Promising Young Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedDecember 4, 2020
Genre
Length54:58
LabelCapitol
Producer
Compiler
  • Anthony Willis
  • Emerald Fennell
Singles from Promising Young Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  1. "Drinks"
    Released: March 6, 2020
  2. "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby"
    Released: October 20, 2020
  3. "Uh-Oh"
    Released: November 13, 2020
  4. "Come and Play with Me"
    Released: November 23, 2020
  5. "Last Laugh"
    Released: December 1, 2020
  6. "It's Raining Men"
    Released: December 3, 2020

Promising Young Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2020 film Promising Young Woman, directed by Emerald Fennell, which was released on December 4, 2020, by Capitol Records. The album features a compilation of varied genres—pop, jazz, soul, and funk—performed by Charli XCX, Cyn, Fletcher, Paris Hilton, Donna Missal, and Maya B, among several others. The album consists of four covers, four original tracks, and previously unreleased tracks from artists Muna and Blessus, apart from the usage of incorporated tracks.[1] Anthony Willis, who composed the film score, also performed the re-imagined orchestral version of the track Britney Spears' single "Toxic".[2] It was originally scheduled for an April 2020 release, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

The album features mostly songs sung by female artists, while also having the involvement of female music creatives, working behind the soundtrack. According to Vice, "the film expertly uses femme pop songs to underscore its critically acclaimed twisted tale of trauma and revenge".[3] Susan Jacobs supervised the film's soundtrack, with Willis and Fennell compiling the tracks in the album.[4] Cyn's original track "Drinks" was released as a first single during March 2020, in anticipation with the album and film's April release.[5] The other tracks: "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby", "Uh-Oh", "Come and Play With Me", "Last Laugh" and "It's Raining Men" were subsequently released on October 20, November 13, 23, December 1 and 3, respectively.

Critics praised the use of pop music, and the selective use of female artists in the soundtrack.[6] Despite being initially shortlisted for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, it could not get selected.[7]

Production

Background

Emerald Fennell, was the executive music producer of the film, apart from directing. Fennell included several pop songs, she had listened, while scripting the film.[8]

Fennell explained that, she grew up listening to the soundtracks of Romeo + Juliet, Clueless, Can't Hardly Wait and Empire Records, during her childhood, which led her through a wide range of emotions, including love, heartbreak, humiliation, etc.[1][9] For her directorial debut, which is a thriller, she decided to have several pop songs in the soundtrack, and insisted Susan Jacobs, to supervise the soundtrack. Fennell, who was the executive soundtrack producer, had jointly compiled the album with score composer Anthony Willis.[10]

Jacobs stated the soundtrack had similarities, to her work in Little Miss Sunshine, where "the tone and color of what you see onscreen belies the darkness of what is transpiring". Fennell curated the soundtrack, consisting of the songs she listened, during the scripting process, and sent the playlist to Carey Mulligan. Fennell used the Paris Hilton song "Stars Are Blind" (2006) as an integral part of the script, which played as Cassie (Mulligan) and Ryan (Bo Burnham) sings the song in a pharmacy. Excerpts from Jacob's interview to Vulture stated: "It was great because it had sincerity to it. Nobody was making fun. It was about that character falling in love with a guy who was so confident in his masculinity that he felt comfortable enough to sing one of her favorite pop songs." The song was shot in the minimal budget allotted after the film's shooting being completed.[4] Mulligan stated in an interview to Vice, saying "Everyone knows the song, but the lyrics are actually really difficult to learn because they're quite abstract".[3]

Charli XCX's song "Boys" was an initial part of the script. Jacobs said about filming the song "The way she shot it with crotch shots all over, it's hysterical!"[4] Droeloe's remix version of the song was featured in the soundtrack. Other lesser known artists and their songs include Fletcher's "Last Laugh", DeathbyRomy's original track "Come and Play With Me" and the cover version of The Weather Girls' single "It's Raining Men", Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning", the cover of the 1967 song by Chip Taylor, amongst several others. In the first version of the script, Mulligan had sung her version of "Can't Help The Way I Feel", but was not used in the soundtrack, instead it was credited to the band Lily & Madeleine.[4][11]

Development

"When I go through something that changes my life, you feel like you can never get to be you again. It's a new version of you. I would use some of the lyrics I wrote for Cassie (Mulligan) as empowerment that she gave me while watching the movie. I wanted the verses to have strength and confidence."

