I have seen every Marvel movie in cinema. That streak was almost coming to an end because I almost missed Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3. It was only recently that I could watch the film in the theater. I am happy I did because I had been listening to the score for some time, and I noticed some things in the music, which I wanted to talk about.
There are two major reasons why I want to write about the score. The first one is that the third volume of Guardians of the Galaxy was composed by someone other than Tyler Bates, who had written the music for the first two films. The music for the third film was composed by John Murphy, making it his debut in the Marvel universe. With a different composer, you will also get a different style of music. Tyler’s music was very orchestral, but while Murphy’s music has many orchestral elements, you can also hear other musical sounds, like electric guitars, synths and the most impressive part about this score: the human voice.
Tyler’s iconic theme for the heroes of the Guardians of the Galaxy returns, for example, in the music in “Guardians vs. Hell Spawn” and “I Love You Guys,” but most of the music is new. The tracks “Hooray Time Forever!” and “It Really Is Good to Have Friends” are brilliant showcases of Murphy’s original material, both with superb build-ups. These tracks are not the only highlights. Guardians of the Galaxy is, because of a bunch of weirdo superheroes, not a regular action movie. While the majority of music is quite serious in contrast, some of the music reflects that silliness. “Orgoscope Elevator” is, for example, a beautiful over-the-top piece of elevator music, which, as Murphy has told on the For Scores podcast, was created together with his 14-year-old daughter.
The second reason for me to write about the music for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3 is the use of the human voice. Choir has a prominent role in the score, but there are two tracks where the voice stands out. The inclusion of existing songs is custom for Guardians of the Galaxy films, and for the third movie, they switch from songs from the ‘80s to the ‘90s and even to the 2000s at the end. There is one piece on the score that is 300 years older, which is Murphy’s take on Henry Purcell’s “Dido Lament,” a true highlight on the album. This version of the aria is gorgeous, with a wonderful collaboration between the soprano, the choir and the full orchestra. The other choir piece is “Mo Ergaste Forn,” Murphy’s original composition representing a fictional opera that is supposed to be thousands of years old. This piece is gorgeous, and you do not need to see the film to enjoy it. It is the icing on the cake of an excellent score.
Listen or buy
- Buy this soundtrack digitally from Amazon.com or Apple Music
- Listen to this soundtrack on Spotify
Tracklist
The highlights are in bold.
- Kits (1:35)
- Warlock vs. Guardians (3:47)
- That Hurts (1:35)
- Batch 89 (1:46)
- Orgoscope (1:42)
- Mo Ergaste Forn (2:31)
- Orgoscope Elevator (1:26)
- Naming (2:25)
- Dido’s Lament (3:57)
- Hooray Time Forever! (2:22)
- It Really Is Good to Have Friends (2:26)
- Exploding Planet (1:23)
- Face Off (2:38)
- Into the Light (4:29)
- Guardians vs. Hell Spawn (3:38)
- Mantis and the Abelisk (1:10)
- Use Your Heart Boy (0:53)
- The High Evolutionary (2:56)
- Domo! Domo! (3:48)
- Who We Are (2:20)
- Stampede (1:54)
- Did That Look Cool? (2:44)
- On the Spaceport (1:47)
- I Love You Guys (2:15)
- Mo Ergaste Forn (full version) (3:23)
- All Life Has Meaning (2:01)
Total length: 1 hour and 3 minutes
Hollywood Records (2023)
