BlacKkKlansman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Terence Blanchard
ReleasedAugust 10, 2018 (2018-08-10)
StudioSony Pictures Soundstage (Los Angeles)
Length37:46
LabelBack Lot Music

BlacKkKlansman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album composed by Terence Blanchard for the 2018 film BlacKkKlansman. It was released by Back Lot Music on August 10, 2018, the same day as the film's theatrical release.

Background

Composer Terence Blanchard had been a longtime collaborator of director Spike Lee, scoring Lee's films from Jungle Fever (1991) to Inside Man (2006).[1] Lee did not give specific direction to Blanchard on the tone he wanted for BlacKkKlansman. He simply told Blanchard, "R&B band", to which Blanchard replied, "Electric guitar" as a nod to Jimi Hendrix.[2][3][4]

When I saw some of the first cut, there was something about seeing those Afros, those leather coats and those bellbottom jeans that took me back to that period. I’m a product of the ’70s, so the first thing that I thought of was Jimi Hendrix, playing the National Anthem. I kept saying that in my mind, that has to be one of the most patriotic things on the planet. Here was an African-American guy, playing this theme, which to me had the effect of screaming, “I’m an American, too. I belong here, and I should be afforded all of the rights that everybody else has."

— Terence Blanchard, on Jimi Hendrix inspiring his soundtrack of BlacKkKlansman[3]

Production

To give the soundtrack its unique tone, Blanchard integrated the jazzy sound of his band, The E-Collective, with that of a traditional 65-piece orchestra. For example, for the main theme's signature electric guitar riff, Blanchard aimed to create a melancholic sound with an underlying strength, so he backed the guitar with low-pitched orchestral horns. The E-Collective recorded in New Orleans while the orchestra recorded at the Sony Pictures Soundstage in Los Angeles.[5]

The film opens with the battlefield scene from Gone with the Wind over Blanchard's orchestration of "Swanee River".[5]

The ending of the film, which shows footage from the Unite the Right rally of 2017, reused Blanchard's main theme from Inside Man, a deliberate choice by director Spike Lee over what Blanchard had already composed for the film's closing music.[6]

As Lee needed a song for the film's ending credits, he reached out to his friend Troy Carter, a Spotify executive and advisor of Prince's estate. After Carter attended a private screening of BlacKkKlansman, he offered Lee Prince's unreleased cover of "Mary Don't You Weep", which had been recorded on cassette in the mid-80s.[7]

Release

The album was released digitally on August 10, 2018.[8][9] It was released on vinyl on February 15, 2019 via Waxwork Records.[10]

Legacy and accolades

In 2019, Blanchard's song "Blut Und Boden (Blood and Soil)" earned him the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition, his first Grammy.[11] That year, his soundtrack was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score[12] and the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music.[13]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Gone With the Wind"1:01
2."Hatred at Its Best"2:37
3."Main Theme"1:01
4."Ron's Theme"1:26
5."Firing Range"1:33
6."No Cross Burning Tonight"3:11
7."Patrice Library"1:33
8."Ron Meets FBI Agent"1:55
9."Connie and the Bomb"1:17
10."Guarding David Duke"0:57
11."Tale of Two Powers 1"2:40
12."Tale of Two Powers 2"2:20
13."Tale of Two Powers 3"1:44
14."Woodrow Wilson"0:21
15."Klan Cavalry"0:45
16."Ron's Search"1:05
17."Patrice Followed"1:26
18."Here Comes Ron"0:45
19."White Power Theme"0:44
20."Partner Funk Theme"0:40
21."Main Theme - Ron"1:23
22."Blut Und Boden (Blood and Soil)"3:41
23."Photo Opps"3:39
Total length:37:46

References

  1. ↑ Chideya, Farai (February 15, 2008). "Terence Blanchard on Scoring Spike Lee Joints". NPR.
  2. ↑ Reilly, Dan (February 14, 2019). "Terence Blanchard Talks About the Toughness of Scoring BlacKkKlansman". Vulture.
  3. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (November 27, 2018). "Composer Terence Blanchard Grapples With Tone & Weight Of History On 'BlacKkKlansman'". Deadline.
  4. ↑ "Keyed In: Making The Music for Spike Lee's Vision". Focus Features. July 31, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Hart, Hugh (January 14, 2019). "Oscar Watch: How BlacKkKlansman's Composer Channeled Jimi Hendrix's Iconic Riffs". Motion Picture Association.
  6. ↑ Kohn, Eric (December 31, 2018). "Spike Lee's Secret Weapon For 30 Years: 'BlacKkKlansman' Composer Terence Blanchard". IndieWire.
  7. ↑ Reilly, Nick (August 6, 2018). "Unreleased Prince song to feature on Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman' soundtrack". NME.
  8. ↑ "BlacKkKlansman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Terence Blanchard". Apple Music. August 10, 2018.
  9. ↑ "BlacKkKlansman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Spotify. August 10, 2018.
  10. ↑ Spice, Anton (February 14, 2019). "The soundtrack to Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman to be released on vinyl". The Vinyl Factory.
  11. ↑ "2019 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees And Winners List". Grammys. The Recording Academy.
  12. ↑ "THE 91ST ACADEMY AWARDS - 2019". Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
  13. ↑ "EE British Academy Film Awards Winners in 2019". BAFTA. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. January 9, 2019.
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