Atomic Blonde (soundtrack)
| Atomic Blonde (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | July 28, 2017 | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 69:45 | |||
| Label | Back Lot Music | |||
| Tyler Bates chronology | ||||
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Atomic Blonde (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2017 film Atomic Blonde directed by David Leitch. The film's original score is composed and produced by Tyler Bates and was released through Back Lot Music on July 28, 2017.
Background
From the start, director David Leitch felt that using the right songs for Atomic Blonde (2017) was crucial. Part of this was attempting to answer the question "How do you reinvent this stuffy Cold War spy movie?"[1] The soundtrack uses a combination of 1980s songs as well as covers of them. The latter were used to add "a contemporized feeling of the '80s". The movie's producers were initially worried that they would not be able to get the rights to all the songs that Leitch wanted to use,[1] but Leitch himself estimated that around 75% of his picks made it into the final product.[2] Though the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the concentration of iconic songs was from the first half of the 1980s, with the exception of George Michael's 1988 chart-topping "Father Figure", which itself was Leitch's second choice after the 1986 release "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin.[3] Angela Watercutter of Wired noted that the use of streaming media made the makers easily access the music catalog and helped in the licensing.[4]
Release
The soundtrack was released through Back Lot Music on July 28, 2017. A vinyl edition of the album, published by Mondo was released on August 25, 2017.[5]
Reception
Matt Collar of AllMusic said that the soundtrack "features an evocative collection of '80s-era tracks that fit nicely into the 1989-set actioner".[6]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Trailer Awards | June 6, 2017 | Best Music | Nominated | [7] |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2017 | Best Soundtrack | Nominated | [8] |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" | David Bowie | 6:41 |
| 2. | "Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)" | Peter Schilling | 4:58 |
| 3. | "Blue Monday" | HEALTH | 4:46 |
| 4. | "C*cks*cker" | Tyler Bates | 1:47 |
| 5. | "99 Luftballons" | Nena | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Father Figure" | George Michael | 5:37 |
| 7. | "Der Kommissar" | Robert Ponger & Falco | 5:40 |
| 8. | "Cities in Dust" | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 4:03 |
| 9. | "The Politics of Dancing" | Re-Flex | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Stigmata" | Marilyn Manson and Tyler Bates | 5:36 |
| 11. | "Demonstration" | Tyler Bates | 3:44 |
| 12. | "I Ran (So Far Away)" | A Flock of Seagulls | 5:06 |
| 13. | "99 Luftballons" | Kaleida | 3:53 |
| 14. | "Voices Carry" | 'Til Tuesday | 4:18 |
| 15. | "London Calling" | The Clash | 3:20 |
| 16. | "Finding the UHF Device" | Tyler Bates | 2:49 |
| Total length: | 69:45 | ||
Additional music
Other songs in the film, but not included in the soundtrack:[3]
| No. | Title | Music | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Monday 1988 [12" Version]" | New Order | 7:09 | |
| 2. | "Fight the Power" | Public Enemy | Hank Shocklee, Carl Ryder, Eric Sadler | 5:23 |
| 3. | "Behind the Wheel" | Depeche Mode | 5:17 | |
| 4. | "Kack Zukunft" | Ausschlag | 2:00 | |
| 5. | "As Time Goes By" | Nicki Parrott | 4:02 | |
| 6. | "Fastidious Horses" | Vladimir Vysotsky | 5:38 | |
| 7. | "Under Pressure" | Queen & David Bowie | 3:58 |
Chart performance
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[9] | 77 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[10] | 35 |
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[11] | 10 |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 79 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13] | 3 |
| US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)[14] | 11 |
References
- 1 2 White, Caitlin (July 17, 2017). "How 'Atomic Blonde' Director David Leitch Used Music To Turn A Stuffy Cold War Film Into A Spy Thriller". Uproxx. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Deckelmeier, Joe (July 28, 2017). "Interview: Atomic Blonde & Deadpool 2 Director David Leitch". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- 1 2 Guerrasio, Jason (July 31, 2017). "The dealmaking to pull off the 1980s-soaked 'Atomic Blonde' soundtrack was as intense as the fight scenes". Business Insider. Insider. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Watercutter, Angela (July 3, 2017). "From 'Baby Driver' to 'Atomic Blonde,' Streaming Has Saved the Movie Soundtrack". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Nordine, Michael (July 30, 2017). "'Atomic Blonde' Soundtrack: Stream David Bowie, A Flock Seagulls, and More on Spotify". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 4, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Collar, Matt. "Review: Atomic Blonde [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 8, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ Lewis, Hilary (May 12, 2017). "Golden Trailer Awards: 'Lego Batman Movie' Leads With 11 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "2017 StLFCA Annual Award Winners". St. Louis Film Critics Association. December 17, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Official Compilation Albums Chart Top 100 – 25 to 31 August". Official Charts Company. August 25, 2017. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100 – 18 to 24 August". Official Charts Company. August 18, 2017. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50 – 25 to 31 August". Official Charts Company. August 25, 2017. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Billboard 200: Week of March 7, 2009". Billboard. March 7, 2009. Archived from the original on November 3, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Soundtracks: Week of September 9, 2017". Billboard. September 9, 2017. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
- ↑ "Soundtracks: Week of August 19, 2017". Billboard. August 19, 2017. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2026.