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
Horn of Plenty
James Newton Howard Lyrics
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The Horn of Plenty for us all
Our flag will raise above,
Panem shall reign above,
May our nation never fall
(Never fall)
The Horn of Plenty for us all
The Horn of Plenty! The Horn of Plenty overflows!
Our flags will raise above,
Panem shall reign above,
May our nation never fall!
The Horn of Plenty
The Horn of Plenty for us all
Our flag will raise above,
Panem shall reign above,
May our nation never fall
(Never fall)
The Horn of Plenty for us all
Though dark may fall
Through darkness light will shine
As the believe
The darkness is the light,
The Horn of Plenty Overflows!
The song "Horn of Plenty" by James Newton Howard is an anthem representing the Capitol, which is the ruling government of Panem in the book series and movie, "The Hunger Games". The "Horn of Plenty" refers to the overflowing cornucopia that appears every year during the Hunger Games, which is a televised event where children from each of the 12 districts fight to the death until only one survives. This abundance symbolizes the power and wealth of the Capitol that comes at the expense of the Districts' citizens. The lyrics proclaim that the Horn of Plenty is for everyone and that the flag of Panem will never fall. They want to make sure that their nation will always reign over the Districts.
The second verse of the song talks about how the darkness will fall, but through that darkness, there will be light. The Capitol believes that their rule brings order and light to the Districts, even though it is oppressive and brutal. The lyrics conclude that the Horn of Plenty will always overflow with abundance and prosperity for the Capitol, but not necessarily for the oppressed people in the Districts. Overall, the song is a representation of the Capitol's propaganda and their desire to portray themselves as the ultimate power in Panem.
Line by Line Meaning
The Horn of Plenty
This is the title of the song and represents an abundance of resources and wealth.
The Horn of Plenty for us all
This line indicates that everyone will benefit from the abundance provided by the Horn of Plenty.
Our flag will raise above,
This is a patriotic sentiment of pride in one's nation and the belief that it will prosper.
Panem shall reign above,
This line suggests that Panem, the fictional nation from The Hunger Games series, will dominate and surpass other nations.
May our nation never fall
This is another expression of patriotism and the desire for the nation to endure forever.
(Never fall)
This is a repetition of the sentiment of the previous line for emphasis.
The Horn of Plenty!
This is a celebratory exclamation of the abundance of resources provided by the Horn of Plenty.
The Horn of Plenty overflows!
This is another expression of the abundance provided by the Horn of Plenty, emphasizing how much it provides.
Though dark may fall
This line suggests that there may be difficult times, but the abundance of the Horn of Plenty will help to sustain the nation.
Through darkness light will shine
This line suggests that there will be hope and positivity even in difficult times.
As the believe
This may be a typographical error, as the line does not make sense. It could be interpreted as 'As they believe' to mean that people's faith in the abundance of the Horn of Plenty will sustain them.
The darkness is the light,
This is a metaphorical expression suggesting that even difficult times have positive aspects.
The Horn of Plenty Overflows!
This is a repetition of an earlier line expressing the abundance provided by the Horn of Plenty.
The Horn of Plenty for us all
A repetition of an earlier line expressing that everyone will benefit from the abundance of the Horn of Plenty.
Contributed by Nicholas G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.