soundtrack
Page: 2

Olivia Rodrigo is musically joining the Hunger Games universe. The pop superstar announced on Wednesday (Nov. 1) that she wrote a song called âCanât Catch Me Nowâ for the upcoming The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Music From & Inspired By) soundtrack. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
Just before the restaurant opens in Season 2 of FXâs hit show The Bear, chef de cuisine Sydney Adamu releases nine episodes of built-up tension by declaring, âLet it rip!â â and AC/DCâs âIf You Want Blood (Youâve Got It)â explodes into the foreground. For executive producer Josh Senior, securing the song promised some metaphorical bloodshed of its own â but the process turned out to be far easier than expected.
âEverybody Iâve ever talked to about licensing music always told me AC/DC was hard to get, hard to pay for, hard to contact, hard to deal with. And we knew we wanted that song,â he says. âThey ended up being amazing and awesome. But the hype was intimidating.â
The Bear is known for its musical needle drops. Rather than relying on music composed for the series, the show uses mostly familiar rock and pop songs to illustrate characters, moods and relationships. That gives it a sort of instant familiarity â but also makes the music-licensing process more complicated. Senior says most of the memorable tracks used on Season 2, such as R.E.M.âs âStrange Currencies,â Lindsey Buckinghamâs âHoliday Roadâ and Liz Phairâs âSupernova,â were easy to clear. But Senior, creator-executive producer Christopher Storer and producer Tyson Bidner, who do not maintain a separate budget for licensing songs (as is the case with most shows), had to âpress every penny into place,â especially in the frantic last few weeks of production, he says.
In the end, they were able to license every song they wanted, from the season-opening Bruce Hornsby & The Range track âThe Show Goes Onâ to Taylor Swiftâs âLove Story (Taylorâs Version)â â with one crucial exception, as Senior says, in a phone interview from New Jersey that covers some of the songs used in Season 2.Â
What was the most difficult song to clear?
An example I havenât spoken about is the BoDeans song âStill the Nightâ â not a typical Christmas song. We thought it fit really well for the story we were trying to develop. It turns out that âStill the Nightâ has quite a few writers on it. I couldnât find [drummer and co-writer] Guy Hoffman to save my life. We took time to do that, though. If you have a year, you probably can do anything; you have six months, you can probably do most things. Our entire show life-cycle is about three and a half months, from the first day of prep to the thing going on TV. Maybe four. So everythingâs an emergency. You get a countdown clock in the back of your head. The theme of the show really does come through to the way the showâs made. That was one that came down to the wire, but we ended up working it out.
For the âFishesâ episode, you used 17 songs, many of them holiday-related. Did you avoid the Christmas classics and use lesser-known tracks for creative reasons, or to save money, or both?Â
That episode was one of the last episodes for us to lock and finish. Working with our producer Tyson Bidner to press every penny into place was a big part of those last few weeks. We preemptively made three swaps in [that] episode to songs we didnât think were possible, but either we had already licensed from that record label, or we had worked with that artist and we felt they were more attainable. We were able to get everything we wanted.
Did it help with Season 2 permissions that the show was already established and had a widely viewed first season?
Thereâs an argument you can make now. For Season 1, we were able to look at the data carefully and closely and see the lift in artists whose music we licensed and their numbers, streams, record sales, ticket sales. A lot of them saw significant growth. This time around, we were able to not just beg and plead but use metrics and data: âHey, look, thereâs a 300% lift on âStrange Currenciesâ after we put it in the trailer for the show. This is the type of thing we could do if you work with us.âÂ
You used multiple versions of âStrange Currenciesâ prominently throughout the season. What were the R.E.M. people like to work with?
We had worked with R.E.M. in Season 1. We got to meet them through their management and we were able to point to things that worked out well in the past in terms of numbers. They liked what we did. We viewed âStrange Currenciesâ like a theme for the entire season, and each of our characters are dealing with loss of love or the acceptance of love, particularly in the Carmy and Claire storyline. We think it represents something potentially beautiful and hopeful and mellow. When we contrast that with Christmas dinner at the Berzattos [in a stormy episode six], itâs clear that Carmy isnât ready for that yet. The R.E.M. team was kind enough to allow us to use the original, the incredible Scott Litt remix and an unreleased demo.
Was Taylor Swiftâs âLove Story (Taylorâs Version)â difficult to license, for the scene of Richie triumphantly singing the song in the car?
No. A lot of people ask that question and I wonder why theyâre asking. Her team was like, âGreat. This is cool. How much money do you have? You have that much money? Letâs go.â She was exceedingly generous and cool with one of our actors singing along to the song. Those are things that sometimes people just say no to, and that was probably one of the easiest songs to clear.
Any songs you wanted but werenât able to get?
I donât want to answer that question right now, because I think Iâm going to get those songs next season. Iâm sorry!
What about other stories you can share about journeying through the music business to use a song?
