You know that feeling when a piece of music just opens up your chest? That’s John Barry’s score for Sydney Pollack’s 1985 epic. Honestly, the out of africa movie soundtrack isn't just a collection of background tracks. It's the soul of the film. Without it, you’re just watching Meryl Streep and Robert Redford look pretty in the dirt. With it, you’re witnessing the literal ache of a disappearing world.
Barry was a genius at this. He didn't just write melodies; he wrote atmospheres. The man who gave us the sleek, brassy punch of James Bond turned around and gave us the most expansive, sweeping strings in cinematic history. It's almost weird to think the same brain produced both. But that's the thing about the music in this film. It doesn't just sit there. It breathes.
What Makes the Out of Africa Movie Soundtrack So Distinct?
It’s the Main Title. That’s the big one. If you’ve heard it once, you can hum it for the rest of your life. It starts with those low, resonant woodwinds and then just... soars. Barry had this specific way of using a "slow-motion" tempo that felt like the camera was gliding over the Ngong Hills even when you were just sitting in a dark theater or your living room.
A lot of people think film scores need to be busy. They think more notes equals more emotion. Barry proved the opposite. He used these long, sustained chords that felt like the horizon line in Kenya. It was minimalist in structure but maximalist in feeling. If you listen closely to "I Had a Farm in Africa," the melody doesn't rush. It takes its time. It’s patient. Kinda like the land itself.
There's also the Mozart influence. We can’t talk about this soundtrack without mentioning the Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622. Pollack and Barry used the Adagio movement perfectly. In the movie, Denys Finch Hatton (Redford) plays it on a gramophone in the middle of the savannah. It’s a bit of European "civilization" dropped into the wild, and the contrast is breathtaking. It makes you feel the fragility of Karen Blixen’s life there.
The John Barry Magic and the 1986 Oscars
The Academy Awards aren't always a great barometer for quality, but in 1986, they got it right. Barry took home the Oscar for Best Original Score, and frankly, there wasn't much competition that could touch it. He beat out scores like The Color Purple and Agnes of God.
Interestingly, Barry almost didn't do the movie. Pollack originally wanted a lot of native African music. He wanted it to be "authentic." But Barry fought him on it. He argued that the movie wasn't really about Africa—it was about the feeling of Africa through the eyes of a European woman who was falling in love and losing everything. He wanted the music to represent the "longing."
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He was right.
If they had gone with a purely rhythmic, percussion-heavy score, the romance between Karen and Denys might have felt colder. Instead, Barry gave us "Flying Over Africa." This track plays during the famous Gipsy Moth biplane sequence. It’s arguably the most famous marriage of sight and sound in 80s cinema. The music swells exactly as the plane clears the ridge, revealing the flamingos on the lake. It's pure, unadulterated cinematic gold.
Why It Still Works Decades Later
We live in an era of "sonic wallpaper." A lot of modern movie scores are just low-frequency rumbles or repetitive synth pads. They’re fine, but they aren't themes. The out of africa movie soundtrack belongs to that golden age of melodic film scoring. You can play it on a piano and it still works. You can whistle it.
It also taps into nostalgia. Even if you’ve never been to Kenya, the music makes you feel nostalgic for a place you’ve never visited. It’s that saudade—a Portuguese word for a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing. Barry captured that in every bar of the music.
- The Orchestration: He used a massive string section, but kept the brass warm and mellow. No harsh trumpets here.
- The Tempo: Everything is slightly slower than a resting heartbeat. It forces you to relax and soak in the visuals.
- The Repetition: Barry wasn't afraid to repeat his main theme. He knew it was a winner. He weaves it into different tracks like "Have You Got a Story For Me" and "Karen’s Journey" with subtle variations.
The Tracks You Need to Revisit
If you’re going to dive back into the album, don't just stick to the first track. "The Music School" is an underrated gem. It’s shorter, more intimate. And "End Title (You Are Karen)" wraps everything up with a sense of finality that is honestly heart-wrenching.
