The Hunger Games, the new movie based on the ridiculously addictive and brutal young adult fiction book of the same title, is coming out this month. Its soundtrack album, produced by T Bone Burnett, has a pretty all-star list of contributors, and it’s already yielded the hit Taylor Swift/Civil Wars collab “Safe & Sound.” The same album features two new Arcade Fire tracks written entirely for the movie, and the first of those, “Abraham’s Daughter,” is streaming below. It sounds really, really good on first listen.
(if that comes down, try here)
Talking to Entertainment Weekly about the thought process behind the song, Win Butler says:
“I tried to put myself in the headspace of how excited I’d be if this film was coming out when I was 15. I still remember hearing Radiohead’s “Exit Music (for a Film)” in Romeo + Juliet when I was that age… Our whole approach was to get into the world and try to create something that serves the story and the film. There’s something in the story of Abraham and Isaac that I think resonates with the themes in the film, like sacrificing children. So we made a weird, alternate-universe version of that, where it’s as if Abraham had a daughter — kind of a metaphor for [the movie's hero] Katniss.”
The other Arcade Fire song on the soundtrack is called “Horn Of Plenty,” and the band wrote it as a sort of national anthem for the evil, dystopic Capitol regime that torments Katniss throughout the books. Here’s Butler again:
“We were interested in making music that would be more integral in the movie, just as a mental exercise. And there’s an anthem that runs throughout the books, the national anthem of the fascist Capitol. So as a thought experiment, we tried to write what that might sound like. It’s like the Capitol’s idea of itself, basically. It’s not a pop song or anything– more of an anthem that could be playing at a big sporting event like the Games. So we did a structure for that, and then James Newton Howard made a movie-score version of it that happens in several places in the film.”
The Hunger Games soundtrack is out 3/20 on Republic. Can you guys tell how fucking excited I am to see this movie?
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They’re good books, man. Quite different from Twilight, especially in that they’re well written.
The Hunger Games have nothing in common with Twilight besides, possibly, their target market.
Hmm, can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic. The last part of your statement (which is true) tends to undo the first.
Hype builds easily on the internet and hipsters are not immune to herd mentality.
The book is written well? Maybe? Is it it original in any way? Absolutely not.
Yeah, those books are fucking great; do not sleep out of misguided coolness. If you have to rip something off, Battle Royale is a pretty great thing to rip off.
Speaking of misguided coolness.
On top of Battle Royale, I believe there was an American independent film that followed shortly after (I want to say it was called Sixth Season or something along those lines) where several contestants of all ages, races and sexes from across the country were picked by a random lottery for a similar game where winning was achieved by killing off other contestants. All I remember is that (SPOILER ALERT) the final two contestants came down to a male and female who had once dated and were former ’80 alt-goths. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” was used heavily in the flashback scenes. I wish I could remember the name of it. Same concept, but with more dark humor.
Series 7: The Contenders. Pretty good movie! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251031/
Yes! Years of agonizing over the name of that movie title have finally come to an end. Thank you!
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Again: You don’t actually know what you’re talking about here. Pretty sure anti-Twilight comments don’t have some grand history of Stereogum downvotes.
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Who is “the film industry”? He/She sounds delusional.
Seriously though, when I go to see a movie, I’m not as concerned with the hype and anticipated box office success as I am seeing a creative and effective movie. The film industry is not an all-encompassing being that casts, films, directs and edits a film. Those roles are taken on by individuals who, hopefully, care about their work. Now, this may turn out to be a poor film. Fine. But I don’t find it offensive that people would like to see a film succeed. Financially successful films will, more often than not, push hard on the marketing.
Also, who are these “people” that are talking about Hunger Games like it’s the next Lord of the Rings? Are you referring to the marketing campaign? Book critics? Your lunch break friends? People read these books, which are quite addicting, and are excited to revisit them through film. They are young adult fiction and I often wanted more depth out of them. Overall, given the genre, I was attached to them. I feel like the only parallel people see between the books is an adolescent love triangle. Honestly, that’s a pretty weak parallel as this is an eternal storyline. Have you read the books or are you simply shunning anything that, in your mind, is connected to Twilight?
Kevin is definitely a girl’s name.
I hate both Twilight and Hunger Games and I find your last two comments annoying.
