While attending a Sixth Form College in Luton, Arnold became friends with director Danny Cannon. Cannon initially created short films for which Arnold was asked to write the music. The two made their respective major film debuts with The Young Americans. "Play Dead", a song from the film with singer Björk, charted #12 in the UK. The following year he scored Stargate and Last of the Dogmen, with excerpts from the former ranking third in the most commonly used soundtrack cues for film trailers.
Arnold then composed music for Stargate director Roland Emmerich's next two movies, Independence Day and Godzilla, as well as four movies for director John Singleton. In addition, he has scored various comedies, dramas, and nineteenth-century period pieces, as well as providing music for several British television shows including the 2000 remake of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Little Britain. During film production, his compositions are conducted by Nicholas Dodd. In 2010, he composed the music for Come Fly With Me, a British television series from the producers of Little Britain.
He is a member of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). On Thursday 29 November 2012, Arnold received an honorary degree from University of West London. Now a university honorary, he will work closely with the University in particular London College of Music, a faculty within the institute. In 2014, he appeared as himself in The Life of Rock with Brian Pern.
He has collaborated with such musical acts as Cast, Kaiser Chiefs, Massive Attack, and Pulp, and solo artists Natasha Bedingfield, Melanie C, Björk, Chris Cornell, Shirley Manson, Mark Morriss, Nina Persson and in 2009 produced Shirley Bassey's album The Performance.
In 2001, he provided a new arrangement of Ron Grainer's Doctor Who theme music for the Eighth Doctor audio dramas from Big Finish Productions. His version was used as the Eighth Doctor theme starting with 2001's Storm Warning until 2008, when it was replaced with a new version arranged by Nicholas Briggs starting with Dead London. Arnold's theme returned to the Eighth Doctor releases with the 2012 box set, Dark Eyes.
Arnold is the second cousin of Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice, and is an ambassador for aid agency CARE International in the UK. He has made minor appearances in two different episodes of Little Britain as separate characters.
In February 2011, it was announced that he was appointed Musical Director for the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
In May 2011, he was part of the United Kingdom's jury for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.
Arnold took part in a tribute to John Barry on 20 June 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, singing a song that was composed by Barry and playing the guitar part of the James Bond theme.
In 2014, Arnold teamed up with Richard Thomas, to write the music and lyrics for the new West End musical Made in Dagenham.
In October 2015 he collaborated with Lethal Bizzle and Sinead Harnett to create a song combining orchestral, grime and soul elements. The song, 'Come This Far', was performed live at a special event at One Mayfair, as part of Bulmers Cider's LiveColourful LIVE promotion, and made available as a free download from Bulmers' website. He and Sherlock co-composer Michael Price also composed the music for ITV's Jekyll and Hyde television series which premiered in October 2015.
In September 2016 the Royal Albert Hall hosted an orchestral performance of Independence Day with the score performed live to picture, David Arnold gave a pre-show talk.
Moonraker
David Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where is that moonlight trail that leads to your side?
Just like the Moonraker goes in search of his dream of gold
I search for love, for someone to have and hold
I've seen your smile in a thousand dreams
Felt your touch and it always seems
You love me
Where are you? When will we meet?
Take my unfinished life and make it complete
Just like the Moonraker knows his dream will come true someday
I know that you are only a kiss away
I've seen your smile in a thousand dreams
Felt your touch and it always seems
You love me
You love me
The lyrics of David Arnold’s “Moonraker” express the yearning for a lost love. The opening line, “Where are you? Why do you hide?” sets a forlorn tone that continues throughout the song. The singer then asks, “Where is that moonlight trail that leads to your side?” which suggests a desire for an almost fairy tale-like reunion. The reference to the “Moonraker” is significant because it illustrates the idea of pursuing a dream. Just as the character in the novel goes on a journey to discover gold, the singer is also searching for something valuable—their lost love.
The second verse repeats the theme of longing and describes the singer’s vision of their beloved, stating “I've seen your smile in a thousand dreams/Felt your touch and it always seems/You love me/You love me.” In the final verse, the singer asks, “Where are you? When will we meet?” while hoping that their lover can make their life complete.
Overall, “Moonraker” is a song about longing for a love that has been lost or is yet to be found. The lyrics invoke an image of a moonlit night and the feeling of being lost in the dark. The repetition of the line “I’ve seen your smile in a thousand dreams” gives a sense of hope, that despite the longing, the singer believes that their dream will eventually come true.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are you? Why do you hide?
Where are you, my love? Why are you hiding from me?
Where is that moonlight trail that leads to your side?
Where is the path that will lead me to you under the moonlight?
Just like the Moonraker goes in search of his dream of gold
Like the character in the movie 'Moonraker' who searches for his treasure, I too am searching for love.
I search for love, for someone to have and hold
I am looking for love, for someone I can be with and cherish.
I've seen your smile in a thousand dreams
I have imagined your smile in countless dreams.
Felt your touch and it always seems
In my dreams, I have also felt your touch, and it always feels so real.
You love me
In my dreams, I feel that you love me.
Where are you? When will we meet?
When will our paths cross and we finally meet in person?
Take my unfinished life and make it complete
I want you to be a part of my life and make it whole and complete.
Just like the Moonraker knows his dream will come true someday
Just like the character in 'Moonraker' believes his dream will come true, I believe that I will find love someday.
I know that you are only a kiss away
I know that once we finally meet, we will only be a kiss away from starting our life together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HAL DAVID, JOHN BARRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind