John Wick: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
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Film score by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | ||||
Released | October 21, 2014 (digital) October 27, 2014 (physical) [1] | |||
Recorded | 2014 | |||
Genre | Soundtrack hip hop electronic rock | |||
Length | 62:33 | |||
Label | Varèse Sarabande | |||
Producer | Tyler Bates Joel J. Richard Dylan Eiland | |||
John Wick soundtrack chronology | ||||
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Tyler Bates chronology | ||||
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Joel J. Richard chronology | ||||
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John Wick:Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the original soundtrack album to the 2014 film John Wick starring Keanu Reeves,Michael Nyqvist,Alfie Allen,Adrianne Palicki and Willem Dafoe. [2] It contains twenty-seven tracks from the original film score written and composed by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard,with songs performed by Ciscandra Nostalghia,The Candy Shop Boys,and M86 &Susie Q,Le Castle Vania,and features violin player Scott Tixier. [3] [4]
Having been friends for some time,as well as having and sharing common interests and taste in music, [5] both Bates and Richard have wanted to work together musically for some period of time. [6] Director Chad Stahelski and producer Dave Leitch approached Bates to write the score for John Wick after filming had completed,and it was then that Bates had the thought of working with Richard,explaining,"Joel came to the table with great ideas and a sensibility that was exactly as I felt we should approach the music." [5]
On July 11,2014,it was officially announced that Bates and Richard had composed the score for the film. [7]
Both Stahelski and Leitch had expressed to both Bates and Richard they wished for the compositions of the film to be in line with John Wick's alter ego and former life,with Richard describing the two as wanting a "fun,raw,aggressive,unorthodox score",as well as the emphasis on the music of the piece being able to create an atmosphere to differentiate between the set pieces and fight sequences of John Wick. [5] For the score of John Wick,Bates explained that the first words of musical direction that came from Stahelski and Leitch was that they wished for a score to "kick ass in the same aesthetic paradigm that IS John Wick's world", [6] the combination of film and musical tonality. [5]
To conceptualize the score both Bates and Richard were of the mind that the suitable approach to tackle such a score would be to "get into the headspace of John Wick" as well as understanding the tone and essence of Wick's story too,as opposed to jumping right into composition straight away without any emotional attachment. [5] Of the opening sequence,Richard stated,"[It] was the first scene tackled. It was originally much longer and contained elements from the end of the film." [6] Le Castle Vania,who are long-time collaborators of Bates and Richard,made their film scoring début by contributing several pieces of original music which was written specifically for various high energy scenes in the film. [8]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Blue Print Review | [9] [ unreliable source? ] |
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club praised the score and Kaleida's "Think",stating,"one of the most effective and eccentric sound track choices in a recent action movie—underscores the sense that what the viewer is watching is essentially a very loud and bloody dance piece." [10]
Erik Avellaneda of Entertainment Voice highly praised the musical score,for which he stated,"The music is a nod to classic rock and modern techno. This heightens the film’s mystical,playful nature and only strengthens the action of the film." [11] Joe Robberson of Zimbo hails the piece as "further [pushing] the wicked mood of the film" as well as being "electric and makes the film crackle with energy". He too praised the score for its diversity and lack of Hans Zimmer-esque pulses. [12] Steve Persall of Tampa Bay Times described the piece as a "neo-Giorgio Moroder synth-rock musical score". [13]
Peter Debruge of Variety acknowledged the importance of cinematography and its "relying on a mix of heavy metal and electronic music from the likes of Marilyn Manson,Tyler Bates and Kaleida to generate propulsive forward energy." [14] Paloma Sharma of Rediff wrote of Bates' and Richard's score,"[Bates] and [Richards'] soundtrack makes sure that you understand two things throughout the film:[Wick] is armed,angry and dangerous and [Wick] is the coolest hitman you've seen in a while." [15]
Robert Abele of The Los Angeles Times described the score as a "growling rock soundtrack". [16]
Chris Sawin of Examiner.com highlights the music in the piece as a "bass-heavy soundtrack",as well as adding to it further by stating,"The dance-fueled soundtrack is an excellent companion to the film and is the ideal sidekick to the film's outstanding action." [17] Neil Miller of Film School Rejects described the score as,"[a] pulsing score from Tyler Bates." [18] Jeff Bulmer of The Phoenix News professed of the score,"Tyler Bates’music complements every scene the way a soundtrack should,even becoming a character of its own at points." [19]
