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Oblivion (M83 song)

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"Oblivion"
Single by M83 featuring Susanne Sundfør
from the album Oblivion: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Released26 March 2013
Length5:56
LabelBack Lot Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
M83 singles chronology
"Wait"
(2012)
"Oblivion"
(2013)
"Do It, Try It"
(2016)
Susanne Sundfør singles chronology
"The Silicone Veil"
(2012)
"Oblivion"
(2013)
"Death Hanging"
(2013)
Audio video
"Oblivion" on YouTube

"Oblivion" is a song by French electronic music band M83 featuring lead vocals from Norwegian singer Susanne Sundfør. It was released as part of the film soundtrack album Oblivion: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to accompany the film of the same name. It was composed by Anthony Gonzalez. The song peaked at number 114 in France.

Composition

[edit]

"Oblivion" has been classified as a "soaring ballad"[1] that features "interstellar synths and cloud-surfing lead vocals" amidst a mixture of "M83's dream pop [and] more traditional string and horn arrangements."[2] Rolling Stone observed that the song is "capped with a jazzy instrumental section, just like M83's 2011 hit 'Midnight City'",[1] while it reminded Consequence of Sound of "Tangerine Dream's scores from the '80s".[2] Featuring Sundfør's "booming vocals," the song's choir repeats "In the night, you'll hear me calling" over a "bombastic synth swell."[3]

Release and reception

[edit]

"Oblivion" was released as a single on 26 March 2013,[4] and later as part of the film soundtrack Oblivion: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on 9 April.[5] On the French SNEP singles chart, the song debuted at number 114 on the week of 20 April 2013 and lasted on the chart for three weeks.[6] M83 and Susanne Sundfør performed the song live on 17 April 2013 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, making it Sundfør's television debut in the United States.[7] Along with M83 and Sundfør, it featured a drummer, bassist and string section. The performance was well received.[8]

The Express Tribune encouraged viewers of Oblivion to "stick around for the credits that are set to M83's brilliant title song."[9] Moviefone's Drew Taylor opined that it "might be the best theme song since "Skyfall".[10] The Huffington Post compared it to the songs of Florence + The Machine,[11] while Stereogum's Tom Breihan called it a "slow, stately, and gorgeous" collaboration.[12] Mark Hogan of Spin magazine commented that the best part of the song was its outro, as it included "contemplative piano reminiscent of the Twin Peaks theme."[3] Russ Fischer of /Film was more critical of the song, explaining that "this one doesn't do as much for me, as has the tenor of a lot of end credit songs that are tailored to be broadly appealing. Your mileage may vary, however... it'll send a lot of people dancing out of the theater, at the very least, and Sundfør's voice is quite pretty."[13]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Oblivion"
Chart (2013) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[14] 114

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Hermes, Will (15 April 2013). "Oblivion". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b Caffrey, Dan (8 April 2013). "Album Review: Anthony Gonzalez and Joseph Trapanese – Oblivion: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b Hogan, Marc (26 March 2013). "M83 Share 'Oblivion,' the Popcorn-Ready Title Track From Tom Cruise's Sci-Fi Epic". Spin. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  4. ^ Corner, Lewis (26 March 2013). "M83 premiere title song from Tom Cruise's 'Oblivion' - listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Oblivion – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Amazon.com. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  6. ^ "M83 feat. Susanne Sundfør" (in French). French Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  7. ^ McGovern, Kyle (18 April 2013). "M83 Host Susanne Sundfor's TV Debut With Orchestra-Backed 'Oblivion'". Spin. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  8. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (19 April 2013). "Watch: M83 Performs 'Oblivion' On 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'". indiewire. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  9. ^ Ahmad, Ameer Hamza (6 May 2013). "Movie review: Space survivors battle oblivion". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  10. ^ Taylor, Drew (18 April 2013). "'Oblivion' Review: 10 Things You Should Know About Tom Cruise's Sci-Fi Epic". Moviefone. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  11. ^ "M83 'Oblivion' Title Track Revealed, Features Norwegian Singer Susanne Sundfør (AUDIO)". The Huffington Post. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  12. ^ Breihan, Tom (26 March 2013). "M83 – "Oblivion" (Feat. Susanne Sundfør)". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  13. ^ Fischer, Russ (26 March 2013). "Listen to Another M83 Track From 'Oblivion,' See a New Featurette". /Film. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  14. ^ "M83 feat. Susanne Sundfør – Oblivion" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 18 January 2022.