Just Hear Me Out: ‘The Prince Of Egypt’ Soundtrack Hits Harder Than You Remember
For those who grew up in the ’90s, you will probably have at least one animated Disney/DreamWorks musical that is deeply ingrained in your childhood. It was often dependent on what movie your family owned on VHS, which meant it got the most rotation in your household.
Some might be The Lion King kids. Others could be the children of Aladdin. For me, I watched two animated movies more than anything else: Beauty and the Beast and The Prince Of Egypt. I don’t know what the correlation is here between the films, it probably just came down to my mum buying them both on tape because she enjoyed their soundtracks the most — and she had excellent taste. I would argue these two films sit far above any other animated movies that came before or after when it comes to music.
While I could rave about Beauty and the Beast all day, that movie already gets a lot of love — it’s a classic, and for good reason. By contrast, 1998’s The Prince of Egypt doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. It is one of life’s great injustices because the soundtrack was nothing short of a masterpiece, with songs penned by Stephen Schwartz and a score composed by Hans Zimmer.
Prince of Egypt is the best animated film of the last twenty years.
Yeah fight me on this
— AlternateHistoryHub (@AltHistoryHub) September 16, 2021
For the unfamiliar, The Prince of Egypt tells the biblical tale of Moses, a former Egyptian prince, who follows God’s destiny to free the enslaved Hebrew people of Egypt from his evil brother Rameses, and lead his people to a better life.
Heavy for a kids’ yarn, right? It’s a pretty grim story — especially if you’re not religious — but it’s the soundtrack that makes this movie. From the incomparable ‘Deliver Us’ to the spine-tingling ‘When You Believe’, there are no skips whatsoever.
Here are just some of The Prince of Egypt songs that hit much harder than you remember…
‘Deliver Us’
This is the opening song to end all opening songs. ‘Circle of Life’ could never!
From the first haunting trumpet chords, this song sets the scene for the harsh cruelty and oppressive regime that Egypt’s Hebrew population lived under. The powerful chorus and cries from the slaves is contrasted perfectly with the delicate lullaby performed by Israeli singer, Ofra Haza.
It’s impossible to hear this song without getting chills.
‘All I Ever Wanted’
Moses suffers an identity crisis, struggling to marry his idillic upbringing with the pain and suffering his family have inflicted upon the Hebrew people of Egypt. After finding out he is adopted, Moses sings ‘All I Ever Wanted’ as he wrestles with not knowing where he belongs.
It’s simply a beautiful song, performed flawlessly by Amick Byram.
‘Through Heaven’s Eyes’
This song is pure joy! In this uplifting number, Jethro sings to a downbeat Moses, teaching him about philosophy and how to look for the good things in life. As soon as Jethro hits the “Lai-la-lai” part of the song, my whole body starts to convulse. What a banger.
Put on ‘Through Heaven’s Eyes’ at clubs, you cowards.
‘Playing With The Big Boys’
This is the song to put on when you’re cooking up a devious plan. You know, when you and your bestie stalk a new dating app match and manage to find their full name, current job, and secret girlfriend. You’re playing with the big boys now!
Performed by Steve Martin and Martin Short when Moses tries to show them up with his magical prowess, this is the penultimate villain song.
‘The Plagues’
Moses does not mess around! I remember finding this whole scene unbearably scary as a kid. After Rameses refuses to set the Hebrew slaves free, Moses sets a plague upon Egypt: turning the river Nile into blood, sending plagues of locusts and toads, eradicating livestock, and, finally, killing all the firstborn children of Egypt, including Rameses’ son.
The spooky song is slightly softened by the ‘All I Ever Wanted’ reprisal at the end — but it’s still terrifying.
‘When You Believe’
You don’t get bigger than these two powerhouse voices — Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston — coming together for a duet, and it couldn’t have worked on any other song besides ‘When You Believe’. It’s an anthem about overcoming hardships through hope and self-belief, and plays after Moses parts the sea in The Prince of Egypt so that the Hebrews can escape persecution.
Originally performed by Sally Dworsky, Michelle Pfeiffer, and a children’s choir in the film, but nothing beats the soundtrack’s cover showcasing two of the greatest singers of our generation. We simply don’t deserve ‘When You Believe’.
If you and your bestie didn’t perform this as a duet (I was Mariah for those interested), did you even have a childhood?