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The role of music is an important one on the HBO television drama The Sopranos. The show has received considerable critical attention for its effective use of an eclectic array of previously recorded songs.[1][2][3][4] Series creator David Chase personally selects all of the show's music with the producer Martin Bruestle and music editor Kathryn Dayak, sometimes also consulting Steven Van Zandt, who, in addition to portraying Silvio Dante on the show, also serves as guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.[1] The music is often selected once the production and editing of an episode is completed, but on occasion sequences will be filmed to match preselected pieces of music.[5]
Stylistically, the music on the show can range from mainstream pop (Britney Spears, The Bangles) to '60s British rock (The Kinks, The Rolling Stones) to classic jazz and soul (Ella Fitzgerald, Ben E. King) to hip-hop (Xzibit, Time Zone), and more, often within the span of a single episode.[6]
[edit] Opening credits
The opening credits for each episode consists of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) driving from New York City to his home in North Caldwell, New Jersey. The musical accompaniment for this segment is the "Chosen One Remix" of the song "Woke Up This Morning" by the British group Alabama 3 (known in the United States as A3 for legal reasons).
[edit] End credits
Each episode's closing credits sequence features a unique piece of previously recorded music, with few exceptions. The episode "A Hit Is a Hit" uses a song by the fictional band Defiler, which was featured earlier in the episode. Three episodes feature multiple songs in the credits sequence ("Commendatori," "Whitecaps" and "Cold Stones"), while two episodes ("Full Leather Jacket" and "Made in America") have no music at all, although the latter has music directly before the ending credits are displayed.
The following is a list of songs used at the end of each episode:
[edit] Soundtrack compilations
To date, there have been two official soundtrack compilations released in association with The Sopranos. The first, titled The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series, was released in 1999, and contains selections from the show's first two seasons.[7] The second, titled The Sopranos: Peppers & Eggs: Music from the HBO Original Series, was released in 2001, and contains two Compact Discs of songs from the show's first three seasons.[8]
[edit] Track listings
[edit] The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series
- "Woke Up This Morning" (Chosen One Mix) — Alabama 3
- "It's Bad You Know" — R. L. Burnside
- "It Was a Very Good Year" — Frank Sinatra
- "Gotta Serve Somebody" — Bob Dylan
- "Inside of Me" — Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul
- "I Feel Free" — Cream
- "Mystic Eyes" — Them
- "State Trooper" — Bruce Springsteen
- "I'm a Man" — Bo Diddley
- "Complicated Shadows" — Elvis Costello & the Attractions
- "The Beast in Me" — Nick Lowe
- "Viking" — Los Lobos
- "Blood Is Thicker than Water" — Wyclef Jean feat. G & B
- "I've Tried Everything" — Eurythmics
[edit] The Sopranos: Peppers & Eggs: Music from the HBO Original Series
[edit] Disc one
- "Every Breath You Take"/"Theme from Peter Gunn" — The Police/Henry Mancini
- "Battle Flag" — Pigeonhed
- "I've Got a Feeling" — The Campbell Brothers feat. Katie Jackson
- "The Captain" — Kasey Chambers
- "Shuck Dub" — R. L. Burnside
- "Affection" - Little Steven and the Lost Boys
- "My Lover's Prayer" — Otis Redding
- "Certamente" — Madreblu
- "Black Books" — Nils Lofgren
- "Frank Sinatra" — Cake
- "Baubles, Bangles, & Beads" — Frank Sinatra
- "Thru and Thru" — The Rolling Stones
[edit] Disc two
- "High Fidelity" — Elvis Costello & the Attractions
- "Living on a Thin Line" — The Kinks
- "Girl" — Vue
- "Sposa son disprezzata" — Cecilia Bartoli
- "I (Who Have Nothing)" — Ben E. King
- "Return to Me" — Bob Dylan
- "Make No Mistake" — Keith Richards
- "Piove" — Jovanotti
- "Space Invader" — The Pretenders
- "Tiny Tears" — Tindersticks
- "Gloria" — Them
- "Core 'ngrato" — Dominic Chianese
- Dialogue from The Sopranos+ Title Song by Alabama 3
[edit] References
- ^ a b Sepinwall, Alan (March 3, 2006). "The hits keep on coming". The Star-Ledger. http://www.nj.com/sopranos/ledger/index.ssf?/sopranos/stories/hits_seasonsix.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
- ^ Gross, Joe (January 4, 2000). "Sharps & Flats". Salon.com. http://archive.salon.com/ent/music/review/2000/01/04/sopranos/index.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
- ^ Ventre, Michael (April 2, 2006). "Music another member of the Sopranos’ crew". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11994702/. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
- ^ Browne, David (May 18, 2001). "The Sopranos; Peppers & Eggs". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,281317,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
- ^ Biskind, Peter (March 13, 2007). "The Family that Preys Together". Vanity Fair. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/03/chase200703. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ "HBO: The Sopranos: Episode Guide". http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/episode/index.shtm. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
- ^ "Amazon.com: The Sopranos: Music From The HBO Original Series". http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00003A9MG/. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ "Amazon.com: The Sopranos - Peppers and Eggs: Music From The HBO Series". http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005AR37/. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
