Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack Explained

Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack
Type:soundtrack
Artist:Various Artists
Cover:Low res cover Forrest Gump.jpg
Border:yes
Released:June 28, 1994 (US)
Recorded:1956–1994
Genre:Pop, rock, country, soul, psychedelic rock/pop, rock and roll, rockabilly
Length:1:36:14
Label:Paramount, Epic Soundtrax

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."[1]

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 two

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. "Paint It Black" – The Rolling Stones
  5. "All Along the Watchtower" – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  6. "Soul Kitchen" – The Doors
  7. "Hello, I Love You" – The Doors
  8. "People Are Strange" – The Doors
  9. "Love Her Madly" – The Doors
  10. "Hey Joe" – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  11. "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" – Pete Seeger
  12. "Let's Work Together" – Canned Heat
  13. "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Tony Orlando & Dawn
  14. "Get Down Tonight" – KC & the Sunshine Band
  15. "Free Bird" – Lynyrd Skynyrd

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1994–1995)! scope="col"
Peak
position
US Billboard 200[2] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (1994)! scope="col"
Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[3] 10
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[4] 15
US Billboard 200[5] 28
Chart (1995)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] 3
US Billboard 200[8] 31
Chart (1997)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 88

Decade-end charts

Chart (1990–1999)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[10] 88

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Rice. Lynette. Songs Set the Mood for 'Gump'. Gainesville Sun. August 14, 1994. July 3, 2009.
  2. Billboard 200 Chart: Week of August 13, 1994. Billboard. January 1, 2021.
  3. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Albums of 1994. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 1, 2021.
  4. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1994. Recorded Music NZ. January 1, 2021.
  5. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994. Billboard. January 1, 2021.
  6. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Albums of 1995. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 1, 2021.
  7. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1995. Recorded Music NZ. January 1, 2021.
  8. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995. Billboard. January 1, 2021.
  9. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1997. Australian Recording Industry Association. November 3, 2021.
  10. Geoff Mayfield . 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 . . December 25, 1999 . October 15, 2010.

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