Bad Times at the El Royale (soundtrack)
Two albums accompany the 2018 neo-noir thriller.
Bad Times at the El Royale is a 2018 neo-noir thriller film for which two soundtrack albums were released: a compilation of popular songs and an original score album. Both albums were released by Republic Records and Milan Records on October 12, 2018, and a digital re-release of the soundtrack with two additional songs followed on November 23.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- various artists
- Released
- 12 October 2018
- Genre
- Pop
- rock
- soul
- Label
- Republic, Fox Music
- Producer
- Harvey Mason Jr.
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
Initial release
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 Miles (Santa Catalina) | Bruce Belland, Glen A. Larson | 2:28 |
| 2 | Twenty-Five Miles | Bert Berns, Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, Edwin Starr, Jerry Wexler | 3:21 |
| 3 | Bend Me, Shape Me | Scott English, Larry Weiss | 2:13 |
| 4 | He's a Rebel | Gene Pitney | 2:53 |
| 5 | I Got a Feeling | Holland–Dozier–Holland | 3:04 |
| 6 | Can't Take My Eyes Off You | Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio | 3:22 |
| 7 | Bernadette | Holland–Dozier–Holland | 3:03 |
| 8 | He's Sure the Boy I Love | Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil | 2:45 |
| 9 | The Letter | Wayne Carson | 1:54 |
| 10 | Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon) | John Phillips | 3:26 |
| 11 | Baby, I Love You | Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector | 2:39 |
| Total length | 31:08 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Suite at the El Royale | 7:52 |
| 2 | A Room with an Entrez-Vous | 0:55 |
| 3 | Let the Spieling Begin | 1:54 |
| 4 | Rough Around the Ledger | 3:04 |
| 5 | It's Ms. You to You | 1:40 |
| 6 | Mirror Mortals | 2:36 |
| 7 | When Push Comes to Hoover | 1:46 |
| 8 | Darlene-Eyed Monster | 0:53 |
| 9 | My Memory, My Memory | 1:41 |
| 10 | I Spy with My Little FBI | 2:06 |
| 11 | Sea You Again Soon | 1:38 |
| 12 | The Doors of Deception | 2:38 |
| 13 | Voyeur in so Much Trouble | 6:05 |
| 14 | Clingin' in the Rain | 6:54 |
| 15 | A Bang up Robbery | 3:08 |
| 16 | You Can't Flynn 'em All | 1:09 |
| 17 | Rose and Cons | 2:39 |
| 18 | A Blaze of Allegory | 4:41 |
| 19 | Billy Lee Is Not My Lover | 3:12 |
| 20 | Roulette the Chips Fall | 6:53 |
| 21 | The Wages of Flynn | 1:15 |
| 22 | Absolution Presents Itself | 10:06 |
| Total length | 74:45 | |
Track listing from the source article.
Background
Goddard wrote each song into his screenplay before pitching it, telling major studios to avoid buying the script if they could not secure the music licenses. He described the film as a love letter to music and served as music supervisor. Goddard had Cynthia Erivo sing her songs live on set, believing that without it the movie would not work. He said the music was almost like the eighth character, serving the function of a chorus in a Shakespearean play and being a key part of the emotional fabric. Each song played on loudspeakers during filming; Lewis Pullman and Jeff Bridges read the script while listening to the songs to set the tone. Goddard introduced the character Billy Lee with the song "Twelve Thirty" to provide a metaphorical connection, as the song is bright and seductive but has an incredible darkness in its words. Erivo also performed "Try A Little Tenderness", "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted", "You Can't Hurry Love", and "Unchained Melody", though these were not on the soundtrack. Goddard wrote a song for Erivo titled "Hold Me In Your Arms, Lift Me On High". Erivo sang on camera in real-time with no pre-recorded vocals; for the scene where Laramie discovers the secret passageway, she performed twenty-seven times, and the later scene where Darlene sings to cover Doc's digging was shot twenty times. Michael Giacchino composed the score after being confirmed in mid-June 2018, recording it on August 15–16, 2018, at the Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox Studios.
Reception
The soundtrack received positive reviews from critics. Polygon's Karen Han called it one of the year's best. Angelica Florio from Bustle noted that the music playing throughout the movie and Darlene's performances gave the sense that song selection was key for Goddard. Reviewing the original score, Movie Wave's James Southall wrote that the opening and closing tracks are terrific and run 18 minutes between them, but that much of the remaining 67 minutes consists of variants of material heard in the opening piece, with some dull suspense cues. He found it interesting to hear Giacchino do something gritty, using a dark orchestration style favoring lower ranges, and recommended it to Giacchino enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who produced Bad Times at the El Royale (soundtrack)?
Bad Times at the El Royale was produced by Harvey Mason Jr.
What genre is Bad Times at the El Royale (soundtrack)?
Bad Times at the El Royale is classified as Pop, rock and soul.
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