The Hunger Games has become a global phenomenon. The first film made enough money opening weekend to earn it the title as the third-largest movie release in North America. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is expected to double that with rave reviews flooding in.
Before the debut of any major film, the movie’s soundtrack is released. I personally love the soundtracks to films because they usually offer less mainstream artists and music that is directly associated with the film. If you love the movie, wouldn’t you love the soundtrack? So far, reviews have been going both ways The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack, setting somewhere more in the middle of simply “liking” it. Even with the unexpected all-star lineup of artists such as Christina Aguilera and Coldplay, the soundtrack is questionable on if it will live up to the hype and intensity the film is sure to bring.
The first song on the soundtrack and the lead single released is Coldplay’s “Atlas.” There was a lot of excitement for fans of the band to hear that lead singer Chris Martin and the other three members would be finally releasing a new song after having no new material for two years. Martin even admitted that he was a fan of the book trilogy. The song captures the alliance that Katniss and Peeta have through their whole situation of being thrown back into the games together. With lyrics like “carry your world, I’ll carry your world,” one can understand the relationship that the two characters have. I am a fan of Coldplay, but I do think a lot of their music sounds the same. They have a specific sound that they stick too, and they definitely continue it with this song.
One of my favorites on the soundtrack is Christina Aguilera’s song, “We Remain.” Comments amongst fans have agreed that this is the best song on the album, and I agree. Aguilera has had one of the best voices in the music industry for a long time. The lyrics for the song depict the world that Katniss sees: “Now we talk about a wasted future, But we take a good look around/Yeah we know it, it hasn’t been for nothing, ‘Cause we’ll never let it slow us down.” Aguilera’s voice is strong and reflects the personality of the movie’s heroine Katniss Everdeen.
Other popular artists have songs included on the soundtrack as well. The Weeknd’s “Devil May Cry” is a slow R&B song that’s doesn’t seem to fit with the “sound” the movie brings. Imagine Dragon’s “Who We Are” has great lyrics with music that’s less harsh from their hit “Radioactive.” Ellie Goulding has personally claimed that her song “Mirror” is perfect for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack. Goulding surely has a unique voice that matches the “outer space” sounding music for the song. Although, it was hard for me to tell what she was singing. After looking up the lyrics, I could agree with her comment on the song. Phrases like “Are we star-crossed lovers?” and “I was the girl who was on fire” directly relate to Katniss and Peeta who are advertised to the public as “star-crossed lovers” and Katniss as the figurative, and at times, literal “girl on fire.”
The “girl on fire” right now in the music industry, Lorde, doesn’t write her own song for the soundtrack but covers the classic “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears. The young artist definitely makes the song her own and brands it with eerie music and her deep voice. One of the characters from the film gets his own song, “Gale Song” by The Lumineers. This was one of my favorite songs on the soundtrack. The Lumineers have a unique sound that is really popular right now. The song’s lyrics are perfect for the situation Gale is in and how he feels about Katniss.
I know I will be seeing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire multiple times while it’s in theaters. I am anxious to hear which scenes some of these songs will be a part of. As a loyal fan surrounding everything that has to do with this franchise, I know I will be downloading this entire soundtrack onto my iPod very soon. I give The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack 4 out of 5 stars.
