He has also scored many live-action films, of which his collaborations with directors Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass are perhaps the best known. These include the first three and the fifth Bourne films, United 93, and Green Zone. Powell was a member of Hans Zimmer's music studio, Remote Control Productions, and has collaborated frequently with other composers from the studio, including Harry Gregson-Williams and Zimmer himself.
Powell was originally trained as a violinist as a child, before studying at London's Trinity College of Music.[citation needed] He later ventured into jazz and rock music, playing in a soul band called the Faboulistics.[citation needed] On leaving college, he composed music for commercials, which led to a job as an assistant to the composer Patrick Doyle on several film productions, including Much Ado About Nothing.
In 1995, Powell co-founded the London-based commercial music house Independently Thinking Music, which produced scores for more than 100 British and French commercials and independent films.
Powell's first film score was for the 1990 film Stay Lucky. He moved to Los Angeles in 1997, and scored his first major film, Face/Off. This was followed by Antz in 1998, the first film produced by DreamWorks Animation which he co-scored with fellow British composer Harry Gregson-Williams. Two years later the two collaborated again to compose the score to Chicken Run, and again the following year on Shrek, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. All subsequent Shrek films however, have been scored solely by Gregson-Williams. During 2001 he also scored Evolution, I Am Sam, Just Visiting, and Rat Race.
In 2002 Powell was hired to score The Bourne Identity, after Carter Burwell left the project, and has gone on to score all of director Doug Liman's subsequent films. He also returned to score the other two films in the series, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, which were both directed by British director Paul Greengrass.
Following the Bourne films, Powell collaborated with Liman again to score the 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. That year, he also scored Robots, going on to score all but one of subsequent films by Blue Sky Studios.
In 2006, he scored Greengrass' United 93. He also composed music for Ice Age: The Meltdown, following David Newman, who scored the first Ice Age film, as well as X-Men: The Last Stand, and Happy Feet, for which he won a Film & TV Music Award for Best Score for an Animated Feature Film. The following year he scored The Bourne Ultimatum. In 2008 he collaborated with composer Hans Zimmer to score Kung Fu Panda, and also wrote music that year for Jumper, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!, Hancock, and Bolt. In 2009 he scored the third film of Ice Age series; Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
In 2010, Powell composed the score to How to Train Your Dragon. This was his sixth score for a DreamWorks Animation film, although the first where he composed the whole score himself. It also became his first work to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score. That year, he has also scored Greengrass's Green Zone, and Knight and Day.
In 2013, he took a sabbatical year from film scoring and in April 2014, following the completion of his scores to sequels Rio 2 and How to Train Your Dragon 2, he announced his decision to take another break to compose concert music, including a 45-minute oratorio to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of World War I. The piece, named "A Prussian Requiem", premiered on 6 March 2016 at The Royal Festival Hall, London with Jose Serebrier conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra and a libretto by Michael Petry.
He composed Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was released in May 2018.
Where No One Goes
John Powell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the clouds, hurry up, alright
We can travel so far
As our eyes can see
We go where no one goes
We slow for no one
Get out of our way
Awake in the sky
We break up so high, alright
Let's make it our own,
Let's savor it
We go where no one goes
We slow for no one
Get out of our way
We slow for no one
We go where no one goes
We slow for no one
We go where no one goes
We go where no one goes
In the song "Where No One Goes" by John Powell and Jónsi, the lyrics describe a sense of freedom and adventure that comes with soaring through the sky. The reference to the wind carrying them to the clouds implies a lack of control, but the excitement in the lyrics suggests that surrendering control can also be liberating. The repetition of "we go where no one goes" reinforces the idea of blazing one's own trail and living without fear of judgment or limitation.
The lyrics could also be interpreted as a reflection on the creative process. The line "let's make it our own, let's savor it" suggests a commitment to individuality and a desire to create something unique. The reference to slowing down for no one could be seen as a refusal to compromise one's vision or artistic integrity for the sake of others.
It's worth noting that these lyrics were written specifically for the animated film "How to Train Your Dragon 2", which follows the adventures of a group of dragon riders. In this context, the lyrics take on additional meaning as a celebration of these characters and their connection to their dragons.
Line by Line Meaning
Let the wind carry us
We're surrendering ourselves to the winds of fate
To the clouds, hurry up, alright
We're headed towards the heavens with urgency
We can travel so far
Our journey has no limitations
As our eyes can see
We'll journey as far as our vision extends
We go where no one goes
Our path is unique and uncharted
We slow for no one
We won't let anyone hold us back
Get out of our way
We're determined to keep moving forward
Awake in the sky
We're fully present while airborne
We break up so high, alright
We're shattering barriers and ascending to new heights
Let's make it our own,
We'll take full ownership of this experience
Let's savor it
We'll revel in the moment and cherish it
We slow for no one
We won't let anyone hold us back
We go where no one goes
Our path is unique and uncharted
We slow for no one
We won't let anyone hold us back
We go where no one goes
Our path is unique and uncharted
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JON THOR BIRGISSON, JOHN JAMES POWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vee
on Test Drive - From How To Train Your Dragon Music From The Motion Picture
I don't know about you but every time the song gets to the climax I get chills and my brain just goes "YA WOOOOOOO"