— Cyn, in an interview to Variety, speaking on the composition for the original track "Drinks"[4]

Two of the original songs were written by Cyn, who said in an interview to Variety, "Being able to see the whole movie and the scene with the music muted can be such a gift if you know what you want to do with the music. It's like coloring in the lines of a coloring book. Just like with 'Drinks,' the songs couldn't have come to life as quickly as they did without seeing the movie. And if you listen to 'Uh Oh,' the whole movie is in the second verse."[1]

Willis, apart from composing the score, had recorded the orchestral version of Britney Spears' "Toxic".[11] For the track, he used a string quartet arrangement and slowed down the track liner, to get a "disconnect of a song that you normally associate being really fun in a very unpleasant setting". He claimed about the lyrical connection, that "one does not understand the lyrics, but instead it gets through one's head".[2]

In addition to having female artists, mostly contributing to the soundtrack, the album also had the involvement of prominent female music executives, creative heads and technicians on board. Jenny Swiatowy, SVP, head of creative sync at Capitol Music Group said "The film speaks to women and our experiences in the world, and the things unfortunately many of us go through. So it was important that it came from that perspective."[1] CMG Chief Executive Anton Monstead, said to Variety: "I'm excited by this album because it's a strong body of work by a very broad spectrum of really strong female voices, and it was an exciting collaboration [...] To be taken on that journey by Emerald, who as a director really set the bar very high, it was very exciting to try and fulfill that ambition."[1]

Release

Singles

Cyn's original track "Drinks" was released as a promotional music video single on March 6, 2020, through YouTube.[12] It was first released from the album as a single, in anticipation with the April 2020 release date.[13] Speaking about the track Cyn opined that the song "and the movie complement one another thematically. For example, both pieces reveal moments of friendship, allegiance, hardship, strength, and of course, pose scenarios where drinks are acquired [...] Upon watching the movie, Promising Young Woman, I felt more inspired to finish my song. The chorus was written before I saw the movie, and the verses were written in consideration of the movie—knowing that may make a listening experience a little more interesting."[14][15]

The first track "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby" was released as a single on October 20.[16] The track is a cover version of Cigarettes After Sex's 2012 album I., performed by Donna Missal, and was earlier featured in the first trailer of the film released in December 2019.[17] Another original track "Uh-Oh" and its music video was released on November 13.[18] The second song "Come and Play With Me" rendered by DeathByRomy was released as a single on November 23.[19] The video-format of the third single, "Last Laugh" performed and featured Fletcher, was released on December 1 through YouTube,[20] while the audio was released on the same day.[21] Prior to the soundtrack's release, DeathByRomy's second song—the cover version of The Weather Girls' 1982 single "It's Raining Men"—was released on December 3.[22]

Album

Standard release

The track list for Promising Young Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) was released on March 6, 2020, by Variety,[1] and the album was scheduled for an April 3 release.[23] The release was halted, as the film's originally scheduled release date of April 17, was deferred ultimately due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The soundtrack was digitally released on December 4, 2020, by Capitol Records. On October 26, pre-orders for the soundtrack re-started officially on the website of Amazon, and the album was through CD formats on December 25, coinciding with the film's release.[24] The cover art for Universal Music Group's announcement of April 3 soundtrack release, was different from the current album artwork.[24]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Artist(s)Length
1."Boys" (Droeloe remix)
Charli XCX3:36
2."Last Laugh"
Fletcher2:42
3."Uh-Oh"
Cyn3:11
4."Selenas"Maya BMaya B3:27
5."He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)"
Carmen DeLeon2:35
6."Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby"Grégory GonzálezDonna Missal3:17
7."Nihilist"
  • Josette Maskin
  • Katie Gavin
  • Naomi McPherson
Muna3:25
8."It's Raining Men"
DeathbyRomy3:43
9."Can't Help the Way I Feel"
Lily & Madeleine3:14
10."Stars Are Blind"
Paris Hilton3:58
11."Come and Play with Me"
  • Andrew Robert Rosen
  • Romy Flores
DeathbyRomy3:08
12."Drinks"
Cyn2:29
13."Ur Eyes"
Blessus04:30
14."Downhill Lullaby"
Sky Ferreira5:31
15."Angel of the Morning"Chip TaylorJuice Newton4:12
16."Toxic"
Anthony Willis1:51
Total length:54:58

