"The Hanging Tree" | ||||
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Single by James Newton Howard featuring Jennifer Lawrence | ||||
from the album The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | ||||
B-side | "The Mockingjay" | |||
Released | December 9, 2014 | |||
Genre | Folk | |||
Length | 3:38 | |||
Label | Republic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
The Hunger Games singles chronology | ||||
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Audio video | ||||
"The Hanging Tree" on YouTube |
"The Hanging Tree" is a song by American composer James Newton Howard featuring vocals from American actress Jennifer Lawrence. It was written by Suzanne Collins and composed by Howard, Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz from the band the Lumineers. The song was released by Republic Records on December 9, 2014, as the second single from the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014). It was first included in the film's score album but was later added to the digital extended edition of the film's soundtrack. "The Hanging Tree" is a folk ballad that features orchestral strings and a choir.
"The Hanging Tree" received mostly positive reviews from music critics with some praising Lawrence's vocals, its elements of Appalachian music, and its effectiveness as a murder ballad. Commercially, the song garnered success on charts internationally, peaking atop record charts in several markets, including Austria, Hungary, and Germany. It debuted and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 20 in the United Kingdom's Official Charts Company. "The Hanging Tree" was eventually certified platinum in Canada and Germany as well as double platinum in the United States. To promote the song, a remix by producer Michael Gazzo was released.
"The Hanging Tree" was also featured in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), the film adaptation of the 2020 prequel novel to The Hunger Games. This version was performed by Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, and was released as the first single from the film's accompanying soundtrack album.
"The Hanging Tree" was written by Suzanne Collins and originally appeared in her novel Mockingjay (2010); Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz from American indie folk band the Lumineers composed the track while production was handled by James Newton Howard. [1]
Schultz revealed that director Francis Lawrence instructed him to create a melody that could be "hummed or sung by one person" or "by a thousand people"; he also informed Schultz not to make the song "overly complicated". [2] To Schultz, the song felt like an innocent nursery rhyme despite its dark undertones. Schultz and Fraites then submitted a "couple melodies in about a day and a half or two days" during the month of September 2013. [2] Lawrence later contacted both Schultz and Fraites via text message that the melody was chosen for the film, saying, "It worked out great in the movie. We just shot the scene. [Jennifer] was really nervous but it went great." [2]
The lead protagonist Katniss Everdeen performs the song in the film, which is also heard over the closing credits. Jennifer Lawrence revealed on Late Night with David Letterman that she was anxious about singing the song in the film, citing her fear of "singing in front of other people" as her reason; she also disclosed that she cried on set when filming the scene. [3] According to Francis, Jennifer Lawrence suggested that New Zealand singer Lorde could instead provide vocals and she could lip sync; Francis rejected this idea. [3] [4] In preparation, Francis sent Jennifer Lawrence to a vocal coach, in an effort to provide the actress with confidence; [5] she recorded the scene in front of 150 crew members. [4]
"The Hanging Tree" was released as part of the film's score album on November 24, 2014; [6] it is accompanied by a B-side titled "The Mockingjay". [7] The track does not appear on the original release of the film's soundtrack. However, due to the success of "The Hanging Tree", it was later added to the digital extended edition of the soundtrack as the 15th track. [6] On 9 December 2014, "The Hanging Tree" was released as the second single from the soundtrack. [8] Michael Gazzo released a remix of the song—titled "The Hanging Tree" (Rebel remix)—on 15 December 2014. [9] In an interview with Yahoo! Music, Gazzo commented that despite the track's dark tonality, he envisioned the song "uplifting an entire group of people to rise up. To unite." [10]
A new version of "The Hanging Tree" featuring vocals from American actress Rachel Zegler opened the first trailer to The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes , the film adaptation of the prequel to the The Hunger Games , in September 2023. [11] The song was released on October 20, 2023, as the first single from the soundtrack album. [12] Zegler, playing Lucy Gray Baird, sings the song in the film, which was done live on set. [13] [14]
"The Hanging Tree" is composed in the key of A minor with a "moderately, somewhat freely" tempo of 88 beats per minute. Lawrence's vocals span a range of E3 to A5 and its chord progression follows a basic sequence of A5–Am–Asus–F/A. [15] It is a folk ballad, [16] [17] accompanied with orchestral strings and a choir. [5] [18] Chris Payne of The Hollywood Reporter called it a "minimal folk sing-a-long". [18]
WBUR noted that the song's themes represent the tropes of Appalachian music, which commonly used murder themes in their lyrics. "The Hanging Tree" received comparisons to other songs such as "Tom Dooley", [19] Billie Holiday's 1939 ballad "Strange Fruit" (which also includes references to hanging and trees), [16] and the civil rights protest song "We Shall Overcome" [16] as well as a passage from Frederick Douglass's memoir My Bondage and My Freedom (1855) about African-American spirituals. [16] In the film, Lawrence performs the song a cappella. [20] Zegler's version is slower and features a guitar, more in the style of a lullaby. [21]
