Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack

Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
ReleasedJune 28, 1994 (US)
Recorded1956–1994
GenrePop, rock, country, soul, psychedelic rock/pop, rock and roll, rockabilly
Length1:36:14
LabelParamount, Epic Soundtrax
Producer
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
NME7/10[2]

Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 1994 Academy Award-winning Tom Hanks film Forrest Gump, and contains music from many well-known American artists. The score, composed by Alan Silvestri, was released separately (as Forrest Gump – Original Motion Picture Score) on the same day. The album was reissued in 2001 with two additional tracks, namely "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne and "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac.

Reflecting on compiling the soundtrack, the film's music producer Joel Sill stated "We wanted to have very recognizable material that would pinpoint time periods, yet we didn't want to interfere with what was happening cinematically." According to Sill, director Robert Zemeckis requested all the music in the film to be from American artists because he thought that was the only kind of music that the main character, the titular Forrest Gump, would buy, further stating "All the material in there is American. Bob (Zemeckis) felt strongly about it. He felt that Forrest wouldn't buy anything but American."[3]

Commercial Performance

The soundtrack jumped from number 34 to 7 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on July 30, 1994. The next week on August 6, 1994, it moved from number 7 to 3, staying there for one week. It reached its peak position of number 2 on the chart on August 13, 1994, staying there for seven weeks until September 17, 1994, when it was displaced by the soundtrack of The Lion King. The Forrest Gump soundtrack dropped from the charts on October 15, 1994. In Canada, it reached number one for one week in September 1994.

Track listing

Disc one

No.TitleWriter(s)Artist(s)Length
1."Hound Dog (1956)"
Elvis Presley2:16
2."Rebel Rouser (1958)"
Duane Eddy2:21
3."(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" (1961)"
Clarence "Frogman" Henry2:18
4."Walk Right In (1963)"
The Rooftop Singers2:33
5."Land of 1000 Dances (1966)"Chris KennerWilson Pickett2:25
6."Blowin' in the Wind (1976)"Bob DylanJoan Baez2:49
7."Fortunate Son (1969)"John FogertyCreedence Clearwater Revival2:18
8."I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" (1965)"
The Four Tops2:43
9."Respect (1967)"Otis ReddingAretha Franklin2:27
10."Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (1966)"Bob DylanBob Dylan4:35
11."Sloop John B (1966)"Traditional, arranged by Brian WilsonThe Beach Boys2:56
12."California Dreamin' (1966)"
The Mamas & the Papas2:39
13."For What It's Worth (1966)"Stephen StillsBuffalo Springfield2:38
14."What the World Needs Now Is Love (1965)"
Jackie DeShannon3:13
15."Break on Through (To the Other Side) (1967)"
The Doors2:28
16."Mrs. Robinson (1968)"Paul SimonSimon & Garfunkel3:51
Total length:42:30

Disc two

No.TitleWriter(s)Artist(s)Length
1."Volunteers (1969)"
Jefferson Airplane2:04
2."Get Together (1967)"Chet PowersThe Youngbloods4:37
3."San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) (1967)"John PhillipsScott McKenzie2:58
4."Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) (1965)"Pete SeegerThe Byrds3:54
5."Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (1969)"
The 5th Dimension4:48
6."Everybody's Talkin' (1968)"Fred NeilHarry Nilsson2:44
7."Joy to the World (1970)"Hoyt AxtonThree Dog Night3:16
8."Stoned Love (1970)"
The Supremes2:59
9."Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head (1969)"
B. J. Thomas3:00
10."Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man) (1974)"Randy NewmanRandy Newman2:46
11."Sweet Home Alabama (1974)"
Lynyrd Skynyrd4:43
12."Running on Empty (1978)"Jackson BrowneJackson Browne4:56
13."It Keeps You Runnin' (1976)"Michael McDonaldThe Doobie Brothers4:13
14."I've Got to Use My Imagination (1973)"
Gladys Knight & the Pips3:30
15."Go Your Own Way (1977)"Lindsay BuckinghamFleetwood Mac3:39
16."On the Road Again" (1980)"Willie NelsonWillie Nelson2:29
17."Against the Wind" (1980)"Bob SegerBob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band5:33
18."Forrest Gump Suite" (1994)"Alan SilverstriAlan Silvestri8:48
Total length:54:44

Note: Tracks 12 and 15 on Disc 2 are additional bonus tracks on the 2001 Collector's Edition CD.

Additional songs

Songs in the movie but not on the soundtrack include:

  1. "Lovesick Blues" – Hank Williams
  2. "Sugar Shack" – Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
  3. "Hanky Panky" – Tommy James and the Shondells
  4. "All Along the Watchtower" – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  5. "Soul Kitchen" – The Doors
  6. "Hello, I Love You" – The Doors
  7. "People Are Strange" – The Doors
  8. "Love Her Madly" – The Doors
  9. "Hey Joe" – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  10. "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" – Pete Seeger
  11. "Let's Work Together" – Canned Heat
  12. "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Tony Orlando & Dawn
  13. "Get Down Tonight" – KC & the Sunshine Band
  14. "Free Bird" – Lynyrd Skynyrd

John Lennon's song "Imagine" is mentioned and has its lyrics quoted, but was not used in the film.

Charts

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] 11× Platinum 770,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[24] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[25] Gold 25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[26] Gold 100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Diamond 1,000,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[28] Gold 36,399[28]
France (SNEP)[29] Gold 100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[30] Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[31] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[32] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Platinum 300,000*
United States (RIAA)[34] 12× Platinum 6,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Original Soundtrack – Forrest Gump". AllMusic. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  2. ^ JD (October 22, 1994). "Long Play". NME. p. 47. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Rice, Lynette (August 14, 1994). "Songs Set the Mood for 'Gump'". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved July 3, 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  5. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  6. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  8. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  9. ^ "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  10. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  11. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  12. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  13. ^ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "Billboard 200 Chart: Week of August 13, 1994". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums of 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  16. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1994". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  17. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  18. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums of 1995". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1995". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  20. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  21. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1997". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  22. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). "1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  24. ^ "Austrian album certifications – O.S.T. – Forrest Gump" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  25. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1995". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  26. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Varios – Forrest Gump" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  27. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Various Artists – Forrest Gump - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Music Canada.
  28. ^ a b "Elokuvamusiikkia" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  29. ^ "French album certifications – BOF – Forrest Gump" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  30. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  31. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 939. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  32. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Forrest Gump')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  33. ^ "British album certifications – Original Soundtrack – Forrest Gump - OST". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  34. ^ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Forrest Gump". Recording Industry Association of America.