Throughout his prolific career, James Newton Howard has scored films of all scales and genres, earning multiple award nominations for his work. Howard began studying music as a young child and went on to attend the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California and then majored in piano performance at the University of Southern California. After Howard left college, he toured with Elton John and Toto as a keyboardist during the late 1970s and early 1980s before moving into film music in the mid-1980s.
By the 1990s, Howard truly hit his career stride, scoring the surprise blockbuster romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990) and receiving his first Academy Award nomination for his score for Barbra Streisand's drama The Prince of Tides (1991). Setting the musical mood for numerous films throughout the decade, Howard's skills encompassed a plethora of genres, including two more best original score Oscar nominations, the Harrison Ford actioner The Fugitive (1993) and the Julia Roberts romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding. In addition, Howard scored the Western epic Wyatt Earp (1994), the legal drama Primal Fear (1996), and the blockbuster M. Night Shyamalan suspense thrillers The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002), and The Village (2004). His collaborations on tunes for One Fine Day (1996) and Junior (1994) garnered Best Song nods. Along with scoring such smaller, character-driven films as Five Corners (1988), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), and American Heart (1993), Howard proved equally skilled at composing for big-budget Hollywood spectacles, including Space Jam (1996), Dante's Peak (1997), Dinosaur (2000), and Collateral (2004). Although for Dante's Peak he only composed the main theme only, the score itself was composed by John Frizzell. Though he concentrated primarily on films, Howard has also contributed music for TV series, earning an Emmy nomination in 1995 for his theme to NBC's ratings smash ER.
Howard is now one of the most recognized composers for film. His work in 2004 on The Village, with violin solos by Hilary Hahn, earned him an Oscar nomination. Since, he has composed for several major motion pictures, notably the score for Batman Begins which he co-wrote with Hans Zimmer. On October 14, 2005, it was officially announced that Howard would replace Howard Shore as composer for King Kong, due to "differing creative aspirations for the score" between Shore and director Peter Jackson. The resultant score earned Howard his first Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score.
Since then he has been nominated for Best Original Score for the legal thriller Michael Clayton in 2008 and the war film Defiance in 2009. Since then he has composed music for blockbuster franchises and solo films including I Am Legend,The Dark Knight with Hans Zimmer, all of The Hunger Games films and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He was nominated for another Academy Award nomination in 2021 for his work on News of the World
For All We Know
James Newton Howard Lyrics
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We may never meet again
Before you go, make this moment sweet again
We won't say good night until the last minute
I will hold out my hand
And my heart, my heart will be in it
For all we know
This may only be a dream
So love me tonight, tomorrow was made for some
Tomorrow may never come
For all we know
[speaking]
There are so many challenges that our country faces, especially the problems of life in our big cities. so may we all continue to work together toward a kinder and more peaceful world; take care
Ourselves and each other, and i'm really glad that our paths have crossed...
Goodbye for tonight, remember it now and then
Someday we may meet again
For all we know
Oooo...there's no telling where or when
For all we know...
[speaking] thank you so much! thank you!
Well, this has been an unforgettable experience for me...nowhere on my tour have i been so warmly welcomed, than in the greatest place in the world, my home town, New York city! and there are so
People here tonight! just, just imagine how boring life would be if we were all the same! and my idea of a perfect world is one in which we really appreciate each other's differences... short/
Democrat/republican, black/white, gay/straight...a world in which all of us are equal, but definitely not the same, right? hello times square! thank you New York!
The song "For All We Know" by James Newton Howard is a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of life and love. The first stanza sets the tone for the song, with the singer acknowledging that they may never meet the person they are speaking to again. However, rather than dwelling on the uncertainty of the future, the singer implores their lover to cherish the moment and make it sweet. They refuse to say goodnight until the last possible minute, holding out their hand and their heart in a gesture of emotional connection.
The second stanza builds on the first, with the singer musing that "this may only be a dream." They compare life to a ripple on a stream, emphasizing its fleeting nature. Despite this, they still urge their lover to love them tonight, as tomorrow may never come.
The spoken interlude that follows adds a layer of depth to the song's meaning. Howard speaks about the challenges that face our country and urges us all to work towards a kinder and more peaceful world. He expresses gratitude for the audience's warm reception and emphasizes the importance of appreciating each other's differences.
Overall, "For All We Know" is a beautiful and thought-provoking song that touches on universal themes of love, loss, and the passage of time. The song's simple melody, soulful lyrics, and powerful emotional resonance have made it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
For all we know
We don't know what will happen in the future
We may never meet again
It's possible that we will not see each other again
Before you go, make this moment sweet again
Make the most of our time together before you leave
We won't say good night until the last minute
We will spend every last moment together
I will hold out my hand
I will offer my help and support
And my heart, my heart will be in it
I will care deeply about our relationship
This may only be a dream
Our current situation may not be real or lasting
We come and we go like a ripple on the stream
Our lives are brief and fleeting
So love me tonight, tomorrow was made for some
Let's enjoy the present moment and not worry about the future
Tomorrow may never come
There's no guarantee we'll get another day
Goodbye for tonight, remember it now and then
We're saying farewell for now, but we'll look back on this fondly
Someday we may meet again
We might cross paths in the future
Oooo...there's no telling where or when
It's impossible to predict when or where we'll meet again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: J Fred Coots, Samuel M Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind