Birds of Prey: The Album is the soundtrack album by various artists for the film Birds of Prey, released by Atlantic Records on February 7, 2020.[1] Atlantic released five singles leading up to the album's release day. The album debuted at number 23 on the US Billboard 200, number nine in Australia, and within the top 40 in Canada, New Zealand, and Switzerland. The separate film score titled Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (Original Motion Picture Score) composed by Daniel Pemberton was released February 14, 2020, by WaterTower Music.[2]
Background and development
Described as the "candy-colored, R-rated new entry in the DC Extended Universe", Birds of Prey, the film honored a classic superhero movie tradition as seen with the Suicide Squad soundtrack for the 2016 film, Suicide Squad.[3] The director of the film, Cathy Yan, stated that music is a super important concept in film and that it "motivates [her]." She went on the say that, "it kind of helps me create the characters.” Yan and the production team worked closely with Atlantic Records to assemble a “sort of musical girl gang,” she says, and create an all-female soundtrack for this women-powered world.[4]
Kevin Weaner, president of the Atlantic Records West Coast of the soundtrack, went on to say he "was looking for a female, badass sensibility to tie directly back to Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey characters" and he "wanted to mirror Harley’s journey with a music sensibility that kind of spoke to those same themes and through-lines."[5] The album went on to include 15 exclusively new tracks, all from female artists.[6]
Singles
The album's first single, "Diamonds" by Megan Thee Stallion and Normani, was released January 10, 2020, with a music video inspired by Harley Quinn.[7] The second single, "Joke's On You" by Charlotte Lawrence, was released January 17.[8] The third single, "Boss Bitch" by Doja Cat, was released January 24 with a music video. The fourth single was "Sway with Me" by Saweetie and Galxara, with a music video featuring Ella Jay Basco reprising her role as Cassandra Cain from the film, and was released January 31.[9] The fifth single, "Experiment On Me" by Halsey, was released February 7, 2020, alongside the album's release.[10][11] A solo version of "Sway with Me" by GALXARA was released as a standalone single on May 1, 2020.[12]
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200 chart, and was the week's fifth best-selling album.[13][14]
The soundtrack was met with positive reviews. Variety gave the soundtrack positive reviews saying it was "bursting with the energy, freedom and sometimes chaotic sounds reflected in [the film]."[17] They praised the "girl-power" variety of covers and original songs.[18] The use of only female artists was praised by Crimson staff writer, Annie Harrigan, who noted that they "exhibit a broad range of musical genres and styles" and "the only negative to the album is that the songs simply are not long enough."[19] She also stated that the songs "flow perfectly into the next in terms of style, genre, and lyrical content".[20]
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