Quantum of Solace (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
The soundtrack to the 2008 film Quantum of Solace was released in 2008. The score composed by David Arnold
is his fifth soundtrack for the James Bond
franchise. His frequent collaborator Nicholas Dodd orchestrated and conducted the score.
, who composed the scores for the previous four Bond films, said that Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster
likes to work very closely with his composers and that, in comparison to the accelerated schedule he was tied to on Casino Royale, the intention was to spend a long time scoring the film to "really work it out". He also said he would be "taking a different approach" with the score. Arnold composed the music based on impressions from reading the script, and Forster edited those into the film.
Mark Ronson
and Amy Winehouse
recorded a demo
track for the film, but Ronson explained Winehouse's well-publicized legal issues in the preceding weeks made her "not ready to record any music" at that time. It was announced Jack White
of The White Stripes
and Alicia Keys
would collaborate on "Another Way to Die
", which is the first duet in Bond music history, on 29 July 2008. They had wanted to work together for two years beforehand. The song was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee
; White played the drums while Keys performed on the piano. The Memphis Horns
also contributed to the track. White's favourite Bond theme is John Barry
's instrumental piece for On Her Majesty's Secret Service
, and he watched various opening credit sequences from the series for inspiration while mixing the track.
The soundtrack was released by J Records
, Keys' record label, though Keys appears on only one track. The track listing follows the order of the music's use within the film, with the exception of the title song being moved to the end of the album (in the film, it appears immediately after track 1). It is presented in the full-length single-release version, rather than the shorter mix heard over the film's opening titles. One notable omission is the fully orchestrated James Bond Theme
, which features, as it did in Casino Royale
, only at the film's conclusion, but this time over the traditional gunbarrel walk-on-and-shoot
as well as the start of the end titles. Another omission is Four Tet
's instrumental closing theme that follows it, playing over the remainder of the credits and entitled Crawl, End Crawl within them. This track was later made available on iTunes. Other tracks listed are heard in the film (but not on the album) during scenes such as Dominic Greene
's charity fundraising party Jaime Cuadra
- Cholo Soy, Jaime Cuadra
- Regresa, Jaime Cuadra
- El Provinciano; and Puccini's opera
Tosca
forms the backdrop to a key sequence. Vesper's Theme from Arnold's Casino Royale soundtrack
reappears at key moments in the film; it may be heard on the album in tracks 12, 15, 18 and 23.
David Arnold
David Arnold is an English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the television series Little Britain.-Film and television career:...
is his fifth soundtrack for the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
franchise. His frequent collaborator Nicholas Dodd orchestrated and conducted the score.
Development
David ArnoldDavid Arnold
David Arnold is an English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the television series Little Britain.-Film and television career:...
, who composed the scores for the previous four Bond films, said that Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster
Marc Forster
Marc Forster is a German-Swiss filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner, and Quantum of Solace.- Life and career :...
likes to work very closely with his composers and that, in comparison to the accelerated schedule he was tied to on Casino Royale, the intention was to spend a long time scoring the film to "really work it out". He also said he would be "taking a different approach" with the score. Arnold composed the music based on impressions from reading the script, and Forster edited those into the film.
Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
and Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
recorded a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
track for the film, but Ronson explained Winehouse's well-publicized legal issues in the preceding weeks made her "not ready to record any music" at that time. It was announced Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
of The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
and Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
would collaborate on "Another Way to Die
Another Way to Die
"Another Way to Die" is a song by American rock musician and singer Jack White and American R&B/soul singer Alicia Keys. Written and produced by White as the theme song to the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace, it was released as a single in the United States on September 30, 2008 and in...
", which is the first duet in Bond music history, on 29 July 2008. They had wanted to work together for two years beforehand. The song was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
; White played the drums while Keys performed on the piano. The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns are an American horn section made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. They have been called "arguably the greatest soul horn section ever." Originally a sextet, the Memphis Horns gradually slimmed down to a duo, Wayne Jackson on trumpet and Andrew Love on tenor...
also contributed to the track. White's favourite Bond theme is John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
's instrumental piece for On Her Majesty's Secret Service
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (soundtrack)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the soundtrack for the 6th James Bond film of the same name.Once again, the soundtrack to this James Bond adventure was composed, arranged, and conducted by John Barry; it was his fifth successive Bond film....