The Film Industry is an lo-fi analog pop side project from Montreal. You’ve probably never heard of them though.
JaggerT, I’m confused. Do you think that the film industry as a machine is a myth? I think its pretty well documented that Hunger Games (as a film) has been designed to appeal to the very same people who like Twilight and such things, for very much the same reasons. Casting, direction choices, and script are all effected by this.
As far as praise for the series. Most of this is attached to hype by readers and marketing. It reminds me of the praise the Millennium series got the last two years, which after I read, found was greatly undeserved. Yeah it’s fun and addicting, like Hunger Games, but its not particularly original or resonating in anyway.
Hey you’re entitled to like it, I just get annoyed with people trying to make it more than it is. I don’t really expect it to be as bad Twilight, I’m not even sure if that’s possible. But I’m not looking forward to it, all the same.
Hey, having a girl’s name is fine, that’s not even an insult. Unless you hate women or something.
I think our disdain would be better directed at the evil poster industry for taking a pretty girl like Jennifer Lawrence and turning her into a diagonally slanted wax figurine.
and yes, the evil poster industry is totally a thing that exists probably
I don’t think very much of these “Hungry Hungry Game-O’s” because, like you Kevin, I find the whole concept contrived and derivative to the level of me as an 11 year old trying to write the great
americanCanadian novel based on my love of Young Guns, Back to the Future, and the first Civilization game. “In the future, there are 12 districts! And The US is now called The USB! And people wear hats on their feet!” it all sounds very very very very very very very stupid like something 11 year old me would write. Even when people really try to sell me on it…it never doesn’t sound like a very stupid very unoriginal idea.BUT BUT BUTT. I thought the same thing of Game of Thrones, and I watched because it was on HBO and I was like, okay well maybe there will be nakeds and gories, and lo there was both, but also the show was really fucking good. And then I read the books. And where once I was blind, now I see. I was totes mcGotes wrong, is my point.
So yeah, I hear you Kevin, that the Hunger Games seems like a really stupid very overmarketed self-hyping piece of garbage, but also don’t write off the possibility that it could be pretty good. The general rule for everything in life is “If you ain’t seen it, ya cain’t judge it.” So if you ain’t read it, don’t judge it.
Let’s all just back of Kevin and imagine the jovial strumming sounds coming from his guitar
OK Djfreshie. I can’t argue with someone who invokes A Song of Ice and Fire into their argument.
When in doubt, ask yourself “What would Hodor do” and he’d probably say “Hodor.”
“I was like, okay well maybe there will be nakeds and gories, and lo there was both.”
i cackled and then my wife looked at me all weird-like. that’s some fine prose right there, freshie.
Scary
Hey:)
Kids eat up cool. They crave it. Substance tends to fall to the wayside. It’s been that way, accelerated now by the internets. Hipsters are not immune. Though they like to pretend they are.
New Arcade Fire tune and big picture of Jennifer Lawrence? Story. Of. The. Week!
The album cover for The Hunger Games soundtrack was released long before “This. Week!”
Yes, but not in the context of this story. That’s why it’s ‘Story’ of the week and not ‘Poster’ of the week. Still, thanks for the feedback.
I was hesitant to read hunger games for fear of it turning into a twilight sensation, but they were awesome. Glad I read them.
I love the song. Between this, and the decemberists song, I am going to have to get the album. However, having read the books, I must say that the books are not by any means “Good” but they are definitely better than Twilight. It’s great seeing once “indie” artists get recognition via this album. The only thing I ever worry about is having to stand next to teeny-bopper kids at concerts who only want to hear that “one song from the soundtrack.” It hurts my soul… just a little.
Not bad. I hope we get to hear the other one soon. Even though it’s instrumental, I’m sure it’ll be good. “Lenin” wasn’t bad at all.
Ugh, Hunger Games. Why must you exist? You’re nothing but an Indian In The Cupboard-ified rip-off of Running Man. WHY!?
World’s Most Dangerous Game? It’s not a new idea, bro.
Uh huh.
What I did was I copy and pasted Kevin Maclean’s comment from above, and then I replaced the reference to “Twilight” with another completely random young adult fiction book, The Indian in the Cupboard. Since the Indian in the Cupboard at least has a character in it that uses a bow and arrow, but other than being about young people, that’s the only connection. I implied that this was what it is like to compare Hunger Games to Twilight simply because their are young people in it and relationships.
