Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack

Updated September 1, 2000

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Tori may not be touring in 2000, but she did release a new song! Tori is one of the artists on the Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack which was released in the U.S. on May 9, 2000 on Hollywood Records. The exact title of the album is Music From And Inspired By Mission: Impossible 2 (M:i-2). (HR-62244-2) Tori's song is called "Carnival," and a Hollywood Records press release called the song charming and evocative. The latest details about this soundtrack and song are below. The movie itself, from Paramount Pictures, opened in the U.S. on March 24, 2000. It stars Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton and Richard Roxburgh and is directed by John Woo. You can find more about the film at www.missionimpossible.com. You can see the cover of the soundtrack to the right.

Tori's song "Carnival" is NOT heard during the actual film Mission Impossible 2. That includes the credits at the end. That is quite a shame! The title of the album does makes it clear that some of the songs are "inspired" by the movie and not necessarily in it.

The Soundtrack In Other Countries

Here is information on versions of the soundtrack outside the U.S.:

Daniel Nolan informed me that the Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack was released in Australia on Monday, May 15, 2000. Felicity Edwards reports that the soundtrack appears to now be available in the U.K. (She saw it at a local HMV record store.) Claudia tells me the soundtrack is also available in Germany. purple reports seeing it in The Netherlands, and heles says it is out in Italy as well.

Many versions of this soundtrack have extra songs on them that are not available on the North American releases of the album. For example, the U.K. version includes the song "Iko-Iko" from Zap Mama.

Nokomis tells me that the official Australian release of this soundtrack actually has three extra songs: 'Iko Iko' by Zap Mama, 'Sucker' by 28 Days and 'Theme from Mission Impossible' by Australian talent Josh Abrahams.


Ip tells me the soundtrack is also available in Hong Kong. Toriphile Marco Alberto Concepcion found the soundtrack in Manila, Philippines and says it is being distributed by Sony Music Asia. The version in Taiwan is also available commercially (Thanks RGD.) All these Asian versions of the album include these 2 extra tracks:

    17. Zap Mama: Iko-iko
    18: Leon Lai: Afraid Of What

The Taiwan version includes lyrics in English, including official lyrics to Tori's song, "Carnival".

The soundtrack was released in Japan on Tuesday, May 30, 2000. David N. Averbach tells me that the Japanese version has the Zap Mama track, and instead of Leon Lai, this version has a track called SOS by a Japanese band called Oblivion Dust. This continues the trend of many countries adding a local artist to their version of the soundtrack. The movie itself will not be released in Japan until July 8, 2000.

I have information from Toriphile Giovanni who found the album in Colombia. That version also has two additional tracks, one by Zap Mama ("Iko-iko"), and a song by the Mexican rockers JAGUARES. Here is what Giovanni says:

    Song #18 is called "Deslizándote (Gliding)" by the famous mexican rockers JAGUARES (the singer's name, which is also mentioned beside the name of the band, is Saul Hernández, former lead member of the legendary mexican band LOS CAIFANES)

I have information from Luciano Ferreira about the South African version of this soundtrack:

    The Mission Impossible 2 Soundrack has been released locally in South Africa too! I am not too sure if it differs from any of the other soundtracks, but it does have a bonus track (track 17). The track is sung by a women (I don't know who it is, but it has a "latin-american" feel to it).

    The soundtrack was most probably released in the beginning of June 2000, unfortunately I do not have specific dates but it was released (Marketed & Distributed) by GALLO Record Company. (The CAT no.: CDHWD 25)

So it appears that they are adding local content to the soundtrack in some countries to get more people in that country to buy it. All the different versions of this soundtrack have the exact same Tori song, "Carnival". Look below for the regular track listing for the soundtrack.



You can order the soundtrack (regular version) from Tori Amos Direct.

Below you can find comments about Tori's song Carnival, the track listing for the soundtrack, some reviews of the soundtrack, and details on how Tori's song is related to a 1959 movie called Black Orpheus, and more.



The Album Credits / Details & Comments About Tori's Song "Carnival"

Tori's song "Carnival" is 4:18 minutes in length. Here are the credits for the song as they are listed in the Mission Impossible 2 liner notes:

Tori Amos
Carnival
Written by Luiz Bonfa/Hugo Peretti/
Luigi Creatore/George David Weiss
Published by Les Nouvelles Editions Meridian
admin. by Chappell & Co.
(ASCAP)/Music Sales Corporation
(ASCAP)/Abilene Music (ASCAP)
Produced by Tori Amos
Mixed by Mark Hawley and
Marcel van Limbeek
Courtesy of Atlantic Records

Tori's manager Arthur Spivak and tour manager John Witherspoon are thanked in the liner notes.


Executive Album Producers: Cruise/Wagner

Album produced by Mitchell Leib

Soundtrack Coordinator For Hollywood Records: Desirée Craig-Ramos

Soundtrack Album Consultant: Karen Glauber

Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering by: Brian Gardner


The "Carnival" Page

June 7, 2000 - Promo copies of Tori's new song "Carnival" from the Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack were circulating in some form starting around April 27, 2000, because at that time people begun to hear the song on sound clips circulating around the net. After hearing the song myself, I can say I am quite impressed with it. It starts with a rather slow and atmospheric, almost Suede-like feel and ends with a faster tribal beat and some whispering from Tori. People are describing the song and taking guesses as to the lyrics. You can read their comments and lyric guesses on my new Carnival Page, which now includes the official lyrics to Carnival as well. If you have heard the song and would to like add comments about it, please email me.

There has been a lot of discussion as to whether "Carnival" is a new song or a cover. The song is a remake of the classic "Manha de Carnaval", which originated from the 1959 film "Black Orpheus". The English lyrics were NOT written by Tori. There are many translations and versions of the lyrics, and this version was just one that was familiar to her. If you look at the credits for the song on the album, they say Carnival is written by Luiz Bonfa/Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore/George David Weiss. Produced by Tori Amos. Mixed by Mark Hawley and Marcel van Limbeek. What these credits don't tell you however is the fact that the ending of the song, when the music gets faster, is a new composition by Tori that she placed at the end of the song to spice it up. (This comes from a reliable source!) So the song is mainly a cover, but with a unique ending written by Tori. (I assume that means both the music and the words to the ending.) See below for more on the Black Orpheus connection.


Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack Debuts At #2 On The Billboard 200

Updated May 18, 2000 - The May 27, 2000 issue of Billboard Magazine reveals that the Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack debuted on The Billboard 200 album chart at #2. A press release from Hollywood Records that I found on Yahoo's web site says this is the highest-debuting soundtrack album in 3 years. Good to see an album that includes Tori getting this kind of exposure.


Track Listing From The Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack

Here is the track listing from the soundtrack:

  1. Limp Bizkit - Take A Look Around (Theme From "M:I-2")
  2. Metallica - I Disappear
  3. Rob Zombie - Scum of the Earth
  4. Butthole Surfers - They Came In
  5. The Pimps - Rocket Science
  6. Foo Fighters & Brian May - Have A Cigar
  7. Chris Cornell - Mission 2000
  8. Godsmack - Going Down
  9. Uncle Kracker Produced by Kid Rock - What U Lookin' At?
  10. Apartment 26 - Backwards
  11. Diffuser - Karma
  12. Buckcherry - Alone
  13. Tinfed - Immune
  14. Powderfinger - My Kinda Scene
  15. Tori Amos - Carnival
  16. Hans Zimmer featuring Heitor Pereira - Nyah



Reviews Of The Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack

September 1, 2000 - This soundtrack was reviewed somewhere on the half.com web site in May 2000 by someone whose name was not given. Thanks to Glynis for telling me about it:

    Album notes: "Whatever happened to the feel-good music?" Kid Rock protege Kracker asks at one point here, and listeners will know the feeling. There's not a single cut on this soundtrack to the second MISSION IMPOSSIBLE that could be described as "feel-good music"; in fact, most of it--a very au courant mix of extreme metal and rap--is typified by Limp Bizkit's effective bludgeoning of the familiar theme from the original TV show.

    Most of the music here is inventive within its genre restrictions, particularly ex-Soundgarden honcho Chris Cornell's "Mission 2000," a characteristically twisted chunk of grunge-metal. There's also a sensational remake of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar," by the unlikely, but in fact eminently compatible, team of ex-Queen guitarist Brian May and the Foo Fighters. Tori Amos is also on hand to transform the fragile "Carnival," the love theme from the classic French film BLACK ORPHEUS, into one of her trademark collages of industrial-strength weirdness.


September 1, 2000 - This soundtrack was reviewed on the canada.com web site in May 2000 by 2 different people. Thanks to SPARKDOWN/GOAT for telling me about it:

    Various Artists
    Music From and Inspired by Mission: Impossible 2
    (Hollywood/Universal)

    What is this all about? A few questions, should you choose to answer them, about the metallized soundtrack to Tom Cruise's summer carpetbomber: Does "Inspired by" mean these bands were given preview screenings and/or script approval? Metallica's I Disappear, the Butthole Surfers' controlled hallucination They Came In, Limp Bizkit's crunching throwaway Theme .. and Tori Amos? When the Foo Fighters cover Have a Cigar, at what RPM does Kurt Cobain spin? And how many soundtracks does Rob Zombie get to make?
    Mark Lepage, Montreal Gazette

    All over the map
    The sequel's soundtrack is seriously heavy. Limp Bizkit clocks in the theme with Take a Look Arounda, a dark, driving song that sets the tone for the album. Tunes by Metallica, Rob Zombie, Godsmack and Buckcherry are all solid rockers. Surprises come from The Butthole Surfers (They Came In), Chris Cornell (Mission 2000) and the Foo Fighters with former Queen guitarist Brian May ripping through a cover of Pink Floyd's Have a Cigar. The disc goes through a shift after track 9, What Are U Lookin' At, a song produced by Kid Rock. The remaining seven songs are all over the map. Tracks by Diffuser, Tinfed, Tori Amos and Apartment 26 don't deliver. The exception is Australia's Powederfinger. This band has a great singer.
    Stuart Derdeyn, Vancouver Province


July 29, 2000 - This soundtrack was reviewed in the July 29, 2000 edition of The Irish Times and appeared on their web site. Here is the review:

    Various artists: MI2: The Soundtrack (Hollywood Records)

    Right: you're making an action film, and you need some bands to give you a kick-start. Are these the right bands? Well, the show opens with an explosive version of the main theme from Mission Impossible: 2, Take A Look Around by Limp Bizkit, a grunge, in-your-face mega-voyage through guitars, drums and a raging voice. Things continue in a strong rock vein with Foo Fighters, who, with Mr May of Queen, give an excellent burning of the Roger Waters number Have A Cigar, and there are acceptable offerings from Cornell, Buckcherry and Godsmack. But Metallica disappoint with I Disappear (too much wah-wah on the guitar) and while Tori Amos's Carnival is pleasant enough, too much of it might make you sleepy. Overall, though, highly recommended. - Colm Banville

July 3, 2000 - I added two Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack reviews from the U.K. The first review is from the BBC News web site. The second is from the August 2000 issue of Total Film Magazine in the U.K.

June 3, 2000 - Rolling Stone Magazine reviewed the Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack in their June 22, 2000 issue (#843 with Kid Rock on the cover.) Tracy Streimish was kind enough to send this review to me, and you can read it in my Article Archives. It mentions Tori but is very negative about the entire album.

May 10, 2000 - I have added to my Article Archive a review of the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack from the Michigan Daily, a newspaper of the University Of Michigan. The review seemed to enjoy the Tori track, but fears many listeners will be so bored by the other songs they may not even get to Tori's track, which is #15 on the album!


May 10, 2000 - Here is a review of the soundtrack from MTV.com.

    The most impossible mission that this record has is convincing people that this is a good soundtrack. Maybe that's being a bit too harsh, but the soundtrack to Tom Cruise's upcoming summer blockbuster falls mostly flat despite a wealth of huge names in the lineup.

    Of course, the disc is historic (all right, that's way too strong a word) since it's the first time Metallica has ever appeared on a film soundtrack. Woo doggie. Judging by "I Disappear," they shouldn't have bothered. The song is driven by a simplistic riff and one of the weaker hooks James Hetfield has ever dreamed up. Only the neat guitar sound and a pretty fiery little solo from Kirk Hammett redeem this sucker.

    Elsewhere, you've got Fred Durst and company turning the usually compelling Mission: Impossible theme into a standard Limp Bizkit throwdown, with Durst ranting and railing against us rock critics who make poor Fred's life so miserable. Rob Zombie, making his 406th soundtrack appearance this year, checks in with "Scum of the Earth," which sounds suspiciously like a Hellbilly Deluxe outtake.

    Those three biggies kick the record off, and things don't go much further after that opening gambit. It's actually nice to hear the Butthole Surfers again after their long absence, and although "They Came In" isn't one of their finest tunes, it's a quirky little bit of enjoyable Buttholes weirdness. Dave Grohl's impassioned performance and the unmistakable guitar sound of Queen's Brian May bolster their collaborative cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" considerably, while Buckcherry's "Alone" is a fierce rocker that shows why we can keep pretending these guys are Guns N' Roses until the real ones show up, which doesn't look likely anytime soon.

    Of the new acts, only Powderfinger offers something of interest with the melodic, strangely poignant "Not My Kinda Scene." Apartment 26 is just industrial filler, the Pimps are lame rap-metal, and Diffuser plays the kind of bland alternative rock that wasn't even happening two years ago, when it was supposed to be. We're expected to like Uncle Cracker Produced By Kid Rock (that's how it reads on the label) becauseŠ well, because it's Produced By Kid Rock, but a producer does not a good song make.

    Throw in some pointless additions by Chris Cornell, Tori Amos, and Godsmack, and you have not only a mostly tiring soundtrack, but a snapshot of record industry marketing at its lowest common denominator. Sorry to sound so jaded, but the real Mission: Impossible was just getting through this thing.

    -- Don Kaye


May 9, 2000 - A review of the soundtrack was posted at Jam! Showbiz on May 7, 2000. It was taken from the Toronto Sun:

    This mission falls short

    By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun

    MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2
    Various artists
    (Hollywood-Universal)

    The presence of flaky but lovable songbird-pianist Tori Amos notwithstanding, the music to accompany the upcoming Tom Cruise action flick is a decidedly hard-sounding collection.

     In stores Tuesday, this release's list of artists -- Limp Bizkit, Metallica, Rob Zombie, Chris Cornell, etc. -- reads like a calculated attempt to woo lovers of the current rap-metal, heavy-metal and hard rock scene, but with mixed results.  

    To his credit, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst offers up his own restrained, dreamy take on the Mission Impossible theme, until raging guitars kick in at the end.  

    Other standouts include cult faves The Butthole Surfers' spacey They Came In; Cornell at his shrieking best -- finally -- on Mission 2000, which he co-wrote with the collaborators of his much more tame, post-Soundgarden solo debut; Amos' trippy Carnival and composer Hans Zimmer's cool, completely out-of-left-field instrumental Nyah, recorded with Brazilian guitarist Heitor Pereira.

     Metallica's Disappear, the album's first single, is being pushed because it's the first time the heavy metalists have written a song especially for a soundtrack. But who cares if the song isn't up to Metallica's usual high standards?  

    Another tune to avoid is the horrible, hard-rocking cover of Pink Floyd's Have A Cigar by Foo Fighters and Queen's Brian May. Surprisingly, not a good combo.



May 9, 2000 - A good review of the soundtrack can be found at CDNOW.com. Thanks to Sergio Noyola for telling me about it:

    Tom Cruise's recent films have been largely immune to the big-name soundtrack bug, save for a couple of exceptions. But the soundtrack to the John Woo-directed Mission Impossible 2, one of this summer's expected blockbusters, is enough to make up for all of those films together.

    The biggest name attractions are Metallica, whose melodic, powerful "I Disappear" is the first song the band has ever written solely for a movie; Limp Bizkit, who twists the famous "Mission Impossible" theme into the surprisingly easy-to-digest rock/rap tune, "Take a Look Around," and the Foo Fighters and Queen's Brian May teaming up for a heavy (we're talking almost Black Sabbath heavy) cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar."

    In the second tier of name acts are Rob Zombie, with "Scum of the Earth," a song that effectively mixes a heavy metal sound with the energy of a techno track, and Chris Cornell's Soundgarden-esque "Mission 2000."

    The hard rock theme runs continually through the first 13 songs of the 16-track disc, with Godsmack, Buckcherry, and Apartment 26, among others, joining the aforementioned acts.

    The final three numbers veer so far from the hard rock side of Mission Impossible 2, they almost belong on a separate disc. Australian act Powderfinger kicks off the final trifecta with the lush, glam-tinged "Not My Kinda Scene," a song that should give the band a very favorable introduction to American audiences; next up is Tori Amos, whose surprising inclusion is much like Jane Siberry's presence on the testosterone-heavy Crow soundtrack. Like Siberry, Amos more than holds her own with the all-male brigade, as her "Carnival" is a delightfully enchanting tune with a mid-tempo, fairy-tale beat that eventually segues into a danceable sound. And finally closing out the album is Hans Zimmer and Heitor Pereria on the elegant, flamenco-flavored "Nyah."

    In spite of the album's split personalities, Mission Impossible 2 offers enough quality songs to appeal to an array of music fans. And here's hoping that the different music audiences give the whole album a chance and don't just go their favorite bands, because you'd be missing out.

    Steve Baltin



May 9, 2000 - A short review of the soundtrack was found by Toriphile Cherdy at seventeen.com. Here is what they say:

    With names like Metallica and Limp Bizkit giving this disc something of a fighting chance to do better than the similarly-slanted End of Days soundtrack (hmm, Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger ... which would you pick?) the Mission: Impossible 2 album has a pretty potent "rawk" quotient carrying through to the bitter end (yes, even Tori Amos' "Carnival" counts). But with folks like the aforementioned Metallica ("I Disappear") and Limp Bizkit ("Take A Look Around") as well as Rob Zombie ("Scum of the Earth") coming off no better and no worse than you would expect them to, thank goodness for the Foo Fighters and Queen guitarist Brian May, who team up for a blazing cover of the trippy Pink Floyd classic "Have a Cigar" (with Foos drummer Taylor on lead vocals) that can stand proud (and, perhaps, alone) in the "mission accomplished" category.


Listen to Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack At StreamSearch.com; Register To Win A Copy Of The Soundtrack

May 9, 2000 - StreamSearch.com is giving away free copies of the Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack or tickets to the movie. To have a chance to win you have to register for their free My Streams service. After you sign up you will be taken to a special Mission Impossible 2 page where you will see a trailer for the movie Mission Impossible and have a chance to listen to any track from the soundtrack using the Windows Media Player. Thanks to Jeska for informing me about this.


MTV.com Soundtrack Listening Party

May 3, 2000 - I found a press release from MTV.com about this soundtrack and movie at the Yahoo web site on May 2, 2000. Here is part of the press release:

    MTV.com is celebrating the opening of ``Mission Impossible 2'' with a sweepstakes where one lucky fan and a friend will win a trip to the film's premiere in Los Angeles, CA on May 21. Starting today through May 9th, visitors to http://www.mtv.com who download Apartment 26's ``Backwards'' track from the ``M:i-2'' area are automatically entered in the sweepstakes.

    On May 8th, MTV.com will host an online listening party. Stop by and listen to an exclusive day long streaming preview of the movie's hot soundtrack, which includes new music by Metallica, Foo Fighters, Tori Amos and other top artists.


Hollywood Records Press Release About Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack

April 19, 2000 - Hollywood Records has released a press release about the upcoming Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack that I found at Yahoo's web site. It verifies that the soundtrack will be released in the U.S. on May 9, 2000 and that Tori is on the album. The press release says, "Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Tori Amos contributes the charming, evocative 'Carnival.'" I am thinking that earlier reports that the song would be called "Manha de Carnaval" are either inaccurate, or they decided to shorten the title. Here is the full text of the Hollywood Records press release:

    Friday April 14, 7:01 am Eastern Time

    Company Press Release

    Metallica Debuts New Song on Soundtrack to "Mission: Impossible 2"

    BURBANK, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--April 14, 2000--"Mission: Impossible 2" promises to be the electrifying, hold-your-breath, Tilt-a-Whirl ride of the summer -- so is it any wonder its soundtrack is equally fierce, energetic, original and entertaining?

