Being the Ricardos (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2021 film Being the Ricardos directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, played by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem. The score composed by Daniel Pemberton was released by Lakeshore Records on December 17, 2021. It received a nomination at the 75th British Academy Film Awards for Best Original Music.[1]
| Being the Ricardos (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | December 17, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2021 | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 57:08 | |||
| Label | Lakeshore | |||
| Producer | Daniel Pemberton | |||
| Daniel Pemberton chronology | ||||
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Development
editDaniel Pemberton composed the score after working with Sorkin in Steve Jobs (2015), Molly's Game (2017) and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). Being the Ricardos was an unusual film for Pemberton, as the story set in the golden age of Hollywood, it needed a classical score, saying "A lot of the story is, in some ways, this dream of a perfect world, which Lucy’s searching for… the perfect home, a husband who is there [...] There is an element of nostalgia, not just looking back at these classic characters, but also a time when the identity of the country was quite different. I wanted to capture some of the wonder and the magic of that time period." Pemberton did not have any idea on the actors and the sitcom I Love Lucy, although watch few of the episodes on YouTube which felt "the show seemed to represent what was great about America, and how America saw itself".[2]
After attending the 93rd Academy Awards on April 25, 2021, Pemberton wrote a 70-piece orchestra based on a single theme which had a "bittersweet melancholia and an element of aspiration and dream" as several contemporary filmmakers shy away from strong melodies and huge orchestral themes, and Pemberton felt it as a canvas to reintroduce the idea.[2] He wrote 65 minutes of the music at his home due to the COVID-19 pandemic where he and Sorkin communicated through video conferencing and email.[3][4]
He incorporated rhythmic ideas using conga drums and percussions but did not replicate the Arnaz nightclub sound or the "I Love Lucy" theme, as he wanted "a different way to represent the energy of that world, the writers, the pace, the tension of the show". Some of the challenges include the flashback sequences, which took him long time to get the tone and had re-scored the scene over 20 times, since "We have to see Lucy thinking, working things out, letting the audience understand the process she goes through".[2] For the nightclub scenes and recreating the theme song, the film's music supervisor Mary Ramos brought source music specialist Michael Andrew, who said: "There was a magic sound to Desi Arnaz’s orchestra. The goal was to get the sound of that orchestra, not a recording of it. We had to create it from scratch.” He recruited two fellow arrangers to listen closely to the televised versions and supervised the orchestration, instrumentation and choir to get it right. Ramos also brought Santana conga player Walfredo Reyes Jr. who worked with Javier Bardem on playing congas for the scenes.[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Start of a Dream" | 0:50 |
| 2. | "One Scary Week" | 3:40 |
| 3. | "Technically I'm a Communist" | 2:32 |
| 4. | "Desilu Studios Arrival" | 0:56 |
| 5. | "Table for Four, Chairs for Three" | 1:12 |
| 6. | "The Balcony" | 1:06 |
| 7. | "They Killed All the Animals" | 1:54 |
| 8. | "Too Many Girls" | 1:25 |
| 9. | "Playing Ethel" | 0:42 |
| 10. | "Lucy Can See It" | 3:11 |
| 11. | "You Don't Come Home Anymore" | 1:05 |
| 12. | "Eloped" | 0:39 |
| 13. | "Mulholland" | 1:29 |
| 14. | "Send It By Telegram" | 1:24 |
| 15. | "Flowers in a Vase" | 1:06 |
| 16. | "I Got the Part" | 1:04 |
| 17. | "RKO Pictures" | 1:28 |
| 18. | "Reading Scripts, Drunk" | 2:29 |
| 19. | "It Needs to Be Fixed" | 1:44 |
| 20. | "Save My Marriage" | 0:55 |
| 21. | "Female Perspective" | 1:48 |
| 22. | "A Priest, a Minister and a Rabbi" | 1:25 |
| 23. | "Finding the Handkerchief" | 1:51 |
| 24. | "Articulate" | 0:43 |
| 25. | "Biggest Asset" | 1:55 |
| 26. | "Television Offer" | 0:46 |
| 27. | "The Evening Editions" | 4:52 |
| 28. | "I Care About You" | 2:55 |
| 29. | "The Star, Lucille Ball" | 2:38 |
| 30. | "Roll Sound, Action" | 2:18 |
| 31. | "The End of a Dream" | 5:06 |
| Total length: | 57:08 | |
Reception
editJason Bailey of Vulture called the score as "hoary" and "obvious".[5] Justin Chang of Los Angeles Times and Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood called the score as "rapid" and "lovely".[6][7] Patrick Gibbs of Slug Magazine wrote "The score by Daniel Pemberton has some great moments, but some of the cues are a bit too melodramatic".[8]
Accolades
editPemberton's score was shortlisted for Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 94th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[9][10][11]
| Award | Date of Ceremony | Category | Recipients | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAFTA Awards | March 13, 2022 | Best Original Music | Daniel Pemberton | Nominated | [12] |
References
edit- ^ "Nominations Announced: EE British Academy Film Awards in 2022" (Press release). British Academy of Film and Television Arts. February 3, 2022. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Burlingame, Jon (December 14, 2021). "'Being the Ricardos' Composer Daniel Pemberton on Crafting an Orchestral Score With Nostalgia and Wonder". Variety. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Rosen, Christopher (November 21, 2021). "How composer Daniel Pemberton found the right theme for Aaron Sorkin's 'Being the Ricardos' [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW]". GoldDerby. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Eng, Joyce (January 22, 2022). "'Being the Ricardos' composer Daniel Pemberton on capturing 'this slightly doomed love story' [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW]". GoldDerby. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Bailey, Jason (December 21, 2021). "Being the Ricardos Isn't a Biopic, It's a Filmed Wikipedia Page". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Chang, Justin (December 7, 2021). "Review: Nicole Kidman has a ball with Lucy in the fitfully effective 'Being the Ricardos'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (December 7, 2021). "'Being The Ricardos' Review: Nicole Kidman & Javier Bardem Give New Reasons To Love Lucy In Aaron Sorkin's Brilliant Look At A Showbiz Marriage". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ "Film Review: Being the Ricardos". Slug Magazine. December 14, 2021. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ "Oscars 2022 Shortlists: Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Billie Eilish, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, and More". Pitchfork. December 22, 2021. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Legaspi, Althea (December 22, 2021). "Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Two Jonny Greenwood Scores Among Oscars Shortlists". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Gallagher, Alex (December 22, 2021). "Beyoncé, Billie Eilish and Jonny Greenwood among those shortlisted for 2022 Oscars". NME. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Ravindran, Manori (February 3, 2022). "BAFTA Awards Nominations Unveiled: 'Dune,' 'Power of the Dog' Lead Field, Will Smith Earns First BAFTA Nod". Variety. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.