12 Years A Slave

Label: Columbia
Release Year: 2013
Barcode: 888430085725
Country: Europe
Product Type: CD (Pre-owned)
Score or Soundtrack: Soundtrack, Score
Genre: Delta Blues, Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Electric Blues, Gospel
Composer: Hans Zimmer

The soundtrack to 12 Years a Slave (2013), directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, and Brad Pitt, features an evocative original score by Hans Zimmer. Known for Gladiator, Inception, and The Thin Red Line, Zimmer crafted a restrained, meditative soundscape, relying on strings, low brass, and haunting sustained tones to capture Solomon Northup’s journey from freedom to enslavement. His music here is spare and mournful, deliberately avoiding sentimentality while underlining the film’s emotional gravity.

The soundtrack also includes period-inspired spirituals and contributions from artists curated by John Legend, such as Gary Clark Jr., Alabama Shakes, John Legend himself, Chris Cornell, and Alicia Keys. The fusion of Zimmer’s atmospheric score with these folk, gospel, and blues-infused pieces reflects the historical and cultural setting of 19th-century America, much like T Bone Burnett’s work on O Brother, Where Art Thou? or Quincy Jones’s music for Roots.

Track Listing

Devil's Dream
Tim Fain

Roll Jordan Roll
John Legend

Freight Train
Gary Clark Jr.

Yarney's Waltz
Tim Fain and Caitlin Sullivan

Driva Man
Alabama Shakes

My Lord Sunshine (Sunrise)
David Hughey and Roosevelt Credit

Move
John Legend feat. Fink

Washington
Hans Zimmer

(In The Evening) When The Sun Goes Down
Gary Clark Jr.

Queen Of The Field (Patsey's Song)
Alicia Keys

Solomon
Hans Zimmer

Little Girl Blue
Laura Mvula

Misery Chain
Chris Cornell feat. Joy Williams

Roll Jordan Roll
Topsy Chapman feat. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Cast

Money Musk
Tim Fain

What Does Freedom Mean (To A Free Man)
Cody ChesnuTT

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