Meet Joe Black

Label: MCA Records
Barcode:601215322927
Release Year: 1999
Country: Europe
Product Type: CD (Used)
Score or Soundtrack: Score
Composer: Thomas Newman

The Meet Joe Black soundtrack, released in 1998 for Martin Brest’s romantic fantasy starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, and Claire Forlani, is one of Thomas Newman’s most elegant and emotionally expansive works. Known for his distinctive harmonic textures in films like The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, and Little Women, Newman here leaned into lush orchestration, lyrical string writing, and delicate piano motifs to capture the film’s themes of love, mortality, and transcendence.

Highlights include “Walkaway” and “That Next Place,” the latter often cited as one of Newman’s most moving compositions, later used at high-profile events including the 2000 Democratic National Convention tribute to John F. Kennedy Jr. The score mixes moments of intimacy with sweeping symphonic passages, placing it in the lineage of grand romantic film music alongside James Horner’s Legends of the Fall and John Barry’s Out of Africa.

With its combination of Newman’s signature modern minimalism and old-fashioned Hollywood lyricism, the Meet Joe Black soundtrack has endured as a fan favorite, frequently performed in concert settings and celebrated as one of the composer’s definitive achievements.

Track Listing

Yes
Thomas Newman

Everywhere Freesia
Thomas Newman

Walkaway
Thomas Newman

Meet Joe Black
Thomas Newman

Peanut Butter Man
Thomas Newman

Whisper of a Thrill
Thomas Newman

Cheek to Cheek
Thomas Newman

Cold Lamb Sandwich
Thomas Newman

Fifth Ave.
Thomas Newman

A Frequent Thing
Thomas Newman

Death and Taxes
Thomas Newman

Served Its Purpose
Thomas Newman

Sorry for Nothing
Thomas Newman

Mr. Bad News
Thomas Newman

Let’s Face the Music and Dance
Thomas Newman

The Question
Thomas Newman

Someone Else
Thomas Newman

What a Wonderful World
Thomas Newman

That Next Place
Thomas Newman

Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

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