(Source: https://castlesandturrets.com/2020/05/01/the-prince-of-egypt-film-review/)
I am still raving about what a phenomenal film The Prince of Egypt is, but while commenting on its awesomeness, my attention shifts to the soundtrack (it is a musical, after all! 😄). This movie is nearly 30-years-old and I still get songs stuck in my head, still get goosebumps on my skin 🤤 Today I want to share some of my favorite songs from the movie!
The first song is called The Plagues, and it plays during the curse of plagues over Egypt. It is sung from two perspectives: Moses, and his brother, the Pharaoh. It is meant to portray the demise of their relationship, the love that they once shared but can no longer remain due to their conflicting paths.
There is even a line where Moses states:
🎶 Serving as your foe on His behalf
Is the last thing that I wanted 🎶
The song is meant to be the counterpart to All I Ever Wanted, in which Moses attempts to convince himself that he reveres his life of royalty. However, that is a lie told in order to ease his mind. As Pharaoh asks Moses once again,
🎶 You who I called brother
How could you have come to hate me so?
Is this what you wanted? 🎶
Moses is dealt an incredibly difficult hand. Not only does he have to watch his relationship with Pharaoh crumble, but he also has to watch innocent people suffer due to his stubbornness. This song does a wonderful job of showing their struggle.
On top of the choir in the background, it is so powerful and passionate.
The second song is called When You Believe, and it plays after Pharaoh finally agrees to let the Israelites go.
(And it's kinda funny too. When the Oscars' version was playing, I joked, "Oh listen to that, it's Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, the only artists in the 90s! 😃 ...and it actually is them, haha!! 😂)
There are two lines that I love in this song:
🎶 Now we are not afraid
Although we know there's much to fear 🎶
This is the definition of faith. While the Israelites were primarily a religious, God-fearing people, they still questioned whether God was listening to them. It was not until Moses came that they could finally follow and believe in their faith.
(And remember -- the Israelites troubles did not end after their slavery. They spent another 40 years wandering the desert, and faced numerous tests from God.)
Faith does not equate to fearlessness; it is carrying on despite of that fear.
The last song is an instrumental one, and it is my favourite from the movie. Believe it or not, it was actually composed by legendary Hans Zimmer! 🤩 He is one of my favourite composers, he has made songs for Inception, Interstellar, Dune, The Dark Knight ... So it was no surprise that my heart was immediately drawn to this song.
This plays during the Burning Bush scene; it is Moses first time ever encountering God. It becomes the pivotal moment of his entire life. Everything changes; Moses is transformed from a simple shepherd, into a messenger of God. And Moses is terrified! 😬
I love instrumentals. I think I love them more than lyrical songs. I am able to feel so much more emotion from the score and instruments than I would if someone sang words. I have always found this song to be extremely beautiful and calming.