Set at some point in the distant future, WALL-E was an animated film that revolved around the adventures of a well-intentioned android who was left behind on Planet Earth to clean up garbage. Set in the year 2805, the planet is deserted and WALL-E is on its own until a probe named EVE (short for Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator: Earth-Class) was sent by the starship known as Axiom.
Although WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth-Class) was technically a robot, the male-like characteristics were evident as it instantly fell for the lady-like EVE the moment he set eyes on her. When this movie was released in 2008, it became a box office hit. That same year it won a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, followed by a 2009 Hugo Award for Best Long Form Dramatic Presentation.
Also in 2009, it won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Since its creation, WALL-E remains a critic’s choice as one of the best-animated feature films ever made. As of 2021, WALL-E was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in the United States National Film Registry for its cultural significance. To this day, both the movie and the WALL-E Soundtrack continue to program people’s hearts as the lovestruck robots struggle in a futuristic storyline that faced off against a starship loaded with bots that seemed to have programming issues of their own.
About the WALL-E Soundtrack
The musical score behind WALL-E was composed and conducted by Thomas Newman. This soundtrack features material from Michael Crawford’s (Put on Your Sunday Clothes) and (It Only Takes a Moment), two songs that were featured in the movie musical, Hello, Dolly! These two, as well as Peter Gabriel’s (Down to Earth), essentially made up the soundtrack to become what it was. In total there are thirty-eight tracks featured on the WALL-E Soundtrack, bringing forth slightly over sixty-two minutes of music and sound that has been nothing short of captivating.
10. BNL (composed by Thomas Newman, lyrics by Bill Bernstein)
The musical score was performed by Thomas Newman while the lyrical performance belonged to Bill Bernstein. Designed as a commercial jingle, BNL did its job as a means to convince buyers to come on over and shop to their heart’s content.
9. 72 Degrees and Sunny (composed by Thomas Newman)
(72 Degrees and Sunny) was an instrumental piece that was quick-paced, which summed up the programmed lifestyle aboard the starship known as The Axiom. In a world where every human being was conditioned to lead an unproductive lifestyle, the robots onboard go about whatever tasks they’re programmed to do. In the movie, WALL-E sees his beloved EVE in a situation that doesn’t look good so he strives to come to her rescue.
8. Bubble Wrap (composed by Thomas Newman)
(Bubble Wrap), as a song composed by Thomas Newman, served as a playful number mixed with curiosity, precisely as it was designed to do. For WALL-E, seeing everything with wonderment was a trait that made him come across as human. What was so appealing about this phenomenal character, as well as the movie as a whole, was seeing the entire world through a set of eyes that were innocent. There was no sign of corruption that had yet burst the bubble, so to speak, in WALL-E’s world. When this robot brought EVE to his earthly abode, it was through this cute little song that he attempted to give her a glimpse of what made him tick.
7. 2815 A.D. (composed by Thomas Newman)
During the opening of the movie, (2815 A.D.) was an instrumental number that gave the audience a glimpse of a trashed planet that used to be mankind’s home. In the background, installments of background noise and commercials play themselves out as the beloved WALL-E treks through this lonely and barren world.
6. EVE (composed by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman)
This instrumental piece, performed by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, reflected upon the robot known as EVE. Designed as a romantic reflection upon the wonderment of life, even if its not organic, (EVE) served as that one song that can just as easily capture the heart as well as the ear.
5. It Only Takes a Moment (composed by Michael Crawford)
Taken from the musical production, Hello, Dolly!!!, (It Only Takes a Moment) was a song performed by Michael Crawford that was featured as one of the lyrical gems that made the WALL-E Soundtrack so special. What song better describes the power of love than a lyrical performance so brilliantly performed as this? For WALL-E and EVE, even for a pair of robots, it worked.
4. Put on Your Sunday Clothes (performed by Michael Crawford)
The first song featured on the WALL-E Soundtrack is Michael Crawford’s (Put on Your Sunday Clothes), which was used during Act 1 of the musical hit, Hello, Dolly! The beauty behind this number as part of the WALL-E movie was the flashback brilliance it brought of a world that was lost due to mankind’s failure to look after a planet called home.
3. La Vie en rose (performed by Louis Armstrong)
(La Vie en rose) was the signature song of Edith Piaf, who wrote this in 1945, and popularized it in 1946 before it was officially released as a single in 1947. Louis Armstrong was among many artists who have covered what has since become one of the most beloved songs of all time. Given the theme behind WALL-E, the beauty of this song as the storyline revolved around the blossoming of a romance between unlikely robots was simply enhanced by Armstrong’s incredible talent as one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time.
2. Down to Earth (performed by Peter Gabriel)
This inspirational song was an original piece composed by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman. The lyrics featured Gabriel at his finest with the Soweto Gospel Choir as this not only served as a magnificent piece during the closing credits of the WALL-E movie but as a song of closure with the soundtrack. On the Canadian Singles Chart, (Down to Earth) peaked as high as number seventy-three and won a 2009 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television, or Other Media.
1. Define Dancing (composed by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman)
(Define Dancing), as seen in the movie, saw EVE and WALL-E make the most of their time in space in what started out as a scary moment into something blissful. Again, many of the tracks featured in the movie and soundtrack are played out through this instrumental song that was composed by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman. The romance was certainly in the air as the people aboard the spaceship were waking up, one by one, much to the dismay of one of the robots who failed to understand what was going on. In 2009, (Define Dancing) won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
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