Home: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 2015 animated film Home, based on the 2007 children book The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. It features songs recorded by Rihanna, Clarence Coffee Jr., Kiesza, Charli XCX, Jacob Plant, and Jennifer Lopez. It was released on March 13, 2015 through Westbury Road and Roc Nation. Following the announcement that Rihanna would star in the film, it was revealed she would release a concept album based on the animated film. As the executive producer of the soundtrack, she called on various artists to feature on the album. Rihanna's "Towards the Sun" and Jennifer Lopez's "Feel the Light" were released as singles to promote the album and movie.
Home: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
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Soundtrack album by | |
Released | March 13, 2015 |
Recorded | 2014–2015 |
Studio | Various
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Genre | |
Length | 32:41 |
Label |
|
Producer | |
Singles from Home: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
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Background
editIn June 2012, it was revealed that Rihanna would star as the lead role in the film Happy Smekday!, alongside American actor Jim Parsons. In September 2012, 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation announced that the movie will be released for November 26, 2014.[1] In June 2013, the film was retitled from Happy Smekday! to Home.[2] In 2014, Variety magazine reported that, in addition to her voice role, Rihanna created a concept album for the film which will be released on March 13, 2015.[3] It was later revealed that the film's soundtrack would also include songs recorded by Charli XCX, Kiesza and Jennifer Lopez.[4] In a statement for MTV News Rihanna said:[5]
"I think music is important to every film. I think it sets the tone, in the moment. It creates the sensitivity, the suspense, no matter what film it is, especially in animation. I've had an incredible time making music for this film. I've worked really closely with Tim Johnson, the director, just to make sure that lyrically, and musically the songs were matching exactly what he needed — what he needed the audience to feel in that moment."
In July 2014 singer songwriter Kiesza announced that Rihanna had record two or three of her songs for the album but was unsure if they would appear on the final project.[6] In September 2014, Rihanna was recording in New York City in which she was working with frequent collaborator Ester Dean.[7]
Composition
edit"Towards the Sun" performed by Rihanna, is a mid-tempo[8] pop[9] ballad[10] with R&B influences[4] that features "pounding" drums, sing-along lyrics, "gigantic" chorus, "layered harmonies", "swirling effects" and uplifting, positive lyrics.[10][11] Madison Vain of Entertainment Weekly opined that the song is "anthemic" and more "whispier" than Rihanna's previous singles.[4] According to Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone the song is more optimistic and positive than her previous singles and albums which could be heard in the lines, "Turn your face towards the sun. Let the shadows fall behind you."[9]
Another song performed by Rihanna; "Dancing in the Dark" is a dance-pop song with a length of three minutes and forty-three seconds.[12][13] The track is an up-tempo "poppy-number"[13] that features "enough backdrop of saccharine synths and snap beats".[14] Rolling Stone's Jon Blistein linked "Dancing in the Dark"'s chorus to the one of Whitney Houston's 1987 single "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)".[9] He also wrote that the song has a "wubby bass groove" that could feature American actress Courteney Cox dancing to it in its potential music video, a reference to her appearance in the video for Bruce Springsteen's 1984 single with the same name.[12]
Jennifer Lopez's song, "Feel the Light" is an "uplifting" and "tender" ballad with a length of four minutes and fifty-two seconds. During the last of it, Lopez sings the lines, "Feel the light shining in the dark of night / Remember what we forgot / I know it's a longshot / But we're bringing it all back".[15] She performed the song live on American Idol, where short clips from the film were projected onto her dress.
Singles
edit"Towards the Sun" was written by Tiago Carvalho, Gary Go, and Rihanna. Scott Mills premiered the song on BBC Radio 1 on February 9, 2015[16] and it was made available for digital download the same day via the iTunes Store.[17] The song was supposed to impact U.S. Top 40/Mainstream radio on March 17, 2015, however, its release was cancelled at the last minute.[18] Upon release it received generally positive reviews from music critics who praised its lyrics, production, chorus and Rihanna's vocals.[10] Commercially the song was a moderate success on charts peaking at seventy six on the UK Singles Chart and twenty two on the French singles chart.
Following "Towards the Sun", "Feel the Light" was digitally released as the second single from the soundtrack on February 25 via the iTunes Store.[19] On February 24, a lyric video of "Feel the Light" was posted on YouTube via the DreamWorks Animation official channel. The video features Lopez in a studio while recording the song while the footage being intercut with scenes from Home.[20] MTV UK's Michael Pell noted, "is a heart-felt ballad with the video taking us through a magical journey of friendship between the wee girl and her alien pal."[21] On March 3, 2015, Lopez teased the song's official music video, posting images from the shoot on her Instagram account. The images showed Lopez wearing a white suit, standing in front of a green screen and sporting a braid.[22] Erin Strecker of Billboard wrote "Naturally, the shoot appears to be quite intergalactic".[23]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Towards the Sun" (Rihanna) |
|
| 4:33 |
2. | "Run to Me" (Clarence Coffee Jr.) |
| Stereotypes | 4:14 |
3. | "Cannonball" (Kiesza) |
| 3:57 | |
4. | "As Real as You and Me" (Rihanna) |
|
| 3:40 |
5. | "Red Balloon" (Charli XCX) |
| Stargate | 3:26 |
6. | "Dancing in the Dark" (Rihanna) |
|
| 3:43 |
7. | "Drop That" (Jacob Plant) |
| Plant | 4:17 |
8. | "Feel the Light" (Jennifer Lopez) |
|
| 4:51 |
Total length: | 32:41 |
- Notes
Personnel
edit- Executive producer – Robyn Rihanna Fenty
- Executive music producers – Robyn Rihanna Fenty, Tor Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen
- Executive in charge of music for DreamWorks Animation – Sunny Park
- A&R – Jay Brown, Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith, Omar Grant
- A&R coordination – Justin Adams
- A&R administration – Karen Console
- Creative direction – Ciarra Pardo (Fenty Corp.)
