Where the Wild Things Are: Motion Picture Soundtrack

Where the Wild Things Are: Motion Picture Soundtrack: Original Songs by Karen O and the Kids is the soundtrack to the 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are. It is performed by Karen O and the Kids. It was released on September 29, 2009, in CD, LP, and digital download formats.^[1]^[2]

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Background

Karen O, the vocalist of the indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, wrote the film's soundtrack. Her bandmates Brian Chase and Nick Zinner and former touring guitarist Imaad Wasif, Deerhunter's Bradford Cox, Liars' Aaron Hemphill, The Dead Weather's Dean Fertita, and Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs all also contributed.^[3]

When director Spike Jonze approached Karen O to write the soundtrack to Where the Wild Things Are, he cited The Langley Schools Music Project's Innocence & Despair as an example of the desired "simple melodies that were emotionally complex—something that both kids and adults would appreciate".^[4]

"All Is Love" was released as the soundtrack's lead single on August 25, 2009, and is featured in the credits of the film.^[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100^[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Classic Rock	^[7]
Drowned in Sound	8/10^[8]
Entertainment Weekly	B+^[9]
The New York Times	Favorable^[10]
Pitchfork	6.8/10^[11]
Rolling Stone	^[12]
Slant Magazine	^[13]
Spin	^[14]

The soundtrack received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the soundtrack received an average score of 77, based on 16 reviews.^[6]

Track listing

All tracks performed by Karen O and the Kids and produced by O and tbiller, except "Lost Fur", performed and produced by Carter Burwell.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Igloo"	O	1:49
2.	"All Is Love"	O Nick Zinner	2:50
3.	"Capsize"	O Dean Fertita Bradford Cox Aaron Hemphill Tom Biller Jack Lawrence	2:38
4.	"Worried Shoes"	Daniel Johnston	4:12
5.	"Rumpus"	O Zinner Tristan Bechet	2:44
6.	"Rumpus Reprise"	O Imaad Wasif Cox	1:53
7.	"Hideaway"	O Wasif	5:11
8.	"Cliffs"	O Wasif Oscar Michel	2:59
9.	"Animal"	O Wasif Cox	4:11
10.	"Lost Fur"	Burwell (composer)	1:09
11.	"Heads Up"	O Fertita Wasif Cox Biller Lawrence	2:56
12.	"Building All Is Love"	O Zinner Bechet	3:33
13.	"Food Is Still Hot"	O	2:45
14.	"Sailing Home"	O	1:03

Personnel

Karen O – vocals (1–9 11–14), guitar (1, 2), production (1–9, 11–14)
Dean Fertita – keyboards (2, 12, 14), organ (3–5), marimba (4, 6), piano (11, 12), guitar, (3, 13), backing vocals (11)
Bradford Cox – guitar (2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14), backing vocals (2, 11), vocal effects (3, 9), glockenspiel (1), ambient sounds (3), bells (4, 7, 13), vibraphone (5)
Tom Biller – organ (1, 5–7, 9, 13), guitar (2, 11, 12, 14), percussion (2, 12, 14), bass (5, 12), drums (3), church bells (3), backing vocals (11), banjo (12), mixing (1–9, 11–14), production (1–9, 11–14), recording (1–9, 11–14)
Jack Lawrence – bass (2–4, 6–8, 11, 13, 14) marimba (4), backing vocals (11)
Brian Chase – drums (2, 3, 5–7, 9, 11, 12, 14), percussion (8) backing vocals (11)
Imaad Wasif – guitar (1, 2, 6–9, 11, 12, 14) backing vocals (11) harmonica (13)
Greg Kurstin – piano (4, 6, 11 )
Mark Chalecki – mastering (1–9, 11–14)
Nick Zinner – electric guitar (2), guitar (6, 12, 14)
Oscar Michel – bowed bass (8)
Max Records – countdown shouting intro (2)
Aaron Hemphill – drums (3)
Tristan Bechet – drum programming (5), guitar (12)
Carter Burwell – orchestrater (10), conductor (10)
Mark Stewart, Marc Ribot – guitar (10)
Barbara Allen, Victoria Drake – harp (10)
David Weiß – woodwind (10)
Sharon Yamada, Laura Seaton – violin (10)
Robert Reinhart – viola (10)
David Cossin, Gordon Gottlieb – percussion (10)
Rob Botti – oboe (10)
Michael Farrow – mixing (10)
Tony Finno – copyist (10)
Sandra Park – strings contractor (10)
Pavel Vinnitsky – clarinet (10)
Eileen Moon – cello (10)
Marc Goldberg – bassoon (10)
Greg Cohen – bass (10)

Charts

Chart (2009)	Peak position
UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)^[15]	19
US Billboard 200^[16]	35
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)^[17]	2
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)^[18]	10
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[19]	15

References

^ "Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack: Original Songs By Karen O And The Kids". Amazon. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ ^a ^b Phares, Heather. "Where the Wild Things Are – Karen O & the Kids, Karen O". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Karen O and the Kids: The Rockers of "Where the Wild Things Are"". Rolling Stone. August 19, 2009. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ McNair, Charles (September 15, 2009). "An Interview With Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Paste. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
^ "Where the Wild Things Are : Releases : All Is Love". Interscope Records. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ ^a ^b "Reviews and Tracks for Where The Wild Things Are [OST] by Karen O And The Kids". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 18, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ Johnston, Emma (February 2010). "Karen O & The Kids – Where the Wild Things Are Movie Soundtrack". Classic Rock. No. 141. p. 85. ISSN 1464-7834.
^ Lukowski, Andrzej (September 30, 2009). "Karen O and the Kids – Where the Wild Things Are Motion Picture Soundtrack". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on October 4, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (October 2, 2009). "Where the Wild Things Are". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1068. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ Chinen, Nate (September 25, 2009). "Mature and Focused Sets, With Breaks for Playtime". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ Berman, Stuart (October 8, 2009). "Karen O and the Kids: Where the Wild Things Are OST". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ Dolan, Jon (October 13, 2009). "Where the Wild Things Are Motion Picture Soundtrack: Original Songs by Karen O and The Kids". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 14, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ Keefe, Jonathan (October 4, 2009). "Karen O and the Kids: Where the Wild Things Are". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ Kandall, Steve (October 7, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs diva cuts her inner tomboy loose". Spin. Archived from the original on October 9, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Karen O Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Karen O Chart History (Soundtrack Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Karen O Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Karen O Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2017.

v t e Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are (1963)
Derived content	Where the Wild Things Are (1980 opera) Where the Wild Things Are (2009 film) The Wild Things (2009 novel) Where the Wild Things Are (2009 video game)
Music	"Wake Up" (2005/2009) Young Wild Things Tour (2007) Where the Wild Things Are: Motion Picture Soundtrack (2009) "All Is Love" (2009 song) "Breezeblocks" (2012 song) "Wild Things" (2015 song)
Related	"Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life" Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak

This page was last edited on 29 December 2023, at 21:40