Children of Men (soundtracks)
Encyclopedia
Children of Men had two soundtracks for the film
, a film score
by British composer John Tavener
, and a soundtrack
with various popular music acts.
, "Omgyjya Switch7" by Aphex Twin
, "Anti War Dub" by Digital Mystikz
and "Life in a Glasshouse" by Radiohead
are not included on the soundtrack. Furthermore, the tracks "Map of the Problematique
" by Muse
, "Gimme Shelter
" by The Rolling Stones
, and "Hoppípolla
" by Sigur Rós
were used in TV spots and trailers but were not featured in the film. Former Pulp
frontman Jarvis Cocker
's song "Running the World" is played in the credits of the film.
, Fragments of a Prayer, was composed by John Tavener
and released on Varèse Sarabande
.
Director Alfonso Cuarón describes Tavener's "Fragments of a Prayer," as "a spiritual comment rather than a narrative support." The track features mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly
and is used as a powerful motif. Unlike most composers, Tavener chose not to score the piece to the film, but to the screenplay instead.
The poetry of William Blake
is featured in the lyrics to "Eternity's Sunrise", a work Tavener had previously written and dedicated to Princess Diana after
her death
.
Gustav Holst
's "Mars" is used in the film although it is not featured on the album.
Children of Men
Children of Men is a 2006 science fiction film loosely adapted from P. D. James's 1992 novel The Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In 2027, two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse. Illegal immigrants seek sanctuary in England, where the last...
, a film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
by British composer John Tavener
John Tavener
Sir John Tavener is a British composer, best known for such religious, minimal works as "The Whale", and "Funeral Ikos"...
, and a soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
with various popular music acts.
Soundtrack
Four songs that are heard during the movie, "Total State Machine" by Test DeptTest Dept
Test Dept were an industrial music group from London, one of the most important and influential early industrial music acts. Their approach was marked by a strong commitment to radical socialist politics.-History:...
, "Omgyjya Switch7" by Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
, "Anti War Dub" by Digital Mystikz
Digital Mystikz
Digital Mystikz are a dubstep production duo from the South London suburb of Norwood. Along with Loefah and Sgt. Pokes, they operate the DMZ record label and host the influential bimonthly nightclub DMZ, held at the Mass club complex in Brixton, London...
and "Life in a Glasshouse" by Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
are not included on the soundtrack. Furthermore, the tracks "Map of the Problematique
Map of the Problematique
"Map of the Problematique" is a song by English alternative rock band Muse, released on their 2006 fourth studio album, Black Holes and Revelations. It was released as the fifth single from the album on 18 June 2007 as a digital download only...
" by Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, "Gimme Shelter
Gimme Shelter
"Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones. It first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1969 album Let It Bleed. Although the first word was spelled "Gimmie" on that album, subsequent recordings by the band and other musicians have made "Gimme" the customary spelling...
" by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, and "Hoppípolla
Hoppípolla
"Hoppípolla" is a song by Icelandic band Sigur Rós from their 2005 album Takk.... It was released as the album's second single on 28 November 2005. The lyrics are mainly in Icelandic, with some nonsensical phrases, a "language" the band calls Vonlenska . Written with spaces, the song's title would...
" by Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
were used in TV spots and trailers but were not featured in the film. Former Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
frontman Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
's song "Running the World" is played in the credits of the film.
Track listing
Fragments of a Prayer from the Motion Picture "Children of Men"
The film scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
, Fragments of a Prayer, was composed by John Tavener
John Tavener
Sir John Tavener is a British composer, best known for such religious, minimal works as "The Whale", and "Funeral Ikos"...
and released on Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
.
Director Alfonso Cuarón describes Tavener's "Fragments of a Prayer," as "a spiritual comment rather than a narrative support." The track features mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly
Sarah Connolly
Sarah Patricia Connolly CBE is an English mezzo-soprano.Sarah Connolly was educated at Queen Margaret's School, York and then studied piano and singing at the Royal College of Music, of which she is now a Fellow...
and is used as a powerful motif. Unlike most composers, Tavener chose not to score the piece to the film, but to the screenplay instead.
The poetry of William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
is featured in the lyrics to "Eternity's Sunrise", a work Tavener had previously written and dedicated to Princess Diana after
her death
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed's...
.
Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
's "Mars" is used in the film although it is not featured on the album.
Track listing
- "Fragments of a Prayer" – 15:21
- "Eternity's Sunrise" – 10:53
- "Alexander's Feast/War, He Sung, Is Toil and Trouble" (George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
) – 4:44 - "Kindertotenlieder/Nun Will Die Sonn' So Hell Aufgeh'nKindertotenliederKindertotenlieder is a song cycle for voice and orchestra by Gustav Mahler...
" (Gustav MahlerGustav MahlerGustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
) – 5:31 - "Threnody for the Victims of HiroshimaThrenody to the Victims of HiroshimaThrenody to the Victims of Hiroshima is a musical composition for 52 string instruments, composed in 1960 by Krzysztof Penderecki , which took third prize at the Grzegorz Fitelberg Composers' Competition in Katowice in 1960...
" (Krzysztof PendereckiKrzysztof PendereckiKrzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
) – 9:59 - "Song of the Angel" – 4:35
- "The LambThe Lamb"The Lamb" is a poem by William Blake, published in Songs of Innocence in 1789. Like many of Blake's works, the poem is about Christianity.-Background:...
" – 3:20 - "Mother and Child" – 12:38
- "Mother of God, Here I Stand" – 3:28