Dear Evan Hansen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | September 24, 2021 | |||
Recorded | 2020–2021 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 70:29 | |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Producer | ||||
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul chronology | ||||
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Singles from Dear Evan Hansen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
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Dear Evan Hansen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2021 film of the same name, released on September 24, 2021, by Interscope Records. Based on the eponymous stage musical by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the film is directed by Stephen Chbosky, with Levenson writing the screenplay and stars Ben Platt in the title role, reprising his role from the stage performance.
The soundtrack featured most of the musical numbers from the stage play, performed by the film's ensemble cast members. Four songs were excluded from the album and instead cover versions of five of the numbers were included. Those versions were performed by Sam Smith, SZA, Summer Walker, Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Finneas O'Connell, and Tori Kelly. A new song "The Anonymous Ones" was co-written by Amandla Stenberg. The musical score is composed by Dan Romer and Justin Paul, who jointly produced the album with Alex Lacamoire, who worked on the Broadway cast recording of the musical and acted as the music supervisor.
Unlike the film, which received negative reviews, the album was well received and debuted at the second position on Billboard 's Top Soundtracks. The album was nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Steinberg's "The Anonymous Ones", performed by her in the film and during the end credits by SZA, was shortlisted for Best Original Song category at the 94th Academy Awards, but could not get selected for the final list of nominations. [1]
In August 2020, it was confirmed that in addition to playing Alana Beck, Amandla Stenberg would collaborate with Pasek & Paul on the writing of a new song for her character. In August 2021, the title of this new song was revealed as "The Anonymous Ones". [2] [3] Stenberg, speaking to MTV News, had said that writing the song was mostly attributed to her resonation with the character, "I really love the way it unfolded, because we were able to capture the thing we were talking about in all of our meetings together, which is the fact that we're all going through it". [4] The track was sung by American Singer, SZA who instantly connected with the song and came with few demos of the track. [5] She opined that her version was "completely different and new, but also really respectful to the original melody and lyrics of the song". [4] The cast performed most of the songs live on set. [6]
With the official film website being launched in May 2021, it confirmed that the following songs would be included: "You Will Be Found", "Waving Through a Window", "For Forever", and "Words Fail". [7] On the same day, Ben Platt stated in a Vanity Fair interview that "I think there's nothing major gone that anyone's going to miss. All of the major beats and all of the favorite songs are very much intact", while also hinting that another new song, entitled "A Little Closer", had been written for the film, later revealed to have been written for the character of Connor Murphy. [8] [3] On August 24, 2021, it was announced that the film's incidental underscore would be composed by Justin Paul and Dan Romer. [9]
Four songs from the stage musical – "Anybody Have a Map?", "Disappear", "To Break In A Glove" and "Good For You" – were excluded from the soundtrack. [9] This creative decision was negatively received by critics and audiences, largely due to the filmmakers' main goal to capture and immortalize Ben Platt's performance. Chbosky, in an interview to Variety , explained about the same saying: [10]
"We had many discussions about what each number did and what we needed. It was hard. The one song I love so much and was so sad to see go was "Anybody Have a Map?" It’s a great song and on stage, it works so well as an abstraction. It opens the show, we meet the families and the characters. But we felt the best way to tell the story was to start with Evan, start with "Waving Through a Window". And then, when you meet Connor’s parents, they’re strangers to us. We’re really on Evan’s journey. It freed us up to meet all the characters through Evan. And it binds the audience to a way in Evan that is so valuable. These were the kinds of discussions we had a lot." [10]
