Transformers: The Score
Encyclopedia
Transformers: The Score is a soundtrack that features the musical score by film composer Steve Jablonsky
Steve Jablonsky
Steven Jablonsky is an American music composer for film, television and video games. He has been the music director for all the Michael Bay movies produced and directed since The Island...

 for the 2007 live-action film Transformers. It was released October 9, 2007, on Jablonsky's 37th birthday. According to the back of the CD cover, 11 of the 20 tracks are arranged differently from what is heard in the actual film, resulting in extended- but accurately-complete- soundtracks.

History

Transformers: The Album
Transformers: The Album
Transformers: The Album is a compilation album of various artists music from the 2007 live-action Transformers movie. The official single from the album is "Before It's Too Late " by the Goo Goo Dolls. The soundtrack debuted at number 21 on the U.S Billboard 200, selling about 32,000 copies in its...

did not contain any of the instrumental music (score) composed by Steve Jablonsky
Steve Jablonsky
Steven Jablonsky is an American music composer for film, television and video games. He has been the music director for all the Michael Bay movies produced and directed since The Island...

 featured in the movie, instead featuring only 12 songs from various rap and rock music groups; four of those songs did not even appear in the film itself. Sony music announced early in July that, "At this time, there are no immediate plans regarding the release of the Transformers soundtrack score". This received criticism from some fans of the movie. An unofficial online petition was set up at The Knight Shift to persuade Sony Records to release just Jablonsky's score as a CD soundtrack. (Warner Bros. Records, however, actually owned the rights to the music.) At the end of the opening month for Transformers in July 2007, the petition had over two thousand signatures. At the end of August, when Warner Bros. Records announced that a CD containing the score was going to be released- only two months after the petition had been created- 5,505 signatures had been registered.
  • July 25, 2007- Chandra Cogburn - the Score Engineer who worked on the "Transformers" score - announced via email to The Knight Shift that "There will be an album of Transformers score coming out soon. I do not know the details, as I am not working on it. Thanks so much for appreciating the music, and all our hard work!..."
  • August 6, 2007- Sony BMG Customer Service confirmed in an e-mail that they "...have no information because this is not a Sony BMG release". Also, Diamond Select confirmed not to be associated with a score release on the 2007 score. According to Michael Bay's official website in late July 2007, there were plans to release the score sometime in the future, though probably not by Sony Music since this was a Paramount/DreamWorks film. The possible source of this confusion may be that Sony owns the rights to the 1986 Transformers animated film
    The Transformers: The Movie
    The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....

    , but they do not own the rights to the 2007 Transformers live-action film. Thus, previously-mentioned Sony releases may refer to the 1986 score.
  • August 26, 2007- The Knight Shift first reported and confirmed that "Transformers: The Score" will be released on October 9, 2007 by Warner Bros. Records
    Warner Bros. Records
    Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

    .
  • September 2, 2007- Steve Jablonsky
    Steve Jablonsky
    Steven Jablonsky is an American music composer for film, television and video games. He has been the music director for all the Michael Bay movies produced and directed since The Island...

     submitted an e-mail to the owner of The Knight Shift, thanking the website and everyone who signed the petition for their support. In the message, he mentioned that a CD containing his music was always in the works, but had simply taken longer to get out. This message can be found on the front page of the online petition; though it was not along the inside of the cover art for the soundtrack disc itself as was rumored before its release.
  • October 9, 2007- Steve Jablonsky's score was released. It debuted as the 32nd best selling album on Amazon.com
    Amazon.com
    Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

     and was the third best selling soundtrack. For unknown reasons, the score just as quickly went out of print, causing prices to skyrocket as scalpers cashed in on the overwhelming demand. Bootleg copies also popped up occasionally on online auctions and dealers.
  • April 24, 2008- A second petition requesting a reissue of the score from Warner Bros. Records
    Warner Bros. Records
    Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

     was initiated, in view of the high demand for this album. On the first day alone, over 100 signatures were logged.
  • The score continues to be available for purchase online from the iTunes Store
    ITunes Store
    The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

     and from Amazon.com
    Amazon.com
    Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

    's MP3 store.

CD Track listing

# Title Key Scenes/Notes Duration
1 "Autobots" The extended introduction theme accompanying Optimus Prime's narration explaining the origins of the All Spark Cube as the viewer sees it fall to Earth thousands of years before the events of the film. Portions of this track are also used in the scene where naval ships are deployed at sea during Defense Secretary
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...