In the novel's context, it is a song that Katniss learned from her father, and is used as a battle cry. [22] [23] Katniss's mother prohibited the use of the song in her home after hearing Katniss and her sister Primrose chant the song while making necklaces. [5] Peeta Mellark, Katniss's love interest, associates "The Hanging Tree" with her father; Peeta heard her father sing the song once when he traded goods at Peeta's parents' bakery. [24]
According to Haymitch Abernathy, the song was the first memory Peeta associated with Katniss that did not trigger a "mental breakdown" after the Capitol propagandized him. [24] After realizing this, Katniss uses "The Hanging Tree" as a remedy for Peeta's "Capitol-implanted hatred". She reminds herself of the song once more after Peeta tells her to kill him, in an effort to prevent himself from harming members of their rescue team due to how the Capitol "reprogrammed" him. [24] In the adaption, however, Plutarch Heavensbee uses the film of Katniss singing as anti-Capitol propaganda and changes the lyrics from "necklace of rope" to "necklace of hope" to reduce some of the macabre undertones in the original song. Plutarch then uses the song as a rebel anthem. [16]
In the prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020), the song is revealed to have been penned by Lucy Gray Baird, the first Hunger Games victor from District 12. [25] According to Zegler, who plays Lucy Gray, the character is "a performer forced to fight" in contrast to Katniss, "a fighter forced to perform". Lucy Gray witnesses the execution of Arlo Chance at a hanging tree after he is accused of killing two Peacekeepers and a coal mine boss. His lover is arrested for protesting his innocence. [13] [21]
Coriolanus Snow hears Lucy Gray singing "The Hanging Tree" with a guitar as they reunite in a field in District 12. [13] Their romance mirrors the song, as they meet up at the hanging tree to flee Panem. Lucy Gray is aware Snow is responsible for two deaths but runs away from him after realizing he is responsible for a third. This parallels the description of Chance's execution: "they strung up a man they say murdered three". She sings the song as she runs, leading mockingjays to repeat it. [21]
"The Hanging Tree" received positive reviews from music critics, with several critics complimenting its effectiveness as a murder ballad. Jeff Baker, writing for OregonLive.com called the song the best part of the film. Baker complimented Lawrence for turning the track into a "murder ballad that calls back to her Kentucky roots". [26] Stereogum writer Gabriella Tully Claymore called it a "creepy-as-hell take on classic Americana murder ballads". [27] Stephanie Merry from The Washington Post praised Lawrence's vocal delivery, commenting that her "raspy voice [matches] the dark narrative and Appalachian style of the music". [19]
"The Hanging Tree" debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week of 13 December 2014 and debuted outside the 50 position (2.1 million U.S. streams) on Streaming Songs, charting at number two (200,000 downloads sold) on Digital Songs and received eight spins on U.S. radio. "The Hanging Tree" became the highest-charting song from The Hunger Games franchise on the chart, surpassing "Eyes Open" by Taylor Swift, which peaked at number 19. [28] Lawrence became one of 13 Academy Award-winning recipients to chart on the Hot 100; [28] the last female Academy Award winner to achieve this feat was Cher with "Believe" (1998). [29] The song peaked at number one in Austria, Germany [30] and Hungary; [31] it peaked in the top five in Australia. [32] It was certified platinum by Music Canada (MC) and double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [33] [34]
"The Hanging Tree" was performed live for the first time at "Hollywood in Vienna", a gala honoring excellence in music. [35] James Newton Howard performed with Edita Malovčić as a substitute for Lawrence; [35] it was conducted by Keith Lockhart of the Boston Pops Orchestra. [36] Howard was reportedly in tears after the performance and rose to his feet to give a standing ovation. [37] To promote the song, Howard embarked on a European tour called "3 Decades of Music for Hollywood" [38] and held a contest in search for a female vocalist, one for each tour date, that would sing Lawrence's verses. [39]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Hanging Tree" | 3:38 |
2. | "The Mockingjay" | 2:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Hanging Tree" (Rebel remix) | 2:27 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Hanging Tree" (from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) | 2:23 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (Original Motion Picture Score). [7]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Music From & Inspired By). [43]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [77] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [78] | Gold | 15,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [79] | Platinum | 80,000* |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [80] | Gold | 30,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [81] | Platinum | 400,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [82] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [83] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [84] | 2× Platinum | 1,100,000 [2] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | December 9, 2014 | Contemporary hit radio | Republic | [8] |
December 15, 2014 | Hot adult contemporary radio | [85] | ||
German-speaking Europe | December 19, 2014 | CD | [40] |
Suzanne Collins is an American author and television writer. She is best known as the author of the young adult dystopian book series The Hunger Games. She is also the author of the children's fantasy series The Underland Chronicles.
The Hunger Games is a 2008 dystopian young adult novel by the American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the perspective of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the future, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle royale to the death.
Mockingjay is a 2010 dystopian young adult fiction novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is chronologically the last installment of The Hunger Games series, following 2008's The Hunger Games and 2009's Catching Fire. The book concludes the story of Katniss Everdeen, who agrees to unify the districts of Panem in a rebellion against the tyrannical Capitol.
Katniss Everdeen is a fictional character and the main protagonist of The Hunger Games trilogy written by American author Suzanne Collins. She is portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence in the film adaptations The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.
The Hunger Games is a 2012 American dystopian action film directed by Gary Ross, who co-wrote the screenplay with Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Collins. It is the first installment in The Hunger Games film series. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland. In the film, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) are forced to compete in the Hunger Games, an elaborate televised fight to the death consisting of adolescent contestants from the 12 Districts of Panem.
The Hunger Games are a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, with a prequel set 64 years before the original series. The Hunger Games universe is a dystopia set in Panem, a North American country consisting of the wealthy Capitol and 13 districts in varying states of poverty. Every year, two children, one boy and one girl, from the first 12 districts are selected via lottery to participate in a compulsory televised subjugation, disguised as battle royale death match called The Hunger Games. The minimum age requirement for being able to participate in The Hunger Games is 12, and the number of tickets put into the lottery increases by one every year. However, for every one ticket put into the lottery, that person would get one set of rations. Aided by nuclear weaponry, the last district instead successfully rebelled against the Capitol and moved underground following a secret peace treaty.
The Lumineers are an American alternative folk band based in Denver, Colorado. The founding members are Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites. Schultz and Fraites began writing and performing together in Ramsey, New Jersey, in 2005. Cellist and vocalist Neyla Pekarek joined the band in 2010, and was a member until 2018. The Lumineers emerged as one of the most popular folk-rock/Americana artists during the revival of those genres, their popularity growing in the 2010s. They are known for their energetic live shows and several international hit singles, including "Ho Hey", "Stubborn Love", "Ophelia", "Angela" and "Cleopatra". The band has become one of the top touring bands in the United States and is also popular in other countries.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a 2013 American dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn, based on the 2009 novel Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. The sequel to The Hunger Games (2012), it is the second installment in The Hunger Games film series. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland. In the film, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the Games inspire uprisings in Panem.
Coriolanus "Coryo" Snow is a character in The Hunger Games franchise, a book series and film series. In the original book trilogy (2008–2010), President Snow is the dictator of the state of Panem through the end of the Second Rebellion, which deposes him. In the prequel book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020), he is an ambitious, intelligent and charismatic 18-year-old. He is assigned the role of mentoring a girl competing in the tenth Hunger Games—singer Lucy Gray Baird—and forms a relationship with her.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is a 2014 American dystopian action film. The sequel to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), it is the third installment in The Hunger Games film series. The film is based on the first part of Mockingjay, the third novel in the underlying book trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence based on a screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland and Sam Claflin. In the film, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) joins Alma Coin (Moore), the renegade leader of the underground District 13, in a mass rebellion against the Capitol.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is a 2015 American dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong, based on the 2010 novel Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The sequel to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014), it is the fourth installment in The Hunger Games film series and the final installment in the original film series. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, and in his final film role, Philip Seymour Hoffman. In the film, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) leads a team of rebels to Panem to liberate it from the tyrannical leadership of Coriolanus Snow (Sutherland). This marks Hoffman’s final film appearance prior to his death.
The Hunger Games is a media franchise centering on a series of science fiction dystopian adventure films, based on the novel series of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The films are distributed by Lionsgate. The series feature an ensemble cast including Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, and Donald Sutherland as President Snow. In the prequel film, Tom Blyth stars as Coriolanus Snow, Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth, Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow, Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom, Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul and Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is the soundtrack album to the 2014 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, curated by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. The soundtrack has been described by music critics as an electropop record with elements of hip hop, synth pop and the use of electronic beats throughout the album. The melodic style of the songs is a deviation from the guitar-driven sound of the previous series' soundtracks.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dystopian action-adventure novel written by the American author Suzanne Collins. It is a prequel to the original The Hunger Games trilogy, set 64 years before the events of the first novel. It was released on May 19, 2020, by Scholastic with an audiobook of the novel, read by the American actor Santino Fontana, was released simultaneously. The book had a virtual launch due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A film adaptation by Lionsgate, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, was released on November 17, 2023.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a 2023 American dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt, based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. It is the fifth installment in The Hunger Games franchise and is a prequel to The Hunger Games (2012). The film stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Peter Dinklage, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Viola Davis. In the film, Coriolanus Snow (Blyth) is called on to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Zegler), a Games tribute, as he seeks to restore his family's prosperity in Panem.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is the score album to the 2014 film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. James Newton Howard who composed music for the previous installments, returned to score for Mockingjay – Part 1. The soundtrack was released by Republic Records on November 24, 2014, three days after the film's release. It includes Howard's score along with the original song "The Hanging Tree" performed by Jennifer Lawrence.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the soundtrack album to the 2023 film of the same name, based on Suzanne Collins's 2020 novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The fifth installment in The Hunger Games film series and prequel to the first film, it stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Viola Davis.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the score album to the 2023 film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. James Newton Howard composed the film's score, whose album consisted of 40 tracks and featured pianist Yuja Wang in three of them. The soundtrack was released by Sony Masterworks on November 17, 2023.
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