Drive (soundtrack)

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Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Cliff Martinez
ReleasedSeptember 19, 2011
Recorded2011
Genre
Length70:18
LabelLakeshore Records
ProducerCliff Martinez

Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2011 American film of the same name. Initially, Johnny Jewel was hired to compose the film's score, but producers ultimately hired Cliff Martinez to replace Jewel. The album consists of songs which is a blend of electronic, ambient and retro music.[1]

Prior to the release of the soundtrack, the album topped iTunes charts after the highly positive critical response for the film as well as its musical score. The album was released on CD on September 19, 2011, by Lakeshore Records,[2] which was followed by a vinyl edition of the soundtrack, marketed by Mondo, was released in June 2012. Coinciding the film's fifth anniversary, Lakeshore and Invada Records, in September 2016, released the special edition of the soundtrack. It peaked at 30th position on the US Billboard 200, and topped the soundtrack list from Billboard. Incidentally, the album also topped the soundtrack list in Official Charts Company (United Kingdom). The soundtrack also received several awards and nominations.

Development[edit]

Refn chose Johnny Jewel of Desire and Chromatics to score the film. He wanted electronic music and to have it be abstract, on occasion, so viewers can see things from the Driver's perspective.[3] As Refn was going through mixer Jewel's catalog, he picked out "Under Your Spell" and "Tick of the Clock" because he thought of Drive being a fairy tale. During Drive's climax, "A Real Hero"'s keynote melody, about becoming "a real human being, and a real hero", refrains because that is when the Driver displays both those characteristics.[4] At first, Jewel worried that "Under Your Spell" might be too literal, but soon realized it is used in Drive "in the exact same way that I was feeling it when I wrote it. He definitely got the nuance of the song, and understood what it was supposed to mean, and he wanted to give that emotion to the viewer, that same feeling."[3]

Thinking of music in terms of basic elements, Jewel would tell the director that for certain scenes, it should not have bass since, as an earth tone, it is usually used for a more emotional or ominous part. Jewel thought the music should be in the upper register and relaxing for the "dreamlike" scene. To help himself with the music composition process, and to conjure up melodies, the producer would highlight many phrases from the novel, then print those words in large font, and hung them on his walls or draw pictures during viewings of Drive.[3]

Although Jewel's music was used in the score, at the last minute the studio hired composer Cliff Martinez to imitate the style and feel of Jewel's bands Chromatics and Glass Candy.[5] Refn gave him a sampling of songs he liked and asked Martinez to emulate the sound, resulting in "a kind of retro, 80ish, synthesizer europop". Editor Mat Newman suggested Drive's opening credits song: "Nightcall" by French electronic musician Kavinsky.[6][7] Most of its ethereal electronic-pop score was composed by Martinez.[8] Refn was a particular fan of his ambient music on the Sex, Lies, and Videotape soundtrack.[9] The score contains tracks with vintage keyboards and bluntly descriptive titles.[10]

Jewel reworked his unused soundtrack for the film into Themes for an Imaginary Film, the debut album by his side-project Symmetry.[11]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleArtist(s)[2]Length
1."Nightcall" (Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo)Kavinsky featuring Lovefoxxx4:19
2."Under Your Spell" (Johnny Jewel)Desire3:52
3."A Real Hero" (David Grellier, Austin Garrick, Bronwyn Griffin)College featuring Electric Youth4:27
4."Oh My Love" (Riz Ortolani, Rina Ranieri)Riz Ortolani featuring Katyna Ranieri2:50
5."Tick of the Clock" (Jewel)Chromatics4:48
6."Rubber Head"Cliff Martinez3:08
7."I Drive"Cliff Martinez2:03
8."He Had a Good Time"Cliff Martinez1:37
9."They Broke His Pelvis"Cliff Martinez1:58
10."Kick Your Teeth"Cliff Martinez2:40
11."Where's the Deluxe Version?"Cliff Martinez5:32
12."See You in Four"Cliff Martinez2:37
13."After the Chase"Cliff Martinez5:25
14."Hammer"Cliff Martinez4:44
15."Wrong Floor"Cliff Martinez1:31
16."Skull Crushing"Cliff Martinez5:57
17."My Name on a Car"Cliff Martinez2:19
18."On the Beach"Cliff Martinez6:35
19."Bride of Deluxe"Cliff Martinez3:57

Reception[edit]

Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) was released on CD on September 19, 2011, by Lakeshore Records.[2] Prior to that, owing to viral reviews such as those found on Twitter, the soundtrack sold well on iTunes, climbing as high as number four on the sales charts.[12] The album was released on vinyl on June 21, 2012, by Mondo.[13] A re-scored soundtrack for the film was produced for the BBC by Zane Lowe for its television broadcast in October 2014. The soundtrack included original music from Chvrches, Banks, Bastille, Eric Prydz, SBTRKT, Bring Me the Horizon, The 1975 and Laura Mvula.[14]

The album received positive reviews. James Verniere of the Boston Herald graded it an "A", stating, "The cool crowd isn't just watching Drive; they're listening to it, too ... The Drive soundtrack is such an integral part of the experience of the film, once you see it, you can't imagine the film without it."[15] AllMusic reviewer James Christopher Monger selected opening track "Nightcall", "I Drive", "Hammer" and "Bride of Deluxe" as soundtrack's highlights.[16] Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy gave it a four out of five star rating, finding it as important as the film itself. She stated the album's sequence, beginning with non-Martinez songs instead of mixing it up for a more enjoyable listening experience, cost it a star.[10]

