O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
Soundtrack album by

various artists

ReleasedDecember 5, 2000
Recorded(modern tracks) Spring 1999
StudioSound Emporium, Nashville
Genre
  • Country
  • folk
  • bluegrass
  • blues
  • gospel
  • Americana
  • soundtrack
Length61:24
LabelLost Highway/Mercury
ProducerT Bone Burnett

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the soundtrack album of music from the 2000 American film of the same name, written, directed and produced by the Coen Brothers and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman.

The film is set in Mississippi during the Great Depression. The soundtrack, produced by T-Bone Burnett, uses bluegrass, country, gospel, blues, and Southern folk music appropriate to the time period. With the exception of a few vintage tracks (such as Harry McClintock's 1928 single "Big Rock Candy Mountain"), most tracks are modern recordings.

The soundtrack was reissued on August 23, 2011, with 14 new tracks that were not included in the original album, "including 12 previously unreleased cuts from music producer T-Bone Burnett's O Brother sessions."[1]

Development and sound[edit]

The soundtrack was conceived as a major component of the film, not merely as a background or support. For this reason it was decided to record the soundtrack before filming.[2] T-Bone Burnett and Alan Larman were invited to design collections of music.[3]

Dirges and other macabre songs recurring in Appalachian music,[4] such as "O Death", "Lonesome Valley", "Angel Band", and "I Am Weary", appear in the film as a contrast to the bright, cheerful songs like "Keep On the Sunnyside" and "In the Highways". Ralph Stanley of The Stanley Brothers personally recorded the a cappella folk song "O Death".[5][6]

O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list

Soggy Bottom Boys feat. Dan Tyminski

"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" has five variations: two are used in the film, one in the music video, and two in the album. Two of the variations feature the verses being sung back-to-back, and the other three variations feature additional music between each verse.[7] The voices of the Soggy Bottom Boys were provided by Dan Tyminski (lead vocal on "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow"), Nashville songwriter Harley Allen, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's Pat Enright.[8]

Reception and legacy[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 83/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
[10]
The Austin Chronicle
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
[11]
Entertainment Weekly B+[12]
Pitchfork 8.3/10[13]
Q
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
[14]
Rolling Stone
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
[16]
Uncut
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
O Brother, Where Art Thou songs list
[17]

O Brother, Where Art Thou? won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002, the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (for singer Dan Tyminski, whose voice overdubbed George Clooney's in the film on "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow", Nashville songwriter Harley Allen, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's Pat Enright), and the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "O, Death" by Ralph Stanley.

The album won the Album of the Year Award (only the second soundtrack to ever do so) and Single of the Year Award for "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" at the Country Music Association Awards.[18] It also won the Album of the Year Award at the 37th Academy of Country Music Awards and took home 2 International Bluegrass Music Awards: Album of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year (for Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch on "I'll Fly Away").[19]

In 2006, the album ranked No. 38 on CMT's 40 Greatest Albums in Country Music. In 2009, Rhapsody ranked it No. 8 on the "Country's Best Albums of the Decade" list.[20] Engine 145 Country Music Blog ranked it No. 5 on the "Country's Best Albums of the Decade" list.[21] In 2010, All Songs Considered, a program on NPR, included the soundtrack album on their list of "The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings".[22]

Some of the artists on the soundtrack album played a concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, which was recorded in the 2000 documentary film, Down from the Mountain.

On August 23, 2011, a 10th anniversary edition was released featuring a bonus disc with 14 new tracks that were not included in the original album, all but two of which were previously unreleased songs from Burnett's original sessions.[23][24]

Commercial performance[edit]