Then, and this is where you come in, I replaced the reference to Battle Royale with a reference to Running Man. Since, like you mention, this concept is hardly a new idea, so we could pick random people hunting each other for sport stories all day long, but I think it’s funny to pretend that they are all just copying Running Man. But claiming they are all copying Running Man is only slightly less absurd to claiming they are all copying Battle Royale.
I left the rest of the quote completely intact, so that people would be able to draw a parallel between the two comments, but I understand that this was not a reply to that comment, and there is a lot of discussion inbetween, so people probably shouldn’t be expected to remember things for that long.
Anyway. Thanks for making me explain my joke.
Now explain the knock knock joke with the orange you glad and the banana, I’m still scratching my head at that one!
Actually, I’ve never understood that joke either. Who doesn’t like bananas?
It should be “Orange you glad from all the bananas?”
Ok…. I’ve actually read all these books (i was getting super bored reading 1Q84 and needed something mindless to break it up)… The first book is page turning, not particularly well written, but a fun, easy book to resd… The 2nd one is pretty much a carbon copy of the first (with a twist!) and the third one was terrible, and sucked all of the fun out of the original concept (also, the ending depressed the hell out of me)
i read them also, and this is what i thought
I also read these books as a reprieve from 1Q84
Really? I wonder how big of a role the length and density of 1q84 played in the success of the Hunger Games
“I tried to put money in the headspace of how excited money’d be if this money was coming out when money was 15. I still remember hearing Radiohead’s “Exit Money (for a Cash)” in Romeo + Juliet when I was that age… Our whole cash was to get into the money and try to create something that serves the money and the cash. There’s something in the story of Cash and Money that I think resonates with the themes in the money, like sacrificing cash. So we made a cashy, alternate-money version of that, where it’s as if Abraham had cash — kind of a cash for [the money's hero] Katniss.”
Don’t hate because the man can get paid to do something he loves.
Hmmm, can we apply this wherever we like?
The baby boomers ate the world and then their children came to finish the rest off.
Consume baby, consume.
Disappointed in the neglect of the mentioning of TALK SHOW HOST in Romeo + Juliet as well. And seeing there will be blood and finding out that Jonny Greenwood scored it. Or watching Twilight and hearing Thom Yorke in it. Or seeing that Radiohead is part of the music in a new film about homelessness. Or hearing High and Dry in 50/50. Or hearing Everything in It’s Right Place and I Might Be Wrong on Vanilla Sky.
Just kidding, I never watched twilight. I just bought the song.
the TALK SHOW HOST soundtracked scene is awesome
I let my friend listen to this and he said, “Weak. This sucks. You can definitely tell they wrote it for a movie.”
They wrote it for a movie?
I just want to hear the damn song and I can’t find it in any of those links
http://www.listenbeforeyoubuy.net/listen/listen-arcade-fire-abrahams-daughter/
thanks!
Apparently Hipsters really love a shitty Battle Royale and Twilight ripoff, maybe it was specifically written to serve their tastes. But it’s so nice that they feel like they need to censor any opposing speech that actually calls out this mass produced crap for what it is on a indie website.
If these are the independent thinking people on the internet, I wonder how bad it is on the sites that are dedicated to mass produced crap.
yeah.. these debates shock me..
and like.. yeah, song sucks. it pains me to say it. but there it is.
The haters are transparent as usual.
The only connection between the hunger games and twilight is that there are young people, and there is a romance angle. Forget the fact that the romance is integral to the story, and not gratuitous. So no one should ever write anything about young people and romance again, because it was already done, in twilight, yeah, that makes sense. :i
As far as the to the death tournament, yes, that has been done many times before. It doesn’t make that subject off limits.
Its fine to read/watch something and not like it, and then express that and explain why. But to crap all over something because it is marketed to a similar demographic as twilight, and because it uses plots that are similar to other movies, is a clear attempt at being “cool” for the sake of being cool. Its transparent, humorous and tragic all at the same time.
Battle Royale was just pure gore and action. The story was lacking and the only thing it had going for it was the shock factor. Did anyone really relate with any of the characters? Its praised by hipster types because of the shock factor and the fact that its not that well known. Again, cool for the sake of being cool. That attitude is pathetic.