Get Him to the Greek (soundtrack)
Get Him to the Greek is the debut studio album by the fictional band Infant Sorrow, which also served as the soundtrack to the 2010 comedy film of the same name by Nicholas Stoller. The album released through Universal Republic Records on June 1, 2010. It features songs performed by the band along with two numbers performed by the band's frontman Aldous Snow (Russell Brand, who reprises his role from the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Jackie Q (Rose Byrne).
| Get Him to the Greek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album / soundtrack album by | |
| Released | June 1, 2010 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 46:10 (standard) 58:44 (deluxe) |
| Label | Universal Republic |
Fun fact. In the song "Going up", the title never features in the lyrics of the song. "Going down" and "Going on" are sung, but "Coming up" is sung in lieu of "Going up".
Development
editThe development of the film's album came through composer Lyle Workman who wanted the songs to be an independent material whose approach, structure and the recording process being "very much like doing a large-budget record of serious work".[1] Russel Brand was also instrumental in the curation of the soundtrack which demanded songs that were "quality and quirky-like a rock version of Flight of the Conchords".[2]
Workman and Brand partnered with Jason Segel for writing several songs and with the help of music supervisor Jonathan Karp, he collaborated with Mike Viola, Dan Bern, Jarvis Cocker, Ross Orton, Chilly Gonzales, Greg Kurstin, Inara George, Jason Buckle from the British electronic group All Seeing I, Mitch Marine from the rock band Smash Mouth, Cal Barat of the Libertines, director-producer Judd Apatow amongst several others to contribute the lyrics. They also wrote lyrics for the songs performed by Jackie Q and Snow on-screen.[3]
Marketing
editKim Garner, the senior vice president of marketing and artist development at Universal Republic Records, said that Brand and Universal Pictures "felt very strongly about doing something like this as opposed to a traditional soundtrack," and that they "wanted to release it like we would an actual rock band's album."[2] Universal Republic curated a piece with the film company that will run through the Best Buy retail stores during the film's release and further produced special content for Record Store Day along with Union Jack Fender guitar (similar to the one that Snow uses in the film) being commissioned as a prize for a label-run contest in weekly magazines across United States. The film was further screened for retailers to expand the distribution of the soundtrack. Furthermore, a music video which Brand had directed premiered on Vevo prior to the film's release while Brand and Jonah Hill curated celebrity playlists for iTunes.[2]
Reception
editStuart Berman of Pitchfork rated the album 5.5 out of 10, summarizing that it "is built upon a more generic, vaguely defined base, so there's less fun to be had in picking out its targets".[4] James Christopher Monger of AllMusic assigned three out of five saying "Infant Sorrow's 15-track 'debut' sounds like something fellow fictional rock star Billy Mack (played by Bill Nighy in the 2003 film Love Actually) would have put out in his Dionysian heydays."[5] A critic from Sputnikmusic wrote "Get Him to the Greek might not have years of lasting humour, but for fans of both Russell and the film itself, it’s all but icing on the comedic cake."[6]
Commercial performance
editAccording to Nielsen SoundScan, the album had sold 3,500 copies within the first week of its release.[7][2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just Say Yes" |
| Infant Sorrow | 2:18 |
| 2. | "Gang of Lust" | Carl Barat | Infant Sorrow | 2:03 |
| 3. | "Furry Walls" | Infant Sorrow | 3:07 | |
| 4. | "Going Up" | Infant Sorrow | 4:06 | |
| 5. | "Bangers, Beans and Mash" |
| Infant Sorrow | 3:32 |
| 6. | "The Clap" |
| Infant Sorrow | 2:44 |
| 7. | "I Am Jesus" |
| Infant Sorrow | 2:39 |
| 8. | "Riding Daphne" |
| Infant Sorrow | 3:28 |
| 9. | "F.O.H." |
| Infant Sorrow | 3:52 |
| 10. | "Yeah Yeah Oi Oi" |
| Infant Sorrow | 2:52 |
| 11. | "African Child (Trapped in Me)" | Mike Viola | Infant Sorrow | 3:06 |
| 12. | "Little Bird" | Mike Viola | Infant Sorrow | 3:24 |
| 13. | "Searching for a Father" |
| Infant Sorrow | 3:43 |
| 14. | "Supertight" |
| Jackie Q featuring Aldous Snow | 2:37 |
| 15. | "Ring Round" | Jackie Q | 2:25 | |
| Total length: | 46:10 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Jackie Q" | Carl Barat | Infant Sorrow | 3:41 |
| 17. | "Pound Me in the Buttox" |
| Jackie Q featuring Aldous Snow | 3:31 |
| 18. | "Chocolate Daddy" |
| Chocolate Daddy | 2:54 |
| 19. | "Fuck Your Shit Up" | Lyle Workman | Jumbo Shrimp | 2:28 |
| Total length: | 58:44 | |||
Charts
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Greek Albums (IFPI Greece)[8] | 15 |
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[9] | 12 |
| US Billboard 200[10] | 76 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[11] | 21 |
| US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)[12] | 8 |
References
edit- ^ "A DVD That Scores". Interview Magazine. October 8, 2010. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Harding, Cortney (June 11, 2010). "Russell Brand Is A Man of Infant Sorrow". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- ^ Legel, Laremy (May 31, 2010). "Interview: Russell Brand and Jonah Hill Talk Get Him to the Greek". MTV. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Berman, Stuart (June 25, 2010). "Infant Sorrow: Get Him to the Greek OST". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Review: Get Him to the Greek – Infant Sorrow". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ "Infant Sorrow – Get Him To The Greek (album review)". Sputnikmusic. June 30, 2010. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (June 16, 2010). "'Glee' Rises Past 'Twilight' To Top Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ "Infant Sorrow – Get Him to the Greek". australian-charts.com. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50 – 4 to 10 July". Official Charts Company. July 4, 2010. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ "Billboard 200: Week of June 26, 2010". Billboard. June 26, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ "Rock Albums: Week of June 26, 2010". Billboard. June 26, 2010. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ "Soundtracks: Week of June 26, 2010". Billboard. June 26, 2010. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2024.