The Martian (soundtrack)
The Martian is the 2015 science fiction film based on Andy Weir's 2011 novel of the same name directed by Ridley Scott. Two soundtrack albums for the film were released by Columbia Records on October 2, 2015.[1] The first album titled The Martian: Original Motion Picture Score, features instrumental tracks from the original score composed by Harry Gregson-Williams,[1][2] and the latter, featured incorporated songs used in the film, that was released as a separate album under the title Songs from The Martian.[1] The music served as a "comic relief" to provide sarcasm where most of the songs are chosen and performed ironically.[3][4]
This film marked the fourth collaboration between Gregson-Williams and Scott, the former worked on Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Prometheus (2012) and Exodus: Gods and Kings, composing the main film score for the first and last films, and doing additional music for the other two. Williams said that, the score would be mostly hybrid, but also being "epic" and "large" in terms of scale, while the film tells about a man's survival.[5] A deluxe edition combining both the film score and the soundtrack, were released in digital and physical formats on November 6.[1]
Original soundtrack[edit]
| Songs from The Martian | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | October 2, 2015 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 33:06 |
| Label | Columbia |
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Turn the Beat Around" | Vicki Sue Robinson | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Hot Stuff" | Donna Summer | 5:12 |
| 3. | "Rock the Boat" | The Hues Corporation | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Don't Leave Me This Way" | Thelma Houston | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Starman" | David Bowie | 4:14 |
| 6. | "Waterloo" | ABBA | 2:46 |
| 7. | "Love Train" | The O'Jays | 2:58 |
| 8. | "I Will Survive" | Gloria Gaynor | 3:17 |
| 9. | "The Martian Score Suite" | Harry Gregson-Williams | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 33:06 | ||
Notes
- A running gag in the film is commander Melissa Lewis's love for 1970s songs (especially of the disco genre, which apparently Watney hates), the only music available to Watney on Mars which often appears as diegetic music.[3]
- A track titled "All Along the Watchtower", performed by Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, was played in the film, but was not included in the soundtrack.[2]
Reception[edit]
Critics noted the use of 70's disco music in the film being compiled into a soundtrack, would bring a prominent response, similar to the soundtrack of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).[3] Johny Brayson of Bustle said "The Martian soundtrack reflects Watney's struggle, and by the time you leave the theater, you'll have heard enough '70s hits to last a lifetime."[6] Megan Garner of The Atlantic wrote "the music of The Martian becomes a metaphor not just for an exploratory approach to the cosmos—space, the final frontier and all that—but for a colonial one".[7] Matt Zoeller Seitz, in his review for RogerEbert.com felt that the musical choices "make Mark's predicament seem like an elevated version of a tedious but necessary task, like tiling a roof or repainting a garage. Hard work always seems to go faster when you put some tunes on."[8] IndieWire ranked it as one among the "30 Best Film Soundtracks of 2015".[9]
Original score[edit]
| The Martian: Original Motion Picture Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | October 2, 2015 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 33:06 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Harry Gregson-Williams | |||
| Harry Gregson-Williams chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background[edit]
After providing additional music for Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), Scott asked Gregson-Williams to read the script of The Martian, confirming his involvement.[10] He was involved in the project, four weeks before the film entered post-production, and Scott supervised the film in the editing room, and was further amazed by the "tight and innovative" writing, performances, and the "perfectly executed" edit which thought of him as "a charm to work on a film where three moons are aligned". They discussed about the textures, sounds and colors of the music might provide and the emotional arc of the film.[11]
Gregson-Williams, however had certain challenges geographically, as most of the film's story set in Mars and had to find a character, in which he would serve as a "monster" metaphorically, and that approach would counter what they were really after, where Mars had the austerity to it, being calming and spacious, and there had been hints of danger and malevolence because Mars will kill him if he puts a foot wrong.[5]
The score had pleny of long notes, which were not in hurry at most of the times. It was further being a hybrid score, of epic and large in scale, but at its heart, it depicts about Watney's (Matt Damon) survival. The thematic material attached to him progresses and evolves throughout his journey, that starts very bleak, but his character was quite optimistic and humerous. Gregson-Williams wanted to track his ups and downs musically. On writing his theme, he found a "more personal sound" that accompanied his monologues and required him to go deeper into it. He used arpeggiated synth sounds which could accompany a piano or similar instruments, but as the film progressed and his tasks became more grander, so as the music. He recorded a large orchestra and choir at Abbey Road Studios in London.[5]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mars" | 2:25 |
