Exit Music (For a Film)
Encyclopedia
"Exit Music" is a song by Radiohead
, written specifically for the ending credits of the 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
. Although not included on either of the two soundtrack albums at the request of Thom Yorke
, the song appears on the band's highly acclaimed third album, OK Computer
(1997). It was heavily inspired by Frédéric Chopin
's Prelude No. 4 in E Minor
although, ELO's
, 1983 B side, "After All" seems a more likely influence as it strays from the Chopin Prelude in many ways found in Radiohead's melody.
The moment in the film when Claire Danes
(as Juliet
) holds a gun to her head was the actual inspiration for "Exit Music". Thom Yorke also had the 1968 adaptation
of the play (Romeo and Juliet
) in his head: "I saw the Zeffirelli version when I was 13 and I cried my eyes out, because I couldn't understand why, the morning after they shagged, they didn't just run away. The song is written for two people who should run away before all the bad stuff starts. A personal song." The director of the movie, Baz Luhrmann
, revealed in the DVD commentary that he believes it is one of the greatest film exit songs ever written.
The song is mostly very sombre and quiet, but builds to a climax at the end as the heavily compressed drums enter. In live performances, Jonny Greenwood
slides a coin up and down the strings of his guitar, using a Roland Space Echo
to create the eerie sounds heard throughout the song. In the studio version, the ambient sound is actually a recording of children playing played backwards. The studio version also features the eerie sound of a Mellotron
choir. The distinctive fuzzy bass guitar featured in the climax is courtesy of the Shin-ei Companion FY-2
fuzz pedal.
The song is featured in the final episode of Father Ted
, "Going to America
", when Father Kevin is depressed by it on the bus, having previously been cured of his depression by listening to "Theme from Shaft
" by Isaac Hayes
.
The song is also used during the ending credits of the film After.Life
(2009) directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo
.
Jazz
pianist
Brad Mehldau
covered the song on volumes III and IV of his Art of the Trio series. His recording was featured in the movie Unfaithful in 2002. Other cover versions have been made by Miranda Sex Garden
in 2001, Scala & Kolacny Brothers
, Vampire Weekend
, Easy Star All-Stars
, Christopher O'Riley
in 2003, performer Amanda Palmer
covered the song on her 2010 EP Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele
. The song is also featured on Strung Out on OK Computer: The String Quartet Tribute to Radiohead.
The last book of the Rebus-series by Ian Rankin
is named Exit Music after this song.
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, written specifically for the ending credits of the 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy of the same name. It was directed by Australian Baz Luhrmann and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the leading roles....
. Although not included on either of the two soundtrack albums at the request of Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
, the song appears on the band's highly acclaimed third album, OK Computer
OK Computer
OK Computer is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 16 June 1997 on Parlophone in the UK and 1 July 1997 by Capitol Records in the US. It marks a deliberate attempt by the band to move away from the introspective guitar-oriented sound of their previous...
(1997). It was heavily inspired by Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
's Prelude No. 4 in E Minor
Prelude, Op. 28, No. 4 (Chopin)
The Prelude Op. 28, No. 4, by Frédéric Chopin, is considered by many to be one of the most famous of the Chopin preludes. By Chopin's request, the piece was played at his own funeral, along with Mozart's Requiem.-Name:...
although, ELO's
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
, 1983 B side, "After All" seems a more likely influence as it strays from the Chopin Prelude in many ways found in Radiohead's melody.
The moment in the film when Claire Danes
Claire Danes
Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress of television, stage and film. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as Yvaine in Stardust and as Temple Grandin in...
(as Juliet
Juliet Capulet
Juliet is one of the title characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the other being Romeo. She is the daughter of old Capulet, head of the house of Capulet. The story has a long history that precedes Shakespeare himself....
) holds a gun to her head was the actual inspiration for "Exit Music". Thom Yorke also had the 1968 adaptation
Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian cinematic adaptation of the William Shakespeare play of the same name.The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also...
of the play (Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
) in his head: "I saw the Zeffirelli version when I was 13 and I cried my eyes out, because I couldn't understand why, the morning after they shagged, they didn't just run away. The song is written for two people who should run away before all the bad stuff starts. A personal song." The director of the movie, Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
, revealed in the DVD commentary that he believes it is one of the greatest film exit songs ever written.
