"Kiss of the Spider Woman" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Kiss of the Spider Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

There is no 1995 movie; the feature film is 1985. Its soundtrack is a compact, mood-first album combining score cues and brief dialogue. The credit line is unusual for the era: Brazilian composer-conductor John Neschling and guitarist-composer Nando Carneiro, with select electronic cues by Wally Badarou. The LP was issued in 1985 (Island Visual Arts and affiliates), typically titled Original Soundtrack with Music & Dialogue.

The music sketches two worlds. In the cell: restrained, minor-key writing that leaves air around William Hurt and Raúl Juliá’s performances. In Molina’s escapist “movie” retellings: cabaret hints, radio-era pastiche, and synth textures that halo Sônia Braga’s Spider Woman. The album plays like a novella — short tracks, recurring motifs, and a finale that lands quietly rather than triumphantly.

Questions & Answers

Who wrote the film’s music?

Primary score by John Neschling and Nando Carneiro; several featured cues by Wally Badarou.

Is there singing on the soundtrack?

Yes — the song “Je me moque de l’amour” is performed (uncredited) by Sônia Braga in-character; it appears in film credits lists.

Is the LP only score?

No. It’s a “music & dialogue” album: short musical cues interleaved with a few spoken snippets from the film.

What labels released it?

Island Visual Arts and regional partners issued the LP in 1985; multiple catalog entries confirm the track list.

How does this relate to the stage musical?

They are separate. The Kander & Ebb stage musical (1993) has its own cast albums; this page covers the 1985 film’s OST.

Why do some track titles look like scene headings?

Because the album mirrors the film’s structure (“Pavilhão IV,” “Spider Woman Finale,” etc.), functioning as a narrative outline.

Notes & Trivia

• The film won William Hurt the 1986 Academy Award for Best Actor; the OST remained a collector title with periodic reissues.
• Badarou’s single “Novela das Nove (Spider Woman)” was spun off from the album’s material.
• Original LPs were marketed explicitly as “Original Soundtrack with Music & Dialogue,” an increasingly rare format by the mid-80s.
• The cue list mixes Portuguese, French, and English titles, reflecting the film’s multinational production and story texture.

Genres & Themes

Chamber-inflected score → Intimacy under pressure. Small-ensemble sonorities and close-miked textures keep the prison world human-scaled.

Cabaret & pastiche → Glamour as anesthesia. Vintage dance-hall gestures and chanson shading frame Molina’s imagined movie scenes.

Synth atmospherics → Memory as glow. Badarou’s cues soften the shift between reality and fantasy without breaking tone.

Tracks & Scenes

“Kiss of the Spider Woman Overture” — Neschling/Carneiro
Scene: Establishing tone under titles; a calm surface with pressure underneath. Non-diegetic; album opener (~0:50).
Why it matters: Sets the cell’s hush and the film’s measured pace.

“The Most Ravishing Woman” — Neschling/Carneiro
Scene: Molina’s first rhapsodic description of the diva; strings and woodwinds suggest silver-screen romance. Non-diegetic; early fantasy beat (~2:25).
Why it matters: Introduces the seductive counter-world that keeps him afloat.

“Je me moque de l’amour” — Sônia Braga (uncredited)
Scene: A cabaret-style diegetic performance inside the imagined film; languid vowels, cigarette haze.
Why it matters: The voice gives the Spider Woman a concrete presence; a song you can “see.”

“Novela das Nove” — Wally Badarou
Scene: Transitional fantasy montage; synths and guitar tremolo paint radio-soap glamour. Non-diegetic (~3:23).
Why it matters: Electronic color without losing the period vibe — memory, polished.

“Pavilhão IV” — Neschling/Carneiro
Scene: Prison wing ambience; low strings and sparse percussion as routine grinds on. Non-diegetic (~5:15).
Why it matters: The longest cue on the album; it’s the cell’s pulse.

“Kiss of the Spider Woman Theme” — Neschling/Carneiro
Scene: Reprise as Molina’s and Valentín’s allegiances shift; tenderness without sentimentality. Non-diegetic (~3:44).
Why it matters: The melodic core that binds reality to reverie.

“Spider Woman Finale” — Neschling/Carneiro
Scene: Closing movement after the final, fatalist turn; muted brass, falling figures. Non-diegetic (~2:58).
Why it matters: Accepts the story’s cost and lets silence finish the sentence.

Music–Story Links

Whenever Molina retreats into his movie, harmony sweetens and textures widen; when the cell returns, the writing thins to nerves and breath. The album preserves that push-pull: fantasy tracks offer sheen and shape, while cell cues sit close to the bone. The result isn’t just underscore — it’s a barometer of whose reality we’re in.

How It Was Made

Babenco’s production paired Brazilian and international talent. Neschling (then a rising conductor) and Carneiro (guitarist/composer) delivered the main score; Island’s package folded in dialogue and Badarou’s studio cues. The LP’s sided sequencing (short tracks, a few spoken bridges) mirrors the film’s edit logic.

Reception & Quotes

The film’s acclaim (notably Hurt’s Oscar) outshone the modest OST, but the album has a cult afterlife among soundtrack collectors and fans of 80s Latin-American cinema.

“A film of insights and surprises… the performances are wonderful.” Roger Ebert, review excerpts often quoted in retrospectives

“John Neschling’s music underlines the intimacy without syrup.” album-era coverage

Additional Info

• Formats: 1985 LP (Island Visual Arts/regionals). Some later CD/digital listings exist via catalog partners.
• Spin-off single: Wally Badarou’s “Novela das Nove (Spider Woman).”
• Song credit: “Je me moque de l’amour” — lyrics credited in databases; vocal uncredited on-screen.
• Collectors’ note: Retail copies are frequently labeled “Original Soundtrack with Music & Dialogue.”
• Trailer ID used here: 1FVd6uRrYhM (1985 film trailer).

Technical Info

• Title: Kiss of the Spider Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year / Type: 1985 / Film soundtrack (score + limited dialogue)
• Composers: John Neschling; Nando Carneiro; additional music by Wally Badarou
• Key cues: “Kiss of the Spider Woman Overture,” “The Most Ravishing Woman,” “Novela das Nove,” “Pavilhão IV,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman Theme,” “Spider Woman Finale”
• Label: Island Visual Arts (and regional imprints); multiple catalog entries confirm track order
• Film credits anchor: Director Héctor Babenco; cast William Hurt, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga; Music by Nando Carneiro, John Neschling, Wally Badarou

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Discographic entries confirming track list/credits; film credits databases (music by Nando Carneiro, John Neschling, Wally Badarou); soundtrack listings noting Braga’s uncredited song; collector listings for label/cat. details; archival trailers for figures.

November, 12th 2025