Written by Sofia Folgia
First of all, I’d like to formally welcome you all to Surveying the Soundtracks. My name is Sofia Folgia, a lover of music studying how to write TV and Film, and this will be an ongoing series at SCAD Radio. Every Saturday, we’re going to look at a “needle drop” in film or television and talk about why the director chose that particular song and how it relates to the overall theme and message of the work. God willing (or time willing), this is going to be a weekly series, so tune in next Saturday for another Surveying Soundtracks Saturday!
On January 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, the Trustees Theater will show three different films by the legendary Japanese animation company, Studio Ghibli. Founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli is known for its fantastical storytelling, endearing characters, and it’s beautiful hand-drawn animation style, a distinct identity that has inspired multiple generations of filmmakers from a current SCAD student to Gullimero Del Toro.
In my opinion, an underrated aspect of Studio Ghibli films is their incredible soundtracks, many composed by the now seventy-three-year-old Joe Hisaishi. He is a frequent collaborator of Miyazaki, creating the soundtrack of all 11 films that Miyazaki has directed for the company, including Miyazaki’s latest film, The Boy and The Heron. Hisaishi is characterized by his versatility in his composing; Ghibli movies are very distinct from one another in their worldbuilding and tone, and Hisashi seems to excel at it all, from sweeping triumphant ballads to quiet reflective melodies. Because of the greatness of this composer and the other composers he has mentored, rarely, the studio would ever use a contemporary song in its films. However, not only is there a popular American song present in a Ghibli film, but it’s also ingrained into the plot of the film.
Whisper of The Heart is a romantic drama film that follows Shizuku, an aspiring writer, and Seiji, a craftsman, despite their rocky first meeting and their ambitions, fall deeply in love. The movie has the complex characterization and stunning visuals that is expected from a Ghibli movie, but what came as a surprise was the first song the audience hears: a choir singing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”.
Not only is the song used in the opening shot of the film, it is baked into the plot. In the movie, Shizuku is asked to translate the song by her teacher but struggles with conveying the song’s deeper meaning to her peers. She decides instead of translating it literally, she pens her own version. Her translation is completely different from the original song, the opening verse and chorus being this in English:
I dreamed of living alone but fearless
Secret longing to be courageous
Loneliness kept bottled up inside
Just put on your brave face; they’ll never know you lied.
Country Road, may lead me home
Know I belong there, all on my own
Destiny calls, motionless I stall.
Know I can’t go, Country Roads
In the original version of the song, John Denver croons about his longing for West Virginia; its sights, sounds, and memories associated with it fuel a melancholy that Denver portrays in his voice and his strumming as he feels lonely without his blue ridge mountains. However, Whisper of the Heart’s translation strips away the precise location but keeps the sense of melancholy and ups the sense of loneliness. The generality of the song makes it relatable to the audience and also helps the audience relate to Shizuku’s feeling of finding her place to live freely outside her hometown and the uncertainty that comes with adolescence.
Whisper of the Heart is ultimately about Shizuku’s journey as she begins to find where she wants to be in the world, and whether she wants Seiji to be with her. Her version of “Country Roads” is sung at the height of her longing, with Seiji playing the violin under her singing. As she sings of how she feels trapped as her true calling is miles away, Seiji’s accompaniment becomes bouncy and playful, almost like it is telling her not to worry – she will find her path soon.
