Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (soundtrack)
| Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Music from the Netflix Original Film) | |
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| Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
| Released | November 13, 2020 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 34:09 |
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| Producer |
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| Singles from Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Music from the Netflix Original Film) | |
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| Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Score from the Netflix Original Film) | ||||
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| Film score by | ||||
| Released | December 4, 2020 | |||
| Studio | Air Lyndhurst Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 53:24 | |||
| Label | Lakeshore | |||
| Producer | John Debney | |||
| John Debney chronology | ||||
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Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Music from the Netflix Original Film) is the soundtrack album to the 2020 film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, released by Atlantic Records and Maisie Music Publishing on November 13, 2020. The album features original music with contribution from John Legend, Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan and Michael Diskint, and songs performed by the cast members, Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Anika Noni Rose, Ricky Martin, Justin Cornwell and Madalen Mills. The film score is written and composed by John Debney, which was released into a separate album, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Score from the Netflix Original Film) by Lakeshore Records on December 4, 2020.
Development
[edit]John Debney heard about the film, through the music supervisor Julia Michaels, and contacted David E. Talbert several times about the film, in turn he received the film's script, which he liked it and mentioned it as "heart-touching"; he had sent several demos to Talbert while filming.[1] On working with Talbert, he said "He wanted me to dream big and go for the most amazing score that I could [...] When you’re given that kind of opportunity and that kind of palette, it opens the floodgates to creativity. I honestly felt it my duty, my job, to create something that would be really special, like I always do."[2]
"We want to honor all of the culture of these characters. It wasn’t just Victorian England. It was Victorian England with African-inspired costuming and hairstyling. Just like Black Panther (2018) was an incredibly important film for many reasons, culturally, this to me is also that. And I honored that and that opened the floodgates for me to write the adventure theme. It’s for humanity, it’s for everyone."
— John Debney, on the culturally-rich music created for Jingle Jangle.
Debney wanted the score to be "classic, timeless and at times magical, big and adventurous", which led him to work with a huge orchestra for the music. He initially did not want Christmas music or typical holiday film music, but create the score cue from the melodies of the songs featured, that would capture the soulfulness of Christmas. The orchestra ensemble consisted of nearly 90 musicians, which include strings, woodwinds, brass, horns and percussions, as well as gospel choir and gospel soloists. Debney wanted the music to have "sounds, textures and instrumental colors that would make it a little different".[1]
Much of the film's music were written by late-2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions all over the world in March 2020, recording of the score had to be supervised remotely with Zoom meetings. Debney had further managed to record the score with limitations, where each orchestral portions had to be recorded per day. Despite being challenging to record during the pandemic time, Debney pleased with "how the music sounds".[2]
Talbert hired songwriters John Legend and Philip Lawrence to write the original songs, with Davy Nathan and Michael Diskint also contributing, and Harvey Mason Jr. served as the executive producer.[3] Legend wrote the promotional song "This Day" for the film, felt that "We felt like we could add a lot to it when it came to music and our connections in this industry. But the idea that we could present a different vision for what a holiday film is like, what a kid’s film is like, we were excited to do that [...] David has a great musical ear himself as a writer/director,” Legend says. “He’s worked in musical theater before and so he has a good sense of what music is supposed to do to the drama of the story. Working with him was a true joy, a true pleasure. We truly are proud of the whole musical team."[4]
Promotions
[edit]The lead single for the album include: "This Day" performed by Usher and Kiana Ledé,[5][6] released on October 7, 2020.[7] Usher also asked fans to perform the song on TikTok,[8] and also produced a 'Global Behind the Mic' version performed by the international voiceover cast from the film in different languages, to promote the single.[9] A special music video and remix recorded version of "Square Root of Possible" is performed by America's Got Talent's finalists, The Ndlovu Youth Choir of South Africa. Netflix uploaded the cover to their official YouTube channel for Africa, "AfricaonNetflix" on November 25, 2020.[10]
