Music of The Last of Us: Difference between revisions
Splitting from the "Music" section of the main article; this still has some work to do (I'll get to work on a "Reception" section in the coming weeks, and add some more to the "Left Behind" section), but it's enough for now. |
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Revision as of 12:32, 25 January 2015
The music of the video game The Last of Us was composed by musician Gustavo Santaolalla. The game's soundtrack was released on iTunes in June 2013. An additional soundtrack featuring compositions from the game's downloadable content The Last of Us: Left Behind was released in February 2014. Santaolalla, known for his minimalist approach to composing, began working on the music early in the game's development. He used various instruments to compose the score, including various that he was unfamiliar with. In the context of the game, the music was well received.
Creation and influence
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Throughout development of The Last of Us, creative director Neil Druckmann and game director Bruce Straley had been compiling various musical tracks that they found inspirational. When searching for a composer to work on the game's music, they realised that many of the compiled tracks were composed by Gustavo Santaolalla. Straley described Santaolalla's music as "organic instrumentation, minimalist, dissonance and resonance with the sounds".[1] As a result, Sony reached out to Santaolalla, who agreed to work on the game's soundtrack.[1] After hearing the game's pitch, Santaolalla was excited to work on the game; he previously wanted to work on video games, but refused to work on those without a focus on story and characters.[2]
Due to Santaolalla's stance on composing music—he lacks knowledge in reading and writing sheet music, preferring to simply record—he began working on The Last of Us early in development. To give Santaolalla a point to base his music, Druckmann simply told him about the story and themes, as opposed to giving specific instructions on composing; Santaolalla appreciated this freedom, feeling it assisted in the composing. To compose, Santaolalla felt the need to "go into some more dark place, more textural and not necessarily melodic".[3] To challenge himself, Santaolalla used a variety of unique instruments he was unfamiliar with, giving a sense of danger and innocence. For The Last of Us, he used a detuned guitar, producing deep noise. To produce unique tunes, Santaolalla recorded in various rooms, including a bathroom and kitchen.[3] The team wanted the game's AI to affect the music. They also tried to make the music evoke a reaction from the player, as their familiarization with the sounds would trigger a previous emotion that they felt. Music manager Jonathan Mayer felt that the game's action music was atypical of action music in other games, stating that it's "relatively low-key", and that taking it out of context changes the immediate reaction to it.[4] The game's theme, "The Last of Us", was the first piece of music that the team received, and they were very impressed.[4] The team aimed for a soundtrack that was "emotional", as opposed to being scary.[5] Inspired by the sparing use of music in the film No Country for Old Men (2007), the team used music judiciously and tried to find other ways to "make your palms sweaty".[6] The orchestral portions of the score were recorded at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville by the Nashville Scoring Orchestra.[7]
Aside from the official soundtracks, licensed tracks also appear in the game. In the main game, during the section aptly titled "Alone and Forsaken", Joel and Ellie listen to the songs "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" and "Alone and Forsaken" both by Hank Williams.[8] In Left Behind, Ellie and Riley dance to the Etta James cover of the song "I Got You Babe". In addition, "String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 30" by Tchaikovsky and "String Quarter No. 4 in E-Minor (B.19)" by Antonin Dvorak are also present in Left Behind.[9]
Albums
The Last of Us
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
The soundtrack for The Last of Us comprises songs from the game, composed and produced by Gustavo Santaolalla. The soundtrack spans thirty tracks, covering a duration of 56 minutes. It was first released on iTunes on June 7, 2013, and subsequently published by Sony Computer Entertainment on June 13, 2013. The soundtrack was also included as pre-order downloadable content in the "Sights & Sounds DLC Pack". It received generally positive reviews.[10]
In the context of the game, the soundtrack was well received. Thom Jurek of AllMusic praised the soundtrack's variety, stating that Santaolalla manages to "draw in and keep the attention of the listener".[11]
All tracks are written by Gustavo Santaolalla
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Quarantine Zone (20 Years Later)" | 3:40 |
| 2. | "The Hour" | 1:01 |
| 3. | "The Last of Us" | 3:03 |
| 4. | "Forgetten Memories" | 1:07 |
| 5. | "The Outbreak" | 1:31 |
| 6. | "Vanishing Grace" | 2:06 |
| 7. | "The Hunters" | 2:00 |
| 8. | "All Gone" | 1:13 |
| 9. | "Vanishing Grace (Innocence)" | 0:55 |
| 10. | "By Any Means" | 1:53 |
| 11. | "The Choice" | 1:42 |
| 12. | "Smugglers" | 1:38 |
| 13. | "The Last of Us (Never Again)" | 1:01 |
| 14. | "The Last of Us (Goodnight)" | 0:51 |
| 15. | "I Know What You Are" | 1:21 |
| 16. | "Home" | 3:08 |
| 17. | "Infected" | 1:16 |
| 18. | "All Gone (Aftermath)" | 1:04 |
| 19. | "The Last of Us (A New Dawn)" | 2:28 |
| 20. | "All Gone (No Escape)" | 2:54 |
| 21. | "Vanishing Grace (Childhood)" | 1:41 |
| 22. | "The Path" | 1:29 |
| 23. | "All Gone (Alone)" | 1:22 |
| 24. | "Blackout" | 1:38 |
| 25. | "The Way It Was" | 1:31 |
| 26. | "Breathless" | 1:24 |
| 27. | "The Last of Us (You and Me)" | 2:08 |
| 28. | "All Gone (The Outside)" | 1:58 |
| 29. | "The Path (A New Beginning)" | 2:47 |
| 30. | "Returning" | 3:35 |
| Total length: | 56:21 | |
The Last of Us: Left Behind
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
The soundtrack for the downloadable content The Last of Us: Left Behind features compositions from the game, composed and produced by Gustavo Santaolalla. It also features works from additional composers. The soundtrack spans 25 tracks, covering a duration of 58 minutes. It was first released on iTunes on February 7, 2014, one week prior to the release of Left Behind.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fleeting" | Gustavo Santaolalla | 3:00 |
| 2. | "All Gone (Seasons)" | Santaolalla | 2:00 |
| 3. | "Evasion" | Andrew Buresh, SCEA Staff, M.B. Gordy, JD Mayer, Santaolalla | 1:20 |
| 4. | "All Gone (Partners)" | Santaolalla | 2:17 |
| 5. | "Cause and Effect" | Mayer, SCEA Staff | 2:14 |
| 6. | "All Gone (Reunion)" | Santaolalla | 1:48 |
| 7. | "Stalking" | Santaolalla, Mayer, Gordy | 1:59 |
| 8. | "Left Behind (Together)" | Santaolalla | 2:43 |
| 9. | "The Capitol" | Anthony Caruso, SCEA Staff, Santaolalla, Mayer, Gordy | 3:21 |
| 10. | "Head Rush" | Santaolalla, Mayer, Gordy | 3:25 |
| 11. | "Wandering" | Santaolalla | 2:06 |
| 12. | "All Gone (Overcome)" | Santaolalla | 1:52 |
| 13. | "Unstable" | Santaolalla | 1:50 |
| 14. | "The Last of Us (Astray)" | Santaolalla | 3:28 |
| 15. | "Answers" | Mayer, SCEA Staff | 1:58 |
| 16. | "Drawn In" | Santaolalla | 1:09 |
| 17. | "Apprehension" | Mayer, SCEA Staff | 1:32 |
| 18. | "The Path (Vacant)" | Santaolalla | 2:59 |
| 19. | "Convergence" | Mayer, SCEA Staff | 2:49 |
| 20. | "Shadows" | Santaolalla | 0:58 |
| 21. | "No Mercy" | Santaolalla, Mayer, Gordy | 2:34 |
| 22. | "Fleeting (Affection)" | Santaolalla | 1:47 |
| 23. | "Extinction" | Buresh, SCEA Staff | 1:55 |
| 24. | "Consumed" | Caruso, Mayer, SCEA Staff | 4:14 |
| 25. | "Left Behind" | Santaolalla | 3:55 |
| Total length: | 58:29 | ||
References
- ^ a b Staff (June 18, 2013). "The Last Of Us: the definitive postmortem – spoilers be damned - Page 2 of 3". Edge. Future plc. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Hanson, Ben (February 15, 2012). "Why Audio Matters In The Last Of Us". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Naughty Dog and Area 5 (2013). Grounded: Making The Last of Us. Sony Computer Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
{{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Farokhmanesh, Megan (June 23, 2013). "Naughty Dog discusses sound and music in The Last of Us". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Minkley, Johnny (December 13, 2011). "The Last Of Us scored by Oscar-winner Gustavo Santaolalla". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Neil Druckmann: "Survival encompasses the gameplay for The Last of Us"". GameStar. International Data Group. July 30, 2012. Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Last Of Us setting sales records". Nashville Music Scoring. August 1, 2014. Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Naughty Dog (June 14, 2013). The Last of Us (PlayStation 3) (1.0 ed.). Sony Computer Entertainment. Level/area: Credits.
- ^ Naughty Dog (February 14, 2014). The Last of Us: Left Behind (PlayStation 3) (1.0 ed.). Sony Computer Entertainment. Level/area: Credits.
- ^ Monacelli, Eric (May 17, 2013). "The Music of The Last of Us: Gustavo Santaolalla". Naughty Dog. Sony Computer Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Jurek, Thom (June 10, 2013). "The Last of Us [Original Video Game Soundtrack] - Gustavo Santaolalla". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)