 John Keller's debriefing.
2:33
2 "Decepticons" Parts of this track are used throughout the film to emphasize the threat of the Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...

s, even if they are not seen on-screen. It is primarily heard in full when Frenzy infiltrates Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...

 to hack the U.S. Defense Network. Also played when Defense Secretary Keller is briefed by Agent Banachek at the NMCC
National Military Command Center
Located in the Pentagon, the National Military Command Center houses the logistical and communications center for the National Command Authority of the United States of America. The facility, which is composed of several war rooms, is the principal command and control center of the Department of...

, and when Agent Banachek leads the group at the Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...

 into the area where Megatron is being held. There is no pause between this track and the next, so the echoing last note carries for 1–2 seconds into Track #3. (It is incorrectly assumed that this track is used for when Starscream mobilizes the other Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...

s; that is an unreleased piece of music.
)
3:51
3 "The All Spark" Sam Witwicky, Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...

, and all of the other major human characters are introduced to the giant All Spark Cube hidden inside Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...

.
3:34
4 "Deciphering the Signal" Defense Secretary
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...

 John Keller debriefs Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 on the mysteriously fatal attack in Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

, and reveals a foreign communication signal as their only clue. It is also used in the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 Autobot Headquarters website. The track includes Solos by: Martin Tillman
Martin Tillman
Martin Tillman is a Swiss composer and world renowned cellistHe has established himself in the motion picture and recording world as one of the most sought after talents of experimental acoustic and electric cello.-Biography:...

3:08
5 "Frenzy" The main human characters gather inside a locked room inside Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...

 and witness the power of the All Spark Cube to create (and destroy) Cybertronian life. (The character Frenzy actually does not appear until the next scene, after this music has ended. The title of the track may, instead, refer to the crazed and uncontrollable actions of the tiny 'newborn' Cybertronian inside the hardened glass box.)
1:56
6 "Optimus" The Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...

s retreat to the Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest...

 after Bumblebee, Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...

 are captured by Sector-7 agents. Here, Optimus Prime confirms the location of the All Spark. The beginning portion of the track is also played when Sam and Mikaela talk to Bumblebee after his fight with Barricade. During both scenes, the flute heard in the album track is not used, and the guitar heard in the background is not used in the Observatory scene. The opening portion of the track with the flute solo is used as the ending theme for the Transformers: Beginnings video (an adaptation of the Transformers: Movie Prequel
Transformers: Movie Prequel
Transformers: Movie Prequel, published by IDW Publishing, is a 2007 comic book limited series that serves as a prequel to the 2007 film Transformers. It is written by Simon Furman and IDW editor-in-chief Chris Ryall, who was allowed to read the film's script, and penciled by artist Don Figueroa...

).
3:15
7 "Bumblebee" Heard primarily when Bumblebee is freed from confinement inside Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...

, and is taken to the All Spark where he shrinks it down. Parts of this track are also played when Bumblebee shatters the windows of the other used cars at Bobby Bolivia's lot, and during his fight against Barricade. The music is reflective of its usage in the film; it builds and builds, culminating in a full-orchestra version of an extension of the melody from "The All Spark".
3:58
8 "SOCCENT Attack" Blackout and Scorponok attack the SOCCENT
United States Special Operations Command Central
The United States Special Operations Command Central is a subordinate unified command of joint forces for the U.S. Central Command...

 U.S. military base in Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

. Also used when Megatron breaks free from his frozen state inside the Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...

 and escapes outside the Dam.
2:07
9 "Sam at the Lake" Sam Witwicky goes with his friend Miles and meet up with Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...

 and their classmates. Part of it is also used before this when he first returns home after purchasing his car (actually Bumblebee) and is checking his eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...

 auctions.
1:59
10 "Scorponok" The showdown between Scorponok and the surviving U.S. soldiers at a small desert village in Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

. Also used in part when Frenzy breaks into the alien archives through the air ducts inside the Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...

 and when the Autobots drive to Mission City. (The title of the track is misspelled "Skorpinok" in the electronic listings inside the CD itself, but appears normally on the CD cover and case booklet.)
4:57
11 "Cybertron" Optimus Prime tells Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...

 the history of the planet Cybertron, where the Transformers come from, and how Captain Witwicky found Megatron and went insane afterwards. The beginning portion of the track is played when Mikaela tells Sam about why she was called a 'criminal' after unlocking his handcuffs.
2:46
12 "Arrival to Earth" The Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...

s enter Earth's atmosphere and assume their alternate modes before rendezvousing with Bumblebee, Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...