The film's soundtrack album was released by Interscope Records through digital and physical formats on September 24, 2021, the same day as the film's theatrical release. It also includes covers of five of the songs by popular artists, such as Sam Smith, Finneas O'Connell, Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, and Tori Kelly. [11] [12] [13] The first of these covers, "Only Us" (by Underwood and Dan + Shay) was released on September 3, 2021, alongside the film's version of the song. [14] Prior to that, the film's renditions of "Waving Through a Window" and "You Will Be Found" were released as promotional singles on August 26, 2021. [15] To promote the film, Platt performed the solo version of the latter on Season 16 of NBC's America's Got Talent , [16] and also performed the track on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on September 15, 2021. [17]
Both Stenberg and SZA's versions of "The Anonymous Ones" were released on September 10, 2021, the day after the film's world premiere. [18] This track was later included as one of the unreleased songs from SZA's studio album Ctrl (Deluxe) on its fifth anniversary in June 2022. [19] SZA's version of this song and Sam Smith and Summer Walker's version of "You Will Be Found" play over the closing credits, the latter song being released to the public on September 17, 2021. [20] These were followed by "Sincerely, Me", which was released prior on September 13, 2021. Sam Smith and SZA further recorded cover editions for the soundtrack. [21] The vinyl soundtrack was released on January 14, 2022. [22]
All tracks are written by Pasek and Paul, with "The Anonymous Ones" written in collaboration with Amandla Stenberg
No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Waving Through a Window" |
| 3:56 |
2. | "For Forever" | Platt | 5:10 |
3. | "Sincerely, Me" |
| 3:36 |
4. | "Requiem" | 4:24 | |
5. | "If I Could Tell Her" |
| 4:03 |
6. | "The Anonymous Ones" | Amandla Stenberg | 4:43 |
7. | "You Will Be Found" |
| 5:58 |
8. | "Only Us" |
| 4:00 |
9. | "Words Fail" | Platt | 5:46 |
10. | "So Big / So Small" | Julianne Moore | 4:25 |
11. | "A Little Closer" | Ryan | 4:10 |
12. | "You Will Be Found" (featuring Summer Walker) | Sam Smith | 3:56 |
13. | "The Anonymous Ones" | SZA | 4:09 |
14. | "Only Us" | 3:45 | |
15. | "A Little Closer" | Finneas | 4:02 |
16. | "Waving Through a Window" | Tori Kelly | 4:26 |
Total length: | 70:29 |
Chart (2021–2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [23] | 45 |
UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC) [24] | 5 |
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard) [25] | 2 |
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [26] | 17 |
Award | Date of Ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 17, 2021 | Best Soundtrack Album | Dear Evan Hansen | Nominated | [27] [28] |
Best Original Song – Onscreen Performance | Amandla Stenberg – "The Anonymous Ones" | Nominated | |||
Grammy Awards | April 3, 2022 | Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media | Various artists | Nominated | [29] |
Stephen Chbosky is an American film director, screenwriter, and author. He is best-known for writing the bestselling coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999), as well as for writing and directing the 2012 film adaptation of the book. Most recently, he directed the 2017 drama Wonder and the 2021 film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen. His first psychological horror novel, Imaginary Friend, was published in October 2019.
David Hodges is an American songwriter and record producer from Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a studio contributor to the rock band Evanescence from 2000 to 2002, and has co-written and co-produced for pop, pop rock and country artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Daughtry, Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne, David Archuleta, Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood, Jessie James, 5 Seconds of Summer, Christina Perri, and Tim McGraw.
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known together as Pasek and Paul, are an American songwriting duo and composing team for musical theater, films and television.
Val Matthew Emmich is an American writer, singer-songwriter, and actor. He has had roles on HBO's Vinyl, NBC's 30 Rock, Showtime's The Big C, and ABC's Ugly Betty. He is the author of The New York Times bestselling YA book Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel and the adult novel The Reminders.
Dan Romer is an American film composer, music producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles.
Kaitlyn Rochelle Dever is an American actress, musician and voice actress. She became known for her roles in series such as Justified (2011–2015), Last Man Standing (2011–2021), Unbelievable (2019), and Dopesick (2021). She earned Golden Globe Award nominations for Unbelievable and Dopesick, in addition to a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Dopesick.
Amandla Stenberg is an American actress. She began acting as a child in the film Colombiana (2011). She had supporting roles in the action film The Hunger Games (2012), the supernatural series Sleepy Hollow (2013–2014) and the sitcom Mr. Robinson (2015). As an adult, Stenberg had starring roles in the romance film Everything, Everything (2017), the drama film The Hate U Give (2018), the comedy horror film Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), and the series The Acolyte (2024).
