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Into the Wild (soundtrack)

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Into the Wild
Studio album / soundtrack album by
Eddie Vedder
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2007 (2007-09-18)
Recorded2007
StudioStudio X, Seattle, Washington
GenreFolk rock
Length33:04
LabelJ
ProducerAdam Kasper, Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder chronology
Into the Wild
(2007) 		Ukulele Songs
(2011)
Alternate cover
LP edition cover
Singles from Into the Wild
  1. "Hard Sun"
    Released: September 21, 2007
  2. "Guaranteed"
    Released: September 18, 2007

Into the Wild is the debut solo studio album by Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder, and is based on his contributions to the soundtrack for the film of the same name. It was released on September 18, 2007, through J Records.

Background

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Director Sean Penn handpicked Vedder to provide the music for the film. Previously, Vedder had contributed two songs to the soundtrack for the 1995 film Dead Man Walking and a cover of the Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" to the soundtrack for the 2001 film I Am Sam, both of which starred Penn.

Recording

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The songs for the soundtrack were recorded in 2007 at Studio X in Seattle, Washington. Vedder worked with producer Adam Kasper, who had previously worked on Pearl Jam's 2002 album Riot Act, and 2006 album Pearl Jam. The album was mixed by Kasper and Vedder.

After viewing a rough cut of Into the Wild, Vedder quickly went to work writing songs for the film.[1] After three days, Vedder gave Penn a range of material to work with. Penn placed into the film what Vedder had given him, and Vedder then went on to work on more material that Penn could add to the film.[2] Vedder said that Penn "gave [him] a lot of freedom," and added that "the biggest thing was trust, which was just kind of unspoken."[3] Vedder also said that having to write songs based on a narrative "simplified things." He said, "There were fewer choices. The story was there and the scenes were there."[2] Vedder said that the songwriting process "grew" as Penn would ask him for more material.[3]

Vedder described the recording process as a "factory." He said, "I'd just sit in the chair, and they'd hand me a fretless bass, and they'd hand me a mandolin, and they'd take a second to do the rough mix, and then I'd write the vocal, and it was just quick."[4] On the recording sessions as a whole, Vedder stated, "It was like I kinda went into some weird space for a week or two, and then I woke up out of this daze, and it was done. I don't really remember it."[4]

Composition

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Vedder's songs written for the film feature a folk sound. Thom Jurek of Allmusic called the soundtrack a "collection of folksy, rootsy tunes where rock & roll makes fleeting appearances."[5] Vedder is primarily responsible for the songs in the film while film music composer Michael Brook is acknowledged in the film's credits for composing the film's original music. Vedder said, "Michael made great choices with the way he orchestrated the score...Our pieces of music meshed together pretty well for not having approached it in a way of making sure these puzzle pieces fit. They just did."[1]

Vedder's cover of the song "Hard Sun" (originally written by Toronto-based singer-songwriter Gordon Peterson under his stage name Indio) features backing vocals by Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney. Vedder collaborated with singer-songwriter Jerry Hannan on the song "Society", written by Hannan. Both songs appear in the film along with a slew of other folky ballads by Vedder.

Vedder's songs help narrate the story of American wanderer Christopher McCandless. After graduating as a top student from Emory University, he decides to give up all of his money and travel. During forays into the Western United States and Mexico, McCandless decides to hitchhike to Alaska to live in the wilderness with little food and equipment, hoping to live a period of solitude. Nearly five months later, he died of starvation near Denali National Park and Preserve. Vedder said that he "realized the songs could now become another tool in the storytelling."[1] On writing the songs about McCandless, Vedder stated, "It was startling how easy it was for me to get into his head. I found it to be uncomfortable how easy it was, because I thought I'd grown up."[2]

Release

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Eddie Vedder performing live at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on August 21, 2008.

Into the Wild was released worldwide on September 17, 2007. It was released on CD, in both standard and Digipak formats, and LP. CD pressings of the album were released on J Records and LP versions were released on Vinyl Films—a record label owned by director Cameron Crowe, a friend of Vedder. In the United States, Into the Wild debuted at number 11 on Billboard 200, selling 39,000 copies in its first week,[6] and also charted at number 11 on Billboard's Internet Albums and number 2 on the Soundtrack Albums chart. The album's lead single, "Hard Sun", peaked at number 17 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks and number 13 on the Canadian Hot 100.[7] Since its release, Into the Wild has sold 369,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan,[8] and has been certified Platinum in Italy[9] and Gold in Switzerland.[10]

