Skip to content
    skip to navigation

    Classic FM

    Listen

    On Air Now

    Classic FM's More Music Breakfast with Tim Lihoreau 6am - 9am

    Classic FM's More Music Breakfast with Tim Lihoreau

    Now Playing

    Symphony No.6 in C major D.589 (2) Franz Schubert Download 'Symphony No.6 in C major D.589 (2)' on iTunes

    Symphony No.6 in C major D.589 (2) artwork
    • Playlist
    • Schedule
    • Home
    • Radio
    • News
    • Discover Music
    • Composers
    • Artists
    • Lifestyle
    • Win
    • Charity
    • Podcasts
    • Events
    • Dating
    • Follow us on:
      Follow Classic FM on X
      Follow Classic FM on Facebook
      Follow Classic FM on Instagram
      Follow Classic FM on Youtube

    Composers

    Zimmer

    • Zimmer Home
    • Music
    • News
    • Pictures
    • Guides
    • More Composers

    Hans Zimmer: Man Of Steel OST - an album guide

    The latest blockbusting soundtrack from Hans Zimmer has a lot to live up to, thanks to the already-iconic work of John Williams on the original Superman movie. So how does the new soundtrack fare? Find out with our guide.

    1. man of steel album guide

      1. Look To The Stars

      You'd expect the opening of the new Superman soundtrack to be a bombastic, heroic theme performed with gusto. Well, expect away. This is dark, dense and moody - exactly the intended capture of this new, distinctly modern interpretation of the comic book classic.

    2. man of steel album guide

      2. Oil Rig

      Hans Zimmer's clear gift for effects and atmosphere come into play here, with bombastic percussion and squeal-y sounds (that's the technical term) in the foreground. Prepare to be battered.

    3. man of steel album guide

      3. Sent Here for a Reason

      Superman, of course, comes from another planet. In this excerpt, the film (and, therefore, Zimmer) attempts to get to the heart of why he's ended up on earth at all, with another haunting and rather spooky track.

    4. man of steel album guide

      4. DNA

      All remains hushed and intriguing for this section, save for the presence of what sounds like a Vangelis-style synthesiser that gradually swells and climaxes before those thundering drums return, with lower string reinforcements. Belting stuff.

    5. man of steel album guide

      5. Goodbye My Son

      Russell Crowe (pictured here at the world premiere) plays Superman's father, Jor-El, while Kevin Costner plays Clark Kent's adopted father, Jonathan Kent. To which one does this piece refer? You'll have to wait and see…

    6. man of steel album guide

      6. If You Love These People

      Deep brass and more skipping percussion give a doom-laden atmosphere here. Amy Adams, pictured here at the Man Of Steel world premiere, takes on the iconic role of Lois Lane.

    7. man of steel album guide

      7. Krypton's Last

      General Zod, played by the imposing Michael Shannon, is the fellow Kryptonian who is hell-bent on destroying Superman. But the Krypton's Last of this title is, given the reflective violin theme, is most undoubtedly Superman himself.

    8. Hans Zimmer

      8. Terraforming

      Rhythmically, this has to be one of Zimmer's most daring film scores. Even though the action is high-octane, the energy in the music is incredible.

    9. man of steel album guide

      9. Tornado

      Again, and as you might expect for a track named 'Tornado', the sheer verve of Zimmer's score is blistering. Here's Laurence Fishburne, who plays the editor of The Daily Planet, at the world premiere of Man Of Steel.

    10. general zod michael shannon

      10. You Die or I Do

      When the lines between good and evil are drawn so clearly, conflict is inevitable. But when Zimmer has to create that conflict, he does it delicately, almost mysteriously.

    11. man of steel album guide

      11. Launch

      Stabbing strings and more of that omnipresent booming percussion dominate things dominate here. Hope the drummer's getting paid by the minute.

    12. man of steel album guide

      12. Ignition

      There's the hint of a helicopter in the opening crashes of this driving percussion masterclass. It's interesting to note that even when Zimmer turns the dynamics down, the percussion is still as intricate and important as when it's at full blast.

