July 6, 2022
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER Soundtrack Out Now – Score by Giacchino & Melumad
Hollywood Records & Marvel Music has released the soundtrack album for Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER today, July 6, 2022; the film releases in US theaters and globally on Friday, July 8, 2022. The soundtrack has been released digitally on several platforms including Amazon and Spotify.
In addition to the score by Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad (themes by Giacchino), the film also features number of songs from the rock group Guns & Roses (these songs do not appear on the soundtrack album but are selected from the band’s existing albums). “THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER simply rocks,” said the film’s producer Brad Winderbaum. “If Ragnarök was a 1980s synth-pop album, ‘Love and Thunder’ is a metal album,” he said.
The Guns & Roses song tracks are married with an original score by Academy Award®-winning composer Michael Giacchino (THE BATMAN, MCU’s DR. STRANGE and the recent SPIDERMAN films) and Nami Melumad (STAR TREK STRANGE NEW WORLDS). “The first piece of music I wrote was the THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER suite, which appears on the soundtrack as ‘Mama’s Gotta Brand New Hammer,’” says Giacchino (and was released as a single on July 1st (listen to it here). “It’s basically one part heavy metal, one part electronic, two parts British brass band and a dash of Hollywood strings for garnish.”
Giacchino continues, “There’s a point where the track suddenly transitions from orchestral to rock, and when I played it for the first time for [director] Taika [Waititi], he abruptly stood up and began playing air guitar. It was really important that this score was able to emphasize the emotional moments as well as the fun ones — and after Taika’s spontaneous reaction, I thought that this mixing of musical flavors just might work.”
The film’s main theme has two parts, says Giacchino: one for Thor and the other for Jane Foster. “Thor’s theme is noble, mostly played on horns,” he says, “and Jane’s theme is more reflective, often represented by a solo cello. There’s an unexpected harmonic change between the two, and I did this to convey the effect Jane has on Thor’s life. She causes him to look within himself, and she brings out parts of him that he may not have known were there. So, while Jane’s theme is similar and connected to Thor’s, it offers a new perspective.”
The original score for THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER was recorded over 12 days with a 94-piece orchestra and a 36-member choir. The orchestra included 12 horns and eight trombones, and, interestingly no woodwinds, which is unusual for a film score. To pump up the ‘80s rock vibe, Giacchino added guitar, drums and synth.
Director Waititi gives equal billing to the music that bolsters his extraordinary style of storytelling. In his words: “I really feel like we’re making this a funnier, bigger adventure with even cooler characters and a really kickass soundtrack.”
– via Disney
