LOST Soundtrack Analysis: The Heart of the Island Theme (6x15 "Across the Sea" - Part 1 of 2)

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#LOST SOUNDTRACK ANALYSIS (Michael Giacchino's score)
"This is the reason we're here."
As the Heart of the Island is finally revealed, we explore the ways in which its epic theme relates to one of the most... consistently uncomfortable aspects of the LOST soundtrack. Go watch it!
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So many years after the show's ending, Michael Giacchino's amazing soundtrack for LOST still has many, many secrets to uncover. Not only does every main character have their own theme music, but much like the interconnected writing of the show itself, Giacchino's score connects locations, scenes, emotions and conflicts in unbelievably brilliant ways. For the foreseeable future, I will be exploring Michael Giacchino's soundtrack from ABC's LOST in a weekly video, covering all episodes of the show and their musical connections to each other.

[@williamphilipson-composer]

I really liked the inclusion of the interviews and behind the scenes content with Michael Giacchino, good stuff!

[@Choekaas]

OOooh. Great subject! The lone, dark and mysterious harp sometimes remind me of a guitar string. Like a mysterious and scary encounter with a cowboy in the desert. You're absolutely right. Those long glissandos are so much associated with beauty, it's quite amazing that Giacchino manages to turn them into something unique. That scene in the Pilot really stands out. Never noticed the Dark territory scene though (nor Collision, haha, that one was drowned in violence and other instruments). I also love the breakfast scene with Ben and Kate. The harp is noticeable, but in a creepy way. I do remember many criticized the reveal of the Heart of the Island - even when you revisit "live threads" and fans smirking of it when we first see it, and I think I agree with you about the music fueling that criticism. (For instance, I think the Heart of the Island looks 10 times as cool when we revisit it during the night with Mother and Jacob). Maybe the reveal should've been at night time so it wouldn't feel to much like Narnia? "Across the Sea" is still very high on my list though, but I can understand the criticism of it. Also, I love that you added much more background research to the video.

[@FringeMusic107]

That harp is just amazing. Within the context of the show, it feels like such a facade that this beautiful music plays during creepy/violent moments. It's also really noticeable at the end of "Eko Blaster", but that part is barely audible in the episode itself. The breakfast scene in particular is very interesting - as mentioned before in these videos, it even uniquely features French horn! The whole thing just feels off, because obviously Ben's intentions are not exactly pure in that moment... The reveal of the Heart of the Island is really strange. But it's many things - the direction, the writing ("the warmest, brightest light you've ever seen or felt!"), and even Allison Janney's acting. Like I mentioned in this video, I think a large part of it that doesn't work is the fact that we're experiencing it through the eyes of children. It's not a great first impression, even if the concept of the source makes a lot of sense for the show.

[@TheManor108]

Absolutely great analysis on this video - the thing about the Heart theme feeling weird was something I felt rewatching this a couple weeks ago and its so cool to see you explain why that was and make sense of that for me. You're the best!

[@FringeMusic107]

Thanks a lot! I think there's many things that don't work about that scene, but the music (surprisingly) is one part of the issue. The theme itself is really great, but I feel like Giacchino was instructed to go for "epic fantasy" where it really didn't seem to fit.

[@MJJMayor]

Great comparison with the Temple Theme. I've always thought some of these mystical themes from Season 6 stood out a lot and I'm glad you were able to show one of the reasons why. Also you definitely don't have to add a warning for virtual piano haha. I actually really like when you use virtual piano or sheet music to show the themes/motifs in greater detail. It really helps my ear sometimes if I'm not able to pick out the nuances when there's also dialogue, sound effects, and other musical parts going.

[@FringeMusic107]

Thanks a lot! That's a true relief - because of technical reasons, I have to record the piano with the sound turned off (there's a sound delay that makes it really tricky to play), so it's the final result is not always what I'm hoping for. I'm glad to hear it's helpful!

[@jaredomalley1208]

7:54 MIND BLOWN! Literal Goosebumps!! 👏👏👏

[@AhmedGhazwan]

It's about time you talked about *The Harp*. This was awesome! xD

[@M4ke4l]

Oh gosh i gave up my expectetions of a harp video a long time ago, what a great surprise!

[@mikeinglese9631]

You blew my mind wide open with this one. Is there any way for Michael Giacchino to see these lol. Legendary start to the video. I remember that moment so vividly.

[@FringeMusic107]

Thanks a lot! Giacchino did like a tweet of mine once.... but I don't believe he's seen any of these videos. Sadly for me, he's a busy man these days. 😜

[@AhmedGhazwan]

Hey FringeMusic107, I hope you're doing well. I was just watching parts of "The End" and got to the very final scene when an idea came to mind connecting to the harp. I'm fairly certain you've already caught it or thought it was interesting. The final note that plays when the screen turns black is clearly single note being played on a harp, but this time it's very calm and warm. Of course I would think this is a clear nod to all the creepy and harsh harp notes played throughout the series, and now it being finally at peace is very fitting. Again, I'm sure you've already known all of this, and perhaps you even mentioned this before and I've forgotten and now I think it's my idea, and that I've long conned myself !!! xD

[@jaredomalley1208]

At 6:54 you can hear the start of Desmond’s Flash-Sideways theme.