Potential Titanic Complete Score Tracklist

Some pretty album art by me, using assets from the film.

The official Titanic soundtrack album and its successor, Back to Titanic, are horrific attempts at summarizing the music from the motion picture; in essence, they simply contain a bunch of alternate takes and cues mixed together with some horrible synths added. Of course, it could be disputed that the music in the film is actually composed of alternate takes and cues mixed together at the behest of James Cameron, but that's irrelevant.

The music in the albums (both the original and Back to Titanic) doesn't match up to the music in the film. It is inferior sounding and omits the best cues in the film. For example, the albums do not include the opening credits/Jack's death, the actual Southampton and Leaving Port cues, the various wonderful piano pieces that play during the film, and most of the party in third class, while the full sinking sequence is extended and mixed up.

Inaccurate soundtrack albums plague the film and music industry, but at least for many other films, recording sessions or complete scores have been leaked to the public and earnestly devoured or as in the special case of the Lord of the Rings, the complete recordings have actually been officially released. Titanic's music is locked tight, with, if they can be believed, only a few lucky individuals having access. I'm not condoning music piracy, but if the music isn't available for purchase, "stealing" (not that the big music companies are hurt by it) is the only way to properly hear it, especially if the company refuses to release the music that by all rights by purchasing the film itself, the consumer should have full access to.

I've compiled two tracklists containing all of the (far superior) actual music from the film, in the correct order. The first is what an official or unofficial bootleg release might look like. The second is how I would organize the tracks myself. I have a habit of renaming unsatisfactorily named tracks, compiling short ones into suites, and editing them if they're broken. My version is far easier to manage, considering the former and that duplicates are removed, making the album more compact with fewer but longer tracks.

Possible official release/unofficial bootleg tracklist: (Please pardon my notes.)

1. Opening Credits (not on album)
2. Ghost Ship (not on album except for a tiny bit of Hymn to the Sea)
3. Into the Wreck (not on album)
4. Distant Memories (most of it is on the album)
5. The Butterfly (not on album)
6. Back to Titanic (alternate version called Southampton on album)
7. A Lucky Hand (not on album)
8. Leaving Port (none of this is actually on the album but there is a track with the same title)
9. Ode to Titanic (alternate version than on album, which is Take Her to Sea, Mr Murdoch)
10. First Glance (not on album)
11. You Jump, I Jump (some of it is on the album in the form of A Promise Kept)
12. Music Box (not on album)
13. Engagement Gift (a tiny bit of it is on the album)
14. Jack's Drawings (not on album)
15. A Real Party (some of it is on the album in An Irish Party In Third Class, though it is incomplete and contains voiceovers for some unfathomable reason)
16. Flying (an alternate version is on the album called Rose and it has pesky synth choir)
17. The Portrait (a softer version is on the album)
18. Lovejoy (not on album, full version of A Lucky Hand)
19. To The Stars (not on album)
20. Hard to Starboard (extended version on album)
21. Trapped Below Decks (some of it is on the album in A Building Panic)
22. Falling Apart (some of it is on album, most of it is not)
23. Ismay's Departure (as per above)
24. Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave (on album, but softer in the film)
25. Cal Spurned (on album, second half of Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave)
26. Third Class Corridors (not on album, some of it is in Hard to Starboard)
27. Nearer, My God, To Thee (slightly different version on album has annoying voiceovers and sound effects at the end)
28. Shattered Dreams (mixed up into The Sinking and A Building Panic with some not included)
29. Death of Titanic (extended version on album)
30. Never Let Go (Jack's death and immediate aftermath not on album, first half is in A Promise Kept)
31. The Carpathia (Never An Absolution and A Life So Changed on album, short version)
32. The Heart of the Ocean (one of my favourite cues, definitely not on album)
33. Never An Absolution (long version of The Carpathia, on album)
34. A Promise Kept (first half is film version of Rose, second half is film version of Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave with a longer fadeout)
35. My Heart Will Go On (yuck, too many versions of this abomination out there)
36. The Ship of Dreams (film version of second half of Take Her to Sea, Mr Murdoch, definitely not on album)

Here's my organized version of the tracklist:

1. Back to Titanic (Opening Credits)
2. Ghost Ship (inc. Into The Wreck)
3. Distant Memories (inc. The Butterfly)
4. Southampton (Back to Titanic)
5. Jack Dawson's Luck (Lovejoy is the full version of A Lucky Hand.)
6. Leaving Port
7. Maiden Voyage (Ode to Titanic)
8. You Jump, I Jump (A suite consisting of First Glance, You Jump, I Jump, Music Box, Engagement Gift, and Jack's Drawings with no pesky crossfading between tracks.)
9. A Real Party
10. Last Sunset (Flying)
11. The Portrait
12. To the Stars
13. Hard to Starboard
14. Trapped Below Decks (I'm not satisfied with this title but I can't think of a better one.)
15. Falling Apart (inc. Ismay's Departure, alternatively titled Women and Children First/Only)
16. Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave (inc. Cal Spurned)
17. Third Class Corridors
18. Nearer, My God, To Thee
19. Shattered Dreams
20. Death of Titanic
21. Never Let Go
22. The Heart of the Ocean
23. Never An Absolution (full version of The Carpathia)
24. A Promise Kept

The tracks that play during the end credits are not included as I would delete the atrocious "My Heart Will Go On" from my computer straightaway and the second track is just the second half of the film version of Maiden Voyage, which of course would be present here (though it's not in its official form "Take Her To Sea, Mr Murdoch").

Both potential complete albums would contain about 1 hour and 40 minutes of music in total, unless further alternate and unused cues and takes were included.

I sincerely hope Sony comes to their senses and releases the Titanic recording sessions or a proper complete score sometime in the near future, otherwise someone will eventually leak it. This beautiful work of James Horner (and others) doesn't deserve to be locked up in one of their vaults while the vastly inferior album floats around, masquerading as the music from Titanic in the public's hearts. Either way, whether I have to pay for it (which I would much rather) or download it (I'd still buy it if it became available), as soon as the chance comes up, I'm taking it.