In the third episode, thereâs a Stevie Wonder demo that we were chasing for a while that we feel like we got close to, but we werenât able to fully paper. We had conceived a scene around that song. That episode has two big montages in it. One was originally set to a Stevie Wonder song that was perfect, that Ayo [Edebiri, who plays Sydney] had picked. Itâs her episode, we felt really strongly about honoring her wishes to include that music â and we werenât able to get it. We ended up rejiggering a few things and restructuring the episode ever so slightly and pulling two different songs in â âFuture Perfectâ from The Durutti Column and âMake You Happyâ by Tommy McGee. It ended up working really well.
Why couldnât you get the Wonder song? And can you name it?
I wonât name the song, but there were just some ambiguous rights about the master side. It was a demo that wasnât released on much â just a B-side of a record.Â
Do you ever use covers if you canât get the rights to an original?
We just try and pick the music that we like. Youâll see a lot of live versions â a live Otis Redding song, a live Wilco song, a live Neil Finn song, a live Van Morrison song. Youâll find obscure tracks from Italian artists in the sixth episode.
It canât hurt that those live versions are cheaper to license than the versions we all know, right?
One hundred percent. And they are different enough for you to think about them a little. Thereâs the music you hear in Walgreens and CVS. While we were making the show, I heard âLove Storyâ by Taylor Swift everywhere I went. It was following me around. But her version, I wasnât hearing everywhere. Being able to use that was just such a nice little nuance.
Abel âThe Weekndâ Tesfaye recruits the original pop idol Madonna and Playboi Carti for their new single âPopular,â which dropped Friday (June 2). The single arrives ahead of The Idol Vol. 1 soundtrack, which is now available for pre-order here, as well as the Sam Levinson-directed HBO series, which is set to premiere this Sunday, […]
Blxst and his Evgle record label have teamed up with NBA 2K23 to curate the new season 7 soundtrack. Two of the eight tracks from the soundtrack are from Blxstâs recent Just for Clarity 2 EP: âPassionate,â featuring Roddy Ricch, and âKeep Calling,â featuring Larry June. âSpend Itâ by Babyface Ray, Blxst and Nija is […]
BTSâ Jimin takes center stage on the preview of âAngel Pt. 1,â the new single from the upcoming Fast & Furious sequel Fast X that also features Kodak Black, NLE Choppa, JVKE and Muni Long. The minute-long snippet opens with a wistful piano intro as Jimin and JVKE take turns crooning the trackâs hypnotic chorus, âAngel, donât fly so close to me/ Iâll pull you down eventually/ You donât wanna lose those wings/ People like me break beautiful things.â
âAngel, donât fly so close to me/ Iâm what you want and what you need,â it continues. âYou donât wanna lose those those wings/ People like me break beautiful things.â The trailer version of the song then spotlights Black chiming in with his signature nasally delivery.
âI give it all up to ease your pain, yeah, I would do that all day/ I step back from the game and keep you out of harmâs way/ Would risk it all for the game, but it take more than one person/ Two people, one âtil I feel the same way you hurtinâ/ I was still in middle school when Givens had flipped the whip/Bodies was droppinâ before we ever knew âbout the drip,â he raps, before hitting the obligatory Fast familial reference with the line âWe gonâ be family no matter what way this go, bruh.â
Fast X is due out on May 19 and features the usual gang of street racing thrill seekers tearing around the planet, including Vin Deisel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jason Momoa, Jordana Brewster and Nathalie Emmanuel, as well as John Cena, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, Daneila Melchior, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson and Rita Moreno.
The first single from the soundtrack was âLetâs Ride,â which dropped in February and featured YG, Ty Dolla $ign and Lambo4oe, followed by âWonât Back Down,â which dropped last week and features YoungBoy NBA, Bailey Zimmerman and Dermot Kennedy.
Listen to the âAngel Pt. 1â preview below.

The Weeknd and Future team up on their latest single âDouble Fantasy,â which was released Friday (April 21).
The Weeknd has been teasing âDouble Fantasy,â which will be featured on the soundtrack for his upcoming HBO series The Idol, on Instagram over the last week. Last Friday, he performed it for the first time during Metro Boominâs Coachella set. âTemperature rising, bodies united, now that I tried you in my arms. No need to fight it, no need to hide it, now that Iâve seen whatâs in your heart,â The Weeknd sang during the festival. Even though Future didnât join him on stage for the songâs live debut, the two performed âLow Lifeâ from Futureâs 2016 album EVOL. Metro and Mike Dean co-produced âDouble Fantasy.â
The song marks The Weeknd and Futureâs fifth collaboration after the two first came together as featured artists on producer Mike WiLL Made-Itâs 2015 single âDrinks on Us,â which also featured Swae Lee. In 2016, the dynamic duo came together one-on-one on âLow Life,â and at the end of that same year, The Weeknd tapped Future on âAll I Knowâ from his Starboy LP, which got the deluxe treatment last month following his and Ariana Grandeâs Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 âDie For Youâ remix. In 2017, the two collaborated on âComin Out Strongâ on Futureâs album HNDRXX.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The âDouble Fantasyâ cover art shows The Weeknd as his Idol character Tedros, a leader of a modern-day cult and the love interest of rising pop star Jocelyn, whoâs played by Lily-Rose Depp (also featured on the singleâs artwork). The latest teaser trailer for The Idol revealed the show will premiere on HBO on June 4. The long-awaited drama series has also been selected by Cannes Film Festival as one of four Out of Competition Selections.
