Turning Red (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to Disney/Pixar's 2022 film of the same name. The film featured three original songs written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, the latter appeared as the member of the fictional boy band 4*Town. The rest of the tracks, are instrumentals from the film score composed by Ludwig Göransson for his first animated feature film. Walt Disney Records released the soundtrack album digitally and on CD on March 11, 2022.[1]
| Turning Red (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | March 11, 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 2021–2022 | |||
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| Length | 76:55 | |||
| Label | Walt Disney | |||
| Pixar soundtrack chronology | ||||
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| Ludwig Göransson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Turning Red | ||||
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Background and production
editOn July 14, 2021, following the release of the teaser trailer, Ludwig Göransson was announced to composed the film's score, making it his first animated film composition.[2][3] Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, having previously co-written and producing the theme song and soundtrack for the James Bond installment No Time to Die with Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro, wrote three original songs performed in the film by the fictional boy band 4*Town. Tom MacDougall, executive producer of Disney Music Group, had been a fan of Ellish's work since "Ocean Eyes" and claimed that he was impressed "by the breadth of the territory that their songwriting and performing covered".[4] The score and the songs, were first recorded in late-2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions were lifted.
"I wanted to score to represent those uncomfortable and confusing feelings that we all encounter in our journey to adulthood [...] It's a crazy mix of musical genres, from New Jack Swing to '90s boy-band, traditional Chinese sounds and Western orchestra. I wanted the music to act like a mixtape for Mei."
According to the executive producer of Pixar Animation Studios, Lindsay Collins, "U Know What's Up" was intended to be a confidence booster, "1 True Love" was intended as the group's love ballad, and "Nobody Like U" was the song that everyone knows from the group. Collins said she had decided to approach Eilish and O'Connell at the start of the production, near the same time that Eilish was coming to fame herself; Collins said that her own child had become a fan of Eilish's music which has inspired this choice. To pitch the idea to the pair, production created a scrapbook based on scenes of Mei and her fascination with 4*Town they had already developed for the film, at times putting cutouts of Eilish' and O'Connell's heads in place of the 4*Town members to show their appreciation for the pair. Both were already animation fans,[5] and Eilish said that when they saw the concept from the material they got, she immediately got the idea they were aiming for, as she had been a fan of boy bands herself and recognized the bond Mei had with 4*Town.[6]
For writing Mei's theme, several instruments such as conventional Western flute, dizi and a Chinese bamboo flute were used. For Mei's mother Ming, he played guzheng, during his period of research, despite hiring professional soloists during the recording session. Göransson described the theme for panda (Mei) as "quirky" and "awkward", and while recording, he used varied instruments, including: erhu and bianzhong, accompanied by a synthesiser. For the rest of the family and the mystic past, he used pipa and Chinese opera percussion.[4] The sounds, were accompanied by the 75-piece members from the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Göransson said, "Adding orchestra was the last element. I used them to beef up the main ideas and make it feel more cinematic," he says. The result is wild, raucous fun, with traditional Chinese instruments flavoring an often fast-moving, big-beat orchestral groove that propels Turning Red to its satisfying conclusion." The score was recorded within two weeks.[4]
The film includes a Cantonese chant used as part of the ritual to contain the red panda spirit that was created with help of Herman Wong, operations director for Disney Character Voices International. This chant then also had to be integrated with Ellish's and O'Connell's "Nobody Like U" as part of the film's climax, which was done by Göransson to make sure the two rhythms matched in beat and key.[7] Subsequently, tracks from 4*Town appeared in multiple languages, some of which were performed by boy bands such as Da-iCE for Japanese[8] and W0LF(S) for Mandarin.[9] "Cha Cha Slide" (2000) by DJ Casper and "Bootylicious" (2001) by Destiny's Child are also heard in the film.[10]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Ludwig Göransson, except where indicated.[11]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nobody Like U" | Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell | 4*Town | 2:40 |
| 2. | "1 True Love" | Eilish and O'Connell | 4*Town | 3:19 |
| 3. | "U Know What's Up" | Eilish and O'Connell | 4*Town | 3:08 |
| 4. | "Family" | 0:40 | ||
| 5. | "Turning Red" | 2:10 | ||
| 6. | "Meilin Lee" | 0:58 | ||
| 7. | "Temple Duties" | 1:13 | ||
| 8. | "Jin's Family Dinner" | 0:56 | ||
| 9. | "Drawing Love" | 2:15 | ||
| 10. | "Never Again Dream" | 1:34 | ||
| 11. | "Turning Panda" | 2:16 | ||
| 12. | "Panda-monium" | 2:34 | ||
| 13. | "Ancestors" | 4:39 | ||
| 14. | "Inconvenient Genetics" | 3:35 | ||
| 15. | "U Know What's Up" (The Panda Hustle version) | Eilish and O'Connell | 4*Town | 2:49 |
| 16. | "Tyler's Deal" | 2:19 | ||
| 17. | "The Aunties" | 0:37 | ||
| 18. | "Grandma's Warning" | 1:31 | ||
| 19. | "Keeping the Panda" | 5:14 | ||
| 20. | "Dad Talk" | 2:28 | ||
