| Fifty Shades Of Grey (Original Motion Picture Score) | ||||
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| Released | February 17, 2015 | |||
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| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 39:57 | |||
| Label | Republic | |||
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| Fifty Shades soundtrack chronology | ||||
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| Danny Elfman chronology | ||||
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Fifty Shades of Grey to the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. It is based on E. L. James' 2011 novel of the same name and serves as the first installment in the Fifty Shades film series. The score, composed by Danny Elfman, was released through Republic Records on February 17, 2015.
Danny Elfman composed the music for Fifty Shades of Grey.[1][2] He initially accepted the offer after his meeting with Taylor-Johnson, whom he had an affinity for her photographs. Calling it as " just kind of out of the blue", Elfman added the challenge that the genre has no musical guide, referencing Tim Burton's fantasy films which he could not temp for; he also admitted on the BDSM-centered romance genre was almost being non-existent in Hollywood terms, while the novel was popular.[1]
Elfman came up with the blend of romance and spy film elements in music, that provided a way of Anastasia's perspective after she explores the world of Christian Grey. His instrumentation referenced Ana's inner thoughts, in the absence of narration that happened in the book.[3] Elfman also composed for the sequels, which he described as "real fun, stressless scores" and having enjoyed a lot.[1]
Filmtracks wrote "like The Unknown Known, this stuff is pure Elfman, and the light rock highlights of Fifty Shades of Grey are just as comfortable in his career. You have to admire what he managed to achieve with this score, the plot really not meriting more than a phone-in score. Even so, half of the score passes without much notice, leaving the twenty minutes of cool, skittish highlights to carry it to a fourth star."[4] Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK wrote "It’s almost a shame that Elfman’s generally excellent music accompanies this film, because he actually seems to have understood what the film wanted to be, and has written music to accompany that best case scenario, rather than the tame and turgid melodrama the film actually is; as such, his contribution is likely to be tarred with a similar brush or – dare I say it – whipped with the same flogger. If you can put the fact that this is music for Fifty Shades to the back of your mind, there is a great deal of worthwhile music to be experienced here; better yet, if you do that, you won’t have to visit a red room of pain to punish yourself for buying it."[5]
Lindsey Weber of Vulture called it a "goofy" score.[6] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "When it’s not insistently bland and overused, Danny Elfman’s score hits the right notes of heart-thumping dread/excitement, accentuating Anastasia’s point of view."[7] Mia Pidlaoan of Screen Rant while reviewing Elfman's best works listed the trilogy, including this film, calling it as an "inquisitive" score and "gives the movies more depth than what meets the eye."[8]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shades Of Grey" | 2:07 |
| 2. | "Ana's Theme" | 1:23 |
| 3. | "The Red Room" | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Then Don't!" | 2:32 |
| 5. | "A Spanking" | 2:32 |
| 6. | "Going For Coffee" | 1:32 |
| 7. | "Where Am I?" | 1:35 |
| 8. | "Ana and Christian" | 3:24 |
| 9. | "Clean You Up" | 2:43 |
| 10. | "The Contract" | 3:27 |
| 11. | "The Art Of War" | 3:32 |
| 12. | "Did That Hurt?" | 2:54 |
| 13. | "Bliss" | 2:29 |
| 14. | "Show Me" | 3:02 |
| 15. | "Counting To Six" | 3:21 |
| 16. | "Variations On A Shade" | 6:22 |
| Total length: | 46:21 | |
Credits adapted from liner notes:[9]
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[10] | 13 |
| US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)[11] | 15 |