There’s also "Safari," which has a bit more movement and "trekking" energy. It captures the adventurous spirit of the early 20th-century expeditions without falling into the "action movie" tropes of the time. It feels dignified. That’s the word for this whole soundtrack: dignified.
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Common Misconceptions About the Score
Some people think the soundtrack is purely Barry's original work. As mentioned, the Mozart inclusion is vital. But there are also traditional songs like "Siyawe" and various choral pieces that ground the film in its setting. Barry didn't ignore Africa; he just chose to frame the emotional narrative through a Western orchestral lens because that was the character’s perspective.
Another thing: people often confuse Barry's work here with his work on Dances with Wolves. They do share a similar DNA—long, sweeping vistas and a sense of "The Great Outdoors"—but Out of Africa is much more romantic and intimate. Dances with Wolves is more about the grandeur of the frontier; Out of Africa is about the tragedy of a love affair that couldn't last.
The Legacy of the Sound
Today, you’ll still hear these themes in wedding ceremonies, travel documentaries, and even commercials trying to evoke "luxury" or "timelessness." It’s become a shorthand for beauty.
But it’s best experienced in its original context. If you haven't watched the film recently, do yourself a favor. Turn off your phone. Turn up the speakers. Let that first swell of strings in the opening credits wash over you. It’s a reminder of what movies used to be—and what music can do when it’s given the space to lead the story.
John Barry passed away in 2011, but this score is his monument. It’s a perfect piece of art. It’s one of those rare cases where the music is just as famous, if not more so, than the movie itself. That’s a rare feat in Hollywood.
How to Get the Best Listening Experience
To truly appreciate the nuances of the out of africa movie soundtrack, move beyond standard streaming if you can. The original 1985 digital recording was good, but the 25th-anniversary remasters cleaned up some of the hiss and opened up the soundstage.
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- Seek out the 24-bit high-resolution versions. You’ll hear the "air" around the woodwinds in a way that Spotify just can’t capture.
- Listen with open-back headphones. This music is meant to sound "wide." Open-back headphones simulate that sense of space.
- Pay attention to the silence. Barry was a master of the pause. The gaps between the notes are just as important as the notes themselves.
- Watch the "Flying Over Africa" scene on a 4K display. Seeing the grain of the film while hearing the high-fidelity swell of the violins is as close to a religious experience as cinema gets.
The music isn't just a background element; it's a character in its own right. It tells you things Karen Blixen can't say out loud. It tells you about the loss of the farm before she even loses it. It tells you about Denys's spirit before he even leaves. That is the power of a perfect score.
Actionable Takeaways for Film Music Fans
If you want to deepen your appreciation for this specific style of scoring, look into John Barry’s other "landscape" scores. Somewhere in Time and Born Free are great companion pieces. They show his evolution and his obsession with melodic clarity.
Also, check out the original book by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen's pen name). Read it while playing the soundtrack in the background. The prose is sparse and elegant, much like the music. It’s a synergistic experience that helps you understand why Barry chose the specific tones he did. He wasn't just scoring a movie; he was scoring a memory.
Finally, for the musicians out there, study Barry’s use of the "major seventh" chord. It’s all over this soundtrack. It’s that specific chord that sounds both happy and sad at the same time. It’s the sound of a beautiful sunset that you know is about to end. That’s the essence of Out of Africa. It’s a beautiful sunset captured in amber, or rather, on vinyl and digital tape.
Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by the noise of the modern world, put this on. It’s an immediate recalibration for the soul. It reminds you that beauty exists, that loss is part of the journey, and that some melodies are indeed timeless.
Next Steps for Your Collection
- Verify the Pressing: If buying on vinyl, look for the MCA Records original 1985 pressing for the most authentic warm analog sound.
- Compare the Versions: Listen to the 1997 re-recording by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. It’s a different interpretation that offers more modern clarity, though many purists still prefer the original 1985 film version conducted by Barry himself.
- Explore the Mozart Connection: Listen to the full Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, particularly the second movement (Adagio), to see how Barry integrated 18th-century classical music into a modern cinematic framework.