Woke up with a song in my head as I do sometimes. It didn’t have words, or so I thought. Went to look up what was the name of the drums that featured so prominently and found. . . the song does, in fact, have words.
It is Westly’s and Buttercup’s love theme from the Princess Bride composed by Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits and written and sung by Willy DeVille from Mink Deville. And, not only that, the whole soundtrack was mostly synthesizers except for the guitar solos.
Never did find out what kind of drums feature so prominently in the song. Or, probably more likely now, what kind of drum was the synthesizer synthesizing?
I asked my AI and it gave this answer which, I think, is interesting:
The Synclavier Connection
The entire Princess Bride soundtrack, except for guitar solos, was recorded almost entirely with a Synclavier - an early digital synthesizer that was hugely influential in 1980s music. Mark Knopfler worked with keyboardist Guy Fletcher (who had joined Dire Straits for their “Brothers in Arms” album) to create the score. Fletcher recalled that the process involved Knopfler sitting in the studio coming up with harmonies, rhythms and “orchestration” for the Synclavier.
Director Rob Reiner originally wanted a traditional, swashbuckling orchestral score but using the Synclavier was a compromise that allowed Knopfler to experiment and feel comfortable with the scoring process.
About Those Drums
What you’re hearing as prominent drums in “Storybook Love” are almost certainly Synclavier-synthesized drum sounds rather than acoustic drums. The Synclavier was capable of creating very sophisticated drum and percussion sounds that were widely used in 1980s productions.
However, it’s worth noting that when “Storybook Love” was originally recorded for Willy DeVille’s album “Miracle” (before being used in The Princess Bride), the recording did feature some real drummers:
- Jeff Porcaro (the legendary Toto drummer) played drums on certain tracks
- Jamie Lane played drums on other tracks
- Errol “Crusher” Bennett played percussion on several songs
The soundtrack is described as utilizing “dreamy washes of synthesizers overlaid with warm acoustic instruments and hints of percussion.”
The Story Behind “Storybook Love”
Interestingly, Mark Knopfler didn’t actually write “Storybook Love” - he was producing Willy DeVille’s album “Miracle” at the same time he was scoring The Princess Bride, and incorporated DeVille’s song into the film. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1988, though it lost to “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing.
Useful Links
Here are some resources where you can learn more:
So to directly answer your question: those prominent drums you’re hearing are most likely the Synclavier synthesizing drum sounds - possibly emulating timpani, orchestral bass drums, or other percussion instruments. The Synclavier was remarkably sophisticated for its time and could create very realistic and unique percussion timbres that became a signature sound of 1980s film scores and pop music.
Well now, that was a very specific and detailed answer! I think the name I was looking for was ‘timpani’ but I wasn’t quite sure that it was them. And now I know why.
It’s both cool and spooky how easily and quickly it can put something like this together.
Academy Awards? I agree with that.
I like both soundtracks so I got no dog in this fight.