If I Rise

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"If I Rise"
Single by A. R. Rahman and Dido
from the album 127 Hours: Music from the Motion Picture
Released2 November 2010
Recorded2010
Genre Ambient pop
Length4:38
Label Interscope Records
Songwriter(s) A. R. Rahman
Dido
Rollo Armstrong
Producer(s) A. R. Rahman
Music video
"If I Rise" on YouTube

"If I Rise" is a song performed by A. R. Rahman and Dido, composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Dido and Rollo Armstrong. The song featured as the main theme for the Danny Boyle film 127 Hours .

Contents

The song won numerous awards including Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and Denver Film Critics Society Award. It was also nominated for Best Song Award at the Academy Awards and World Soundtrack Awards.

Background

The song was featured in the climax scene of the film. [1] The chorus portion of the song is sung by The Gleehive Children's Choir, Mumbai. [2] The choir includes Jervis Dias, Kristen Fernandes, Alisha Pais, Jessica Dmello, Sherize Alveyn, Evania Cerejo, Jemima Fernandes, and Aidan D'silva. The portion was recorded at Octavious Studio, Bandra, Mumbai. [3] The song was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Original Song. [4]

Music video

The song was first picturised in the climax scene of the film. [1] The official music video, featuring Dido and A. R. Rahman, was released in February 2011. Dido first confirmed on her official website that she and Rahman were going to film a video for the song. [5] The music video was premiered on the Wall Street Journal website on 17 February. [6] It has A. R. Rahman playing harpejji, which was the major instrument used in the track, [7] and Dido singing the track along with Rahman. A few scenes from the film, mainly featuring James Franco, are also used in the video. [8]

Live performances

A. R. Rahman performing the song live at the Oscars Rahman at Oscars.jpg
A. R. Rahman performing the song live at the Oscars

Florence Welch was asked by Dido, who was pregnant at the time, to perform "If I Rise" at the Academy Awards. She was joined by A. R. Rahman for the first live performance of the song. [9] [10]

Accolades

AwardResult
Academy Award for Best Original Song [11] Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song [12] Won
Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Song [13] Won
Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Song [14] Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Song [15] Nominated
Satellite Award for Best Original Song [16] Nominated
World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film [17] Nominated

The song was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Original Song. However, it lost to Randy Newman's "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3 . [18] [19] The Academy's decision not to award Rahman for the song evoked widespread criticisms in India. Apart from public responses, several actors also commented on it. Shabana Azmi said, "A. R. Rahman truly deserved the Oscar for Best Song this year." [19] Konkona Sen Sharma also tweeted the same opinion. Sandhya Mridul said, "A.R Rahman stands apart he deserves every win". [20] However, Rahman himself has stated that he personally believes Newman deserved the award. [21]

Cover version

Katie Campbell single cover A R Rahman & Dido - If I Rise.jpg
Katie Campbell single cover

A single titled "Hours - If I Rise (vocal) Remix" [22] [23] was released on 4 February 2012. This is credited as performed by Katie Campbell [24] (an artist with credits including a wide variety of cover versions of original famous and semi-popular movie songs) & Brian "Hacksaw" Williams, and notes a runtime of 3:03.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Original Score</span> Motion picture award for music

The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. Some pre-existing music is allowed, though, but a contending film must include a minimum of original music. This minimum since 2021 is established as 35% of the music, which is raised to 80% for sequels and franchise films. Fifteen scores are shortlisted before nominations are announced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dido (singer)</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1971)

Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong, known professionally as Dido, is an English singer and songwriter. She attained international success with her debut album No Angel (1999). Hit singles from the album include "Here with Me" and "Thank You". It sold over 21 million copies worldwide, and it won her several awards, including two Brit Awards; additionally, she won Best British Album and Best British Female as well as the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act. The first verse of "Thank You" is sampled in "Stan", a critically acclaimed collaboration with American rapper Eminem. Her next album, Life for Rent (2003), continued her success with the hit singles "White Flag" and "Life for Rent". In 2004, Dido performed with other British and Irish artists in the Band Aid 20 version of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. R. Rahman</span> Indian composer and musician

Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in international cinema. He is a recipient of six National Film Awards, two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards, and eighteen Filmfare Awards South. In 2010, the Government of India conferred him with the Padma Bhushan, the nation's third-highest civilian award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Newman</span> American composer and conductor

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Belong Together (Randy Newman song)</span> 2010 single by Randy Newman

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