| Natural Born Killers: A Soundtrack for an Oliver Stone Film | |
| Type: | Soundtrack |
| Artist: | Various Artists |
| Cover: | Natural Born Killers (soundtrack) (1994).jpg |
| Released: | August 23, 1994 |
| Recorded: | 1994 |
| Genre: | Soundtrack |
| Length: | 75:22 |
| Label: | Nothing/Interscope/Atlantic |
| Producer: | Trent Reznor |
Natural Born Killers: A Soundtrack for an Oliver Stone Film is the soundtrack to the film Natural Born Killers, produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. It was released on August 23, 1994. It charted at number 19 on US Billboard 200 album charts and was certified Gold in both the United States and Canada, and Silver in the United Kingdom.
Reznor reportedly produced the soundtrack using a portable Pro Tools in his hotel room while on his band's Self Destruct Tour.[1] [2] On his approach to compiling the soundtrack, Reznor told MTV:
I suggested to Oliver [Stone] to try to turn the soundtrack into a collage-of-sound, kind of the way the movie used music: make edits, add dialog, and make it something interesting, rather than a bunch of previously released music.[3]
Some songs were written especially for the film or soundtrack, such as "Burn" by Nine Inch Nails and "What Would You Do?" by Tha Dogg Pound.
"I took a finished movie," Reznor recalled, "and tried to make something that would be a cool souvenir from it."[4]
featuring Robert Downey Jr., and Brian Berdan – "BB Tone"
contains an edit of Remmy Ongala And Orchestre Super Matimila – "Kipenda Roho"
contains excerpts of Jane's Addiction – "Ted, Just Admit It..." and Diamanda Galás – "I Put a Spell on You"
contains excerpts of Barry Adamson – "Checkpoint Charlie" and "Violation of Expectation"
song and lyrics written by Cissie Cobb.
contains excerpts of The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra – "A Night on Bare Mountain"
contains excerpts of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party – "Allah, Mohammed, Char, Yaar" and Diamanda Galás – "Judgement Day"
The film also contains "Bombtrack" and "Take the Power Back" by Rage Against the Machine, "Cyclops" by Marilyn Manson, "Anthem" by Leonard Cohen, "The Heat" and "In Doubt" by Peter Gabriel, "If You Were the Woman and I Was the Man" by Cowboy Junkies, "The Way I Walk" cover by Robert Gordon, and "Ghost Town" by The Specials. These tracks are not included on the soundtrack album. Also includes samples of "Leader of the Pack" by The Shangri-Las, and Steven "Jesse" Bernstein's "No No Man-Part 1".
Tracks 9, 10, 13, 18, 21, 23 and 25 are assembled from various recordings and dialogue from the film.
The bathroom scene of this film contains a non-credited selection from the Melvins' Houdini; specifically, the surreal percussion track "Spread Eagle Beagle". Rumours surround the genesis of this track, including one that it was done by Kurt Cobain.
In the scene that depicts Mickey and Mallory's first meeting – as a sitcom parody entitled "I Love Mallory" – the following pieces are heard: "Happy-Go-Lively" by Laurie Johnson, "Happy Families" by Sam Fonteyn, "Pizzicato Playtime" by Sam Fonteyn, and "Domestic Fun" by Ernest Tomlinson.
Reportedly, Stone and Reznor wanted to include a track by Snoop Dogg on the soundtrack but Warner Bros. wouldn't allow it as he was, at the time of production, on trial for murder.[5]
"Bernard Herrmann's phenomenally eerie Vertigo score, Vangelis's groundbreaking synth-based ambience for Blade Runner, Nino Rota's timeless Godfather suite – any self-appointed buff of the soundtrack genre might blanch at the notion of making shelf-room alongside these classics for a furious miscellaneous music compilation…" wrote Andrew Collins in Q, "but, hey, as Mickey says, 'This is the 1990s,' and, if you were a soundtrack album, you'd be Natural Born Killers."
| Chart (1994) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart[6] | 14 | |
| New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart[7] | 14 | |
| US Billboard 200[8] | 19 |