Benjamin Schiff Platt is an American actor and singer. The son of film and theater producer Marc Platt and philanthropist Julie Platt, he began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music (2006) and The Book of Mormon (2012–2015), rising to prominence for originating the title role in the Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017). His performance in the latter earned him multiple accolades, including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, a Daytime Emmy, and a Grammy Award. Platt reprised the role of Evan Hansen in the 2021 film adaptation of the musical, produced by his father. He then played Leo Frank in the 2022 New York City Center Gala production of Parade, which transferred to Broadway in 2023 and earned him another Tony nomination and another Grammy nomination.
Dan + Shay is an American country music duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. They are signed to Warner Records Nashville and have released five albums, Where It All Began, Obsessed, Dan + Shay, Good Things and Bigger Houses. Of their nine singles, five have topped the Country Airplay chart and three have topped the Hot Country Songs chart. The duo have collaborated with Justin Bieber, Charlie Puth, Rascal Flatts, Lindsey Stirling, RaeLynn, and Kelly Clarkson. From 2019 to 2021, the duo won three consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the songs "Tequila", "Speechless", and "10,000 Hours".
Solána Imani Rowe, known professionally as SZA, is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition through her self-released EPs See.SZA.Run (2012) and S (2013), which helped her become the first female artist to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment. Her third EP, Z (2014), was her first project to be released to digital retailers and reached the top-ten on the U.S. Independent Albums chart.
Dear Evan Hansen is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Pasek and Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a tragedy that he did not earn".
Noah Egidi Galvin is an American actor and singer. He is best known for playing Kenny O'Neal in the ABC sitcom The Real O'Neals, temporarily taking over the title role in the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, and for playing Dr. Asher Wolke in the TV series The Good Doctor. He also originated the role of the Duchess in the off-Broadway musical Alice by Heart and sung as Brian on the cast recording of the musical adaptation of Goosebumps. For his performance in Theater Camp, Galvin received a nomination for Best Supporting Performance at the 39th Independent Spirit Awards.
Dear Evan Hansen: Original Broadway Cast Recording is the cast album to the 2015 musical Dear Evan Hansen, with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The recording stars Ben Platt, Rachel Bay Jones, Laura Dreyfuss, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Michael Park, Mike Faist, Will Roland and Kristolyn Lloyd. The album was produced by Alex Lacamoire, Pasek and Paul, and featuring musicians include Rob Jost, Adele Stein, Justin Smith, Ben Cohn, Jamie Eblen, Dillon Kondor, Justin Goldner, Christopher Jahnke and Todd Low. The album was released by Atlantic Records on January 27, 2017, and featured at #8 on the Billboard 200, making the highest debut for a cast album after Camelot (1961). It also topped the Internet Albums chart. It further received the Best Musical Theater Album award at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
"Waving Through a Window" is the second song from Act 1 of the 2015 musical Dear Evan Hansen, which premiered on Broadway in 2016. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote both the music and lyrics for the song, which serves as the main protagonist Evan Hansen's "I Want" song. It has since become the signature tune of the character, one of the musical's most famous songs and an anthem for those who have felt depressed and alone and show a desire for connection.
"You Will Be Found" is the Act 1 finale of the 2015 musical Dear Evan Hansen, which premiered on Broadway in 2016. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.
Justin Goldner is an American music producer, songwriter, arranger and session musician based in New York City, originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dear Evan Hansen is a 2021 American coming-of-age musical film directed by Stephen Chbosky from a screenplay by Steven Levenson, based on the 2015 stage musical of the same name by Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Ben Platt plays the title role, reprising the performance that he originated on stage six years earlier. The cast also includes Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani, Colton Ryan, Danny Pino, Julianne Moore, and Amy Adams.
"Sincerely, Me" is a song from Act 1 of the 2015 musical Dear Evan Hansen, which premiered on Broadway in 2016. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote both the music and lyrics to the song, whose title takes its name from the phrase with which the musical's main protagonist, Evan Hansen, ends his daily letters to himself.
"Only Us" is a song from Act 2 of the 2015 musical Dear Evan Hansen, which premiered on Broadway in 2016. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.
Evan Hansen is the titular character and main protagonist of the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. A bullied 17-year-old high schooler with social anxiety and depression, who lives with his single mother Heidi Hansen after she divorced from his father Mark Hansen ten years before, he attempts to find the acceptance and love he has been lacking in his life. On his journey to be found, he discovers the consequences of risking it all for the chance to be heard.