The Plan (Travis Scott song) explained

The Plan
Album:Tenet: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Cover:Travis Scott - The Plan.png
Type:single
Artist:Travis Scott
Recorded:2020
Length:3:05
Label:Warner Bros. Entertainment
Producer:
Chronology:Travis Scott
Prev Title:Wash Us in the Blood
Prev Year:2020
Next Title:Franchise
Next Year:2020

"The Plan" (officially titled "The Plan (From the Motion Picture "TENET")") is a song by American rapper Travis Scott. It was released on August 22, 2020, as the theme song from the soundtrack to the film Tenet. The film's writer and director Christopher Nolan described the track as "the final piece of a yearlong puzzle". It is Scott's first original song written for a film.

Background

The song was announced by Scott via his social media on August 18, 2020, along with the cover art.[1] The announcement coincided with the sixth anniversary of his breakout mixtape Days Before Rodeo.[2] A snippet of the track was played during an NBA on TNT trailer, in which Scott stated: "This is my first original song for a film, which is actually fire 'cause I kinda wouldn't want it any other way".[3] It premiered during the 2020 NBA Clippers/Mavericks playoffs game and was released at 12 AM Eastern US Time on August 22.[4]

The song was recorded with producer Ludwig Göransson, who composed the soundtrack and score for Tenet at all the individual artists' homes during the COVID-19 lockdown.[5] The song was produced by Göransson, along with Canadian producer WondaGurl. Scott watched Tenet prior to its release and said in his cover story interview for the September issue of GQ magazine he could not explain the film, calling it "very fire". During that interview, which took place in early July 2020, he accidentally played "The Plan" for the magazine's writer Gerrick D. Kennedy, who labeled the song a "brain-liquefying trip through time and space".[6] The film's writer/producer/director Christopher Nolan said Scott's contribution to the long delayed film was "the final piece of a yearlong puzzle". Nolan praised Scott's vision:

Cover art

The cover art consists of a "moody" image of Tenets lead actor John David Washington, floating in red space with the title of the film and the song inscribed in the right corner.

Charts

Chart (2020)Peak
position
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[7] 3
US Rolling Stone Top 100[8] 43

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Travis Scott officially announces new single 'The Plan' for Christopher Nolan's 'Tenet'. NME. Langford. Jackson. August 19, 2020. August 21, 2020.
  2. Web site: Travis Scott's "The Plan" Drops This Week. Modern Society. Ruiz. Derrick. August 19, 2020. August 21, 2020.
  3. Web site: Travis Scott Announces 'Tenet' Single 'The Plan'. Rap-Up. August 19, 2020. August 21, 2020.
  4. Web site: Travis Scott Is Ready to Melt Your Brain With His 'Tenet' Theme Song: Here's When You Can Hear It. Billboard. Kaufman. Gil. August 21, 2020. August 21, 2020.
  5. Web site: Time for Tenet - Behind the scenes of Christopher Nolan's top-secret movie. Entertainment Weekly. Collis. Clark. August 21, 2020.
  6. Web site: How Travis Scott Defied the Rules of Celebrity to Become King of the Youth. GQ. Kennedy. Gerrick D.. August 18, 2020. August 21, 2020.
  7. Web site: Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 36, 2020. sv. Sverigetopplistan. April 11, 2021.
  8. Web site: Top 100 Songs, August 21, 2020 - August 27, 2020. Rolling Stone. August 31, 2020.