You Were Never Really Here (soundtrack) explained

You Were Never Really Here (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Type:film
Artist:Jonny Greenwood
Cover:You Were Never Really Here (soundtrack).png
Released:9 March 2018
Recorded:2017–2018
Genre:Film score
Length:41:00
Label:Lakeshore
Producer:Graeme Stewart
Prev Title:Phantom Thread
Prev Year:2018
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Next Year:2021

You Were Never Really Here (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2018 film You Were Never Really Here, directed by Lynne Ramsay, starring Joaquin Phoenix and featuring a musical score composed by Jonny Greenwood. The score was not composed to the film due to Greenwood's busy schedules on tour, instead, as per Ramsay's suggestions, Greenwood had composed few pieces based on the pieces she sent and derived those cues, which was utilised in the background by the sound engineer Graeme Stewart who produced the film score.

The original score featured orchestral string arrangements manipulated with recorders and synthesizers. It was released on 9 March 2018 through Lakeshore Records and was acclaimed by critics, which itself featured in the best-of lists on film scores of the year.

Development

Ramsay wanted to approach Greenwood, as he previously scored We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). Greenwood being a fan of the former's films was keen to be involved with her as they shared a professional rapport. Since he was on tour, Ramsay sent him few musical pieces to lure him in the project, despite his busy schedules;[1] Greenwood later sent some of the music that he did not score for the picture to Ramsay, which would be edited and incorporated by sound designer Paul Davies and recording and mixing engineer Graeme Stewart.[2]

Greenwood invited few string players from the London Contemporary Orchestra to play the score in a brutal way. He was guided by Ramsay at several instances to provide a noir score, who added "like with Paul Thomas Anderson, it’s like a partnership that serves the film and the story, rather than divisioned labour."[3]

Despite the brutal noir themes, Greenwood composed a tender cue titled "Tree" which was used in the lake scene and again in the credits and few cues had him play strings, guitar and cello that served as a core of the film. The final cue, according to Greenwood, was difficult to compose as "the end of the film needed some sort of resolution, without being triumphant." The orchestration was a challenging process, with Greenwood taking months to prepare the score and recorded with a single session. The session consisted of half players who tuned a quarter tone flat making it out of tune one another.[4] Besides orchestra, Greenwood used recorders and synthesizers.

Reception

Critical reception

Aaron Vehling of Vehlinggo wrote "Greenwood’s You Were Never Really Here cues are a profound exercise in nuance and character."[5] Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork rated the soundtrack 7.8 out of 10 and summarised: "The restraint of his score is a testament to his interpretive abilities, but even as a standalone album, You Were Never Really Here is an engrossing listen."[6] Valentin Maniglia of Score It Magazine called it as "one of the most sensorily powerful film scores of these days."[7]

Stephanie Zacharek of Time wrote "The movie’s lean, expressive score, by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, is intense by itself: if the smell of burned rubber had a sound, it would be this."[8] Emily Yoshida of Vulture wrote "Johnny Greenwood’s mournful and energetic score is among his best."[9] Mark Kermode of The Guardian wrote: "Jonny Greenwood’s pulsing, throbbing, clanging score heightens the sensory overload as it meshes with Paul Davies’s immersive sound design."[10]

Best-of lists

Credits

Credits adapted from liner notes.[16]

Album credits

Performer credits

Accolades

Award! scope="col"
Date of ceremonyCategoryResult
Boston Society of Film Critics16 December 2018[17]
[18]
British Independent Film Awards2 December 2018Best Music[19]
Chicago Film Critics Association8 December 2018Best Original Score[20]
[21]
Florida Film Critics Circle21 December 2018Best Score[22]
International Cinephile Society4 February 2019Best Original Score[23]
[24]
Seattle Film Critics Society23 February 2019Best Original Score[25]
[26]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kaufman . Sophie Monks . 2018-03-08 . Lynne Ramsay: ‘Being a filmmaker is like being a psychoanalyst’ . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220713200319/https://lwlies.com/interviews/lynne-ramsay-you-were-never-really-here/ . 2022-07-13 . 2024-08-03 . Little White Lies . en.
  2. Web site: O'Falt . Chris . 2018-04-06 . ‘You Were Never Really Here’: How Lynne Ramsay Captured the Explosions Inside Joaquin Phoenix’s Head . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240523185819/https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/you-were-never-really-here-how-lynne-ramsay-joaquin-phoenix-jonny-greenwood-interview-1201949627/ . 2024-05-23 . 2024-08-03 . IndieWire . en-US.
  3. Web site: Cooper . Leonie . 2018-03-06 . Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood on scoring the brutal 'You Were Never Really Here' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230911072447/https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/radioheads-jonny-greenwood-scoring-gory-never-really-2255805 . 2023-09-11 . 2024-08-03 . NME . en-GB.
  4. Web site: Gross . Terry . 2022-03-04 . For Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, there are no rules to composing for film . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220325145343/https://www.npr.org/2022/03/04/1083958876/for-radioheads-jonny-greenwood-there-are-no-rules-to-composing-for-film . 2022-03-25 . 2024-08-03 . National Public Radio.
  5. Web site: Vehling . Aaron . 2018-03-08 . Jonny Greenwood Has Created a Compelling Score for 'You Were Never Really Here' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210802130228/https://vehlinggo.com/2018/03/08/greenwood-you-were-never-really-here-review/ . 2021-08-02 . 2024-08-03 . Vehlinggo . en-US.
  6. Web site: Sherburne . Philip . 2018-03-14 . Jonny Greenwood: You Were Never Really Here (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240121180503/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jonny-greenwood-you-were-never-really-here-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/ . 2024-01-21 . 2024-08-03 . Pitchfork . en-US.
  7. Web site: Maniglia . Valentin . 2018-03-23 . Score Of The Week: You Were Never Really Here (Jonny Greenwood) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210307115430/http://magazine.scoreit.org/score-week-never-really-jonny-greenwood/ . 2021-03-07 . 2024-08-03 . Score It Magazine . en-US.
  8. Web site: Zacharek . Stephanie . 2018-04-12 . ‘You Were Never Really Here’ Is a Skillfully Crafted Thriller . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180828221954/https://time.com/5237440/you-were-never-really-here-is-a-skillfully-crafted-thriller/ . 2018-08-28 . 2024-08-03 . Time . en.
  9. Web site: Yoshida . Emily . 2018-04-05 . Joaquin Phoenix Goes True Detective in You Were Never Really Here . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180504143214/https://www.vulture.com/article/you-were-never-really-here-review.html . 2018-05-04 . 2024-08-03 . Vulture . en.
  10. News: Kermode . Mark . 2018-03-11 . You Were Never Really Here review – a hitman with a conscience? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180515104456/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/11/you-were-never-really-here-review-lynne-ramsay-joaquin-phoenix . 2018-05-15 . 2024-08-03 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  11. Web site: Ehrlich . David . 2018-12-07 . The 10 Best Movie Scores of 2018, Ranked . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240627115811/https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/best-movie-scores-2018-1202026286/ . 2024-06-27 . 2024-08-03 . IndieWire . en-US.
  12. Web site: Brigden . Charlie . 2018-12-10 . The Best Movie Scores of 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190525021921/https://filmschoolrejects.com/best-movie-scores-2018/ . 2019-05-25 . 2024-08-03 . Film School Rejects . en-US.
  13. Web site: Purdom . Clayton . Dowd . A. A. . McLevy . Alex . 2018-12-01 . The best film soundtracks of 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190323033944/https://www.avclub.com/the-best-film-soundtracks-of-2018-1830669719 . 2019-03-23 . 2024-08-03 . The A.V. Club . en-US.
  14. Web site: Ebiri . Bilge . 2018-12-28 . The 10 Best Movie Scores of 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210331014359/https://www.vulture.com/2018/12/the-10-best-movie-scores-of-2018.html . 2021-03-31 . 2024-08-03 . Vulture . en.
  15. Web site: Chitwood . Adam . 2018-12-21 . The Best Movie Scores of 2018: From Black Panther to Suspiria . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190830185227/https://collider.com/best-movie-scores-of-2018/ . 2019-08-30 . 2024-08-03 . Collider . en.
  16. Greenwood . Jonny . You Were Never Really Here (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) . Lakeshore Records.
  17. Web site: Burr . Ty . December 16, 2018 . Boston Society of Film Critics announces winners . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190519093447/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2018/12/16/boston-society-film-critics-announces-winners/E5du1bPbjrxQBlTmFZRp6I/story.html . May 19, 2019 . December 17, 2018 . The Boston Globe.
  18. Web site: December 17, 2018 . Boston Film Critics Name If Beale Street Could Talk The Year's Best Film . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190512205446/https://bostonfilmcritics.org/2018/12/17/boston-film-critics-name-if-beale-street-could-talk-the-years-best-film/ . May 12, 2019 . December 30, 2018 . Boston Society of Film Critics.
  19. Web site: Brown . Mark . 31 October 2018 . The Favourite dominates British independent film award nominations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181105225054/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/31/the-favourite-british-independent-film-award-nominations-bifas . 5 November 2018 . 31 October 2018 . The Guardian.
  20. Web site: December 7, 2018 . “Roma,” "The Favourite” and “A Star is Born” lead 2018 CFCA nominations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200723055404/https://chicagofilmcritics.org/blog/2018/12/7/roma-the-favourite-and-a-star-is-born-lead-2018-cfca-nominations . July 23, 2020 . December 7, 2018 . Chicago Film Critics Association.
  21. Web site: Suzanne-Mayer . Dominick . Roffman . Michael . December 7, 2018 . Chicago Film Critics Association announces 2018 nominees . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190329230107/https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/12/chicago-film-critics-association-2018-nominees/ . March 29, 2019 . December 9, 2018 . Consequence of Sound.
  22. 'The Favourite' Leads 2018 Florida Film Critics Awards Nominations . . December 19, 2018 . December 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190524205357/http://www.floridafilmcritics.com/2018/12/19/the-favourite-leads-2018-florida-film-critics-awards-nominations/ . May 24, 2019.
  23. News: Lodge . Guy . February 4, 2019 . Lucrecia Martel's Zama Tops International Cinephile Society Winners . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191107201949/https://variety.com/2019/film/in-contention/lucrecia-martel-zama-wins-international-cinephile-society-1203127540/ . November 7, 2019 . November 7, 2019 . Variety.
  24. Web site: Stevens . Beth . January 20, 2019 . Zama Awaits its Fate, While Burning Catches Fire at ICS Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190121015444/https://icsfilm.org/our-yearly-awards/2019-ics-award-nominees/ . January 21, 2019 . June 14, 2022 . International Cinephile Society.
  25. Web site: December 17, 2018 . Roma Named Best Picture of 2018 by Seattle Film Critics Society . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210426015107/https://seattlefilmcritics.com/2018/12/17/roma-named-best-picture-of-2018-by-seattle-film-critics-society/ . April 26, 2021 . December 29, 2018 . Seattle Film Critics Society.
  26. Web site: December 10, 2018 . The Favourite Leads the 2018 Seattle Film Critics Society Nominations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181211100205/https://seattlefilmcritics.com/2018/12/10/the-favourite-leads-the-2018-seattle-film-critics-society-nominations/ . December 11, 2018 . December 29, 2018 . Seattle Film Critics Society.

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