Composing Greatness: #3. James Horner - "Field of Dreams" (1989)

Scene from Field of Dreams

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Series Composer: James Horner

Entry: Field of Dreams (1989)

Collaborators (If Available): N/A

Nomination: Best Original Score

Did He Win: No

Other Nominees:
-The Little Mermaid (Alan Menken)*winner
-Born on the Fourth of July (John Williams)
-The Fabulous Baker Boys (Dave Grusin)
-Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (John Williams)

Additional Information

This is to help provide perspective of where each composer is in their Oscar-nominated life as it related to the current entry.

Oscar Nomination: 3

Oscar Wins: 0

Track List

1. "The Cornfield"
2. "Deciding to Build the Field"
3. "Shoeless Joe"
4. "The Timeless Street"
5. "Old Ball Players"
6. "The Drive Home"
7. "Field of Dreams"
8. "The Library"
9. "Moonlight Graham"
10. "Night Mists"
11. "Doc's Memories"
12. "The Place Where Dreams Come True"
13. "End Credits"

Note: Listen to here.

Exploring the Music

The area of the column where I will explore the music in as much detail as I see fit for each entry.

Theme Exploration:

"The Cornfield"

Field of Dreams is one of those iconic sports movies that everyone knows about. Even if you didn't, it's easy to imagine this opening theme as the sound of a story with that title. With the wind instruments rustling through the soundtrack, it sounds like you're standing out in the open field, seeing the world start to take form. The sweet piano and strings create a beautiful nostalgia, recalling a past that will be explored throughout the story. If nothing else, this is James Horner at one of his most sentimental points. There's plenty to imagine when listening to this track, and the orchestration is just beautiful. It's immediately ominous to a story that will open up the wonders of the past and create a vision of a bygone era that is fitting for the music, and all while the leaves rustle. It's definitely a great way to kick things off.

Interesting Standout:
"Old Ball Players"

The soundtrack is largely ethereal from start to finish, rarely incorporating contemporary instruments to create a connection between the past and the present. However, it's on this track that things sound the most different. It's a flashback of sorts to a speakeasy, where the jazz and swing are playing constantly. The soundtrack even sounds smokey, creating the sense that this is an important moment in the entire film, that should be highlighted beyond the ethereal music that surrounds it. It's got plenty of personalities and still works, but definitely feels like it belongs on a different soundtrack and maybe a different time.

Best Moment:
"The Place Where Dreams Come True"

If there's any early moment that proves the power of James Horner as a composer, it's here. In general, the score is beautifully orchestrated and creates one of the most lovingly nostalgic sounds of the 1980s. However, it's this nine-minute track that captures the heart of his gifts in a way that will leave a sense of awe. It's got the wind instruments, but more importantly, it allows the strings to build into something more searing, capturing a sentimentality that is necessary for a story like this. It is so involved that it feels like it lasts forever, much like the beautiful memories portrayed on screen. 

Did This Deserve an Oscar Nomination?:
Yes

While we're far from James Horner's first Oscar win, it's still one of the most powerful works of his career so far. Whereas Aliens sounded fierce and desolate, he manages to make an open field sound nostalgic and full of life. There's not a dull moment here as he uses a piano to create the in-between moments and the strings to sell the emotional ones. With plenty of melodies to spare, this is an incredible work from the composer and helps to create a sense of place for the iconic film. It's impossible to deny the impact that he makes here in places that could sound generic by a less gifted composer. While it may not be considered his greatest work, it's a sign that he's at least got an ear for something more involved and provoking than either genre cinema or merely making sentimental claptraps. 


Up Next: Best Original Score - Apollo 13 (1995)

Best Theme

A ranking of all themes composed by James Horner.

1. "The Cornfield" - Field of Dreams (1989)
2. "Main Title" - Aliens (1986)

Best Song

A ranking of all songs composed by James Horner.

1. "Somewhere Out There" - An American Tail (1986)