Her (score)

Her (Original Score)
Film score by
Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett
ReleasedMarch 19, 2021 (2021-03-19)
Length39:59
LabelMilan
Producer
Arcade Fire chronology
Everything Now
(2017) 		Her (Original Score)
(2021) 		We
(2022)
Owen Pallett chronology
Island
(2020) 		Her (Original Score)
(2021) 		Dream Scenario (Original Motion Picture Score)
(2023)

Her (Original Score) is the film score composed by Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett for the 2013 film Her, directed by Spike Jonze and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson. The score was not officially released to the public until March 2021.

It was nominated for Best Original Score at the 86th Academy Awards.

Background

The score for the film was credited to Arcade Fire, with additional music by Owen Pallett. Arcade Fire's Will Butler and Pallett were the major contributors.[2] At the 86th Academy Awards, the score was nominated for Best Original Score.[3] In addition to the score, Arcade Fire also wrote the song "Supersymmetry" for the film, which also appears on their album Reflektor. The melody for the song from the same album, called "Porno", can also be heard during the soundtrack.[4] Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O recorded the song "The Moon Song", a duet with Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.[5]

Release

Initially, the soundtrack had not been released to the general public in either digital or physical form.[6] A 13-track score appeared for streaming on the website 8tracks.com in January 2014, before being taken down. Warner Bros. Pictures, the film's distributor, provided no official statement on the absence of an official release of the score.[6][7] Earlier in 2013, Warner Bros. sent promotional CDs of the score and "The Moon Song" to critics for review. Copies of the promotional CDs later ended up on online auction websites. The score was ultimately made available through unofficial YouTube streams and illegal downloads.[8]

During an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) on Reddit on June 17, 2016, Will Butler mentioned the possibility of a future vinyl release.[9] Finally, on February 10, 2021, Arcade Fire announced that the score would be available for the first time digitally, on white-colored vinyl, and on cassette on March 19, 2021, by Milan Records.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Consequence of SoundA[11]
Exclaim!8/10[12]

Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound gave the score an "A" rating, calling it "a strikingly human and organic collection of music that keeps the film grounded in reality."[11] Alex Hudson of Exclaim! called the score "proof that [Arcade Fire] can craft an emotional payoff with minimalism rather than the usual pomp."

Accolades

List of accolades for the Her score
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Academy Awards March 2, 2014 Best Original Score William Butler and Owen Pallett Nominated [13]
[3]
Alliance of Women Film Journalists December 19, 2013 Best Music or Score Arcade Fire Nominated [14]
[15]
Austin Film Critics Association December 17, 2013 Best Score Arcade Fire Won [16]
Chicago Film Critics Association December 16, 2013 Best Original Score Arcade Fire Won [17]
[18]
Critics' Choice Awards January 16, 2014 Best Score Arcade Fire Nominated [19]
[20]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association December 8, 2013 Best Score Arcade Fire, and Owen Pallett Runner-up [21]
San Diego Film Critics Society December 11, 2013 Best Score Arcade Fire Won [22]
[23]
Satellite Awards February 23, 2014 Best Original Score Arcade Fire Nominated [24]
St. Louis Film Critics Association December 16, 2013 Best Musical Score Arcade Fire Won [25]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 9, 2013 Best Original Score Arcade Fire Nominated [26]
[27]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett[1]

Her (Original Score) track listing[28]
No.TitleLength
1."Sleepwalker"3:14
2."Milk & Honey #1"1:27
3."Loneliness #3 (Night Talking)"3:25
4."Divorce Papers"3:14
5."Morning Talk / Supersymmetry"4:13
6."Some Other Place"3:38
7."Song on the Beach"3:35
8."Loneliness #4 (Other People's Letters)"0:59
9."Owl"2:20
10."Photograph"2:25
11."Milk & Honey #2"3:19
12."We're All Leaving"2:31
13."Dimensions"5:39
Total length:39:59

Notes

  • "Milk & Honey #1" was titled "Milk & Honey" on the promotional release.
  • "Milk & Honey #2" was titled "Milk & Honey (Alan Watts & 641)" on the promotional release.

Charts

Chart performance for Her
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] 72
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 130
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] 54
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[32] 14
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[33] 23
Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] 12
UK Albums (OCC)[35] 95

References

  1. ^ a b c "Credits / Her (Original Score) / Arcade Fire". Tidal. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Battan, Carrie (February 20, 2014). "Watch: Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett's Her Score, Behind the Scenes". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Oscars 2014 Winners: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. March 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  4. ^ Eggertsen, Chris (November 14, 2013). "'Her' Q&A: Spike Jonze on why he replaced Samantha Morton with Scarlett Johansson". Hitfix. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  5. ^ Muller, Marissa G. (February 10, 2014). "Karen O and Ezra Koenig Team for Dreamy 'Moon Song' – Song Premiere". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Anderson, Kyle (January 23, 2014). "Want to buy the Oscar-nominated music from the 'Her' soundtrack? You can't". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (January 21, 2014). "Listen: Arcade Fire's Complete Score For Spike Jonze's 'Her'". IndieWire. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Please Press: Arcade Fire/Owen Pallett — Her OST ‹ Modern Vinyl". modern-vinyl.com. May 15, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "I'm Will Butler, AMA!". Reddit. June 17, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  10. ^ Torres, Eric (February 10, 2021). "Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett Releasing Her Score for the First Time". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Roffman, Michael (February 28, 2014). "Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett – Her Original Motion Picture Score". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  12. ^ Hudson, Alex (March 23, 2021). "Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett's 'Her' Score Mixes Quiet Minimalism with Big Emotional Payoffs". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  13. ^ "2014 Oscar Nominees". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 16, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  14. ^ "2013 EDA Award Nominees". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. December 11, 2013. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  15. ^ "2013 EDA Award Winners". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. December 11, 2013. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  16. ^ "2013 Awards". Austin Film Critics Association. December 17, 2013. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  17. ^ "2013 Chicago Film Critics Association nominations". HitFix. December 13, 2013. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  18. ^ Gire, Dann (December 17, 2013). "Chicago film critics name '12 Years a Slave' 2013's best movie". The Daily Herald. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  19. ^ "American Hustle, 12 Years A Slave Lead BFCA's Critics Choice Movie Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. December 17, 2013. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  20. ^ "Critics' Choice Awards: The Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. January 17, 2014. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  21. ^ "'Gravity,' 'Her' Tie for Best Picture With L.A. Film Critics". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. December 8, 2013. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  22. ^ "2013 San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations". HitFix. December 10, 2013. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  23. ^ "2013 San Diego Film Critics Society Winners". HitFix. December 11, 2013. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  24. ^ "Satellite Awards: 2013". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  25. ^ "2013 Winners of the St. Louis Film Critics Awards Announced!". St. Louis Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  26. ^ "2013 Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association nominations". HitFix. December 9, 2013. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  27. ^ "2013 Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association winners". HitFix. December 8, 2013. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  28. ^ "Her (Original Score) by Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett". Apple Music. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  29. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack / Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett – Her" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack / Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett – Her" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack / Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett – Her" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  32. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack / Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett – Her" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  33. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Soundtrack / Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett – Her". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  34. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  35. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 27, 2021.