The song is mostly very sombre and quiet, but builds to a climax at the end as the heavily compressed drums enter. In live performances, Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
slides a coin up and down the strings of his guitar, using a Roland Space Echo
Roland RE-201
The Roland RE-201, commonly known as the Space Echo, is an audio analog delay effects unit produced by the Roland Corporation.A tape echo device records incoming audio to a loop of magnetic tape, then replays the audio over a series of several playback heads before it is erased again by new...
to create the eerie sounds heard throughout the song. In the studio version, the ambient sound is actually a recording of children playing played backwards. The studio version also features the eerie sound of a Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
choir. The distinctive fuzzy bass guitar featured in the climax is courtesy of the Shin-ei Companion FY-2
Shin-ei Companion FY-2
The Shin-ei Companion FY-2 is a discontinued fuzz box which was made by the Shin-ei company in the 1970s in Japan. FY-2 pedals are considered a rarity, and can be occasionally found on eBay.-Sound:The FY-2 is well known for its raw, distinctive, gated fuzz...
fuzz pedal.
The song is featured in the final episode of Father Ted
Father Ted
Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
, "Going to America
Going to America
"Going to America" is the final episode aired of Father Ted. It is the 8th episode of the third series of the Channel 4 sitcom and the 25th episode overall.-Synopsis:...
", when Father Kevin is depressed by it on the bus, having previously been cured of his depression by listening to "Theme from Shaft
Theme from Shaft
"Theme from Shaft", written and recorded by Isaac Hayes in 1971, is the soul and funk-styled theme song to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, Shaft...
" by Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
.
The song is also used during the ending credits of the film After.Life
After.Life
After.Life is a 2009 American science fiction horror film starring Liam Neeson, Christina Ricci and Justin Long, directed by Agnieszka Wójtowicz-Vosloo from her original screenplay.-Plot:...
(2009) directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo
Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo
Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo , is a Polish-American filmmaker and writer.- Biography :She studied film at Tisch School of the Arts where she graduated summa cum laude in 2003...
.
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Brad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau is an American jazz pianist. Besides leading his own group, the Brad Mehldau Trio, he has performed with many renowned artists, including Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, Larry Grenadier, Peter Bernstein, Jeff Ballard, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Kurt...
covered the song on volumes III and IV of his Art of the Trio series. His recording was featured in the movie Unfaithful in 2002. Other cover versions have been made by Miranda Sex Garden
Miranda Sex Garden
Miranda Sex Garden were a music group from London, England. Formed in 1990, they were originally a trio of madrigal singers. Their first album, Madra , was entirely a cappella, with the songs all based on traditional English verse...
in 2001, Scala & Kolacny Brothers
Scala & Kolacny Brothers
Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a Belgian women's choir, conducted by Stijn Kolacny and arranged and accompanied by Steven Kolacny on the piano. Formed in 1996 and winning the Belgian 'Choir of the Year'-contest in 2000, they have made five studio albums, starting with On The Rocks in 2002.Most songs...
, Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
, Easy Star All-Stars
Easy Star All-Stars
Originally formed as a studio band for the label's earliest recordings, Easy Star All-Stars is a reggae collective with a rotating roster of musicians and singers founded by the co-founders of New York City-based Easy Star Records in 1997...
, Christopher O'Riley
Christopher O'Riley
Christopher O'Riley is an American classical pianist and public radio show host. He is the host of the weekly National Public Radio program From the Top. O'Riley is also known for his piano arrangements of songs by alternative artists....
in 2003, performer Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
covered the song on her 2010 EP Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele
Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele
Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele is an EP by musician Amanda Palmer. It is composed entirely of twee pop cover versions of songs by the band Radiohead, performed by Palmer on the ukulele. It was released on July 20, 2010.- Reception :Paste Magazine listed...
. The song is also featured on Strung Out on OK Computer: The String Quartet Tribute to Radiohead.
The last book of the Rebus-series by Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin, OBE, DL , is a Scottish crime writer. His best known books are the Inspector Rebus novels. He has also written several pieces of literary criticism.-Background:He attended Beath High School, Cowdenbeath...
is named Exit Music after this song.