Track Listing

1. Dead Already
2. Arose
3. Power Of Denial
4. Lunch With The King
5. Mental Boy
6. Mr Smarty Man
7. Root Beer
8. American Beauty
9. Bloodless Freak
10. Choking The Bishop
11. Weirdest Home Videos
12. Structure And Discipline
13. Spartanette
14. Angela Undress
15. Marine
16. Walk Home
17. Blood Red
18. Any Other Name
19. Still Dead

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24021 in Music
• Released on: 2000-04-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Soundtrack, Import
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 122 minutes

From Amazon.com
We knew Thomas Newman was versatile (he's created gripping soundtracks for everything from The Shawshank Redemption to Desperately Seeking Susan), but his score for American Beauty is simply gorgeous and one his best. Filled with inventive instrumentation--tablas, bird calls, dulcimer, banjo, ukulele, detuned mandolin, and more--the score varies between highly rhythmic, world-music influenced passages ("Dead Already," "Lunch with the King") and the more subdued ("Mr. Smarty-Man," "American Beauty"). Throughout, Newman's score is inventive and a great complement to the dark comedy's numerous mood swings. The movie's other soundtrack--a collection of memorable alt-rock tracks--gave us just a sampling of this score. Here's the rest. It's short (37 minutes) but sweet. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews

beautiful
never has a film affected the way i live my life in such a way. the film american beauty combined with the delicate, beautiful soundtrack created by thomas newman creates a powerful message across to its audience which is hard to ignore.
the soundtrack itself is a work of art in its own right giving an emotional, mellow atmosphere that seems to slow life right down and give you time to reflect on what’s important, and what’s not. it isolates the listener and blocks them off from the outside world, and allows you to relate yourselve to the modern day tragic hero, lester.
highly recommend listening to it on a bus or walking through a busy street for watching life just drift by, or is perfect for a long hot bath too.

gorgeous
Having seen the film, and not really noticed the beautiful incidental music, I heard 'any other name' on JazzFM's Late Lounge show, and was captivated. I recently saw the film again, and this time I listened out for the soundtrack, and realised how great it was. I almost made the mistake of buying the OST version, though, so make sure it is the Thomas Newman score CD. It is the true essence of the film; tragic and beautiful.

Beauty
I really loved listening to the soundtrack from American Beauty, and with a birthday on the way, thought I should get it when a relative offered to buy it for me.

What can I say, it's sheer bliss. If you want endless versions of those beautiful tunes, I'm afraid this isn't the one for you, as the music score was only written for select scenes and is sadly, far too short! However, you can listen to it over and over again without having to overheat and confuse your DVD/Video players.

It is well worth the money, a superb, relaxing and wonderful score that can be listened to and enjoyed without having seen the film. For me, it also brought back wonderful pictures in my mind of all those favourite "American Beauty Moments". Number 2 is my favourite for relaxation.

Enjoy,