In September 2016, Lakeshore and Invada Records released a fifth anniversary special edition pressing of the soundtrack, featuring new liner notes and artwork. That same month, Johnny Jewel, college, Electric Youth, and Cliff Martinez discussed the impact of the soundtrack and film on their lives and contemporary music culture. Jewel told Aaron Vehling that Drive's "blend of sonic and visual nostalgia with a contemporary spin is always deadly."[17] The soundtrack was listed on Spin magazine's list of 40 Movie Soundtracks That Changed Alternative Music.[18]

Charts[edit]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients Result Ref.
Boston Society of Film Critics December 12, 2011 Best Use of Music in a Film Drive Won[a] [38]
Chicago Film Critics Association December 19, 2011 Best Original Score Cliff Martinez Won [39]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards January 13, 2012 Best Score Cliff Martinez Nominated [40]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association December 11, 2011 Best Music Score Cliff Martinez Runner–up [41]
MTV Movie Awards June 3, 2012 Best Song from a Movie "A Real Hero" by College featuring Electric Youth Nominated [42]
Satellite Awards December 18, 2011 Best Original Score Cliff Martinez Nominated [43]
St. Louis Film Critics Association December 19, 2011 Best Music/Score Cliff Martinez Nominated [44]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 5, 2011 Best Score Cliff Martinez Nominated [45]
World Soundtrack Academy October 20, 2012 Best Soundtrack of the Year Cliff Martinez Nominated [46]
Soundtrack Composer of the Year Nominated

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Tied with The Artist[38]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "'Drive' at 10: the story behind the film's iconic soundtrack". NME. September 20, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Ford, Rebecca (September 6, 2011). "Drive Soundtrack To Be Released". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c Gilchrist, Todd (September 18, 2011). "Johnny Jewel on Developing the Unique Soundtrack For Drive". Box Office. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  4. ^ Shoard, Catherine (September 8, 2011). "Nicolas Winding Refn: 'Film-making is a fetish'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Thomlison, Adam. "Q: I saw that movie Drive, with Ryan Gosling, and I was wondering who did the very '80s-sounding music on the soundtrack?". TV Tabloid. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  6. ^ Lim, Dennis (May 22, 2011). "Cannes Q. and A.: Driving in a Noir L.A." The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  7. ^ Lyttelton, Oliver (August 16, 2011). "Empire Big Screen '11: Nicolas Winding Refn Says Wonder Woman A Go If He Does Logan's Run Right". IndieWire. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  8. ^ Martinez, Cliff. "Cliff Martinez". Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  9. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (September 15, 2011). "Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn share the ride". Los Angeles Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  10. ^ a b Nissim, Mayer (September 14, 2011). "Drive: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack' – Album review". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  11. ^ Howe, Brian (January 13, 2012). "Johnny Jewel Talks Symmetry, Drive Music, Glass Candy and Chromatics LPs | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  12. ^ Powers, Lindsay (September 12, 2011). "Drive Soundtrack Climbs iTunes Charts on Strong Viral Reviews". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  13. ^ Ishmael, Justin (March 5, 2012). "We Are Releasing The Drive Soundtrack on Vinyl!". The Mondo Blog. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  14. ^ Carley, Brennan (October 20, 2014). "BBC Will Re-Score Drive With CHVRCHES, Banks, Bastille, SBTRKT, and More". Spin. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  15. ^ Verniere, James. "Drive soundtrack is worth hot pursuit". Boston Herald. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  16. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Drive [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] – Cliff Martinez". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 3, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  17. ^ Vehling, Aaron (September 7, 2016). "Drive at Five: Revisiting the Neon-Noir Masterpiece". Vehlinggo. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  18. ^ "40 Movie Soundtracks That Changed Alternative Music". Spin. February 12, 2013. p. 41. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  19. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack / Cliff Martinez – Drive" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack / Cliff Martinez – Drive" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack / Cliff Martinez – Drive" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  22. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Soundtrack / Cliff Martinez – Drive". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  23. ^ "Lescharts.com – Soundtrack / Cliff Martinez – Drive". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack / Cliff Martinez – Drive" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  25. ^ "Top 20 Multi-Artist Compilation Album, Week Ending 6 October 2011". Chart-Track. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  26. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Soundtrack / Cliff Martinez – Drive". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  27. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack / Cliff Martinez – Drive". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  29. ^ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  30. ^ "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  31. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  32. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  33. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Soundtrack Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2012" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  35. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2012" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  36. ^ "Album Top-100 2012". Hitlisten.NU (in Danish). Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  37. ^ "Classement Albums – année 2012" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  38. ^ a b "Past Award Winners – 2011 (December 12th)". Boston Society of Film Critics. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  39. ^ Knegt, Peter (December 19, 2011). "The Tree of Life Leads Chicago Critics Awards". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  40. ^ McIntyre, Gina (December 13, 2011). "Hugo, The Artist top nominees for Critics Choice Awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  41. ^ "Los Angeles Film Critics Awards Names The Descendants Best Film of the Year". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. December 11, 2011. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  42. ^ "2012 MTV Movie Awards Winners: The Full List". MTV. Viacom Media Networks. June 4, 2012. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  43. ^ Kilday, Gregg (December 2, 2011). "The Artist War Horse Among Contenders Nominated for Satellite Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  44. ^ Montgomery, Steve (December 14, 2011). "The Tree of Life, 13 Assassins, George Clooney: St. Louis Film Critics Nominations". Alternative Film Guide. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  45. ^ Soares, Andre (December 5, 2011). "Woody Allen, Deathly Hallows 2, Meryl Streep: Washington DC Critics Nominations". Alternative Film Guide. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  46. ^ World Soundtrack Academy

External links[edit]

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