Silvestri grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and attended Teaneck High School. He went to Berklee College of Music for 2 years and is of Italian descent.
Silvestri started his film/television composing career in 1972 at age 21, composing the score for the low-budget action film The Doberman Gang.
From 1977 to 1983, Silvestri served as the main composer for the TV show CHiPs, writing music for 109 of the show's 139 episodes.
Silvestri met director Robert Zemeckis when the two worked together on Zemeckis's 1984 film Romancing the Stone. Since then, Silvestri has composed the music for all of Zemeckis's movies, including the Back to the Future trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Death Becomes Her (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), Cast Away (2000), The Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007), A Christmas Carol (2009), and Flight (2012).
Silvestri is also known for his work on Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990), both of which are considered preeminent examples of action/science fiction film scores. Since 2001, Silvestri has also collaborated regularly with director Stephen Sommers, scoring the films The Mummy Returns in 2001, Van Helsing in 2004, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra in 2009. His most recent work includes Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011, The Avengers in 2012 and The Croods in 2013.
Silvestri has also composed music for television shows, including T.J. Hooker (one episode), Starsky & Hutch (three episodes), Tales From The Crypt (seven episodes) and Manimal (five episodes).
In 2013, the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps used portions of the theme from The Abyss as the ballad in their 2013 Drum Corps International World Championship-winning show "E=MC2".
On 31 January 2014, it was announced that a stage musical adaptation of Back to the Future was in production. The show, which is being co-written by original writers Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, is expected to be performed in 2015, on the 30th anniversary year of the film. Silvestri will team up with Glen Ballard to compose a new score, with the addition of original songs from the film, including "The Power of Love", "Johnny B. Goode", "Earth Angel" and "Mr. Sandman".
Silvestri owns a vineyard, Silvestri Vineyards, located in Carmel Valley, California.
Silvestri has received two Academy Award nominations, one for Best Original Score for Forrest Gump (1994) and one for Best Original Song for "Believe" on The Polar Express soundtrack. He also received two Golden Globe nominations: Best Score for Forrest Gump and Best Song for The Polar Express.
He has also received four Grammy Award nominations, winning two awards – Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, for "Believe" from The Polar Express in 2004 and Best Instrumental Composition, for "Cast Away End Credits" from Cast Away in 2002. His other nomination was for Best Soundtrack Album, for Back to the Future. During the 2005 Grammys, Josh Groban performed "Believe."
He has won the Saturn Award for Best Music three times, for his scores for Predator (1987), Back to the Future Part III (1989/90) and Van Helsing (2004).
On September 23, 2011, he was awarded with the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award by the City of Vienna at the yearly film music gala concert Hollywood in Vienna.
Night At The Museum
Alan Silvestri Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Yo feel it in my bones, we gonna make it out of sight.
So if you're ready, go party 'till it the daylight.
Comin' alive with me.
Baby, don't be shy,
It's time to come alive. Yeah, have a good time,
So get your hands high.
Under the moonlight. Nod your head with me. (Nod your head with me.)
When the nighttime comes, we go wild.
Madness under the moon is our style.
Do what we want, the magic is right.
This party under the morning in light.
Cham: On and on and on and on and on and,
On and on and on until the mornin'.
Until the the sun comes up we keep ballin'.
Me on my ball and we drink 'till we fallin'.
On and on and on and on and on and,
On and on and on until the mornin'.
For we love the night is still young,
Yeah, we gonna party 'till the party done.
(Refrain by Keke:)
Tonight is the right night, everybody's all right.
'Yo feel it in my bones, we gonna make it out of sight.
So if you're ready, go party 'till it the daylight.
Comin' alive with me. (Comin' alive with me.)
Baby, don't be shy,
It's time to come alive. Yeah, have a good time,
So get your hands high.
Groove 'cause it feels right,
Under the moonlight. Nod your head with me. (Nod your head with me.)
Come with me, let's get away,
Out all night, and sleep all day.
I don't care what people saying.
Goin' and goin' and goin' my way.
After dark, we get it poppin'.
Once it comes, the life, there's no stoppin'.
Hit the feeling, catch the flow.
Of the nighttime groove, here it goes.
(Refrain by Keke)
Cham: Y'all is slippin' on a pina colada,
Build in dunno in a full suit of water,
She all can know what she got from her mother,
Club is on fire, but no need for water.
Ooh, everybody's ravin',
Girls on the dance floor misbehavin'.
Nobody discover the switch, everybody close up,
So you know what everyone is cravin'. Hey!
Keke: When the nighttime comes, we go wild.
Madness under the moon is our style.
Do what we want, the magic is right.
This party under the morning in light.
The lyrics of Alan Silvestri's song "Night at the Museum" depict a party scene that takes place at night. The mood of the song is celebratory as the lyrics invite listeners to join in the festivities, urging them to come alive and groove to the music. The chorus of the song repeats the refrain, "Tonight is the right night, everybody's all right. Yo feel it in my bones, we gonna make it out of sight. So if you're ready, go party 'till it the daylight. Comin' alive with me," emphasizing the idea of living in the moment and enjoying life to its fullest with friends.
The lyrics also speak to the sense of freedom and liberation that comes with partying at night. The line "After dark, we get it poppin'. Once it comes, the life, there's no stoppin'" implies that the night brings a sense of unbridled energy and excitement that can't be found during the day. The lyrics further emphasize the idea of living in the moment and disregarding societal expectations or boundaries as the singer states, "I don't care what people sayin', goin' and goin' and goin' my way."
