spotify, for those of you who prefer it to Apple Music. Subscribe to them here: Side A, and Side B.

Thanks Neil.