While we were all eagerly anticipating the upcoming premiere of the Twilight sequel, New Moon, we had our fill of excitement when the official soundtrack arrived a few weeks early. And what a soundtrack it is! The first track, “Humanity,” by John Legend, is a hauntingly beautiful ballad, which seems to capture the sorrowful yet noble spirit of a werewolf better than anything else on the album. And what’s more, it served as the official theme for the movie.
There are a number of other standouts on the soundtrack, including Christina Aguilera’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and Snow Patrol’s beautiful rendition of “Holly,” but perhaps the most memorable song on the album is “Sober” by Fun. The track is both quirky and catchy, and it perfectly encapsulates the unique attitude of a vampire.
Fun Facts About “Sober”
The song was inspired by a skit on the popular British TV show, The Kumars at No. 42. While shooting a music video for the show, the filmmakers were surprised to find that most of the extras weren’t drinking alcohol. So they made a point to find the funniest, and in this case, soberest, extras in the bunch and asked them to show off their amazing singing skills. After filming, the cast and crew worked together to put a twist on the lyrics for the song, which is now considered a classic among vamps everywhere.
It was recently announced that Legend would be re-recording the song for the upcoming film, Spectral, which is said to be based on the Clive Barker mythos. While we’re excited to see what his take on it is, it’s still not a real tear-jerker, in our opinion. But that’s just one man’s opinion.
Behind the Scenes of “Holly”
The lyrics for “Holly,” a song by Snow Patrol, are said to be inspired by the true story of an alcoholic Irishman named Bill Whelan. According to legend, Whelan would often get drunk and recite the “Little Bo Peep” nursery rhyme to himself in a thick Irish accent. A friend of Whelan’s, who’d had enough of his drunken rants, decided to write the lyrics for this song as a way of putting an end to all the Bill Whelan imitation. And it just so happens that the friend of Whelan’s was named Clive. So “Holly” is said to be about the friendship between Whelan and Clive, which began in a boozing club in Edinburgh and continued on to London and New York City. If you’ve never heard of Bill Whelan before, now you know why. But we think “Holly” is one of the most beautiful songs on the Twilight soundtrack. Just like “Sober,” it doesn’t exactly evoke the same reaction as John Legend’s stirring “Humanity” ballad, but that’s just our opinion.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2
We’re still not sure how “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” and “New Moon” will hold up as standalone films. They don’t really have a lot of connecting dialogue, and there are just so many damn characters, but it was made clear from the get-go that they were going to be interconnected. We’re just not sure how much we’ll actually remember about this part of the saga. The movie’s soundtrack is mostly made up of old-school rock ballads and what we’re assuming are vamp-pop anthems from the ’70s and ’80s. You really have to go back a long way to find something new, which is saying a lot, considering how far back the franchise goes. We’re confident that the soundtrack will do amazing things for anyone who listens to it. Just in case you needed further convincing.