Sutton Bradbury-Koster of The Massachusetts Daily Collegian spoke most highly of the score stating,"The music does all the talking –blending soothing strings with ambient synths to generate a raw,emotional atmosphere that seems nearly misplaced given the movie it resides in. While this atmospheric and emotional presence does not remain throughout much else of the film,it is still worth mentioning." and further expands by expressing,"The rest of the film’s score features a pulsating,intense low-drive bass drumbeat that establishes a tense yet epic feeling." [20]
Editors of MSN heralded the soundtrack by stating,"it's the crunching original score by Marilyn Manson guitarist Tyler Bates and the co-directors' refusal to embrace the post-Bourne Identity shaky-cam action trend that makes John Wick feel like a film from an alternate cinematic universe." [21]
All music is composed by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Every Ending Has a Beginning" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 1:31 |
2. | "Story of Wick" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 3:05 |
3. | "John Mourns" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:29 |
4. | "Assassins" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:12 |
5. | "Dear John" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 1:49 |
6. | "Daisy" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 1:29 |
7. | "Evil Man Blues" (Performed by The Candy Shop Boys) | Leonard Feather and Lionel Hampton | 4:20 |
8. | "The Red Circle" | Le Castle Vania | 1:00 |
9. | "Lure the Wolf" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:04 |
10. | "Iosef the Terrible" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:34 |
11. | "Chop Shop" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:52 |
12. | "Baba Yaga" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 1:46 |
13. | "On The Hunt" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:11 |
14. | "In My Mind" (Performed by M86 & Susie Q) | Ali Theodore, Susan Paroff, Sergio Cabral, Sarai Howard, Bryan Spitzer | 3:07 |
15. | "The Drowning" | Le Castle Vania | 2:24 |
16. | "Think" (Performed by Kaleida) | Kaleida | 3:59 |
17. | "LED Spirals" | Le Castle Vania | 0:59 |
18. | "Shots Fired" | Le Castle Vania | 3:11 |
19. | "Old Friend Marcus" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 1:33 |
20. | "Hotel Throw Down" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:55 |
21. | "Warehouse Smack Down" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:44 |
22. | "Who You Talkin' To Man?" (Performed by Ciscandra Nostalghia) | Ciscandra Nostalghia and Tyler Bates | 4:41 |
23. | "Membership Revoked" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:04 |
24. | "Unfortunate Priest" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 1:49 |
25. | "Dock Shootout" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:42 |
26. | "No More Guns" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 2:05 |
27. | "Be Seeing You" | Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard | 3:38 |
Total length: | 62:33 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Get Money" (Performed by T-Bo featuring Bengie B) | Jason Paul Thibeau, Roy Whitney Anthony and Benjamin Smith | |
2. | "Hunid One's" (Performed by T-Bo) | Jason Paul Thibeau and Michael Gniewkowski | |
3. | "Russian Lullaby" | David Bawiec and Vadim Suslov | |
4. | "Killing Strangers" (Performed by Marilyn Manson and Tyler Bates) | Marilyn Manson and Tyler Bates |
Credits for John Wick adapted from CD reverse notes. [22] [23] [24]
Tyler Bates is an American musician, music producer, and composer for film, television, and video game scores. Much of his work is in the action and horror film genres, with films like Dawn of the Dead, 300, Sucker Punch, Halloween and Halloween II and the John Wick franchise. He has collaborated with directors like Zack Snyder, Rob Zombie, Gennady Tartakovsky, Neil Marshall, William Friedkin, Scott Derrickson, James Gunn, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. In addition, he is the lead guitarist of the American rock band Marilyn Manson, and produced its albums The Pale Emperor, Heaven Upside Down and One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1. He is Jerry Cantrell's touring/studio member.
David Leitch is an American filmmaker, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and actor. He made his directorial debut on the action film John Wick (2014) with Chad Stahelski, though only Stahelski was credited. He later also directed the films Atomic Blonde (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Bullet Train (2022), and The Fall Guy (2024).
Le Castle Vania is an American electronic dance music project created by Atlanta-based DJ Dylan Eiland.
John Wick is a 2014 American action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. Keanu Reeves stars as John Wick, a legendary hitman who comes out of retirement to seek revenge against the men who killed his dog, a final gift from his recently deceased wife. The film also stars Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, and Willem Dafoe.