    For the first time ever, multi-platinum artists Metallica have written a song -- "I Disappear" -- especially for a film soundtrack. It's the legendary band's first recording since 1999's multi-platinum "S&M" disc, which featured a history-making collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony. "I Disappear" will be the first single from "M:I-2."

    "This was the first time we had ever been approached to do a movie project where we felt there was a chance to break unprecedented creative ground," explained Metallica's Lars Ulrich. "We really felt -- and ultimately were proven right -- that this would be the first major creative marriage between a song, a rock band and a film."

    Due out on May 9, the Hollywood Records release will also include "Take A Look Around (M:I-2 Theme)" by Limp Bizkit. Fred Durst and Co. heard about the project and came up with new, uniquely Bizkit-esque lyrics to go with their brilliantly skewed version of the venerable theme song.

    The soundtrack of "M:I-2" also features a Foo Fighters & Brian May cover of the Pink Floyd classic, "Have A Cigar," as well as a ferocious new Rob Zombie song, "Scum of the Earth." Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Tori Amos contributes the charming, evocative "Carnival." Perennial cult favorites, Surfdog/Hollywood artists Butthole Surfers chime in with "They Came In," while Chris Cornell provides a special new reworking of "Mission 2000." Godsmack wrote a swirling new song for the occasion, "Going Down."

    A wide array of remarkable new artists also composed special songs for "M:I-2," including The Pimps' rollicking "Rocket Science" and Diffuser's emo-core rocker "Kharma." New Ozzfest electronic-rock band Apartment 26 provided "Backwards," produced by Ulrich Wild. The first signing of Kid Rock's new Top Dog label, Uncle Kracker, made "M:I-2" their first project, with Kid Rock producing their track, "What U Lookin' At?" The filmmakers discovered Powderfinger while "M:I-2" was filming in Australia, and recruited the Aussie buzz band to contribute a song, "My Kinda Scene," mixed by Nick DiDia. All this plus Third Rail/Hollywood Records' signing Tinfed's "Immune."

    Legendary composer Hans Zimmer wrote the "M:I-2" score, which is set for a separate CD release later this summer. Zimmer also has two soundtrack contributions. He joins with Buckcherry for the ravenous "Alone" and performs with Brazilian guitarist Heitor Pereira on the brand new song, "Nyah," for "M:I-2."

    "Mission: Impossible 2" stars Tom Cruise, and features Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames and Anthony Hopkins. Directed by Hong Kong action master John Woo ("Face/Off," "Hard Target," "Broken Arrow," "The Killer"), the sequel was written by Oscar-winner Robert Towne ("Chinatown," "Armageddon," "The Firm," "Tequila Sunrise"). The Cruise/Wagner Production, Paramount Pictures film is set for release on May 24.



The "Black Orpheus" Connection And Tori's "Carnival"

There has been a lot of discussion as to whether "Carnival" is a new song or a cover. Several reports on my Carnival Page confirm that the song is a cover of the classic "Manha de Carnaval", which originated from the 1959 film "Black Orpheus". The English lyrics were NOT written by Tori. There are many translations and versions of the lyrics, and this version was just one that was familiar to her. If you look at the credits for the song on the album, they say Carnival is written by Luiz Bonfa/Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore/George David Weiss. Produced by Tori Amos. Mixed by Mark Hawley and Marcel van Limbeek. What these credits don't tell you however is the fact that the ending of the song, when the music gets faster, is a new composition by Tori that she placed at the end of the song to spice it up. (This comes from a reliable source!) So the song is mainly a cover, but with a unique ending written by Tori. (I assume that means both the music and the words to the ending.)