Track listing
[edit]Soundtrack
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Day" |
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| 3:33 |
| 2. | "Borrow Indefinitely" |
| Ricky Martin | 1:48 |
| 3. | "Miles and Miles" |
| Marisha Wallace | 2:33 |
| 4. | "Not The Only One" |
| Madalen Mills | 2:00 |
| 5. | "Magic Man G" |
| Keegan-Michael Key | 3:32 |
| 6. | "Square Root of Possible" |
| Mills | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Over and Over" |
| Forest Whitaker | 3:07 |
| 8. | "Grandpa Me Nie' (Asew Jingle Jangle Remix)" | Ronald Appiah |
| 1:41 |
| 9. | "Make It Work" | John Stephens |
| 3:50 |
| 10. | "This Day (Reprise)" |
| Jingle Jangle Choir | 2:54 |
| 11. | "This Day (End Credits)" |
| 3:48 | |
| 12. | "Jingle Jangle Score Suite" | John Debney | Debney | 3:47 |
| Total length: | 36:38 | |||
Score
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "By the Fire with Grandma / Jangle's and Things" | 4:11 |
| 2. | "Jeronicus Workshop" | 1:19 |
| 3. | "Don Juan Comes To Life" | 1:04 |
| 4. | "Don Juan Meets The Family" | 1:31 |
| 5. | "Don Turns Gus To The Darkside" | 1:37 |
| 6. | "Borrowed Indefinitely, Pt. 2" | 0:28 |
| 7. | "Betrayed / Time Passes" | 3:02 |
| 8. | "Ms. Johnston" | 1:41 |
| 9. | "Hello Buddy" | 1:39 |
| 10. | "Journey Travels To Grandfather" | 1:30 |
| 11. | "Jessica's Picture" | 1:40 |
| 12. | "Goodnight Journey / Storybook Interlude" | 1:46 |
| 13. | "Journey Shows Her Gifts" | 2:48 |
| 14. | "Flying With Buddy" | 7:31 |
| 15. | "Buddy's Been Taken" | 1:49 |
| 16. | "Once An Apprentice" | 1:41 |
| 17. | "The Crusher (With Choir)" | 1:41 |
| 18. | "Air Shaft Adventure" | 5:06 |
| 19. | "Real Inventor" | 1:20 |
| 20. | "Kiss For Ms. Johnston" | 2:00 |
| 21. | "Why I Came" | 1:48 |
| 22. | "I Love You So Much" | 3:59 |
| 23. | "The Real Thief Revealed" | 2:13 |
| Total length: | 53:24 | |
Reception
[edit]The review from Soundtrack Beat, commented "Timeless, magical, rich and adventurous, the soundtrack of the movie “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” is a very satisfactory sample of how skillful a composer can be when he sets to doing music for a musical, where songs are usually the only focus and he has to cover the musical gaps of the story. Rich in melodies and feelings and exceptional as an approach and performance, the music of John Debney comes to remind us the value of the music that has a personality, something that makes it memorable in the ears and eyes of the movie’s viewers. Yet another soundtrack that works as a proof that John Debney is one of the best composers that write music for movies nowadays!"[11]
Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com wrote "One of the film's producers is John Legend, which means the music is glorious, with a superb score by John Debney and fine songs from Davy Nathan and Philip Lawrence. The singing is superb, especially from Sharon Rose as Joanna Jangle, Anika Noni Rose as the adult Jessica, Cornwell as young Jangle, and Mills as Journey. Key has a lot of fun with a villain song as he tries to promote his own invention, the toy he could never quite get right."[12] Aramide A. Tinubu of NBC News wrote "Scored by John Debney and with original music by John Legend, among others, "Jingle Jangle" hits all of the right beats that are typically found in a Christmas-themed musical. Draped in bold colors and fabrics, the characters glide and move around to songs influenced by the blues, jazz and Afrobeats. There's even a moment when Gustafson emulates James Brown's iconic cape routine, falling to his knees while a massive green fur is thrown over him."[13]
Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood wrote "With a bright score from John Debney and a bevy of better-than-average Broadway-style songs from John Legend, Phillip Lawrence and Davy Nathan, there are numerous stops for big musical numbers, a couple that really stop the show."[14] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter praised Debney's score "The energetic musical score, heavily infused with R&B but also incorporating a wide variety of musical styles including traditional Broadway-style balladry, is consistently tuneful."[15] Reviewing for Comingsoon.net, Jeff Ames commented "the joyously uplifting orchestral score alongside the sparkling original songs elevate it as a timeless holiday classic".[16]
Accolades
[edit]"Square Root of Possible" performed by Madalen Mills, was predicted as a possible contender for nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards for Best Original Song by various entertainment news articles.[17][18] Although it has been considered in the early tossup predictions, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that "Make It Work" made the shortlist for Best Original Song to be voted for a nomination.[19] However, each musical selections that were considered, did not make it into the official Oscar nominations. Even Debney's score which was shortlisted for the Best Original Score, could not make the final nomination list.[20][21]
| Award | Date of Ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Original Score | John Debney | Nominated | [22] |
