Drive (soundtrack) explained

Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Cover:Drive (soundtrack).jpg
Type:soundtrack
Artist:Cliff Martinez
Released:September 19, 2011
Recorded:2011
Length:70:18
Label:Lakeshore Records
Producer:Cliff Martinez

Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2011 American film of the same name. Initially, Johnny Jewel was hired to compose the film's score, but producers ultimately hired Cliff Martinez to replace Jewel. The album consists of songs which is a blend of electronic, ambient and retro music.[1]

Prior to the release of the soundtrack, the album topped iTunes charts after the highly positive critical response for the film as well as its musical score. The album was released on CD on September 19, 2011, by Lakeshore Records, which was followed by a vinyl edition of the soundtrack, marketed by Mondo, was released in June 2012. Coinciding the film's fifth anniversary, Lakeshore and Invada Records, in September 2016, released the special edition of the soundtrack. It peaked at 30th position on the US Billboard 200, and topped the soundtrack list from Billboard. Incidentally, the album also topped the soundtrack list in Official Charts Company (United Kingdom). The soundtrack also received several awards and nominations.

Development

Refn chose Johnny Jewel of Desire and Chromatics to score the film. He wanted electronic music and to have it be abstract, on occasion, so viewers can see things from the Driver's perspective.[2] As Refn was going through mixer Jewel's catalog, he picked out "Under Your Spell" and "Tick of the Clock" because he thought of Drive being a fairy tale. During Drives climax, "A Real Hero"'s keynote melody, about becoming "a real human being, and a real hero", refrains because that is when the Driver displays both those characteristics.[3] At first, Jewel worried that "Under Your Spell" might be too literal, but soon realized it is used in Drive "in the exact same way that I was feeling it when I wrote it. He definitely got the nuance of the song, and understood what it was supposed to mean, and he wanted to give that emotion to the viewer, that same feeling."

Thinking of music in terms of basic elements, Jewel would tell the director that for certain scenes, it should not have bass since, as an earth tone, it is usually used for a more emotional or ominous part. Jewel thought the music should be in the upper register and relaxing for the "dreamlike" scene. To help himself with the music composition process, and to conjure up melodies, the producer would highlight many phrases from the novel, then print those words in large font, and hung them on his walls or draw pictures during viewings of Drive.[2]

Although Jewel's music was used in the score, at the last minute the studio hired composer Cliff Martinez to imitate the style and feel of Jewel's bands Chromatics and Glass Candy.[4] Refn gave him a sampling of songs he liked and asked Martinez to emulate the sound, resulting in "a kind of retro, 80ish, synthesizer europop". Editor Mat Newman suggested Drives opening credits song: "Nightcall" by French electronic musician Kavinsky.[5] [6] Most of its ethereal electronic-pop score was composed by Martinez.[7] Refn was a particular fan of his ambient music on the Sex, Lies, and Videotape soundtrack.[8] The score contains tracks with vintage keyboards and bluntly descriptive titles.[9]

Jewel reworked his unused soundtrack for the film into Themes for an Imaginary Film, the debut album by his side-project Symmetry.[10]

Reception

Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) was released on CD on September 19, 2011, by Lakeshore Records.[11] Prior to that, owing to viral reviews such as those found on Twitter, the soundtrack sold well on iTunes, climbing as high as number four on the sales charts.[12] The album was released on vinyl on June 21, 2012, by Mondo.[13] A re-scored soundtrack for the film was produced for the BBC by Zane Lowe for its television broadcast in October 2014. The soundtrack included original music from Chvrches, Banks, Bastille, Eric Prydz, SBTRKT, Bring Me the Horizon, The 1975 and Laura Mvula.[14]

The album received positive reviews. James Verniere of the Boston Herald graded it an "A", stating, "The cool crowd isn't just watching Drive; they're listening to it, too ... The Drive soundtrack is such an integral part of the experience of the film, once you see it, you can't imagine the film without it."[15] AllMusic reviewer James Christopher Monger selected opening track "Nightcall", "I Drive", "Hammer" and "Bride of Deluxe" as soundtrack's highlights.[16] Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy gave it a four out of five star rating, finding it as important as the film itself. She stated the album's sequence, beginning with non-Martinez songs instead of mixing it up for a more enjoyable listening experience, cost it a star.