Tour

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Vedder promoted the Into the Wild soundtrack with his first solo tour, which began in April 2008. The April leg of the tour, dubbed the "April Fools Tour", began in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at The Centre on April 2, 2008, and was composed of ten dates focusing on the West Coast of the United States.[11][12] Vedder continued the tour with a second leg in August 2008 composed of fourteen dates focusing on the East Coast and Canada.[8] The second leg of the tour began in Boston, Massachusetts at the Boston Opera House and ended in Chicago, Illinois at the Auditorium Theatre.[13]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic67/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Blender[15]
Entertainment WeeklyB[16]
NME5/10[17]
Rolling Stone[18]
Spin[19]
Uncut[20]

Upon its release, Into the Wild received mostly positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14] Rolling Stone staff writer David Fricke gave Into the Wild three and a half out of five stars, saying that Vedder "[tosses] his weighty baritone onto earthy, folky tracks that temper the romance of absolute freedom with an eerie foreboding."[18] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B. She said "a real sense of the wide-open road permeates these nine original compositions." She ended her review by saying that "though the album is flawed (some tracks on the 33-minute disc are so brief that they never leave the ground), there is still something here that's compelling enough to stand alone."[16] David Marchese of Spin gave the album three and a half out of five stars. He said, "The handful of somber, droning mood pieces don't really transcend their film-contingent origins, but on the actual full-length songs...Vedder's incantatory vocals and campfire instrumentation evoke the eerie beauty of untouched land."[19] Jonah Weiner of Blender gave the album three out of five stars. He said, "It's the sound of a 24-year-old accepting death, as imagined by a lifelong misfit aging gracefully."[15] Allan Jones of Uncut gave the album three out of five stars. He said, "Eddie here answers what you might be inclined to describe as the call of the wild with a series of mostly handsome, jangly folk-rock ballads."[20]

Jamie Fullerton of NME gave Into the Wild a five out of ten. In the review, Fullerton states that "due to Vedder's interest in all things anti-corporate, McCandless' renouncement of materialism is celebrated rather than the fact that he eventually died." He also says that it is "accomplished but occasionally overbearingly earnest."[17] AllMusic staff writer Thom Jurek gave the album two and a half out of five stars, saying that "musically there isn't enough imagination to distinguish [the songs], to set the tension of dynamic in motion."[5]

"Hard Sun" was the most successful song from Into the Wild on the rock charts, reaching number 13 on the Modern Rock charts. Both "Hard Sun" and "Guaranteed" had accompanying music videos. Vedder won a 2008 Golden Globe Award for the song "Guaranteed" from Into the Wild.[21] At the 2008 Grammy Awards, "Guaranteed" received a nomination for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.[22] "Guaranteed" was also nominated for a 2008 World Soundtrack Award in the category of Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film.[23] At the 2009 Grammy Awards, "Rise" received a nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo.[24]

Vedder was nominated for a Golden Globe for his contributions to the film's original score in 2008.[21] Into the Wild was ranked at no. 20 on the list of Top 20 Rock 'n' Roll Solo Albums by Consequence of Sound.[25]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Eddie Vedder except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Setting Forth"1:37
2."No Ceiling"1:34
3."Far Behind"2:15
4."Rise"2:36
5."Long Nights"2:31
6."Tuolumne"1:00
7."Hard Sun" (writer: Gordon Peterson)5:22
8."Society" (writer: Jerry Hannan)3:56
9."The Wolf"1:32
10."End of the Road"3:19
11."Guaranteed[nb 1]"7:22
Total length:33:04
Digital streaming bonus tracks[26][27]
No.TitleLength
12."No More"3:38
13."Photographs"1:00
14."Here's to the State[nb 2]" (live) (writer: Phil Ochs)5:52
15."No More" (live[nb 3])4:32
Total length:43:28
LP bonus single[28]
No.TitleLength
1."No More"3:38
2."No More" (live)4:32
Total length:8:10

Personnel

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All personnel credits adapted from Into the Wild's liner notes.[28]

Performer

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  • Eddie Vedder – vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin (4), banjo (2), piano, organ, drums, percussion, producer, mixing, layout, design

Guest musicians

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  • Jerry Hannan – guitar, backing vocals (8)
  • Corin Tucker – backing vocals (7)

Technical personnel

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  • Adam Kasper – producer, recording, mixing
  • John Burton – engineer
  • Sam Hofstedt – engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • George Webb III – technician
  • Mike Kutchman – assistant technician
Design personnel
  • Brad Klausen – layout, design
  • Francois Duhamel – photography, artwork
  • Chuck Zlotrick – photography, artwork
  • Anton Corbijn – photography
  • Sato Masuzawa – artistic facilitator