| Outstanding Original Song | "Make It Work" (John Legend, Anika Noni Rose and Forest Whitaker) | Nominated | |||
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | April 11, 2021 | Best Music Supervision for Film (Budgeted Over $25 Million) | Julia Michaels | Nominated | [23] |
| Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film | “Make It Work” (John Legend, Julia Michaels, Anika Noni Rose and Forest Whitaker) | Nominated | |||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | January 27, 2021 | Best Soundtrack Album | Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey | Nominated | [24] |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 27, 2021 | Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album | Various Artists, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey | Nominated | [25] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Tangcay, Jazz (November 20, 2020). "In Scoring 'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,' John Debney Sought a Timeless Composition". Variety. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ a b Licuria, Rob (February 25, 2021). "John Debney ('Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey' composer) on creating the 'best work that I have ever done' [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW]". GoldDerby. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Martin, Michel; Williams, Janaya (December 20, 2020). "'Jingle Jangle' Director David E. Talbert Calls Film 'A Love Letter To My Childhood'". NPR. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Toby, Mekeisha Madden (November 20, 2020). "With 'Jingle Jangle' John Legend Is Hoping to Bring Holiday Cheer to Wider Audiences". Shondaland. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Usher's Song In 'Jingle Jangle' Might Be Your Next Christmas Anthem". Bustle. November 13, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Usher rings in the holiday season with uplifting new single "This Day"". ABC News Radio Online. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Peters, Mitchell (October 7, 2020). "Usher Shares Uplifting 'This Day' from Netflix's 'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey'". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Gurley, Alex (November 20, 2020). "Usher Asked Fans To Sing His "Jingle Jangle" Song With Him, And They Really Came Through". BuzzFeed. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (December 21, 2020). "Usher Leads a Worldwide Choir in New Video for 'This Day'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Ndlovu Youth Choir | Jingle Jangle | Square Root of Possible, retrieved November 27, 2022
- ^ "Soundtrack Review: "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey" – John Debney". SOUNDTRACK BEAT. January 8, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Minow, Nell. "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey movie review (2020)". Roger Ebert. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ A. Tinubu, Aramide (November 18, 2020). "Opinion | "Jingle Jangle" adds Black girl magic to the Christmas film pantheon". NBC News. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (November 12, 2020). "'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey' Review: Forest Whitaker Takes On The Toys In Netflix's Spirted Holiday Musical". Deadline. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Scheck, Frank (November 5, 2020). "'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ "CS Score Interviews Staci Layne Wilson & Composer Chad Rehmann". ComingSoon.net. December 14, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (December 10, 2020). "Oscars Predictions: Best Original Song – Is 'Eurovision' a Spoiler for the Academy's Music Branch?". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Sheehan, Paul (November 16, 2020). "2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Song [UPDATED: November 16]". GoldDerby. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Oscars 2021 Shortlists in Nine Award Categories Announced - Oscars 2021 News | 93rd Academy Awards". ABC. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ "Trent Reznor, Janelle Monáe, H.E.R. Make Oscars 2021 Nomination Shortlists". Pitchfork. February 9, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Grein, Paul (February 10, 2021). "Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Have Two Scores on Oscars Shortlist". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Fraley, Jason (February 18, 2021). "Regina King's 'One Night in Miami' leads Black Reel Awards with 15 nominations". WTOP-FM. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz (February 25, 2021). "'Promising Young Woman,' 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Among Guild of Music Supervisors Awards Nominees (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ Grein, Paul (January 27, 2021). "Diane Warren & James Newton Howard Among Top Winners at 2021 Hollywood Music in Media Awards". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (February 2, 2021). "Viola Davis, Tyler Perry and Regina King Up for Entertainer of the Year at 2021 NAACP Image Awards". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ Meyer, Dan (February 3, 2021). "P-Valley, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, More Nab 2021 NAACP Image Award Nominations". Playbill. Retrieved February 3, 2021.