The soundtrack for the 2021 American Western film The Harder They Fall, produced by Overbrook Entertainment, consists of an original score composed by the film's writer and director Jeymes Samuel, as well as original songs performed by various artists.[3]
| The Harder They Fall (The Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | October 29, 2021 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 40:40 |
| Label | Roc Nation |
| Producer | |
| The Harder They Fall (Original Score) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | January 14, 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:00 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Jeymes Samuel | |||
| Jeymes Samuel chronology | ||||
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The original soundtrack was released on October 29, 2021, by Roc Nation ahead of the film's streaming release on Netflix the following week.[2][4] In addition to streaming and digital formats, the album was physically released on CD, vinyl, and cassette.[5] The 14 track album is composed of original songs written for the film performed by Jeymes Samuel, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, CeeLo Green, Seal, and Laura Mvula among others with skits taken from the film interspersed.[5]
The original score was released digitally by Roc Nation on January 14, 2022. The score was composed entirely by Samuel, featuring The Chamber Orchestra of London on several tracks.
Background
editJeymes Samuel, the film's writer, director, composer, and producer, wrote and produced all songs on the soundtrack alongside contributions from some of the soundtracks' performers.[3][6][7] Samuel also executive produced the soundtrack with Jay-Z, with whom he had collaborated previously on The Great Gatsby: Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film, with Carter serving as executive producer and Samuel serving as executive musical consultant under his stage name The Bullitts.[8][9][10][11] All of the songs on the soundtrack appear in the film, and the track "Guns Go Bang" first appeared in the film's trailer on September 28.[12] Samuel, known for blending film and music, explained his approach to the soundtrack as "a versatile body of work that blends genres and eras in an innovative way."[13][2]
Critical reception
editThe soundtrack was released to positive reviews, both for the roster of artists included and the quality of its songs. The "star-studded" collaborations were praised for celebrating "every corner of Black culture".[14][15] The songs, described as "winningly cinematic" by Variety, were hailed for their "dynamic, symphonic grandness" and for representing a range of genres while "maintaining a cohesive sense of sonic drama."[16][4] Samuel's use of the "anachronistic soundtrack" in the film received high praise as well.[17] In contrast to the scores typical of classic Westerns, Samuel employed music from modern genres such as hip hop, reggae, and R&B, which was "expertly placed to emphasize the events of the movie in a way that goes beyond audiences’ normal expectations from a movie score" according to Screen Rant.[18][5]
Release
editThe Harder They Fall (The Motion Picture Soundtrack)
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lightnin' With The Blam Blams (Skit)" | Jeymes Samuel | Edi Gathegi, R.J. Cyler | 0:14 |
| 2. | "The Harder They Fall" | Samuel, Shawn Carter | Koffee | 2:48 |
| 3. | "Guns Go Bang" | Samuel, Scott Mescudi, Carter | Kid Cudi, Jay-Z | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Better Than Gold" | Samuel | Barrington Levy | 5:53 |
| 5. | "Black Woman" | Samuel, Ms. Lauryn Hill | Fatoumata Diawara, Ms. Lauryn Hill | 3:58 |
| 6. | "Wednesday's Child" | Samuel | Alice Smith | 2:39 |
| 7. | "Blackskin Mile" | Samuel | CeeLo Green | 4:10 |
| 8. | "Ain't No Better Love" | Samuel, Seal, James Poyser | Seal | 4:45 |
| 9. | "We Ain't No Nincompoop (Skit)" | Samuel | LaKeith Stanfield, Regina King | 0:17 |
| 10. | "King Kong Riddim (featuring BackRoad Gee)" | Samuel, Carter, Jason Phillips, Demond Price | Jay-Z, Jadakiss, Conway the Machine | 3:34 |
| 11. | "We Go Harder" | Samuel | Laura Mvula, Mayra Andrade | 2:53 |
| 12. | "Is The Devil Dead? (Skit)" | Samuel | Zazie Beetz, Jonathan Majors | 0:09 |
| 13. | "No Turning Around" | Samuel | Jeymes Samuel | 1:55 |
| 14. | "Three And Thirty Years" | Samuel | Pretty Yende | 3:51 |
| Total length: | 40:40 | |||
The Harder They Fall (Original Score)
editAn album featuring Samuel's score was released digitally by Roc Nation on January 14, 2022.[19]
- All music composed by Jeymes Samuel
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Three and Thirty Years" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 2:41 |
| 2. | "Jesus Cortez" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 2:32 |
| 3. | "The Jim Crow Count" | 1:00 |
| 4. | "Away With The Wind She Goes" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 0:53 |
