His film work includes a number of well-known movies, including Avatar, for which he received Golden Globe and Grammy nominations for the theme song, and for being the producer of "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic, for which he won a Record of The Year Grammy Award. Other film credits range from David Fincher's Seven, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Magnificent Seven, to arranging music for the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre.
After showing skill with synthesizers whilst working in London recording studios as a student, Franglen was hired by Trevor Horn as a Synclavier programmer, working on Yes, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Godley and Creme. He left Sarm West Studios to become an independent producer for acts like The Associates and a composer for commercials and TV. He composed the famous Direct Line jingle.
Franglen moved into film music when he was introduced to the composer John Barry late in the production of the score for Dances with Wolves and collaborated on the soundtrack album. He continued to work with Barry for a number of years, including on Chaplin. Other long-term collaborations were with the film composers Alan Silvestri, James Horner, and Howard Shore, for whom he created the trademark dystopian electronica for Seven by David Fincher.
He worked with producer David Foster on the soundtrack for The Bodyguard and later, produced Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor's "Come What May" with Foster for director Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge!, where he separately acted as vocal producer for the film songs. In 1997, he worked for the first time with James Horner on the score for Titanic, for which he won a Grammy Award as producer of "My Heart Will Go On". He reconnected with Horner for Avatar, spending almost 11 months working on the score; he acted as Electronic Music Arranger and also co-wrote and co-produced the Golden Globe and Grammy nominated theme song. Horner and Franglen continued to work closely together from 2009 on films such as The Amazing Spider-Man, Franglen initially acting as arranger, then moving to score producer.
Franglen has worked with Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, David Foster, Toni Braxton, The Corrs, Monica, Bee Gees, Luciano Pavarotti. Currently there are over four hundred music credits to Franglen on AllMusic.
Page One
Simon Franglen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing, very few people are able to imagine such a thing, to have nothing at all.
Well let us, you and I, try to imagine something a hundred times harder.
Not just to have nothing at all, but when there was nothing at all.
The very beginning of time.
The dawn of history.
Page one.
The earth itself with out form, and void.
Only an emptiness, formless, a dark endless waste of water.
No living thing, no plant or tree, no bird or animal.
Nothing.
This is before people.
Before anything at all.
A void.
Sitting silent.
Still.
And then
Nothing.
The lyrics of Simon Franglen's song "Page One" aim to take the listener on a journey to the very beginning of time, to a place where there was nothing at all. The imagery of having no possessions is used to help the audience understand the concept of having absolutely nothing, which is then expanded upon to describe a time when the earth itself was formless, void, and completely empty. The lyrics invite the listener to try to imagine a void sitting silent and still that existed before people, before anything at all.
Overall, the lyrics of "Page One" are a reflection on the theme of emptiness, formlessness, and nothingness. This is conveyed through the powerful imagery of a time before anything existed and the use of language that evokes a sense of void and stillness. The lyrics encourage the listener to consider the concept of "nothing" in a way that is not often explored and to appreciate the incredible majesty of creation.
Line by Line Meaning
Imagine if you can what it is like to have no possessions at all.
It is difficult for most people to fathom having absolutely nothing, no possessions at all.
Nothing, very few people are able to imagine such a thing, to have nothing at all.
It is almost impossible for most people to truly understand the concept of having absolutely nothing in their lives.
Well let us, you and I, try to imagine something a hundred times harder.
Instead of simply imagining having nothing at all, let's try to envision a time before anything existed at all, which is a much more difficult task.
Not just to have nothing at all, but when there was nothing at all.
This is referring to a time before the existence of the universe, when literally nothing existed whatsoever.
The very beginning of time.
This is referencing the moment at which time itself began, before which there was no concept of time.
The dawn of history.
This phrase is referring to the beginning of human history, which began after the events being described here.
Page one.
This is the beginning of the story of creation, and represents the starting point for human history.
Nothing at all.
This is emphasizing the fact that there was absolutely nothing in existence prior to the events being described here.
The earth itself with out form, and void.
This line describes the state of the earth before it had taken on any recognizable form or shape, when it was simply a void space.
Only an emptiness, formless, a dark endless waste of water.
At this point, there were no distinguishable features of the earth, only a dark, water-filled void.
No living thing, no plant or tree, no bird or animal.
Because this was prior to the creation of life on earth, there were no plants, animals, or other living creatures present.
Nothing.
This final line emphasizes the concept of complete nothingness, emphasizing the desolate, empty void that existed prior to creation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRED DEAKIN, NICK FRANGLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Isaac Warren Music
I absolutely LOVED his score. I've probably listened to it all the way through at least 50 times at this point. My favorite cue is either "Train Attack" or "Bad Parents". This guy really knows how to write action cues.
Bara Matahari Pagi
The synths in Bad Parents are so badass!
Isaac Warren Music
@Bara Matahari Pagi and the main motif is so good!! i hope he brings it back in the next film
Bara Matahari Pagi
@Isaac Warren Music You're right, I hope so too!
Himanshu Nayak
For me, it's "The Spirit Tree", "Into the Water" and "From Darkness to Light"...
Kyle McCormick
I loved the entire score for the new Avatar, although my favorites are definitely Into the Water, The Way of Water, and the very beginning of Payakan. They are so well-written, and I get emotional every time I listen to them. The score is an absolute masterpiece, and I can't wait for Avatar 3!
Mike Bichsel
Academy Award for Best Original Score! "From darkness to light", "The spirit tree" and "The Songcord" are such beautiful masterpieces!
ShadowReplicant
I'm still having trouble getting through "The Spirit Tree" without tearing up a little towards the end. What a perfect musical finale.
Surfaced
The songcord is absolut brilliant. Alone that song deservers an Oscar!
Archer
Those three hit me everytime I listen to them. I was worried when I heard James Horner would be back for the sequel (RIP), but his successor made a very fine job.