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[43] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[44] Platinum 20,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[45] Gold 100,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[46]
sales since 2009 		2× Platinum 100,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[47] Gold 35,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[10] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Gold 100,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ "Guaranteed" contains a hidden track, "Guaranteed (Humming Vocal)", at 4:40.
  2. ^ "Here's to the State" was recorded live at VH1 Storytellers on May 31, 2006.
  3. ^ "No More" was recorded live at Goffertpark in Nijmegen, Netherlands on June 28, 2007.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Sandler, Adam. "Films thrive on singular musical vision". Variety. December 11, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c Cohen, Jonathan. "Q&A: Penn, Vedder go where the "Wild" things are". Reuters. October 26, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Gilchrist, Todd. "Interview: Sean Penn and Eddie Vedder". IGN. September 21, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Grossman, Lev. "Nature Boys". Time. September 13, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c Jurek, Thom. "allmusic ((( Into the Wild > Review )))". AllMusic. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  6. ^ Hasty, Katie (September 26, 2007). "Reba Outmuscles Kanye, 50 to Score First No. 1". Billboard.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Into the Wild [Original Soundtrack] – Eddie Vedder: Awards at AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  8. ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan (July 2, 2008). "Eddie Vedder Plots East Coast Solo Tour". Billboard.
  9. ^ "Italian album certifications – Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 11, 2013. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Into the Wild" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  10. ^ a b "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder: Into the Wild)". Hitparade. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  11. ^ Reuters. "Eddie Vedder to Start Solo Tour". Entertainment Weekly. February 15, 2008.
  12. ^ Powers, Ann (April 4, 2008). "It's a lot to live up to: The Pearl Jam frontman opens his first solo tour with an intimate yet powerful performance in Vancouver". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  13. ^ Kreps, Daniel (July 2, 2008). "Tour Tracker: Eddie Vedder, Goo Goo Dolls and Alice Cooper". Rolling Stone. RealNetworks. Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  14. ^ a b "Into the Wild Reviews, Ratings, Credits and More". Metacritic. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  15. ^ a b Weiner, Jonah. "Eddie Vedder: Into the Wild"[permanent dead link]. Blender. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
  16. ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah (September 1, 2007). "Into the Wild". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 18, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  17. ^ a b Fullerton, Jamie. "Eddie Vedder: Into the Wild OST". NME. October 30, 2007. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
  18. ^ a b Fricke, David (September 5, 2007). "Eddie Vedder: Into the Wild". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  19. ^ a b Marchese, David. "Eddie Vedder, Into the Wild (J Records)". Spin. November 26, 2007. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
  20. ^ a b Jones, Allan. "Eddie Vedder: Into the Wild". Uncut. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
  21. ^ a b "65th Golden Globe Awards Nominations & Winners". goldenglobes.org. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  22. ^ "50th Grammy Awards – 2008". Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
  23. ^ "Nominees World Soundtrack Awards 2008 announced". worldsoundtrackawards.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  24. ^ "The 51st Grammy Awards Nominations List". grammy.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  25. ^ "Top 20 Rock 'n' Roll Solo Albums". Consequence of Sound. September 6, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Into the Wild (Music for the Motion Picture [Deluxe Edition] – Eddie Vedder". iTunes. September 18, 2007. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  27. ^ "Eddie Vedder: Into The Wild (Music For The Motion Picture)". Google Play. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  28. ^ a b Into the Wild (LP). Eddie Vedder. Vinyl Films. 2007. VFR-2007-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  30. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  31. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
  32. ^ "Album – Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder, Into the Wild". Media Control Charts. Retrieved August 18, 2012.[dead link]
  33. ^ "Discography Eddie Vedder". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
  34. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
  35. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  36. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  37. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". Hitparade. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
  38. ^ "Chart Log UK: V – Vybe". zobbel.de. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  39. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  40. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
  41. ^ "Soundtrack / Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2008.
  42. ^ "Artisti – Classifica settimanale WK 23 (dal 02-06-2014 al 08-06-2014)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  43. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Eddie Vedder – Music From The Motion Picture Into The Wild". Music Canada. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  44. ^ "Danish album certifications – Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". IFPI Danmark. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2017 to obtain certification.
  45. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Eddie Vedder; 'Into the Wild')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  46. ^ "Italian album certifications – Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 20, 2020. Select "2020" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Into the Wild" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  47. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Eddy Vedder – Music For The Motion Picture Into The Wild" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Music For The Motion Picture Into The Wild in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2010 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  48. ^ "British album certifications – Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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