The album charted at No. 1 on Billboard 200 In 2001, and spent over 20 weeks on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. The soundtrack CD became a best seller; it was first certified Gold by the RIAA on February 9, 2001, and reached 8 times Platinum by October 10, 2007.[25] It has sold 8,175,800 copies in the United States as of October 2019.[26]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Po' Lazarus" (recorded 1959 by Alan Lomax) traditional James Carter and the Prisoners 4:31
2."Big Rock Candy Mountain" (recorded 1928) Harry McClintock Harry McClintock 2:16
3."You Are My Sunshine" Jimmie Davis, Charles Mitchell Norman Blake 4:26
4."Down to the River to Pray" traditional Alison Krauss 2:55
5."I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (radio station version) Dick Burnett Dan Tyminski, Pat Enright, & Harley Allen (credited as The Soggy Bottom Boys)[27] 3:10
6."Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" Skip James Chris Thomas King 2:42
7."I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (instrumental) Dick Burnett Norman Blake 4:28
8."Keep on the Sunny Side" Ada Blenkhorn, J. Howard Entwisle The Whites 3:33
9."I'll Fly Away" Albert E. Brumley Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch 3:57
10."Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby" traditional Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch 1:57
11."In the Highways" Maybelle Carter The Peasall Sisters 1:35
12."I Am Weary (Let Me Rest)" Pete Roberts The Cox Family 3:13
13."I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (instrumental) Dick Burnett, arranged by Ed Haley John Hartford 2:34
14."O Death" Lloyd Chandler Ralph Stanley 3:19
15."In the Jailhouse Now" Blind Blake, Jimmie Rodgers Tim Blake Nelson and Pat Enright (credited as The Soggy Bottom Boys)[28] 3:34
16."I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (with band) Dick Burnett Dan Tyminski, Pat Enright, & Harley Allen (credited as The Soggy Bottom Boys) 4:16
17."Indian War Whoop" (instrumental) Hoyt Ming John Hartford 1:30
18."Lonesome Valley" traditional The Fairfield Four 4:07
19."Angel Band" (recorded 1955) traditional The Stanley Brothers 2:15
Total length:60:18

10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition bonus disc

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" Colin Linden 1:15
2."You Are My Sunshine" Alan O'Bryant 3:29
3."Tishomingo Blues" John Hartford 2:01
4."I'll Fly Away" (recorded 1956) The Kossoy Sisters with Erik Darling 2:32
5."Big Rock Candy Mountain" Van Dyke Parks 1:42
6."Tom Devil" (recorded 1959 by Alan Lomax) Ed Lewis and the Prisoners 5:19
7."Keep on the Sunny Side" The Cox Family 2:36
8."Angel Band" Hannah, Leah, Sarah Peasall and Robert Hamlett 0:58
9."Big Rock Candy Mountain" Norman Blake 2:18
10."Little Sadie" Norman Blake 1:50
11."In the Highways" The Cox Family 2:12
12."Hogfoot" John Hartford 3:47
13."The Lord Will Make a Way" The Fairfield Four 2:36
14."In the Jailhouse Now" Harley Allen 3:05
Total length:35:40

The 10th Anniversary bonus disc includes five songs that were used in the movie. The bonus disc versions of "You Are My Sunshine" and "I'll Fly Away" are the ones used in the film, not the versions on the original soundtrack. Both the original soundtrack and the bonus disc versions of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues", "Keep on the Sunny Side", and "Angel Band" are used in the film.

The music credits for the movie list two songs, "Admiration" (written by William Tyers and performed by Pat Rebillo) and "What Is Sweeter" (written by M. K. Jerome), which are not included on either edition of the soundtrack.

Personnel[edit]

  • Norman Blake – Performer, guitar, vocals
  • Jerry Douglas – Dobro
  • Alison Krauss – Vocals, harmony vocals
  • Chris Sharp – Rhythm guitar
  • The Stanley Brothers – Performers
  • Ralph Stanley – Performer
  • Sam Bush – Mandolin
  • Emmylou Harris – Performer
  • John Hartford – Fiddle, vocals
  • The Fairfield Four – Performer
  • Ed Haley – Arranger
  • The Whites:
    • Buck White – Mandolin, vocals, harmony vocals
    • Cheryl White – Bass, Vocals, harmony vocals
    • Sharon White – Guitar, vocals
  • Mike Compton – Guitar, mandolin
  • Alan Lomax – Arranger
  • Harley Allen – Vocals, harmony vocals
  • Barry Bales – Bass
  • Ron Block – Banjo
  • Curtis Burch – Dobro
  • T Bone Burnett – Arranger, producer
  • The Cox Family:
    • Evelyn Cox – Guitar
    • Sidney Cox – Banjo, vocals, harmony vocals
    • Suzanne Cox – Mandolin, vocals
    • Willard Cox – Vocals, harmony vocals
  • Stuart Duncan – Fiddle
  • Pat Enright – Vocals, harmony vocals, yodeling
  • Isaac Freeman – Bass, vocals, lead
  • James Hill – Vocals
  • Harry McClintock – Performer
  • Tim O'Brien – Vocals
  • Maura O'Connell – Vocals
  • Carter Stanley – Arranger
  • Dan Tyminski – Guitar, vocals
  • Wilson Waters – Tenor sax, vocals
  • Robert K. Oermann – Liner notes
  • Sam Phillips – Vocals
  • Gillian Welch – Arranger, vocals
  • Dub Cornett – Vocals
  • Chris Thomas King – Guitar, vocals
  • David Rawlings – Vocals
  • Gavin Lurssen – Mastering
  • Mike Piersante – Mixing
  • Peter Kurland – Location recording
  • First Baptist Church of Norfolk Choir – Vocals
  • Chris Sharp – Guitar
  • Nathaniel Best – Lead
  • Robert Hamlett – Vocals
  • Joseph Rice – Vocals
  • The Peasall Sisters
    • Sarah Peasall – Alto vocal, guitar, harmony vocals
    • Hannah Peasall – Soprano vocal, mandolin
    • Leah Peasall – Tenor vocal, violin, harmony vocals
  • The Soggy Bottom Boys – Performer
  • Tim Blake Nelson – Vocals, performer
  • Porter McClister – Tenor backup vocals
  • James Carter and The Prisoners – Performers
  • Alan Larman – Musicologist

Chart performance[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (2000–2002) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[29]15
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[30]70
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[31] 3
French Albums (SNEP)[32]9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[33]87
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[34]14
US Billboard 200[35]1
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[36] 1
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[37]1

Year-end charts[edit]

Year-end chart performance for O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Chart (2001) Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [38]31
Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[39]2
US Billboard 200[40]23
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[41]2
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[42]1
Chart (2002) Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[43]19
Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[44]3
US Billboard 200[45]6
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[46]1
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[47]1
Chart (2003) Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[48]11
Chart (2004) Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[49]14
Chart (2013) Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[50]25
Chart (2014) Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[51]24
Chart (2015) Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[52]22
Chart (2016) Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[53]21
Chart (2017) Position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[54]25

Certifications[edit]

See also[edit]

  • Down from the Mountain

References[edit]

