O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack) explained

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Type:soundtrack
Artist:various artists
Cover:O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack).jpg
Recorded:(modern tracks) Spring 1999
Studio:Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee)[1]
Genre:
Label:Lost Highway/Mercury
Producer:T-Bone Burnett

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the soundtrack album of music from the 2000 American film of the same name, written, directed and produced by the Coen Brothers and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman.

The film is set in Mississippi during the Great Depression. The soundtrack, produced by T-Bone Burnett, uses bluegrass, country, gospel, blues, and Southern folk music appropriate to the time period. With the exception of a few vintage tracks (such as Harry McClintock's 1928 single "Big Rock Candy Mountain"), most tracks are modern recordings.

The soundtrack was reissued on August 23, 2011, with 14 new tracks that were not included in the original album, "including 12 previously unreleased cuts from music producer T-Bone Burnett's O Brother sessions."[2]

Development and sound

The soundtrack was conceived as a major component of the film, not merely as a background or support. For this reason it was decided to record the soundtrack before filming.[3] T-Bone Burnett and Alan Larman were invited to design collections of music.[4]

Dirges and other macabre songs recurring in Appalachian music,[5] such as "O Death", "Lonesome Valley", "Angel Band", and "I Am Weary", appear in the film as a contrast to the bright, cheerful songs like "Keep On the Sunnyside" and "In the Highways". Ralph Stanley of The Stanley Brothers personally recorded the a cappella folk song "O Death".[6] [7]

"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" has five variations: two are used in the film, one in the music video, and two in the album. Two of the variations feature the verses being sung back-to-back, and the other three variations feature additional music between each verse.[8] The voices of the Soggy Bottom Boys were provided by Dan Tyminski (lead vocal on "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow"), Nashville songwriter Harley Allen, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's Pat Enright.[9]

Reception and legacy

O Brother, Where Art Thou? won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002, the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (for singer Dan Tyminski, whose voice overdubbed George Clooney's in the film on "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow", Nashville songwriter Harley Allen, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's Pat Enright), and the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "O, Death" by Ralph Stanley.

The album won the Album of the Year Award (only the second soundtrack to ever do so) and Single of the Year Award for "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" at the Country Music Association Awards.[10] It also won the Album of the Year Award at the 37th Academy of Country Music Awards and took home 2 International Bluegrass Music Awards: Album of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year (for Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch on "I'll Fly Away").[11]

In 2006, the album ranked No. 38 on CMT's 40 Greatest Albums in Country Music. In 2009, Rhapsody ranked it No. 8 on the "Country's Best Albums of the Decade" list.[12] Engine 145 Country Music Blog ranked it No. 5 on the "Country's Best Albums of the Decade" list.[13] In 2010, All Songs Considered, a program on NPR, included the soundtrack album on their list of "The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings".[14]

Some of the artists on the soundtrack album played a concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, which was recorded in the 2000 documentary film, Down from the Mountain.

On August 23, 2011, a 10th anniversary edition was released featuring a bonus disc with 14 new tracks that were not included in the original album, all but two of which were previously unreleased songs from Burnett's original sessions.[15] [16]

Commercial performance

The album charted at No. 1 on Billboard 200 In 2001, and spent over 20 weeks on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. The soundtrack CD became a best seller; it was first certified Gold by the RIAA on February 9, 2001, and reached 8 times Platinum by October 10, 2007. It has sold 8,175,800 copies in the United States as of October 2019.[17]

Track listing

The 10th Anniversary bonus disc includes five songs that were used in the movie. The bonus disc versions of "You Are My Sunshine" and "I'll Fly Away" are the ones used in the film, not the versions on the original soundtrack album. Both the original album and the bonus disc versions of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues", "Keep on the Sunny Side", and "Angel Band" are used in the film.

The music credits for the movie list two songs, "Admiration" (written by William Tyers and performed by Pat Rebillo) and "What Is Sweeter" (written by M. K. Jerome), which are not included on either edition of the soundtrack album.

Personnel

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Chart (2001)! scope="col"
Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [18] 31
Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[19] 2
US Billboard 200[20] 23
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[21] 2
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[22] 1
Worldwide Albums (IFPI)[23] 16
Chart (2002)Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[24] 19
Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[25] 3
US Billboard 200[26] 6
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[27] 1
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[28] 1
Chart (2003)Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[29] 11
Chart (2004)Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[30] 14
Chart (2013)Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[31] 25
Chart (2014)Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[32] 24
Chart (2015)Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[33] 22
Chart (2016)Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[34] 21
Chart (2017)Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[35] 25

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Droney. Maureen. Roots Music Odyssey. Mix. 1 December 2000. 5 August 2024.
  2. Web site: Germain . David . New 'O Brother' set serves up more old-timey music . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305030106/http://news.yahoo.com/o-brother-set-serves-more-old-timey-music-095857364.html . 2016-03-05 . . August 22, 2011 . August 22, 2011.
  3. News: Talking with Joel and Ethan Coen about 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' . Nashville Scene . May 22, 2000 . February 14, 2012 . Ridley, Jim . February 1, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110201045020/http://weeklywire.com/ww/05-22-00/nash_film-lede.html . live .
  4. News: O Brother, why art thou so popular? . . February 28, 2002 . February 14, 2012 . April 5, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120405135333/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1845962.stm . live .
  5. Web site: McClatchy. Debbie. A Short History of Appalachian Traditional Music. Appalachian Traditional Music – A Short History. June 27, 2000. November 8, 2007. October 25, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071025051143/http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/appalach.htm. live.
  6. Web site: American high . June 18, 2001 . Ellison . Michael . . . February 16, 2012 . February 19, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140219061252/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/jun/18/artsfeatures.coenbrothers . live .
  7. Web site: Museum Honoring Music Legend Ralph Stanley Set to Open October 16 . September 8, 2004 . Staff writer . Ralph Stanley Museum . https://web.archive.org/web/20101122074727/http://drralphstanley.com/news/20040909.html . November 22, 2010 . dead.
  8. Web site: Long . Roger J. . "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" entry page . 2006-04-09 . 2007-11-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071103172436/http://home1.gte.net/longrj2/fluff/o_brother.html . 2007-11-03 .
  9. Web site: Soggy Bottom Boys Hit the Top at 35th CMA Awards . 2007-11-08 . 2009-09-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090908111612/http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233045 . live .
  10. News: "O Brother" One of Country's Biggest Success Stories. December 29, 2001 . Billboard: The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment. Price. Deborah. Stark. Phyllis.
  11. The version of "I'll Fly Away" on the album is not that heard on the actual soundtrack of the film. In the film, the version used is a 1956 recording by the Kossoy Sisters. Web site: Johnson . Jon (January 2003) . O Kossoy Sisters, Where Art Thou Been . Country Standard Time . 11 January 2021 . 14 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210414051126/https://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/article.asp?xid=548 . live .
  12. http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/11/countdec.html "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade"
  13. Web site: Top Country Albums of the Decade (#10-#1) . Engine 145 . December 10, 2009 . February 15, 2010 . Staff . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141024114246/http://www.engine145.com/top-country-albums-of-the-decade-10-1/ . October 24, 2014 .
  14. Web site: The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings . NPR . November 16, 2009 . February 15, 2010 . February 10, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100210135518/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120326033 . live .
  15. Web site: New 'O Brother' set serves up more old-timey music . . . August 22, 2011 . August 22, 2011 . Germain, David . November 5, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121105164003/http://news.yahoo.com/o-brother-set-serves-more-old-timey-music-095857364.html . live .
  16. News: 'O Brother,' is it 10 already? . . August 23, 2011 . February 16, 2012 . Lewis, Randy . November 14, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114132718/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/23/entertainment/la-et-o-brother-20110823 . live .
  17. Web site: Top Country Catalog Album Sales: October 9, 2019. RoughStock. Matt. Bjorke. October 9, 2019. October 15, 2019. October 17, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191017215336/http://roughstock.com/news/2019/10/43989-top-country-catalog-album-sales-october-9-2019. live.
  18. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20031212202406/http://jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/200-1_2001.html. December 12, 2003. Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales). Jam!. March 26, 2022.
  19. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20020701173700/http://jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2001_country.html. July 1, 2002. Top 100 country albums of 2001 in Canada. Jam!. March 28, 2022.
  20. Web site: Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001. Billboard. October 26, 2020. January 3, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150103001526/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2001/top-billboard-200-albums/. live.
  21. Web site: Top Country Albums – Year-End 2001. Billboard. October 26, 2020. October 20, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061020160458/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=Top+Country+Albums&g=Year-end+Albums&year=2001. live.
  22. 2001 The Year in Music. Billboard. 113. 52. YE-81. December 29, 2001. June 1, 2021. February 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230222220741/https://books.google.com/books?id=sBIEAAAAMBAJ. live.
  23. Web site: Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2001. IFPI. https://web.archive.org/web/20081117003957/http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/top50-2001.pdf. November 17, 2008. February 1, 2023.
  24. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20040812030723/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/200-1_2002.html. August 12, 2004. Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales). Jam!. March 24, 2022.
  25. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20031204032208/http://jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_country.html. December 4, 2003. Top 100 country albums of 2002 in Canada. Jam!. March 28, 2022.
  26. Web site: Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002. Billboard. June 1, 2021. June 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180618025551/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2002/top-billboard-200-albums. live.
  27. 2002 The Year in Music. Billboard. 114. 52. YE-60. December 28, 2002. June 1, 2021. February 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230222220745/https://books.google.com/books?id=RA0EAAAAMBAJ. live.
  28. 2002 The Year in Music. Billboard. 114. 52. YE-96. December 28, 2002. June 1, 2021. February 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230222220745/https://books.google.com/books?id=RA0EAAAAMBAJ. live.
  29. 2003 The Year in Music. Billboard. 115. 52. YE-78. December 27, 2003. June 1, 2021. January 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230115114832/https://books.google.com/books?id=bA8EAAAAMBAJ. live.
  30. 2004 The Year in Music. Billboard. 116. 52. YE-72. December 25, 2004. June 1, 2021.
  31. Web site: Soundtracks – Year-End 2013. Billboard. October 26, 2020. January 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210119021321/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2013/top-soundtracks-albums. live.
  32. Web site: Soundtracks – Year-End 2014. Billboard. October 26, 2020. March 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210305080817/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2014/top-soundtracks-albums. live.
  33. Web site: Soundtracks – Year-End 2015. Billboard. October 26, 2020. October 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201011160415/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2015/top-soundtracks-albums. live.
  34. Web site: Soundtracks – Year-End 2016. Billboard. October 26, 2020. November 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201127095658/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/top-soundtracks-albums. live.
  35. Web site: Soundtracks – Year-End 2017. Billboard. October 26, 2020. November 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108051520/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2017/top-soundtracks-albums. live.

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