In September 2016, Lakeshore and Invada Records released a fifth anniversary special edition pressing of the soundtrack, featuring new liner notes and artwork. That same month, Johnny Jewel, college, Electric Youth, and Cliff Martinez discussed the impact of the soundtrack and film on their lives and contemporary music culture. Jewel told Aaron Vehling that Drives "blend of sonic and visual nostalgia with a contemporary spin is always deadly."[17] The soundtrack was listed on Spin magazine's list of 40 Movie Soundtracks That Changed Alternative Music.[18]

Charts

Year-end chart performance for Drive: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Chart (2012)Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 91
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 96
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[22] 96
French Albums (SNEP)[23] 118

Awards and nominations

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientsResult
Boston Society of Film CriticsDecember 12, 2011Best Use of Music in a FilmDrive[24]
Chicago Film Critics AssociationDecember 19, 2011Best Original ScoreCliff Martinez[25]
Critics' Choice Movie AwardsJanuary 13, 2012Best ScoreCliff Martinez[26]
Los Angeles Film Critics AssociationDecember 11, 2011Best Music ScoreCliff Martinez[27]
MTV Movie AwardsJune 3, 2012Best Song from a Movie"A Real Hero" by College featuring Electric Youth[28]
Satellite AwardsDecember 18, 2011Best Original ScoreCliff Martinez[29]
St. Louis Film Critics AssociationDecember 19, 2011Best Music/ScoreCliff Martinez[30]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics AssociationDecember 5, 2011Best ScoreCliff Martinez[31]
World Soundtrack AcademyOctober 20, 2012Best Soundtrack of the YearCliff Martinez[32]
Soundtrack Composer of the Year

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2021-09-20 . 'Drive' at 10: the story behind the film's iconic soundtrack . 2022-03-30 . NME . en.
  2. Web site: Johnny Jewel on Developing the Unique Soundtrack For Drive . https://web.archive.org/web/20141107200955/http://pro.boxoffice.com/articles/2011-09-johnny-jewel-on-developing-the-unique-soundtrack-for-drive . November 7, 2014 . Todd . Gilchrist . . September 18, 2011 . September 30, 2011 . dead .
  3. News: Nicolas Winding Refn: 'Film-making is a fetish' . Catherine . Shoard . The Guardian . September 8, 2011 . October 9, 2011 . London . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20131023190615/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/sep/08/nicolas-winding-refn-interview . October 23, 2013 .
  4. Web site: Q: I saw that movie Drive, with Ryan Gosling, and I was wondering who did the very '80s-sounding music on the soundtrack?. Thomlison. Adam. TV Tabloid. January 11, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130512194024/http://decoy.tvpassport.com/q_a/q-i-saw-movie-drive-ryan-gosling-and-i-was-wondering-who-did-very-80s-sounding-music-soundtrack?subid=national-00001. May 12, 2013.
  5. News: Lim . Dennis . May 22, 2011 . Cannes Q. and A.: Driving in a Noir L.A. . . live . June 15, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110528053035/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/cannes-q-and-a-driving-in-a-noir-l-a/ . May 28, 2011.
  6. Web site: Empire Big Screen '11: Nicolas Winding Refn Says Wonder Woman A Go If He Does Logan's Run Right. IndieWire. Oliver. Lyttelton. August 16, 2011. August 26, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170506012323/http://www.indiewire.com/2011/08/empire-big-screen-11-nicolas-winding-refn-says-wonder-woman-a-go-if-he-does-logans-run-right-116894/. May 6, 2017.
  7. Web site: Martinez. Cliff. Cliff Martinez. February 29, 2012. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120303000808/http://www.cliff-martinez.com/. March 3, 2012.
  8. News: Zeitchik . Steven . September 15, 2011 . Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn share the ride . 1 . Los Angeles Times . live . October 8, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111004084348/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/15/entertainment/la-ca-drive-20110911 . October 4, 2011.
  9. Web site: Drive: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack' Album review. Digital Spy. Mayer. Nissim. September 14, 2011. September 30, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110929175547/http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/at-the-movies/a340357/drive-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-album-review.html. September 29, 2011.
  10. Web site: Howe. Brian. Johnny Jewel Talks Symmetry, Drive Music, Glass Candy and Chromatics LPs Pitchfork. Pitchfork. January 13, 2012. May 5, 2017. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170109041659/http://pitchfork.com/news/45098-johnny-jewel-talks-symmetry-drive-music-glass-candy-and-chromatics-lps/. January 9, 2017.
  11. News: Ford. Rebecca. September 6, 2011. Drive Soundtrack To Be Released. The Hollywood Reporter. live. September 30, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110930152004/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/drive-soundtrack-released-231737. September 30, 2011.
  12. News: Powers . Lindsay . September 12, 2011 . Drive Soundtrack Climbs iTunes Charts on Strong Viral Reviews . . live . September 28, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927032542/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/drive-soundtrack-climbs-itunes-charts-237175 . September 27, 2011.
  13. News: Ishmael. Justin. March 5, 2012. We Are Releasing The Drive Soundtrack on Vinyl!. The Mondo Blog. dead. March 19, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120310064342/http://blog.mondotees.com/2012/03/05/we-are-releasing-the-drive-soundtrack-on-vinyl/. March 10, 2012.
  14. Web site: Carley . Brennan . October 20, 2014 . BBC Will Re-Score Drive With CHVRCHES, Banks, Bastille, SBTRKT, and More . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141024144204/https://www.spin.com/2014/10/chvrches-drive-bbc-soundtrack-get-away-zane-lowe-stream/ . October 24, 2014 . November 3, 2014 . Spin.
  15. News: Verniere. James. Drive soundtrack is worth hot pursuit. Boston Herald. https://web.archive.org/web/20171113223952/http://www.bostonherald.com/2011/09/%E2%80%98drive%E2%80%99_soundtrack_worth_hot_pursuit. dead. November 13, 2017. September 28, 2011.
  16. News: Monger. James Christopher. Drive [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] – Cliff Martinez]. AllMusic. live. September 28, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120703025541/http://www.allmusic.com/album/drive-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0002181261. July 3, 2012.
  17. News: Vehling. Aaron. September 7, 2016. Drive at Five: Revisiting the Neon-Noir Masterpiece. Vehlinggo. live. December 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161214021221/https://vehlinggo.com/2016/09/07/drive-movie-fifth-anniversary-feature/. December 14, 2016.
  18. News: February 12, 2013. 40 Movie Soundtracks That Changed Alternative Music. 41. Spin. live. May 20, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042441/http://www.spin.com/2013/02/best-movie-soundtracks-list-scores-alternative-music/130208-drive/. March 4, 2016.
  19. Web site: Top 20 Multi-Artist Compilation Album, Week Ending 6 October 2011 . . September 6, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131105062309/http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240003&arch=t&lyr=2011&year=2011&week=40 . November 5, 2013.
  20. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2012 . nl . Ultratop . December 23, 2012.
  21. Web site: Rapports Annuels 2012 . fr . Ultratop . December 23, 2012.
  22. Web site: Album Top-100 2012 . Hitlisten.NU . da . April 7, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130914212631/http://www.hitlisterne.dk/yearlist2012.asp?list=Album%20100 . September 14, 2013.
  23. Web site: Classement Albums – année 2012 . fr . . April 7, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131014064915/http://www.snepmusique.com/fr/pag-259376-Classements-Annuels.html?year=2012 . October 14, 2013.
  24. Web site: Past Award Winners – 2011 (December 12th) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141008041238/http://www.bostonfilmcritics.org/content/past-award-winners . 2014-10-08 . 17 April 2017 . Boston Society of Film Critics.
  25. News: Knegt . Peter . December 19, 2011 . The Tree of Life Leads Chicago Critics Awards . . Penske Media Corporation . live . December 21, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120104144035/http://www.indiewire.com/article/the-tree-of-life-leads-chicago-critics-award-nominations . January 4, 2012.
  26. News: McIntyre . Gina . December 13, 2011 . Hugo, The Artist top nominees for Critics Choice Awards . . live . December 16, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111213150149/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/12/hugo-the-artist-top-nominees-for-critics-choice-awards.html . December 13, 2011.
  27. News: December 11, 2011 . Los Angeles Film Critics Awards Names The Descendants Best Film of the Year . . Prometheus Global Media . live . April 17, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222160522/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/lafca-chemical-brothers-hanna-272199 . December 22, 2015.
  28. News: June 4, 2012 . 2012 MTV Movie Awards Winners: The Full List . . Viacom Media Networks . dead . April 17, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160311121124/http://www.mtv.com/news/1686434/mtv-movie-awards-winners-list/ . March 11, 2016.
  29. News: Kilday . Gregg . December 2, 2011 . The Artist War Horse Among Contenders Nominated for Satellite Awards . . Prometheus Global Media . live . December 21, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120106180238/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/satellite-awards-nominations-artist-war-horse-269277 . January 6, 2012.
  30. Web site: Montgomery . Steve . December 14, 2011 . The Tree of Life, 13 Assassins, George Clooney: St. Louis Film Critics Nominations . dead . https://archive.today/20120718004233/http://www.altfg.com/blog/movie/the-tree-of-life-george-clooney-st-louis-film-critics . July 18, 2012 . December 21, 2011 . Alternative Film Guide.
  31. Web site: Soares . Andre . December 5, 2011 . Woody Allen, Deathly Hallows 2, Meryl Streep: Washington DC Critics Nominations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121212074812/http://www.altfg.com/blog/movie/woody-allen-deathly-hallows-2-meryl-streep-washington-dc-critics-awards/ . December 12, 2012 . December 12, 2011 . Alternative Film Guide.
  32. World Soundtrack Academy

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