, and he watched various opening credit sequences from the series for inspiration while mixing the track.
The soundtrack was released by J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
, Keys' record label, though Keys appears on only one track. The track listing follows the order of the music's use within the film, with the exception of the title song being moved to the end of the album (in the film, it appears immediately after track 1). It is presented in the full-length single-release version, rather than the shorter mix heard over the film's opening titles. One notable omission is the fully orchestrated James Bond Theme
James Bond Theme
The "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme of the James Bond films and has featured in every Eon Productions Bond film since Dr. No. The piece has been used as an accompanying fanfare to the gun barrel sequence in almost every James Bond film....
, which features, as it did in Casino Royale
Casino Royale (2006 film)
Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
, only at the film's conclusion, but this time over the traditional gunbarrel walk-on-and-shoot
James Bond gun barrel sequence
The James Bond gun barrel sequence is the signature device that features in every one of the James Bond films. Shot from the point-of-view of a presumed assassin, it features British agent James Bond walking, turning and then shooting directly at camera, causing blood to run down the screen.The...
as well as the start of the end titles. Another omission is Four Tet
Four Tet
Kieran Hebden is a post-rock and electronic musician. Hebden first came to prominence as a member of the band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist under the moniker of Four Tet....
's instrumental closing theme that follows it, playing over the remainder of the credits and entitled Crawl, End Crawl within them. This track was later made available on iTunes. Other tracks listed are heard in the film (but not on the album) during scenes such as Dominic Greene
Dominic Greene
Dominic Greene is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. He is portrayed by French actor Mathieu Amalric.-In the film:...
's charity fundraising party Jaime Cuadra
Jaime Cuadra
Jaime Cuadra is a musician, producer and audiovisual communicator.- Biography :Cuadra went to school at San Agustin in Lima. He began his career in the music industry with a job at his father's audio publicity studio in 1985...
- Cholo Soy, Jaime Cuadra
Jaime Cuadra
Jaime Cuadra is a musician, producer and audiovisual communicator.- Biography :Cuadra went to school at San Agustin in Lima. He began his career in the music industry with a job at his father's audio publicity studio in 1985...
- Regresa, Jaime Cuadra
Jaime Cuadra
Jaime Cuadra is a musician, producer and audiovisual communicator.- Biography :Cuadra went to school at San Agustin in Lima. He began his career in the music industry with a job at his father's audio publicity studio in 1985...
- El Provinciano; and Puccini's opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
forms the backdrop to a key sequence. Vesper's Theme from Arnold's Casino Royale soundtrack
Casino Royale (2006 soundtrack)
The soundtrack to the 2006 film Casino Royale was released by Sony Classical on November 14, 2006. The music was composed by David Arnold and is Arnold's fourth soundtrack for the popular James Bond movie series. Frequent collaborator Nicholas Dodd orchestrated and conducted the score.- Development...
reappears at key moments in the film; it may be heard on the album in tracks 12, 15, 18 and 23.
Track listing
- "Time to Get Out"
- "The PalioPalio di SienaThe Palio di Siena is a horse race that is held twice each year, on July 2 and August 16, in Siena, Italy...
" - "Inside Man"
- "Bond in Haiti"
- "Somebody Wants to Kill You"
- "Greene & Camille"
- "Pursuit at Port au Prince"
- "No Interest In Dominic Greene"
- "Night At The Opera"
- "Restrict Bond’s Movements"
- "Talamone"
- "What’s Keeping You Awake"
- "Bolivian Taxi Ride"
- "Field Trip"
- "Forgive Yourself"
- "DC3"
- "Target Terminated"
- "Camille’s Story"
- "Oil Fields"
- "Have You Ever Killed Someone?"
- "Perla de las Dunas"
- "The Dead Don’t Care About Vengeance"
- "I Never Left"
- "Another Way to DieAnother Way to Die"Another Way to Die" is a song by American rock musician and singer Jack White and American R&B/soul singer Alicia Keys. Written and produced by White as the theme song to the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace, it was released as a single in the United States on September 30, 2008 and in...
" – Jack WhiteJack White (musician)Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
& Alicia KeysAlicia KeysAlicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...