Les Misérables: Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack is the film soundtrack for the 2012 Universal Pictures film Les Misérables, performed by Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen and other artists. It was released on December 21, 2012.[3] The music is written by Claude-Michel Schönberg; the lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer based on the French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel.
| Les Misérables: Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | December 21, 2012 |
| Genre | Film soundtrack |
| Length | 65:20 |
| Label | Universal Republic |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
Production
editIn an interview with BBC Radio 4's Front Row, Tom Hooper the film's director, revealed that Claude-Michel Schönberg would be composing one new song and additional music.[4] In February 2012, Cameron Mackintosh revealed a newly created song, "Suddenly", that "explains what happens when Valjean takes Cosette from the inn and looks after her."[5]
The film's vocals were recorded live on set using live piano accompaniments played through earpieces as a guide, with the orchestral accompaniment recorded in post-production, rather than actors lip-syncing to a pre-recorded musical soundtrack. Tom Hooper explained that this would eliminate the need to recapture "locked" performances and allow more creative freedom.[4] Despite the film's creative team claiming this live recording method "a world's-first", several film musicals have utilized this method before, including the At Long Last Love (1975), The Fantasticks (1995) and Across the Universe (2007). On 9 September 2012, Universal Studios executives were granted a viewing of the rough cut of the film without the orchestra. The cut was greeted with "extreme excitement", and Russell Crowe tweeted that he received many excited emails.[6] Orchestral recording sessions for Les Misérables began in London on 10 October 2012 with a 70-piece orchestra.[7]
Content
editThe Highlights album doesn't contain all musical numbers in the film, with traditional show highlights such as "Who am I?" and "A Little Fall of Rain" being omitted. The famous anthem "Do You Hear the People Sing?" does not appear on the album except for its reprise in the "Epilogue". Songs included on the album are often also incomplete in comparison with the movie itself (for example, At the End of the Day on the album is missing Fantine's explanation.)
A 2-Disc Deluxe Edition, released on March 19, 2013, comprised 42 tracks, including several of songs omitted on the highlights album as well as a few instrumental pieces. However, like the highlights album, many of the songs are still cut short due to time.
Commercial performance
editUpon its release, Les Misérables debuted at number thirty-three on the Billboard 200 and at number one on the Billboard Soundtracks chart, selling 43,000 copies in less than three full days of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[8] The following week, it sold 136,000 copies to jump to number two on the Billboard 200.[9] The soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 in its third week on the chart, selling 92,000 copies.[10] The total of 178,000 copies sold from the ten days of sales made it the tenth best-selling soundtrack album of 2012.[11] It sold a further 512,000 copies in the United States in 2013, making it the third best-selling soundtrack of 2013.[12] As of January 2014, it had sold a total of 690,000 copies in the US.[12]
The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number five with first-week sales of 13,844 copies,[13] before rising to number one the following week on sales of 55,954 copies.[14] The album spent four non-consecutive weeks atop the chart.[15]
In Japan, the album reached number eleven on the Japanese Albums Chart,[16] and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in March 2013, denoting shipments of 100,000 copies.[17]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, and Jean-Marc Natel; all music is composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Look Down" | Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Convicts | 2:21 |
| 2. | "The Bishop" | Colm Wilkinson | 1:34 |
| 3. | "Valjean's Soliloquy" | Hugh Jackman | 3:18 |
| 4. | "At the End of the Day" | Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Foreman, Factory Girls and Cast of Les Misérables | 4:27 |
| 5. | "I Dreamed a Dream" | Anne Hathaway | 4:38 |
| 6. | "The Confrontation" | Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe | 1:55 |
| 7. | "Castle on a Cloud" | Isabelle Allen | 1:11 |
| 8. | "Master of the House" | Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter and Cast | 4:52 |
| 9. | "Suddenly" | Hugh Jackman | 2:32 |
| 10. | "Stars" | Russell Crowe | 3:01 |
| 11. | "ABC Café / Red and Black" | Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit and Students | 4:21 |
| 12. | "In My Life / A Heart Full of Love" | Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks | 3:12 |
| 13. | "On My Own" | Samantha Barks | 3:11 |
| 14. | "One Day More" | Cast of Les Misérables | 3:39 |
| 15. | "Drink with Me" | Eddie Redmayne, Daniel Huttlestone and Students | 1:41 |
| 16. | "Bring Him Home" | Hugh Jackman | 3:37 |
| 17. | "The Final Battle" | Students and Cast of Les Misérables | 3:17 |
| 18. | "Javert's Suicide" | Russell Crowe | 3:00 |
| 19. | "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" | Eddie Redmayne | 3:13 |
| 20. | "Epilogue" | Cast of Les Misérables | 6:20 |
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
Decade-end chartsedit
|
Singles
edit| Title | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|
| UK [59] |
US [60] | |
| "I Dreamed a Dream" | 22 | 69 |
| "On My Own" | 43 | 97 |
| "One Day More" | 66 | 110 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[61] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[17] | Gold | 113,926[51] |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[62] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United States (RIAA)[64] | Gold | 723,388[63] |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Christopher, James. "Les Miserables [Highlights]". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
- ^ Rosen, Jody (January 25, 2013). "Les Misérables: Highlights From the Motion Picture Soundtrack". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ "Les Misérables: Highlights from the Motion Picture: Soundtrack: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ a b "New song for Les Miserables film". bbc.co.uk. 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ "One Song More! Les Miz Film Will Have New Song and Live Singing; Cameron Mackintosh Reveals All". Playbill.com. 2012-02-08. Archived from the original on 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (8 September 2012). "Toronto Film Festival 2012 - Anna Karenina Receives Standing Ovation". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ "Les Misérables Film to Feature 70-Piece Orchestra; Recording to Begin in October". Playbill.com. 2012-08-27. Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (December 27, 2012). "'Les Miserables' Bows at No. 1 on Soundtracks Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (January 3, 2013). "Taylor Swift's 'Red,' 'Les Mis' Soundtrack Lead Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (January 9, 2013). "'Les Miserables' Soundtrack Hits No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
- ^ Grein, Paul (January 3, 2013). "Chart Watch Extra: Top Albums of 2012". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ a b Grein, Paul (January 2, 2014). "The Top 10 Soundtracks of 2013". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ Jones, Alan (January 14, 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: David Bowie records highest charting single for 27 years". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved March 31, 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ Jones, Alan (January 21, 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Les Mis album tops 55k first week sales". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved March 31, 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ "Foals land highest charting album of their career". Official Charts Company. February 17, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ a b レ・ミゼラブル～サウンドトラック/サントラ [Les Miserables – Soundtrack / Soundtrack] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ a b "Japanese album certifications – Various artists – Les Misérables: Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved April 12, 2013. Select 2013年3月 on the drop-down menu
- ^ "Ranking Semanal Pop" (in Spanish). Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. February 10, 2013. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2013. Note: The reader must define search parameters as "Ranking Semanal Pop" and "10/02/2013".
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 03.Týden 2013 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Soundtrack: Les Miserables - Highlights" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Official Cyta-IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Εβδομάδα: 10/2013)" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2013. 2. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Top 100 Artist Album, Week Ending 24 January 2013". Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ "Compilation – Classifica settimanale dal 04/02/2013 al 10/02/2013" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ^ "Top 100 México – Semana Del 25 de Febrero al 03 de Marzo 2013" (PDF) (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Bodo naslednjič vrh Slo Top 30 tiho napadli Dan D?" (in Slovenian). Val 202. 10 March 2013. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ "2013년 01주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – Highlights from Les misérables - The Musical Phenomenon". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Soundtrack Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "2012년 Album Chart (International)" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2013 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ^ "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista – chart-pozíció alapján – 2013" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
- ^ "Best of 2013 – Top 20 Albums". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
- ^ a b "アルバムTOP100" [Album Top 100] (in Japanese). Oricon. December 15, 2013. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "2013년 Album Chart (Combined)" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "2013년 Album Chart (International)" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ Lane, Daniel (January 1, 2014). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Artist Albums Of 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Soundtracks – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ^ "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. January 26, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ Peak chart positions for charted songs in the United States:
- "I Dreamed a Dream": "The Billboard Hot 100 Week of January 12, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- "On My Own": "The Billboard Hot 100 Week of January 19, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- "One Day More": "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Week of January 19, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Various artists – Les Misérables: Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ^ "UMGD New Releases". Universal Music Group. 2014. p. 62. Retrieved 25 April 2019 – via Scribd.
- ^ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Les Miserables". Recording Industry Association of America. February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2014.