    13. man of steel album guide

      13. I Will Find Him

      Bringing out the choral big guns makes this an elemental, human-sounding extract from the soundtrack - that is until the Wagner-esque lower brass has its way with it.

    14. Henry Cavill

      14. This Is Clark Kent

      Henry Cavill was originally in the frame to play Superman in the franchise's last instalment in 2006, but he lost out to Brandon Routh. But now he's finally gotten to play one of the most iconic roles in cinematic history.

    15. man of steel album guide

      15. I Have So Many Questions

      The ringing synth lines are back! This time, though, they're quite nicely buoyed by a low cello medley.

    16. John Williams

      16. Flight

      One of Superman's key skills is flight. Obviously. So when Hans Zimmer initially makes this track less than soaring, relying on slow, drone-like build-up, it's a surprise. But then it takes off, it actually becomes one of the soundtrack's most triumphant moments. Zimmer himself has admitted to feeling daunted by the John Williams (pictured) score from the original Superman movie, but it looks like those fears were unfounded.

    17. man of steel album guide

      17. What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?

      This is probably the most traditionally 'heroic' sounding part of the whole Man Of Steel soundtrack. By ignoring what has gone before (i.e. John Williams), Zimmer has fully embraced director Zack Snyder's (pictured here with his wife at the world premiere) vision of a darker superhero movie.

    Zimmer features

    See more Zimmer features

    Hans Zimmer hid this ominous medieval chant in his score to ‘The Lion King’

    Hans Zimmer hid this ominous medieval chant in his score to ‘The Lion King’

    Who wrote the music for Pirates of the Caribbean, and what is the iconic theme?

    Pirates of the Caribbean: who wrote the soundtrack, and what’s the name of the iconic theme?

    Badelt

    Organist plays epic ‘Davy Jones’ from Pirates of the Caribbean in bone-chilling cathedral acoustic

    Organist plays epic ‘Davy Jones’ from Pirates of the Caribbean in bone-chilling cathedral acoustic

    Film composer Hans Zimmer and his partner, Dina De Luca

    Film composer Hans Zimmer proposes to his girlfriend on stage at London arena concert

    Prehistoric Planet 2 composers built other-worldly instruments using real dinosaur bones

    Prehistoric Planet 2 composers built other-worldly instruments using real dinosaur bones

    Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

    The 10 best Hans Zimmer soundtracks

    Best classical music

    See more Best classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    Discover Music

    Best symphonies: Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorak and Florence Price

    The 15 greatest symphonies of all time

    Discover Music

    4 eras of classical music

    The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

    Discover Music

    A young Marin Alsop, Sir Simon Rattle, and Seiji Ozawa conduct their respective orchestras.

    The 25 greatest conductors of all time

    Discover Music

    Hildegard von Bingen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Edward Elgar among the greatest composers in classical music history.

    30 of the greatest classical music composers of all time

    Best pianists of all time

    The 25 best pianists of all time

    Discover Music

    Back to top

    Also on Classic FM

    • Listen to Global Player
    • Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM
    • Google Doodle
    • Quizzes
    • Mozart
    • Debussy
    • Music theory
    • Instruments
    • Classic FM Live
    • Brahms
    • Vivaldi
    • Bach
    • LBC News
    • Tchaikovsky
    • Chopin
    • Andrea Bocelli
    • Florence Price
    • Beethoven
    • Best classical music
    • Classic FM Requests
    • Best pianists
    • Harry Potter music
    • Saturday Night at the Movies
    • Star Wars soundtrack
    • Composer or pasta
    • Music for Studying
    • Best violinists
    • Classical music tearjerkers
    • Relaxing classical

    Useful Links

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • How To Listen
    • About Classic FM
    • Company Details
    • Cookies
    • Privacy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Advertise
    • Global Jobs

    Download the app

    Get it on the app store Get it on Google Play

    Follow Us

    Follow Classic FM on X
    Follow Classic FM on Facebook
    Follow Classic FM on Instagram
    Follow Classic FM on Youtube
    © Global 2023
    30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
    Privacy Manager