Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (soundtrack)
| Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | October 7, 2022 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 47:04 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Benj Pasek and Justin Paul chronology | ||||
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| Shawn Mendes chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2022 film Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, based on the children's story of the same name and its prequel The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber. The album featured original songs written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul along with Ari Afsar, Emily Gardner Xu Hall, Mark Sonnenblick, and Joriah Kwamé, alongside classical songs written by Elton John and Stevie Wonder. Shawn Mendes, who voices the titular crocodile, had provided vocals for eight of the tracks. The album was released by Island Records on September 30, 2022. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Original Motion Picture Score), another album featuring original score composed by Matthew Margeson was released on October 7, 2022 by Madison Gate Records.
Background
The directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon had zeroed in songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known for their work in La La Land (2016) and The Greatest Showman (2018), understanding the importance of the project as a musical.[2][3] During the production, Pasek and Paul agreed to executively produce the film as the premise of a singing crocodile, made the film "exciting". But, with Mendes, being the voice actor, the duo "blended musical theater with contemporary pop, aiming to create something with his voice".[4] The duo then brought an array of writers: Ari Afsar, Emily Gardner Xu Hall, Mark Sonnenblick, and Joriah Kwamé, to write the tunes for the album. The writers and musicians had to collaborate remotely using Google Docs and Zoom, due to COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5] Will Speck and Josh Gordon had worked on mostly diegetic music, with Mendes performing the majority of the tracks as a singing crocodile.[4]
The first track written for the film, was "Take a Look at us Now" performed by Javier Bardem as Hector, a showman and magician, which was a "charming and energetic anthem". Pasek wanted a energetic number, which also reflects the relationship between Lyle, Hector, and Josh (Winslow Fegley), with Kwamé suggesting the hook line, gave the song "the fire element which needed".[4] The second song "Rip Up the Recipe" is an upbeat number performed by Constance Wu who plays Mr. Primm, Josh's mother. While the song originally had lyrics reflecting her passion for cooking, in the film, Primm was revealed to be a cookbook author, hence they accommodated the lyrics to suit her character.[4] Another ballad song "Carried Away", according to Pasek and Paul, "encapsulates the movie’s central theme of belonging", as in a sequence, Lyle is in a Zoo, "and the lyrics reflect his desire to live free". Pasek says "It’s this character trying not to give in to sadness instead of indulging in a feeling".[4]
The executive producer Ian Eisendrath said "Since Lyle can only communicate through singing, Shawn’s delivery of every note, rhythm, and lyric needed to function on two levels – letting us into Lyle’s interior life and deepening and furthering his character and story." Kwamé also opined that Mendes' expressions at the end of his phrases "works well for musical theater".[4] Mendes felt that writing music for a film was a challenging, as well as an inspiring process, but also said "The hardest part though is that when you are singing for a film instead of your own album, you really have to ace the nuances of the emotion behind every lyric and every note and match it to how the character will be portraying it on screen. That was a learning experience."[6] He also felt "really comfortable" on voicing the titular crocodile as it sings throughout the film.[6]
Release
"Heartbeat" was released as the soundtrack's first single on September 30, 2022.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Top of the World" (Shawn Mendes) |
|
| 2:51 |
| 2. | "I Like It Like That" (Pete Rodriguez) |
| Pancho Cristal | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Take a Look at Us Now" (Javier Bardem and Shawn Mendes) |
|
| 3:17 |
| 4. | "Heartbeat" (Shawn Mendes) |
|
| 2:20 |
| 5. | "Bye Bye Bye" (Claire Rosinkranz) |
| Doug Schadt | 3:01 |
| 6. | "Sir Duke" (Stevie Wonder) | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | 3:54 |
| 7. | "Rip Up the Recipe" (Shawn Mendes and Constance Wu) |
|
| 3:29 |
| 8. | "We Made It" (Anthony Ramos) |
|
| 2:54 |
| 9. | "Steppin' Out" (The Gap Band) |
| Lonnie Simmons | 4:26 |
| 10. | "Take a Look at Us Now (Reprise)" (Javier Bardem and Shawn Mendes) |
|
| 0:44 |
| 11. | "Express Yourself" (Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band) | Charles Wright | Charles Wright | 3:53 |
| 12. | "Take a Look at Us Now (Lyle reprise)" (Shawn Mendes) |
|
| 1:13 |
| 13. | "Carried Away" (Shawn Mendes) |
|
| 3:46 |
| 14. | "Take a Look at Us Now (Finale)" (Shawn Mendes, Winslow Fegley, and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile ensemble) |
|
| 2:48 |
| 15. | "Crocodile Rock" (Elton John) |
| Gus Dudgeon | 3:57 |
Score album
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hector P. Valenti" | 1:26 |
| 2. | "Exotic Animals" | 0:54 |
| 3. | "Lyle Finds a Home" | 1:22 |
| 4. | "Abandonment" | 2:07 |
| 5. | "What Was That?" | 1:42 |
| 6. | "Walk To School" | 0:59 |
| 7. | "High School Wrestling" | 1:24 |
| 8. | "Night on the Town" | 3:04 |
| 9. | "Run to School" | 1:06 |
| 10. | "Phone Memories" | 1:19 |
| 11. | "Loretta" | 0:45 |
| 12. | "Mrs. Primm Finds Lyle" | 1:15 |
| 13. | "Classroom Chaos" | 1:11 |
| 14. | "There's a Crocodile in the House" | 0:52 |
| 15. | "Hector Returns" | 1:37 |
| 16. | "Attic Wrestling" | 1:45 |
| 17. | "Magical Magic" | 1:22 |
| 18. | "The Stage Can Be a Cruel Mistress" | 1:46 |
| 19. | "Kangaroo Court" | 1:52 |
| 20. | "Animal Control" | 2:25 |
| 21. | "Not All Problems Have a Solution" | 2:00 |
| 22. | "Miracles Do Happen" | 1:08 |
| 23. | "There Is No Magic" | 2:49 |
| 24. | "Back to Where You Belong" | 2:17 |
| 25. | "Motorcycle Chase" | 3:17 |
| 26. | "You've Got to Sing" | 1:59 |
| 27. | "Family Vacation" | 2:57 |
| Total length: | 46:40 | |
References
- ^ Luke Y. Thompson (October 6, 2022). "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile makes you smile—for a while". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ Weintraub, Steve (October 8, 2022). "Will Speck and Josh Gordon Talk Directing 'Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile' and the Unusual Way Javier Bardem Works on Set". Collider. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ El-Mahmoud, Sarah (September 9, 2022). "How La La Land And Greatest Showman Composers Pasek And Paul Helped Turn Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Into A Full-Blown Musical". Cinemablend. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Jazz Tangcay (October 7, 2022). "'Lyle Lyle Crocodile' Songwriting Team on Shawn Mendes: 'His Voice Works Really Well for Musical Theater'". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ Garica, Thania (September 22, 2022). "Shawn Mendes to Release Original Song for 'Lyle, Lyle Crocodile' Movie Alongside Tracks From Elton John and Stevie Wonder". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ a b Rose Falcone, Dana (June 22, 2022). "Shawn Mendes Lends His Voice to Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile — Watch Trailer". People. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Daniel Kreps (September 30, 2022). "Shawn Mendes Shares New Single 'Heartbeat' From 'Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Spotify. Retrieved October 10, 2022.