| 2. | "Emergency Launch" | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Making Water" | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Spotting Movement" | 1:49 |
| 5. | "Science the S*** Out of This" | 2:16 |
| 6. | "Messages from Hermes" | 3:31 |
| 7. | "Sprouting Potatoes" | 1:39 |
| 8. | "Watney's Alive!" | 2:46 |
| 9. | "Pathfinder" | 2:33 |
| 10. | "Hexadecimals" | 2:33 |
| 11. | "Crossing Mars" | 3:36 |
| 12. | "Reap & Sow" | 2:21 |
| 13. | "Crops Are Dead" | 3:26 |
| 14. | "Work The Problem" | 1:57 |
| 15. | "See You In A Few" | 5:11 |
| 16. | "Build a Bomb" | 5:06 |
| 17. | "Fly Like Iron Man" | 4:45 |
| Total length: | 51:49 | |
Reception[edit]
Music critic Jonathan Broxton wrote "Although The Martian might not have the crowd-pleasing overt heroism of something like an Apollo 13, and may disappoint listeners looking for that sort of score, I personally think Harry Gregson-Williams interpreted Ridley Scott’s vision perfectly. The electronic ideas capture its scientific backbone in terms of the film’s celebration of intellect and ingenuity, and pays homage to its classic sci-fi outlook."[12] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "The Martian is smart music, cleverly conceived and like all good film music there’s a great dramatic impetus to it on the album, a clear course being travelled."[13] Pete Simons of Synchrotones called it as "a very stylish score with each cue feeling like a nicely rounded piece of music. The composer effortlessly mixes orchestral and synthesized textures to create a very human, yet very alien atmosphere. It suits the film to the ground, and makes for a beautiful, new age-type album."[14]
Accolades[edit]
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire Awards | Best Soundtrack | Nominated | [15] | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Original Score in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film | Ridley Scott | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors | Best Sound Editing – Music in Feature Film | Tony Lewis, Richard Whitfield | Nominated | [18] |
| Satellite Awards | Best Music | Harry Gregson-Williams | Nominated | [19] |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | Best Soundtrack | Nominated | [20] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d ""Songs From The Martian" and "Original Motion Picture Score" by Harry Gregson-Williams Available Digitally Today" (Press release). PR Newswire. October 2, 2015. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- ^ a b "The Music Of 'The Martian,' Deconstructed". NPR.org. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ a b c Newman, Melinda (October 2, 2015). "Will the '70s Disco Soundtrack of 'The Martian' Be the Next 'Guardians of the Galaxy'?". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Yahr, Emily (October 14, 2015). "'The Martian' has a killer soundtrack — here are the 5 best musical moments". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ a b c Gajewski, Ryan (October 3, 2015). "'The Martian' Composer on Creating Matt Damon's Theme, Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus' Plans". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- ^ "'The Martian' Soundtrack Keeps It Funky With A Groovy '70s Disco Feel, Just Like Another Space-Faring Movie". Bustle. September 30, 2015. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Garber, Megan (October 4, 2015). "'The Martian' and Disco as the New Soundtrack of Space". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller. "The Martian movie review & film summary (2015)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ The Playlist Staff (December 14, 2015). "The 30 Best Scores & Soundtracks Of 2015". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ Ciafardini, Marc (October 5, 2015). "'The Martian' Composer Harry Gregson-Williams Discusses David Bowie, Collaborating With Ridley Scott, and More". The Film Stage. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ Lambie, Ryan (October 1, 2015). "Harry Gregson-Williams Interview: The Martian, Ridley Scott, Hans Zimmer". Den of Geek. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "THE MARTIAN – Harry Gregson-Williams". MOVIE MUSIC UK. October 9, 2015. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ Southall, James (October 13, 2015). "The Martian soundtrack review". Movie Wave. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "The Martian (Harry Gregson-Williams)". Synchrotones. October 6, 2015. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "Jameson Empire Awards 2016: Star Wars and Mad Max lead the nominations". Empire. 2016. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ Feinberg, Scott (November 12, 2015). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards: 'Hunting Ground,' 'Furious 7,' '50 Shades of Grey' Claim Top Prizes". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ "2015 winners". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ "2016 Film Nominees". Mpse.org. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "Satellite Awards (2015)". International Press Academy. IPA. December 2, 2015. pressacademy.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ^ "2015 StLFCA Annual Award Nominees". St. Louis Film Critics Association. December 13, 2015. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2015.