| 5. | "Away With The Wind She Goes (Part 2)" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 1:14 |
| 6. | "Dead Man’s Valentine" | 0:40 |
| 7. | "Do Unto Others / Ride Out" | 3:43 |
| 8. | "Showdown / Shootout" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 3:45 |
| 9. | "Pick Up Your Guns and Turn Around" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 1:28 |
| 10. | "Three and Thirty Years (Fisk Jubilee Singers)" | 2:10 |
| 11. | "Everything You Love Will Burn" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 3:47 |
| 12. | "It’s a White Town" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 2:49 |
| 13. | "Everyone But Him" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 1:03 |
| 14. | "Sun Up, No Mary" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 0:58 |
| 15. | "Redwood Theme" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 1:34 |
| 16. | "Is That The Right Arm or the Left?" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 1:50 |
| 17. | "Ride Out (Part 2)" | 0:51 |
| 18. | "Clearly… You Don’t Know Me" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 3:02 |
| 19. | "The Return of Nat Love" | 2:02 |
| 20. | "Wiley Dynamite" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 1:00 |
| 21. | "Bad Karma In The Afterlife" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 1:40 |
| 22. | "The Harder They Fall Choir" (with The Chamber Orchestra of London) | 2:02 |
| Total length: | 43:00 | |
References
edit- ^ Barber, Nicholas (28 October 2021). "11 films to watch this November". BBC. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Ushe, Naledi (29 October 2021). "Hold Onto Your Cowboy Hat! The Harder They Fall's Soundtrack Is Stacked With Hits". Popsugar. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Burton, Jamie (2 November 2021). "Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and All the Artists Featured on 'The Harder They Fall' Soundtrack". Newsweek. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ a b Allen, Matthew (30 October 2021). "Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Lauryn Hill, more featured in Netflix's 'The Harder They Fall' soundtrack". Yahoo. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d Collington, Faefyx (5 November 2021). "The Harder They Fall Soundtrack: Every Song In The Movie (& Where To Listen)". Screenrant. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Inman, Demicia (3 November 2021). "Jay-Z Joins Instagram To Promote 'The Harder They Fall'". Vibe. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Jackson, Angelique (13 October 2021). "How First-Time Feature Filmmaker Jeymes Samuel Is Reinventing the Western With 'The Harder They Fall'". Variety. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Hussey, Allison; Strauss, Matthew (29 October 2021). "Jay-Z Shares 2 New Songs From The Harder They Fall: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Legaspi, Althea (29 October 2021). "Jay-Z Drops 'The Harder They Fall' Soundtrack Featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill, Jadakiss". Rolling stone. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Baz Luhrmann: 'Jay-Z totally nailed 'The Great Gatsby". NME. 11 May 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Croot, James (3 November 2021). "The Harder They Fall: Netflix brings Black the western with an audacious bang". Stuff. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Aderoju, Darlene (28 September 2021). "Jay-Z Teases New Kid Cudi Collaboration in Action-Packed 'The Harder They Fall' Trailer". Billboard. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Coyle, Jake (30 October 2021). "Giving the Western some swagger in 'The Harder They Fall'". AP News. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Anthony, Kiyonna (29 October 2021). "Jay-Z Drops 'The Harder They Fall' Soundtrack With Lauryn Hill & More". The Breakfast Club. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Russell, Bradley (29 October 2021). "The Harder They Fall's cast and director on reinventing the western for Netflix". GamesRadar. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Amorosi, A.D. (29 October 2021). "Jay-Z and Friends Rise to the Occasion With 'The Harder They Fall' Soundtrack: Album Review". Variety. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Harley, Nick (4 November 2021). "The Harder They Fall: Netflix's All-Black Western Revitalizes Genre". Den of Geek. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ ""The Harder They Fall" offers a new take on the Old West". The Economist. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Roc Nation & Geneva Club Release 'The Harder They Fall' Original Score". 17 January 2022.
Further reading
edit- What ‘The Harder They Fall’ Is Communicating Through Its Soundtrack. Netflix. Retrieved January 12, 2022
- ‘The Harder They Fall’ Director Jeymes Samuel on Writing the Score Alongside the Script: “Words Have Melodies”. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2021