Tarzan Is The Greatest Movie Soundtrack Of All Time: An In-Depth Breakdown
This tweet has been making the rounds this week. There’s a lot of different answers floating around, but only one of them is correct – Tarzan.
“Go Off King!” That’s what Phil Collins did on this soundtrack. Hit after hit. Classic after classic. Banger after banger.
Tarzan is a classic Disney movie. Probably my favorite of all time. I saw it in theaters multiple times when I was 3-years-old. When I was a little older than that, I’d try to find stuff around my house I could swing from like vines. The movie was a major part of my childhood.
Let’s look at some of the movie’s greatest hits.
Two Worlds
A powerful track on the relationship between man and nature. Man and nature may be two different worlds, but together we’re one family. Tarzan is symbolic of that. This song plays underneath the movie’s opening scene, posing a side-by-side of Tarzan’s family and the gorilla family in the jungle. We’re not so different after all. It’s also just a great song.
You’ll Be In My Heart
An emotional piece on the relationship between Tarzan and his gorilla mother. His mom assures Tarzan that no matter where he goes in life as he grows, he’ll always be in her heart. The song symbolizes the love a mother always has for her child. My mom has always said that this is the song she would like to dance with me to at my eventual wedding (that’s if one girl can ever tie this playboy down, am I right?)
Son Of Man
Perhaps the biggest banger from the movie – it’s tough to not get your foot tapping as you hear this uplifting beat. Tarzan is son of man, but now boy of the jungle. The song plays underneath a montage scene of Tarzan learning the ways of the jungle. While Tarzan lacks guidance (especially from his jungle “father”), “with faith and understanding, you will journey from boy to man.” Applied to real world context, it’s a look at how some young men grow up without a strong father figure in their lives. And again, the shit just slaps.
Trashin’ The Camp
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2 minutes and 40 seconds of pure fun and joy! One of the lighter and most fun scenes of the film, Trashin’ The Camp is musical medley of different jazz and blues infused sounds. On a side note, I’ve always thought the song “Slip Slide” from Chance the Rapper/Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment is very similar. Listen for yourself.
Strangers Like Me
Arguably the most well-known song from the film, “Strangers Like Me” could stand alone as a classic song. Tarzan has encountered his first humans, and can’t help but think “By golly, these people are a lot like me.” The song plays underneath another montage scene, this one of Tarzan learning about the human race and who he really is.
Two Worlds (Finale)
Two Worlds returns for the finale scene, and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s tough to watch that and not get goosebumps. Tarzan and Jane come from two different worlds, but they are now one family. It’s beautiful.
And that’s my comprehensive case on why Phil Collins made the greatest movie soundtrack of all time. Feel free to reply with your other choices, but just know that they’re wrong.