The lyrics of "Night at the Museum" are reflective of the spirit of youth and freedom, as well as the joy of letting loose and partying. The song serves as a call to action, urging listeners to let go of their inhibitions and join in the festivities of the night.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight is the right night, everybody's all right.
This is the perfect night to let loose and have fun. Everyone is feeling good and ready to party.
'Yo feel it in my bones, we gonna make it out of sight.
I can sense that this is going to be an amazing night. We will party so hard that it will be unforgettable.
So if you're ready, go party 'till it the daylight.
If you're ready to have a good time, let loose and dance until the sun comes up.
Comin' alive with me.
I'm here to help you come out of your shell and truly enjoy the night. Let's do this together.
Baby, don't be shy,
Don't be afraid to let loose and have fun tonight.
It's time to come alive. Yeah, have a good time,
This is your chance to really live life to the fullest and enjoy a good time with friends.
So get your hands high.
Put your hands up and let yourself get lost in the music and the moment.
Groove 'cause it feels right,
Move your body to the beat because it just feels natural and right in this moment.
Under the moonlight. Nod your head with me. (Nod your head with me.)
Let's all sway to the music together under the beautiful moonlight, and show our agreement by nodding in unison.
When the nighttime comes, we go wild.
As soon as the sun goes down, we let loose and go a little crazy with excitement and energy.
Madness under the moon is our style.
We love to be a little wild and crazy under the moonlight, and that's exactly the type of night we're in for.
Do what we want, the magic is right.
We have the freedom to do whatever we want tonight, and that kind of freedom is truly magical.
This party under the morning in light.
This party is going to last until the morning, so we will dance into the light of the new day.
On and on and on and on and on and,
We have so much energy and excitement that we could keep going and going and going all night long.
On and on and on until the mornin'.
We're going to keep the party going all night long and dance until the sun comes up.
Until the the sun comes up we keep ballin'.
We're going to keep having fun and dancing until the morning light starts to fill the sky.
Me on my ball and we drink 'till we fallin'.
We'll have so much fun dancing and drinking that we may even fall down from all the excitement.
For we love the night is still young,
We love the nighttime and all the fun that comes with it, and it's still early, so we have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves.
Yeah, we gonna party 'till the party done.
We're not stopping until the party is totally over, and we've had as much fun as we possibly can.
Come with me, let's get away,
Let's escape from the mundane and enjoy this night together by dancing and having a good time.
Out all night, and sleep all day.
We're going to stay up all night and sleep during the day to recover from all the fun we'll have.
I don't care what people saying.
I'm not worried about what anyone else thinks, because tonight is all about having a good time and enjoying the moment.
Goin' and goin' and goin' my way.
I'm living life my way and enjoying every moment of it, no matter what anyone else says or thinks.
After dark, we get it poppin'.
As soon as the sun goes down, we're going to turn up the energy and have some serious fun.
Once it comes, the life, there's no stoppin'.
Once the energy of this party starts, there's no stopping it. We will keep having fun and dancing all night long.
Hit the feeling, catch the flow.
Allow yourself to get into the music and feel the energy flow through you, and let yourself truly enjoy the moment.
Of the nighttime groove, here it goes.
Let's all get into the groove of this nighttime party and let loose together.
Y'all is slippin' on a pina colada,
You don't want to miss out on all the fun that tonight has to offer, so don't just sit back and miss out on the excitement.
Build in dunno in a full suit of water,
Feel free to let loose and jump into the pool or ocean if that's what it takes to really enjoy the party to the fullest.
She all can know what she got from her mother,
Each person at this party has something unique to offer, so it's important to let loose and show your true self.
Club is on fire, but no need for water.
The energy and excitement at this party is so intense that it feels like the club is literally on fire, but no need for water because we can handle it.
Ooh, everybody's ravin',
Everyone is feeling the excitement and energy of this party and can't help but rave and dance along.
Girls on the dance floor misbehavin'.
The girls at this party are letting loose and having a great time on the dance floor, enjoying themselves to the fullest.
Nobody discover the switch, everybody close up,
No one has to be shy or hold back at this party, and everyone is welcome to come in close to the action and enjoy the moment.
So you know what everyone is cravin'. Hey!
Everyone at this party is craving a good time and the excitement that comes with dancing and having fun with friends.
When the nighttime comes, we go wild.
As soon as the sun goes down, we turn up the excitement and energy, and let ourselves truly go wild and have fun.
Madness under the moon is our style.
We love to be a little wild and crazy under the moonlight, and that's exactly the type of night we're in for.
Do what we want, the magic is right.
We have the freedom to do whatever we want tonight, and that kind of freedom is truly magical.
This party under the morning in light.
This party is going to last until the morning, so we will dance into the light of the new day.
Refrain by Keke:
The following lines are repeated from earlier in the song, so here is the refrain to remind us of their meaning.
Comin' alive with me. (Comin' alive with me.)
I'm here to help you come out of your shell and truly enjoy the night. Let's do this together.
Baby, don't be shy,
Don't be afraid to let loose and have fun tonight.
It's time to come alive. Yeah, have a good time,
This is your chance to really live life to the fullest and enjoy a good time with friends.
So get your hands high.
Put your hands up and let yourself get lost in the music and the moment.
Contributed by Jasmine C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.