. A portion is played when the signal decipherers are being briefed by the Secretary of Defense at The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...

. Also, the first 20 seconds of the track [up to where the stringed instruments take over from the choir] are played when Sam first talks about Captain Witwicky's Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....

 expedition.
5:26
13 "Witwicky" Though broken into several sequential parts in the film, it is heard primarily at the beginning of the scene where the Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...

s hide in the Witwicky backyard- particularly from when Sam's dad confronts him on the back porch, up to when Sam runs into the house with Mojo.
(The title of the track is misspelled "Whitwicky" in the electronic listings inside the CD itself, but appears normally on the CD cover and case booklet. Ironically, a running gag through the film is various characters mispronouncing the name Witwicky.)
1:57
14 "Downtown Battle" The Air Force is preparing to launch for Mission City upon orders from Secretary Keller, and when the Sector 7 vehicles & Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...

s arrive there. Also used when Starscream fires upon the group of humans and Autobots.
1:33
15 "Sector 7" The Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...

s help Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...

 escape from Sector 7's clutches and run off. (Tracks # 15 and 16 are actually one song which is 4:25 min long that is broken into two separate tracks. Hence, there is no pause between them.)
2:05
16 "Bumblebee Captured" Bumblebee is captured after he saves Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...

, who slipped and fell off Optimus Prime while hiding under a bridge.
2:17
17 "You're a Soldier Now" Megatron arrives and Jazz attempts to hold him off; Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes
Mikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...

 brings a tow truck to help Bumblebee; Sam Witwicky is told by Captain William Lennox to run with the Allspark away from the war zone; Optimus Prime arrives in the city after being delayed by Bonecrusher on the highway.
3:27
18 "Sam on the Roof" Sam Witwicky is cornered by Megatron on the roof of an old abandoned building after Starscream shoots down the Black Hawk helicopter sent to rescue him. 2:02
19 "Optimus vs. Megatron" The final showdown between Optimus Prime and Megatron in the city. Blackout is also destroyed by Captain William Lennox and some F-22s during this scene, and Starscream attacks the Air Force's incoming Raptors
F-22 Raptor
The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation supermaneuverable fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals...

.
3:59
20 "No Sacrifice, No Victory" The surviving Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...

s collect themselves together at the end of the Mission City battle, paying thanks to the humans, and Secretary Keller announces that Sector 7 is to be disbanded, with the remains of the Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...

s will be sunken at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss
Laurentian Abyss
The Laurentian Abyss is an underwater depression off the eastern coast of Canada in the Atlantic Ocean. Not a trench, but more of an "underwater valley", it is estimated to be at most ~6,000 meters in depth...

.
2:57


Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 18, and 20 are marked (*) on the CD cover, case backing, and inner booklet with a subtext of "Different version in film". This may refer to the fact that these tracks, though complete on the CD as originally scored, are not heard in their entirety in the film or are broken up.

Other unreleased music

Approximately one month before its release, ten soundtracks were provided free of charge as a downloadable file over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

, requiring the use of DirectX
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...

 software to be heard. However, with the exception of the track that would become #19- "Optimus VS. Megatron", they were all altered, shortened, or mixed-together and of what would be released onto the official CD, though indeed containing original score music heard in the film-
  • Aftermath (Track #20- "No Sacrifice, No Victory")
  • Blackout Attacks (Track #8- "SOCCENT Attack")
  • Bumblebee Captured (Track #16- "Bumblebee Captured")
  • Scorponok (Track #10- "Scorponok")
  • The Final Battle (Track #17- "You're a Soldier Now")
  • The Final Battle, Part 2 (Track #19- "Optimus vs. Megatron")


Four tracks included in this file were not included in any way at all in the official CD release:
  • "Autobots to the Rescue" - played right after Optimus Prime rips the roof off a Sector 7 truck, and all of the Autobots come to take Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes
    Mikaela Banes
    Mikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...

     away.
  • "Barricade" - played during the scene where Decepticon
    Decepticon
    The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...

     Barricade confronts Sam Witwicky in the parking lot overpass, and Bumblebee arrives to carry him and Mikaela Banes away from the police car 'monster'.
  • "Bumble-Stumble" - just after Starscream shoots at the Autobot
    Autobot
    Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...

    s in Mission City and Bumblebee has lost the use of his legs; it also covers Brawl's opening attack, and ends just before Ironhide transforms in slow-motion.
  • "Soldiers Arrive" - played during the scene where the soldier Captain William Lennox and his team land on the Soccent Airbase in Qatar.

External links

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