Vinyl release

Two vinyl editions of the soundtracks (double-disc sets) were released by Capitol. The first editions, a red-and-pink colored splatter, featuring the original cover artwork and red-and-pink disc sets was released on February 19, 2021.[25] A multi-colored splatter edition, featured the initially released cover artwork and a multi-colored disc, was released on March 19.[26]

Reception

Critical reception

Kate Mcland of IndieWire stated, "The film is filled with inspired soundtrack choices – a strings-heavy take on Britney Spears' 'Toxic' teases before it reveals itself at the perfect moment, and an amusing use of an 'It's Raining Men' cover sells Fennell's pitch-black sense of humor early on."[27] The Independent-based editors said that the "soundtrack's impactful aura exceeds its promise all the way to accomplished" and cited Hilton's single "Stars Are Blind" and Anthony Willis' orchestral interpretation of "Toxic" as the most impactful tracks from the album.[28] Camila Barbareto of PopSugar said, "The bubblegum soundtrack acts as a mask for the movie's very serious themes, similarly to how Cassie paints on her red lipstick every night and makes men believe she's wasted, counting down the minutes to when they'll try something without consent. There is so much more lurking beneath the surface, symbolized by Cassie's own juxtaposition of sweet and harmless on the outside, ice-cold revenge on the inside (although not nearly as ice cold as the men)."[29] Rachel West from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists commented "the Promising Young Woman soundtrack is equal parts dark, edgy female rage and catchy, lighthearted pop".[30] Casey Cipriani of Bustle commented, "The soundtrack in Emerald Fennell's directorial debut Promising Young Woman is practically a character itself. The music that plays throughout the film is rooted in fun, bubbly pop that, along with the movie's candy-coated color schemes and frilly feminine costumes, juxtapose its extremely serious and occasionally brutal content."[31] The Daily Beast wrote that "the use of a pop music soundtrack that could only be described as glorious…sees Fennell reveal just how astute she is at co-opting our own pop-culture expectations and biases".[32] Refinery29 stated "the Promising Young Woman soundtrack is full of daring, empowering and straight-up fun tracks".[33]

Accolades

The soundtrack was shortlisted at the preliminary nominations for Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, simultaneously with Willis' score at the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media category, but could not get selected.[34][35] The soundtrack fetched an award for Best Soundtrack Album at the 11th Hollywood Music in Media Awards,[36] as well as a nomination in the same category at the St. Louis Film Critics Association awards in 2020.[37]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hampp, Andrew (March 6, 2020). "Songs for Screens: Inside the 'Promising Young Woman' Soundtrack, Featuring Cyn, Charli XCX, More". Variety. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Composer Anthony Willis Reimagines 'Toxic' For His Thrilling 'Promising' Score". Awardsdaily. December 23, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "How 'Promising Young Woman' Uses Pop Music to Reinvent the Revenge Tale". Vice. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 McHenry, Jackson (February 2, 2021). "How Promising Young Woman's Genre-Hopping Soundtrack Came Together". Vulture. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  5. ↑ Paul, Larisha (November 13, 2020). "Cyn Shares Infectious Single 'Uh Oh' From 'Promising Young Woman' Soundtrack". uDiscover Music. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Review: Carey Mulligan holds the wild revenge-thriller provocations of 'Promising Young Woman' together". Los Angeles Times. December 23, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Everything you need to know about the Grammys 2022". Vogue India. March 30, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ Kaplan, Ilana (December 28, 2020). "The Genius of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and 'Promising Young Woman'". Marie Claire. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Promising Young Woman Understands the Power of the Perfect Pop Song". Vanity Fair. December 24, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  10. ↑ Weatherby, Taylor (December 4, 2020). "How 'Promising Young Woman' Delivers on the Promise of a Female-Forward Soundtrack". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Atkinson, Katie (December 22, 2020). "Inside the 'Promising Young Woman' Music, From a Paris Hilton Sing-Along to String-Quartet Britney Spears". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  12. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (March 9, 2020). "Song You Need to Know: Cyn, 'Drinks'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  13. ↑ Roth, Madeline. "Cyn's Swaggering 'Drinks' Video Is Made For Blowing Off Guys In Bars". MTV News. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  14. ↑ Mamo, Heran (November 13, 2020). "Cyn Toasts the 'Promising Young Woman' Soundtrack With 'Drinks' & 'Uh-Oh': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  15. ↑ Rivieccio, Genna (March 9, 2020). "CYN's "Drinks" Is The Perfect Soundtrack for a Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". Culled Culture. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Donna Missal's 'Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby' Cover from 'Promising Young Woman' Released". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  17. ↑ Paul, Larisha (October 25, 2020). "Hear Donna Missal Cover Cigarettes After Sex's 'Nothing's Gonna Hurt You'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Cyn stirs up the 'Promising Young Woman' soundtrack with 'Uh Oh'". Vanyaland. November 13, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  19. ↑ DeathbyRomy - Come And Play With Me (From "Promising Young Woman" Soundtrack), retrieved May 21, 2022
  20. ↑ Paul, Larisha (December 4, 2020). "FLETCHER Drops New Visual For 'Promising Young Woman' Soundtrack'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  21. ↑ FLETCHER - Last Laugh (From "Promising Young Woman" Soundtrack), retrieved May 21, 2022
  22. ↑ "It's Raining Men – from Promising Young Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Shazam. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Promising Young Woman (Original Soundtrack) Announced for April 3 Release" (Press release). Universal Music Canada. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  24. 1 2 Various Artists (2020), Promising Young Woman Soundtrack, Capitol, retrieved May 21, 2022
  25. ↑ Various Artists (2021), Promising Young Woman Soundtrack Red/Pink Splatter, Capitol, retrieved May 21, 2022
  26. ↑ Various; Various Artists, Promising Young Woman - Motion Picture Soundtrack - Exclusive Limited Edition Multi Colored Splatter Vinyl LP x2, Capitol., retrieved May 21, 2022
  27. ↑ Erbland, Kate (January 26, 2020). "'Promising Young Woman' Review: Carey Mulligan Has the Time of Her Life in Fiery #MeToo Revenge Thriller". IndieWire. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Review: 'Promising Young Woman' soundtrack takes you on dark ride". The Independent. December 4, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  29. ↑ Barbeito, Camila (January 29, 2021). "So You're Still Thinking About Promising Young Woman's Soundtrack? This Might Be Why". PopSugar. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  30. ↑ "PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN: Susan Jacob's Female Power Soundtrack". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. December 30, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  31. ↑ "There Are So Many Gloriously 2000s Pop Songs On The 'Promising Young Woman' Soundtrack". Bustle. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  32. ↑ Fallon, Kevin (January 27, 2020). "Sundance's Divisive #MeToo Revenge Film". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  33. ↑ Baila, Morgan. "Every Song On The "Promising Young Woman" Soundtrack". Refinery29. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Grammys 2022 Nominees: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. November 23, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  35. ↑ Aswad, Chris Willman,Jem; Willman, Chris; Aswad, Jem (November 23, 2021). "Grammy Awards Nominations 2022: The Complete List". Variety. Retrieved May 21, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  36. ↑ Grein, Paul (January 27, 2021). "Diane Warren & James Newton Howard Among Top Winners at 2021 Hollywood Music in Media Awards". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  37. ↑ "St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards 2020". St. Louis Film Critics Association. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
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