Kaleida are an English-German duo formed in 2013. The band consists of vocalist Christina Wood and keyboardist Cicely Goulder. Kaleida released their debut EP, Think, in 2015, followed by Detune in 2016. This was followed by their first album, Tear the Roots, in 2017 and Odyssey in 2020. Their third album, In Arms, came out in 2024.
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John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-noir action-thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. The film is a sequel to John Wick (2014) and the second installment in the John Wick franchise. The film stars Keanu Reeves as the title character, with a supporting cast of Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare, Bridget Moynahan, Franco Nero, John Leguizamo, and Ian McShane. In the film, retired hitman John Wick is forced back into his old life to fulfill a blood oath to crime lord Santino D'Antonio (Scamarcio).
Charles F. Stahelski is an American stuntman and filmmaker. He is considered a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He first achieved prominence as a stunt performer and coordinator, notably as the key stunt double for Keanu Reeves on The Matrix (1999), and as the martial arts stunt coordinator on its first two sequels. He subsequently directed the 2014 film John Wick, starring Reeves, and its three sequels.
"Killing Strangers" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It is the first track from their ninth studio album, The Pale Emperor (2015). It was written and produced by the eponymous lead singer and Tyler Bates and was first released when it appeared in Keanu Reeves's 2014 film John Wick. The song was inspired by the PTSD experienced by Manson's father after his time spent serving in the US Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. The track peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hard Rock Digital Songs. The song garnered generally positive reviews from music critics, with several publications favorably comparing the song to several of the band's previous album openers.
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John Wick is an American neo-noir action film series and media franchise created by Derek Kolstad. It centers on the titular character portrayed by actor Keanu Reeves. Wick is a legendary hitman who is reluctantly drawn back into the criminal underworld after retiring. The franchise began with the release of John Wick in 2014, followed by three sequels: Chapter 2 in 2017, Chapter 3 – Parabellum in 2019, and Chapter 4 in 2023.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is a 2019 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski from a screenplay by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams, based on a story by Kolstad. The film is the sequel to John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) and the third installment in the John Wick franchise. It stars Keanu Reeves as the title character, alongside an ensemble supporting cast including Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Anjelica Huston, and Ian McShane. The film centers on John Wick going on the run from a legion of hitmen after a bounty is placed for his murder.
Ciscandra Nostalghia, known by her stage name Nostalghia, is an American singer and songwriter.
The soundtrack for the 2018 American superhero film Deadpool 2, based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool and distributed by 20th Century Fox, consists of an original score composed by Tyler Bates and a series of songs featured in the film. This includes an original single "Ashes", performed by Celine Dion. Bates had worked on all of director David Leitch's previous films before being hired to compose the score for Deadpool 2. In addition to the initial theatrical release of the film, beginning on May 18 in the United States, an extended cut of the film was released on home media on August 21 that featured additional music.
"A Job to Do" is a song by American rock musician Jerry Cantrell, written for the end credits of the 2017 film John Wick: Chapter 2. The song premiered on Billboard's website on February 9, 2017, and was featured on John Wick: Chapter 2 as the last track on the album. A lyric video featuring Cantrell and Keanu Reeves was released on YouTube on March 21, 2017.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is a 2023 American neo-noir action thriller film directed and co-produced by Chad Stahelski and written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch. It is the sequel to John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and the fourth installment in the John Wick franchise, the film stars Keanu Reeves as the title character, alongside Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Clancy Brown, and Ian McShane. In the film, John Wick sets out for revenge on the High Table and those who left him for dead.
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John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is the soundtrack album to the 2019 film John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the third instalment in the John Wick franchise, starring Keanu Reeves as the eponymous character, and is directed by Chad Stahelski, who also directed the previous instalments. Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard, also returned as the composer for the series. The album, consisted most of Bates and Richard's score, while a song "Dance of the Two Wolves" performed by Julia Aks is also in the soundtrack. Varèse Sarabande released the soundtrack album digitally on May 17, 2019, coinciding the film's release, and physically on June 7, 2019. The two-disc vinyl edition of the soundtrack were released into a trilogy, along with the scores from previous instalments on November 15.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is the soundtrack to the 2023 film John Wick: Chapter 4, the fourth installment of the John Wick franchise starring Keanu Reeves as the titular character and a sequel to John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019). The soundtrack album featured original music composed by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard and is set to be released along with the film, on March 24, 2023, by Lakeshore Records. It was led by the single "Eye For an Eye", the film's main theme performed by Rina Sawayama, released two days earlier.