Listen to âDouble Fantasyâ below.
La Usurpadora is hitting theaters in a new musical adaptation presented by Pantelion Films â 25 years after the Mexican telenovela starring Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga aired.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Directed by Santiago LimĂłn and produced by Matt Walden and Paul Presburger, La Usurpadora: The Musical, similar to the famed 1998 novela, revolves around identical twin sisters Valeria and Victoria who were separated at birth and 28 years later meet and switch lives. The former is humble and kind, the latter is rich and cruel.Â
A 13-track soundtrack, executive produced by Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning producer Sebastian Krys, accompanies the original film.
âMatt Walden called me and said he was turning a telenovela into a musical and I said âThatâs insane, count me in!ââ Krys said during a press screening in Miami on Wednesday night. âIt makes sense because the way he would point it is that telenovelas are already over-the-top, so the next logical step is to have everyone singing and dancing.â
Though the film is based in the modern day, its soundtrack pays tribute to some of the biggest Latin hits of the â90s, including Celia Cruzâs âLa Vida Es Un Carnaval,â Gloria Estefanâs âMi Tierra,â Selena Quintanillaâs âBidi Bidi Bom Bom,â Ricky Martinâs âVuelve,â Cristian Castroâs âNo PodrĂĄsâ and many more.Â
âWeâd go back and forth in finding the right fit musically, lyrically, and then getting the rights,â Krys explains of his soundtrack debut that took more than four years to create. âIâve worked with a lot of those artists in a lot of their records, like with Ricky Martin and Franco De Vita. Iâve worked with Gloria for 12 years, so doing this soundtrack was a little daunting because I didnât want to screw the original songs up.âÂ
âOne of the things that I love the most while recording the songs is that he gave us total freedom of feeling the songs our own way,â adds Isabela Castillo, who portrays Valeria and Victoria in the musical. âIt was a process of about four months where he gave us the liberty of playing around and experimenting with the harmony and melodies. Thatâs what youâre going to see here. We have song mashups, different ingredients, and new musical arrangements that these songs didnât have back in the day. Itâs really mind-blowing.âÂ
Bringing the â90s hits to life for La Usurpadora: The Musical was an overall joy for the cast, which also includes Alan Estrada, who portrays Carlos Daniel, the love interest of the twins.
âFor me, the last 20 minutes of the movie was my favorite to perform,â he says. âI find the mash-up of âVuelveâ and âCosas del Amorâ very exciting and youâll see many things unfold in that scene. It brings me happiness. At the Los Angeles screening, everyone clapped as if they were watching a play. Iâve never seen that happen in a movie, and I really liked that reaction. As an actor, we want our work to become memorable in some way.â
La Usurpadora: The Musical, whose cast also includes Susana Zabaleta, JesĂșs Ochoa, Alejandra GuzmĂĄn and Spanic, the OG Usurpadora actress, to name a few, premieres Friday in the U.S. and April 12 in Mexico.
Post Malone and Swae Leeâs âSunflowerâ music video officially surpassed 2 billion views on YouTube on Thursday (March 9).
Originally released in the fall of 2018, the song was part of the soundtrack for the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and also ultimately made the tracklist for Maloneâs 2019 studio album Hollywoodâs Bleeding.
The music video borrows a multitude of scenes from the family-friendly movie to spell out the origin story of a young Miles Morales even as the rappers take turns crooning, âCallinâ it quits now, baby, Iâm a wreck/ Crash at my place, baby, youâre a wreck/ Thinkinâ in a bad way, losinâ your grip/ Screaminâ at my face, baby, donât trip.â
âSunflowerâ became Maloneâs third career No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 â after the 21 Savage-assisted âRockstarâ and âPsychoâ featuring Ty Dolla $ign â when it reached the summit of the chart for a single week at the start of 2019. Meanwhile, it was Leeâs very first chart-topper and also scored nominations for record of the year and best pop duo/group performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
In November, the two rappers had another reason to celebrate their massive song after it achieved the record as the highest-certified single in the history of the Recording Industry Association of America at 17x Platinum.
Just a few weeks ago, the video for Postyâs 2015 breakout track âWhite Iversonâ joined the Billion Views Club on YouTube, becoming the rapperâs fourth video to do so after âSunflower,â âRockstarâ and âCongratulationsâ featuring Quavo â the latter of which is inching closer every day to the 1.5 billion mark.
Revisit the âSunflowerâ music video below.