| X-Men: First Class (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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| Film score by | ||||
| Released | June 6, 2011 (digital) July 4, 2011 (physical) | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 1:00:14 | |||
| Label | Sony Classical Fox Music | |||
| Producer | Henry Jackman | |||
| X-Men soundtrack chronology | ||||
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| Henry Jackman chronology | ||||
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X-Men: First Class (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is thesoundtrack album to the 2011 filmX-Men: First Class. The film, directed byMatthew Vaughn, is based on theX-Men characters appearing inMarvel Comics, and is the fourth mainline installment in theX-Men film series and the fifth installment overall.Henry Jackman, who had worked with Vaughn inKick-Ass (2010) composed the score, becoming the fourth composer to score for the series.[a] The score consisted of pop and rock infused music, which is reminiscent ofJohn Barry's themes from the 1960s.
The soundtrack was digitally released bySony Classical andFox Music on June 6, 2011, by CD on July 4,[1] and avinyl edition which was exclusively released on September 6, 2012.[2] The score received positive response from critics praising Jackman’s composition, instrumentation, musical influences and the usage of vintage pop tracks in the film. In March 2022,Reservoir Media acquired the music catalog rights of Jackman's discography, includingFirst Class.[3]
The score he produced for the film consisted of non-virtuosic orchestra, that drives minimal on ostinators. He did not add too much of peiriod-ic music set in the 1960s, as Vaughn was specific on what kind of music he want to use. He wanted the music to be more important than the relevant time period as "the film’s issues are universal, whether they’re about the need for revenge, or the desire to accept one’s self".[4] Jackman described their taste of music, as though he liked orchestrally driven, harmonically complex music produced byJohn Williams orAlan Silvestri, Vaughn did not want that, and he wanted a "cool, contemporary, brave and simplistic music".[5]
To prepare for the scoring, he experimented with orchestral music, resembling to Silvestri's score forVan Helsing (2004). Though, Vaughn liked it, he did not wanted the score to be orchestral. Following theJames Bond influences onFirst Class, he then drew inspiration fromJohn Barry's work in the said series, which he described it as "extremely posh pop music".[6] Vaughn said that "when Matthew was talking about John Barry, it was about his simplicity and effectiveness in finding something that works and repeating it and building it more on a rock principle", later Jackman then used to bring non-orchestral sounds, as "once he produce that kind of a score, not everything can be played by the orchestra".[5]
Jackman started his work with a "Superman-style theme", featured in the final parts of the film that highlighted a "comedic rub of a guy who describes himself as looking like he'd dressed up in a condom".[4] Vaughn thought it was too "successful and triumphant" for a disjointed and up-and-coming team. Therefore, he reworked a 'stretched'half-time version of the theme into the remainder of the film. The themes for Magneto and Shaw have similarities to reflect their "perverted father-son" relationship, with even a seamless transition during the scene where Shaw is killed to represent Lensherr's full transformation into Magneto.[7] The track "Rage and Serenity" is reused inKingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), also directed by Vaughn.[8]
In a roundtable interview with multiple news outlets, Vaughn responded to a question about choosing "Love Love" by the British bandTake That for the end-credits theme, explaining, "I bumped into lead singerGary Barlow inLos Angeles, and we were just talking, and I said, 'Do you want to come and see a rough cut of it?' And they came, and they wrote the song, and I listened to it, and I said, 'I think it'll be a hit', and if we can do a video which gets girls more interested ... we might get them to come and watch it. So it's pure commerce, to be blunt, and I want women to see this film."[9] An instrumental of the song "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)" byGnarls Barkley is used in the 'mutant recruitment' scene.
All music is composed byHenry Jackman, except where noted[10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "First Class" | 3:20 | |
| 2. | "Pain and Anger" | 2:58 | |
| 3. | "Would You Date Me?" | 1:44 | |
| 4. | "Not That Sort of Bank" |
| 3:27 |
| 5. | "Frankenstein's Monster" | 3:03 | |
| 6. | "What Am I Thinking" |
| 2:10 |
| 7. | "Cerebro" | 2:23 | |
| 8. | "Mobilise for Russia" |
| 1:18 |
| 9. | "Rise Up to Rule" |
| 5:56 |
| 10. | "Cold War" | 3:20 | |
| 11. | "X-Training" | 4:27 | |
| 12. | "Rage and Serenity" | 2:06 | |
| 13. | "To Beast or Not to Beast" |
| 4:47 |
| 14. | "True Colors" | 1:51 | |
| 15. | "Let Battle Commence" |
| 4:45 |
| 16. | "Sub Lift" | 2:19 | |
| 17. | "Coup D'état" |
| 2:15 |
| 18. | "Mutant and Proud" | 3:28 | |
| 19. | "X-Men" | 2:59 | |
| 20. | "Magneto" |
| 1:53 |
| Total length: | 60:14 | ||
James Christopher Monger ofAllmusic compared the score toDaft Punk's work inTron: Legacy (2010) and wrote "dutifully applies his significant programming and production skills on the punishing "Magneto" theme, and the inclusion of tasteful electric guitars into some of the more orchestral sections brings to mindHans Zimmer'sInception score."[11]Zanobard Reviews stated "Henry Jackman’s score toX-Men: First Class is a great score, and its strength absolutely lies in its themes. The main one is epic, heroic, memorable and in my mind the best theme that the X-Men movie franchise has had so far. Magneto’s is also particularly good, though I do find it a bit odd that he has a fantastically villainous motif and yet the main villain for the film basically has nothing, aside from some near-generic and evil-sounding music. Along similar lines – being as superb as it is, the main theme massively outclasses everything else (besides Magneto's theme) on the album, which makes the moments where it doesn’t appear seem rather dull in comparison, particularly in the action tracks."[12]
Filmtracks.com wrote "Jackman doesn't stray too far from the dumb, conventional sound of the soundtracks for these kinds of films, especially when the electric guitar is fully unleashed, and nothing in this score will compete with John Powell's superior entry in the franchise. But the composer at least takes steps to try to transcend the stereotypes associated with such music."[13] Jonathan Weilbaecher ofThe Flickast wrote "The score forX-Men: First Class is a solid and often rousing musical experience. One that stands shoulder to shoulder with most super-hero scores of the past decade. It might lack the bombast ofSpider-Man or the sheer scope ofX-Men 3, but it packs a serious punch and excels in all the right places."[14]
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[15] | 28 |
| USBillboard 200[16] | 192 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[17] | 18 |
Credits adapted from CD liner notes[18]