- Marketing – Dara Michelle (Roc Nation), Gabriela Schwartz (Def Jam)
- Business and legal affairs – Edward Shapiro (Westbury Road Entertainment, LLC), Christina Suarez (Roc Nation)
- Music clearances – Julie Butchko (DreamWorks Animation music department)
- Director of music – Charlene Ann Huang (DreamWorks Animation music department)
- Music coordinators – Tori Fillat (DreamWorks Animation music department), Sebastian Christie (DreamWorks Animation music department)
- Music business affairs – Kevin Breen (DreamWorks Animation music department), Emily Morchower (DreamWorks Animation music department)
- All songs mastered by – Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, NYC
Charts
editChart (2015) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[24] | 40 |
French Albums (SNEP)[25] | 171 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26] | 76 |
UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[27] | 26 |
UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[28] | 4 |
US Billboard 200[29] | 40 |
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[30] | 4 |
Release history
editCountry | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | March 13, 2015 | Digital download |
|
[31] |
Germany | [32] | |||
Italy | [33] | |||
Spain | [34] | |||
United Kingdom |
|
[35][36] | ||
United States | [37][38] | |||
Australia | March 27, 2015 | Digital download | [39] | |
Austria | [40] | |||
New Zealand | [41] | |||
Switzerland | [42] | |||
Germany | April 1, 2015 | CD | [43] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ DreamWorks Animation (September 9, 2012). "New Distributor Twentieth Century Fox Unveils DreamWorks Animation's Release Slate Through 2016". DreamWorks Animation. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ "Movie Title Changes". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
- ^ Graser, Marc (February 25, 2014). "Rihanna to Make Concept Album for Upcoming Animated Movie". Variety. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- ^ a b c Vain, Madison (February 9, 2015). "Hear Rihanna's 'Towards the Sun' from the movie Home". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ Bell, Crystall (March 5, 2015). "Here's Your Exclusive First Listen Of Rihanna's New Song 'Dancing In The Dark'". MTV News. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Rihanna records 'unexpected' Kiesza song". Digital Spy. 7 July 2014.
- ^ "Rihanna Reunites with Ester Dean in the Studio, Working on New Album". 26 September 2014.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ Hendricks, Jaclyn (February 9, 2015). "Rihanna drops new song, 'Towards the Sun'". New York Post. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ a b c Spanos, Brittany (February 9, 2015). "Rihanna Looks 'Towards the Sun' in New Song for Animated Film". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ a b c Welsh, Daniel (February 9, 2015). "Rihanna's New Song 'Towards The Sun': Five Things About Her New Track, Taken From The 'Home' Soundtrack". The Huffington Post UK. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ Hughes, Josiah (February 9, 2015). "Rihanna 'Towards the Sun'". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ a b Blistein, Jon (March 5, 2015). "Rihanna Keeps It 'Real As You and Me,' Goes 'Dancing In the Dark' on New Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- ^ a b Sultz, Colin (March 5, 2015). "Listen to Rihanna's Two New Songs From the 'Home' Soundtrack". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- ^ Adams, Gregory (March 5, 2015). "'As Real As You and Me' / 'Dancing in the Dark'". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- ^ "New Music: Jennifer Lopez - 'Feel the Light'". Rap-Up. February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
- ^ Trendell, Andrew (February 9, 2015). "Rihanna returns with new single 'Towards The Sun'". Gigwise. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ "Music — Towards the Sun (From The 'Home' Soundtrack) - Single by Rihanna". iTunes Store (CA). Retrieved February 9, 2015.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases | Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates". Archived from the original on 2015-03-01. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
- ^ "Music — Feel the Light (From The 'Home' Soundtrack) - Single by Jennifer Lopez". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved February 26, 2015.
- ^ Roth, Madeline (February 9, 2015). "Watch The Lyric Video For Jennifer Lopez's New Song 'Feel The Light'". MTV News. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
- ^ Pell, Michael (February 9, 2015). "Exclusive! Watch Jennifer Lopez's Cute 'Feel The Light' Video". MTV UK. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
- ^ Walker, John (March 4, 2015). "'Feel The Light' Of Jennifer Lopez's Face In These New Video Teasers". MTV News. Viacom. Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
- ^ Strecker, Erin (March 4, 2015). "Jennifer Lopez Is A Sexy Alien in 'Feel The Light' Teases". Billboard. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
- ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – {{{artist}}} – Home". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Soundtrack – Home". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ^ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
- ^ "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50 - 29-03-2015 - 04-04-2015". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
- ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Soundtrack Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ "Music — Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists". iTunes Store (CA). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Musik — Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) von Various Artists" (in German). iTunes Store (DE). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Musica — Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) di Various Artists" (in Italian). iTunes Store (IT). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Musica — Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) de Various Artists" (in Spanish). iTunes Store (ES). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Music - Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artist". iTunes Store (GB). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Home: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon. 2015.
- ^ "Music — Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Amazon.com: Various Artists: Home: Music". Amazon. 2015.
- ^ "Music — Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Musik — Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) von Various Artists" (in German). iTunes Store (AT). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Music — Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists". iTunes Store (NZ). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Musik — Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) von Various Artists" (in German). iTunes Store (CH). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Home:Musik" (in German). Amazon.com (DE). Retrieved March 22, 2015.