Black Orpheus is a 1959 film directed by Marcel Camus. It is the re-telling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice set in Rio de Janeiro during the Carnival. You can read about this film at imusic.com and the Internet Movie Database (where it is called "Orfeu Negro"). As mentioned at imusic.com, "The score for Black Orpheus was written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa, two prime movers of the Brazilian music scene of the 1950's forward. The overpowering strength of the musical elements of the film brought samba music to the ears of European and American audiences for the first time, and were a major influence in the growth of Brazilian music into the "bossa nova" craze of the 1960's." You can see the track listing for the original soundtrack at the ArtistDirect SuperStore. There you will see that one of the songs on the soundtrack was called, "Manha de Carnaval," which means "Morning of the Carnival." You can also hear a sound clip from that song at ArtistDirect. That sound clip does not include any singing, but other recorded versions of the song do have lyrics, such as the sound clip of the song by Luiz Bonfa at CDNOW's web site.


"Manha de Carnaval" has been recorded by several different artists. When I try to find versions that have lyrics, I find different results. A Joan Baez version I heard is in Portuguese. Below you can find the English translation of Joan's version (Thanks to David Louie who had his friend Fernanda do this translation!):

    Morning so beautiful
    happy, happy since then
    The sun rised, it appeared
    shining
    A dream then
    Oh heart (in portuguese, this "heart" means dear)

    After this happy day
    Don't know if it will have another day
    In our morning of carnival

    My heart sings
    Happiness and joy, being happy since then


Singer Luis Miguel did the song in Spanish. You can see those lyrics on this Luis Miguel web page along with an English translation. The English lyrics are reproduced below:

    Blue, the morning is clear blue.
    If I call, the sun will come up,
    it pauses at my voice (to listen),
    and all through eternity,
    the sun will go along its path toward another bright blue day.

    Afterwards... I don't know if there is an afterwards,
    or if the sun will awaken again (because my song says it brings it)
    for my song doesn't really have to be the truth
    because it's carnival time.
    It's just that I search for you
    even though you may not really exist,
    and your voice is an illusion from out of the blue.

    Afterwards... I don't know if there is an afterwards,
    if the sun will awaken again (because my song says it brings it)
    for my song doesn't really have to be the truth
    because it's carnaval time.

    My heart will sing, (that's) its reason for living,
    it will sing without words, without regret...

The Bossa Nova Guitar Transcriptions web page has different lyrics for the song from a version sung by Luiz Bonfa. Here are the English and Portuguese lyrics:

Manha tão bonita manhã Morning, such a beautiful morning
Na vida uma nova canção In life there is a new song
 
Cantando só teus olhos, It sings only of your eyes,
teu riso, e tuas mãos your smile, and your hands
 
Pois há de haver um dia Then there will be a day
em que virás when you will see
 
Das cordas do meu violão From the chords of my guitar
que só teu amor procurou that seeked only your love
 
Vem uma voz There comes a voice
falar dos beijos to speak of the kisses
perdidos nos lábios teus lost in your lips
 
Canta o meu coração My heart sings
alegria voltou, tão feliz joy came back, so happy
a manhã deste amor the morning of this love

You can compare these lyrics to the lyrics for the Tori song that are on my Carnival Page.

F. Engin Palabiyik tells me that "Manha de Carnaval" has a Turkish version as well. It's by "Nilufer" titled "Bazen Hayaller Kurarim" and was released in 1986 or 1987.

For those of you who are curious about what the other versions of "Manha de Carnaval" actually sound like in comparison to Tori's version: you can download 3 different versions of the song including the Joan Baez version, courtesy of Audrey, at:

http://www.idrive.com/toricarnival/files/Shared


Other Information On The Soundtrack

April 19, 2000 - You can find additional news stories about this soundtrack at MTV Online, Rolling Stone's web site and at Spin's web site.

February 14, 2000 - MTV.com, in a story on Eve 6, first alerted us that Tori would be on this soundtrack. I also reported at the same time that the Matt Chamberlain web site said, "Matt performs with Tori Amos on 'Black Orpheus,' which will be on the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack." The April 2000 issue of Vanity Fair magazine gave us more information. In the Fanfair section of the magazine on page 458, it talked about the Mission Impossible 2 movie and at one point states, "Tori Amos conjures up a new 'Manha de Carnaval' (orignially from Black Orpheus) for Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible 2."



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