| 21. | "Red Moon Ritual" | 3:19 | ||
| 22. | "I'm Keeping It" | 1:42 | ||
| 23. | "Making It Right" | 1:59 | ||
| 24. | "Unleashing the Panda" | 2:06 | ||
| 25. | "Stadium Ritual" | 2:00 | ||
| 26. | "Pandas Unite / Nobody Like You" (reprise) | Göransson, Eilish and O'Connell | Göransson and 4*Town | 3:05 |
| 27. | "The Real Ming" | 1:59 | ||
| 28. | "No Going Back" | 3:13 | ||
| 29. | "Let Your Inner Panda Out" | 1:30 | ||
| 30. | "Nobody Like U" (Instrumental) | Eilish and O'Connell | O'Connell | 2:40 |
| 31. | "1 True Love" (Instrumental) | Eilish and O'Connell | O'Connell | 3:19 |
| 32. | "U Know What's Up" (Instrumental) | Eilish and O'Connell | O'Connell | 3:08 |
| Total length: | 76:55 | |||
Critical response
editAlan Kronenberg's analytical review for The Observer, stated that "The 4*Town songs are expertly performed and are so catchy and similar to the boy band songs of the era that viewers have seen people people posting about how the voice talents should actually become a band and do live performances. Similarly, Göransson's score is an artistic triumph that encapsulates the story of the movie so well through the various styles and fusions of music. The resulting score comprises a whole slew of genres ranging from boy band beats, traditional Chinese music and more Western hip-hop, along with orchestral sounds."[12] Quynh Anh Tong of The State News said, "First, the nostalgia is undeniably strong in "Turning Red". The music, written and produced by the duo Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, evoked the soundscape of the late 90s - early 2000s. Music also became a major plot driver of the movie, with a fictional boy band becoming the forces that unite Mei and her friends at the same time as creating conflict between the mother and daughter duo. Some cultural relics also appear in the movie, apparent in the dialogue of the characters to the books they were holding."[13] Popsugar called it as "an amazing soundtrack, filled with plenty of nostalgic sounds and songs to accompany the characters throughout the movie [...] the soundtrack will fill your heart with joy and bring out your inner teenager."[14]
Additional music
editThe track "Larger Than Life" by the Backstreet Boys was featured in the first trailer of the film,[15] and NSYNC's "It's Gonna Be Me" was featured in the second trailer.[16][17] The tracks were used for promotional purposes, and was neither featured in the soundtrack, nor in the film.
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[18] | 35 |
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[19] | 26 |
| US Billboard 200[20] | 87 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[21] | 16 |
References
edit- ^ Turning Red (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Finneas O'Connell, Ludwig Göransson & 4*TOWN (From Disney and Pixar's Turning Red), March 11, 2022, retrieved April 16, 2022
- ^ "Ludwig Göransson to Score Pixar's Turning Red". Film Music Reporter. July 14, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (September 7, 2021). "'Black Panther' Score Headed to Hollywood Bowl for Live-to-Picture Performance". Variety. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Burlingame, Jon (March 11, 2022). "The Music of 'Turning Red' Is an All-Star Affair Featuring Billie Eilish, Finneas and Ludwig Goransson". Variety. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Acuna, Kirsten (February 8, 2022). "Pixar sent Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell a boy band-inspired scrapbook to convince them to write music for their next animated movie, 'Turning Red'". Insider. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ "Welcome to 4*Town" Featurette. Pixar. March 2, 2022. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ Robinson, Tasha (March 12, 2022). "Pulling off Turning Red's epic Chinese panda ritual was a global effort". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ @disneyplusjp (February 23, 2022). "『私ときどきレッサーパンダ』日本版エンドソングアーティスト 🎉【 Da-iCE 】に決定🎉 ≪本当の自分≫でいることを後押してくれる1曲「どんな君も」を歌い上げる🎤 ビリー・アイリッシュと、その兄でプロデューサーのフィニアス・オコネルによる 劇中にも登場する楽曲「Nobody Like U」のカバー✨ 劇中に登場する人気ボーイズ・グループ「4★TOWN」の日本版声優もDa-iCEが担当✨ Da-iCEからのコメントは公式サイトをチェック👀💫 3/11（金） ディズニープラス独占配信🐾" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 8, 2022 – via Instagram.
- ^ @disneyplustw (March 8, 2022). "由怪奇比莉創作的《青春養成記》電影主題曲You Know What's Up中文版〈王者的驕傲〉找來超人氣男團五堅情獻唱，MV 30秒搶先看! 完整版MV將於本周五與電影一起上線，敬請期待! 皮克斯《青春養成記》3月11日Disney+獨家上線~" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on March 8, 2022 – via Instagram.
- ^ Abdulbaki, Mae (March 11, 2022). "Turning Red Soundtrack: Every Song, 4*Town Singers & Where To Listen". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Beck, Michelle (February 28, 2022). "Disney/Pixar's 'Turning Red' Soundtrack Album Details". Disney Plus Informer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Kronenberg, Alan. "The soundtrack to "Turning Red" is just as good as the movie". The Observer. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "A "Turning Red" review: Is there a bad way to do representation?". The State News. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Geigel, Alicia (March 22, 2022). "Let the "Turning Red" Soundtrack Transport You Back to 2002". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Perilstein, Zach (July 14, 2021). "It's A Great Sign Whenever You Use Backstreet Boys In A Trailer". Medium. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Official trailer released for Pixar's first Asian-led feature film, 'Turning Red'". NBC News. November 18, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Pixar's 'Turning Red' Trailer Unleashes a New Kind of Hulk Story – and a New Boy Band (Video)". November 17, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "Billboard 200: Week of April 9, 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Soundtrack Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2022.