  1. ^ Germain, David. New 'O Brother' set serves up more old-timey music Yahoo! News (August 22, 2011). Retrieved August 22, 2011
  2. ^ Ridley, Jim (May 22, 2000). "Talking with Joel and Ethan Coen about 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'". Nashville Scene. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  3. ^ "O Brother, why art thou so popular?". BBC News. February 28, 2002. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  4. ^ McClatchy, Debbie (June 27, 2000). "A Short History of Appalachian Traditional Music". Appalachian Traditional Music – A Short History. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  5. ^ Ellison, Michael (June 18, 2001). "American high". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  6. ^ Staff writer (September 8, 2004). "Museum Honoring Music Legend Ralph Stanley Set to Open October 16". Ralph Stanley Museum. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010.
  7. ^ Long, Roger J. (2006-04-09). ""O Brother, Where Art Thou?" entry page". Archived from the original on 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
  8. ^ "Soggy Bottom Boys Hit the Top at 35th CMA Awards". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  9. ^ "Reviews for OST by O Brother Where Art Thou". Metacritic. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  10. ^ Cater, Evan. "O Brother, Where Art Thou? [Original Soundtrack] – Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  11. ^ Caligiuri, Jim (January 19, 2001). "O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Mercury)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  12. ^ Scherman, Tony (January 5, 2001). "Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Entertainment Weekly.
  13. ^ Hussey, Allison (November 8, 2020). "Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Original Soundtrack)". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Q. No. 171. December 2000. p. 139.
  15. ^ Walters, Barry (January 18, 2001). "Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Music from the Motion Picture". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 23, 2003. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  16. ^ Miles, Milo (2004). "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 919. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  17. ^ "Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Uncut. p. 102. [With] some superb country-blues fiddling from John Hartford and a couple of breezy, close-harmony stunners from the Cox Family.
  18. ^ Price, Deborah; Stark, Phyllis (December 29, 2001). ""O Brother" One of Country's Biggest Success Stories". Billboard: The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment.
  19. ^ The version of "I'll Fly Away" on the album is not that heard on the actual soundtrack of the film. In the film, the version used is a 1956 recording by the Kossoy Sisters. Johnson, Jon (January 2003). "O Kossoy Sisters, Where Art Thou Been". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade" Archived January 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  21. ^ Staff (December 10, 2009). "Top Country Albums of the Decade (#10-#1)". Engine 145. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  22. ^ "The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings". NPR. November 16, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  23. ^ Germain, David (August 22, 2011). "New 'O Brother' set serves up more old-timey music". Associated Press. Yahoo! News. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  24. ^ Lewis, Randy (August 23, 2011). "'O Brother,' is it 10 already?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  25. ^ a b "American album certifications – Soundtrack – O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  26. ^ a b Bjorke, Matt (October 9, 2019). "Top Country Catalog Album Sales: October 9, 2019". RoughStock. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  27. ^ Stefano, Angela. "'O Brother, Where Art Thou?': 10 Things to Know About the Classic Soundtrack". Taste of Country.
  28. ^ Rowell, Erica (2007). The Brothers Grim: The Films of Ethan and Joel Coen. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 276 n.59. ISBN 978-0810858503.
  29. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack – O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  30. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  31. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  32. ^ "Lescharts.com – Soundtrack – O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  33. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  34. ^ "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  35. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  36. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  37. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Soundtrack Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  38. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 12, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  39. ^ "Top 100 country albums of 2001 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 1, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  40. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  41. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  42. ^ "2001 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. December 29, 2001. p. YE-81. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  43. ^ "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  44. ^ "Top 100 country albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  45. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  46. ^ "2002 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 52. December 28, 2002. p. YE-60. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  47. ^ "2002 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 52. December 28, 2002. p. YE-96. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  48. ^ "2003 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. December 27, 2003. p. YE-78. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  49. ^ "2004 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 52. December 25, 2004. p. YE-72. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  50. ^ "Soundtracks – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  51. ^ "Soundtracks – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  52. ^ "Soundtracks – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  53. ^ "Soundtracks – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  54. ^ "Soundtracks – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  55. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  56. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Soundtrack – O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Music Canada. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  57. ^ "British album certifications – Soundtrack – O Brother, Where Art Thou?". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 July 2019.Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type O Brother, Where Art Thou? in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

  • Official website
  • BBC News: O Brother, why art thou so popular?

Who actually sang in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

One of biggest hits from the film, I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow, sung by the fictional Soggy Bottom Boys, which included Clooney, Blake-Nelson, and Turturro, does not include Clooney's voice. It was actually bluegrass musician Dan Tyminski.

What song did the little girls sing in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The Three Sirens - ''Go to Sleep Little Baby" from O Brother, Where Art Thou? - YouTube.

Does George Clooney sing in O Brother?

George Clooney practiced his singing for weeks, but in the end his singing voice was dubbed by country blues singer Dan Tyminski. The song "Man of Constant Sorrow" was first published in 1913 by the blind Richard Burnett.

Who were the 3 sirens in O Brother?

Mia Tate, Musetta Vander, and Christy Taylor as the three "sirens". Their singing voices are dubbed by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch.