{"id":41433,"date":"2019-02-19T17:35:20","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T23:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/?p=41433"},"modified":"2020-08-01T16:47:09","modified_gmt":"2020-08-01T21:47:09","slug":"oscars-siren-song-the-return-a-guest-post-by-jeff-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/2019\/02\/19\/oscars-siren-song-the-return-a-guest-post-by-jeff-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Oscar’s siren song: The return: A guest post by Jeff Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A Star Is Born.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

As you probably know, Jeff Smith has been our collaborator on Film Art: An Introduction<\/strong> and our Criterion Channel <\/a>series “Observations on Film Art.”\u00a0For the last few years (here<\/a> and here<\/a> and here<\/a>), Jeff has offered his thoughts on the Academy’s music nominees. This time around, he concentrates on the songs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s a brief preview of the Best Original Song category in this year\u2019s Academy Awards. I also include a prediction for this year\u2019s winner. Of course, I\u2019d be the first to admit I don\u2019t even win my own Oscar pool. So you\u2019ll want to take that into account before making any wagers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A good old-fashioned tune<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mary Poppins.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Academy has a long history of nominating songs from live action and animated musicals. This year is no exception.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Place Where Lost Things Go\u201d from Mary Poppins Returns<\/em> fits that bill, giving Disney a third straight nomination in this category. (\u201cRemember Me\u201d from Coco <\/em>and \u201cHow Far You\u2019ll Go\u201d from Moana <\/em>are the others.) Like the Sherman Brothers, who wrote songs for the original Mary Poppins<\/em>, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman derived inspiration from British Music Hall.<\/p>\n

In fact, although actor Lin-Manuel Miranda insisted that he didn\u2019t want his character to sound like Hamilton, Shaiman and Wittman wrote a patter section of \u201cA Cover is Not a Book\u201d for him, enabling Miranda to show off his unique skill set. With its tricky wordplay and fast pace, the classic patter song is a forerunner of the rhymes spat by rap and hip-hop artists. As Shaiman noted, \u201cSo we got very lucky there because we didn\u2019t want to feel like we were pandering to the audience, to supply Lin with rap that would seem anachronistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Place Where Lost Things Go\u201d sits on the opposite side of the musical spectrum as a soft, mid-tempo ballad scored for strings and winds. Fans of the original Mary Poppins<\/em> will note that it bears more than a faint resemblance to \u201cStay Awake.\u201d Both songs are sung to the Banks children at bedtime in an effort to inveigle them to sleep. Whereas \u201cStay Awake\u201d shows the \u00fcber<\/em>-Nanny using reverse psychology, \u201cThe Place Where the Lost Things Go\u201d is a paean to memory, loss, and grief. The children\u2019s mother has recently died and they further risk losing their beloved house. Mary Poppins reassures the children that they will be reunited one day with all their loved ones and that, in the meantime, their mother will forever have a place in their hearts.<\/p>\n

The number is beautifully sung by Emily Blunt and it captures the sense of melancholy that gives Mary Poppins Returns<\/em> its emotional heft. Still, it seems like a long-shot to take home the award. I admire Marc Shaiman\u2019s work. He has written some absolutely iconic scores in the past, like The American President<\/em>. And I\u2019d love to see him recognized this Sunday, even if it is just for his phenomenal work on South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut<\/em>. But I fear that an Oscar statuette with his name engraved upon it is also in the place where the lost things go.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When corn meets pone<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The second nominee is David Rawlings and Gillian Welch\u2019s \u201cWhen a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings.\u201d It appears in the comically violent opening story of the Coen Brothers\u2019 The Ballad of Buster Scruggs<\/em>. It is sung as a duet by the titular character and the Kid, a mysterious gunslinger dressed in black. Buster has just been shot dead in a duel. In the song, the Kid imparts some lessons learned from his short, rugged life as a cowboy with Buster chiming in to provide harmony. Kid\u2019s grimly acknowledges that he will suffer the same fate as Buster. It is just a matter of time.<\/p>\n

Rawlings and Welch are long-time collaborators, having worked together on the former\u2019s debut album. Rawlings has also produced albums by Welch and by Willie Watson, who plays the Kid. Adding to the sense of family reunion is the fact that Welch provided the voice of one of the Sirens in O Brother Where Art Thou?<\/em> Among those enchanted by the Sirens? You guessed it \u2013 Tim Blake Nelson, who plays Buster.<\/p>\n

In an interview in Variety<\/em>, Welch describes the absurdity of the original pitch the Coens made to her and Rawlings:<\/p>\n

It was a pretty straightforward thing: \u201cWell, we need a song for when two singing cowboys gun it out, and then they have to do a duet with one of \u2018em dead. You think you can do that?\u201d \u201cYeah, I think we can do that,\u201d she laughs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In crafting the song, Rawlings and Welch pull off a rather neat trick. They\u2019ve created something evocative of the \u201csinging cowboy\u201d films that inspired the first segment of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs<\/em>. Yet is also connects with a larger tradition of mournful ballads that are part of folk and country music history. A lilting Texas waltz, the number is sparsely orchestrated, relying largely on guitar, harmonica, and vocals. The lyrics also make reference to a \u201cbindling sheet.\u201d As Welch noted, the word \u201cbindling\u201d was something she and Rawlings made up as a gesture toward the Coens\u2019 fondness for anachronistic language. Yet it also works as a clever allusion to the \u201cwhite linen\u201d that is wrapped around a dying cowboy\u2019s body in \u201cStreets of Laredo.\u201d<\/p>\n

As was the case with Mary Poppins Returns<\/em>, this song perfectly blends music and narrative, beautifully capturing the darkly humorous sensibility characterizing the Coens’ career. The lyrics are solemn, but Tim Blake Nelson\u2019s yodeling lightens the tone to keep it from seeming maudlin. If I had a vote to cast, this is where I\u2019d put it. Yet my gut tells me that the Academy\u2019s beacon will shine on one of the other nominees.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A song for one of the Supremes<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The third nominee, \u201cI\u2019ll Fight,\u201d was written by Diane Warren, a longtime Academy favorite. The song represents Warren\u2019s tenth nomination, but she has never taken home top honors. This year, in an ironic twist, she may lose out to former co-writer Lady Gaga. (The two were nominated for \u201cTil It Happens to You\u201d in The Hunting Ground<\/em>.) Warren admits that \u201cI\u2019ll Fight\u201d is another of her \u201ccall to arms\u201d songs as she has turned more of her energies toward films that support social causes.<\/p>\n

One can easily make a solid prima facie <\/em>case for \u201cI\u2019ll Fight\u201d as the song to beat. It features a strong, soaring vocal performance by Jennifer Hudson, a previous Oscar winner for Dreamgirls<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Warren\u2019s melody and lyric capture the inspirational vibe that is found in several previous winners, most recently \u201cGlory\u201d from Selma<\/em>. And, of course, Warren herself seems long overdue.<\/p>\n

Even so, \u201cI\u2019ll Fight\u201d has a number of things working against it. It is featured in a documentary, and documentaries usually don\u2019t get the exposure of more mainstream releases. It appears over The RBG<\/em>\u2019s closing credits, which mostly restricts the song to a summative function. And, unlike \u201cAll the Stars\u201d and \u201cShallow,\u201d the song failed to chart, an indication that it didn\u2019t get much exposure in the music marketplace. I feel confident that Warren\u2019s opportunity to make an acceptance speech will come someday. But on Oscar night, she\u2019ll once again be the \u201cbridesmaid\u201d rather than the \u201cbride.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The battle of the titans<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Black Panther.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, the race comes down to the remaining two nominees: \u201cAll the Stars\u201d from Black Panther<\/em> and \u201cShallow\u201d from A Star is Born<\/em>. Both tracks have gotten extraordinary exposure outside the films in which they appeared. The former was a chart hit in 25 countries, garnering steady radio airplay and thousands of streams and downloads in the process. The latter arguably did even better, charting in 40 countries, selling nearly 600,000 downloads and accruing almost 150 million streams. Both songs are fueled by star power: hip-hop sensation Kendrick Lamar for \u201cAll the Stars\u201d and pop diva Lady Gaga for \u201cShallow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lamar has just the right profile to woo Academy voters, even those in the music branch for whom \u201cbig beatz\u201d and \u201cflow\u201d seem like foreign concepts. He has won thirteen Grammy Awards as well as the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first artist to do so from outside the domains of classical and jazz music. Billboard<\/em> even compared Lamar to Shakespeare<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although some music critics argue that \u201cAll the Stars\u201d is not entirely typical of Lamar\u2019s and SZA\u2019s respective styles, it does fit beautifully with the overall vibe of Ryan Coogler\u2019s pathbreaking film. The song begins with loping rhythms, electronic textures, and auto-tuned vocals. When Lamar drops the beat in the chorus, \u201cAll the Stars\u201d gains intensity thanks to the layering of additional synthesizers and SZA\u2019s melismatic topline.<\/p>\n

The overall effect is one that neatly draws together Black Panther<\/em>\u2019s principal settings, being equal parts Wakanda and Oakland. The tension in the lyrics between the sung choruses and Lamar\u2019s linguistic turns also restages the film\u2019s central conflict: Prince T\u2019Challah\u2019s policy of peaceful co-existence vs. Killmonger\u2019s thirst for violent world revolution. Appearing over the end credits, the number also works brilliantly with the shifting lines, shapes, and textures of the sequence’s graceful animation.<\/p>\n

Lady Gaga, of course, supplies \u201cShallow\u201d with its vocal fireworks. But she shares her nomination with three other collaborators, all of whom cut pretty large figures in the world of popular music.<\/p>\n

Chief among them is superproducer Mark Ronson, who twirled the knobs on Gaga\u2019s fifth album, Joanne<\/em> in 2016. Ronson is perhaps best known for his smash hit, \u201cUptown Funk.\u201d Yet, Ronson had already won three Grammy\u2019s for his production of Amy Winehouse\u2019s Back to Black<\/em> long before he gave us his Bruno Mars earworm. Besides his production work for Gaga, Winehouse, and Mars, Ronson has collaborated with a \u201cwho\u2019s who\u201d of current stars and pop music legends: Adele, Lily Allen, Miley Cyrus, Kaiser Chiefs, Chance the Rapper, Janelle Monae, Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers, and Paul McCartney.<\/p>\n

One of Ronson\u2019s other songwriting partners, Anthony Rossomondo, shares the nomination for \u201cShallow.\u201d Rossomondo is a guitarist and trumpet player who was a founding member of Dirty Pretty Things and toured with the Libertines as Pete Doherty\u2019s replacement. Fans of British television might also remember Rossomondo as Pete Neon in The Mighty Boosh<\/em>, the surrealist comedy series about a pair of failed musicians working in an alien shaman\u2019s magic shop.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the quartet of songwriters is Andrew Wyatt, still another songwriting partner of both Ronson and Gaga, who also penned tunes for Mars, Lil\u2019 Wayne, Beck, Florence + the Machine, and former Oasis bad boy, Liam Gallagher. Wyatt also has previous experience writing for film. He composed four songs for the Hugh Grant\/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, Music and Lyrics<\/em><\/a>, including the wonderful pastiche of eighties New Wave, \u201cPoP! Goes My Heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

With so much musical talent on board, it is hard to see how \u201cShallow\u201d could miss. Yet the song\u2019s many virtues are enhanced by its perfect placement in the story. It was a lot to expect that one song could deliver something that a) pays off the romantic sparks of Ally and Jackson\u2019s initial flirtation; b) signifies Ally\u2019s leap of faith as she returns to the stage to complete Jackson\u2019s arrangement of her song; and c) convince the audience that Ally could legitimately be the proverbial overnight sensation of the film\u2019s title. \u201cShallow\u201d delivers on all that and more.<\/p>\n

The song begins with Jackson singing, \u201cTell me something, girl.\u201d The first verse is sparely arranged for just voice and acoustic guitar. Jackson essentially baits Ally into claiming a spotlight he believes is rightfully hers. When Ally comes on stage, she begins the second verse in the lower part of her vocal register, adding a husky sensuality that captures the slow-burn of the couple\u2019s simmering passions. Piano, violin, and pedal steel guitar slightly thicken the arrangement while maintaining the relatively soft dynamic level. An octave leap leads into the chorus, which Ally belts out with newfound confidence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The lyrics serve as a metaphor for the character\u2019s personal journey, her willingness to take the emotional and professional risks that Jackson had encouraged. This is Ally\u2019s moment of self-realization. Yet it also foreshadows the relationship\u2019s failure by previewing a future in which her stardom will overtake his.<\/p>\n

This is followed by Jackson and Ally finally harmonizing together on the phrase, \u201cIn the shallow, the sha-ha-low.\u201d Their voices blend, suggesting the consummation of their romantic connection onstage, if not yet in bed. Ally follows with a kind of vocal cadenza. No longer bound by lyrics, she sets free the \u201cyargh\u201d in her voice that rock critic Greil Marcus famously ascribed to Van Morrison\u2019s Irish soul.<\/p>\n

The addition of drums and bass enhance the big crescendo that leads into the final chorus. Jackson joins Ally at her microphone and the two finish the song with a final duet. The song is in G major, but ends on an E minor chord, another subtle hint of the sadness that ultimately consumes couple\u2019s relationship.<\/p>\n

As an Oscar nominee, \u201cShallow\u201d has a lot to offer. It is a duet between a major movie star and a major star of the recording industry. It not only pays off a previous dangling cause, but also foreshadows later plot developments. Best of all, it takes the audience on an emotional journey that symbolizes the characters\u2019 story arcs in microcosm. If the snatch of \u201cShallow\u201d heard in the A Star is Born <\/em>trailer proved surprisingly meme-worthy, the full performance of it in the film was indelible. Moreover, in a cheeky bit of self-mythologization, it invites viewers to consider \u201cJoanne,\u201d the flesh-and-blood being that sits just behind the Gaga mask.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prediction: \u201cShallow\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

I likely tipped my hand earlier, but I fully expect Lady Gaga and company to add Oscar to the Grammy and Golden Globe they\u2019ve already won. If that happens, I\u2019ll be content with the result, even if the memory of Tim Blake Nelson and Willie Watson\u2019s duet tickles me every time I think of it. I\u2019ve enjoyed Mark Ronson and Lady Gaga\u2019s music for more than a decade. And if nothing else, an Oscar for Andrew Wyatt will balance the scales of justice. Back in 2008, I felt Wyatt was robbed when he failed to secure a nomination for a song Billboard <\/em>called<\/a> \u201cthe greatest fake 80s song of all time.\u201d Well, if I see Wyatt clutching an Oscar come Sunday, you\u2019ll hear a little PoP! go in my heart.<\/p>\n

\n

For an alternate take on this year\u2019s music nominees, a real pop star from the eighties, Thomas Dolby, offers his perspective here<\/a>. A report on a panel discussion at the Los Angeles Film School featuring several of the nominees can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman talk about their work on Mary Poppins Returns<\/em>\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gillian Welch discusses working with the Coen Brothers on The Ballad of Buster Scruggs <\/em>here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Diane Warren offers her perspective on writing \u201cempowerment anthems\u201d here<\/a> and here<\/a>. \u00a0A deep dive into Warren\u2019s career can be found on a\u00a0Hollywood Reporter<\/em> podcast<\/a> featuring the 10-time Oscar nominee.<\/p>\n

Finally, much ink has been spilled about the process of writing \u201cShallow\u201d for A Star is Born<\/em>. You can read more here <\/a>\u00a0and here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jeff Smith has provided us many guest blogs related to film music, most recently his discussion of the score for True Stories<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Music and Lyrics<\/strong> (2007).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Star Is Born. As you probably know, Jeff Smith has been our collaborator on Film Art: An Introduction and our Criterion Channel series “Observations on Film Art.”\u00a0For the last few years (here and here and here), Jeff has offered his thoughts on the Academy’s music nominees. This time around, he concentrates on the songs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,25,1,291,46,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-directors-coens","category-documentary-film","category-film-comments","category-film-music","category-film-technique-music","category-hollywood-aesthetic-traditions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41433"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41445,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41433\/revisions\/41445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}