Oblivion (M83 song) – Wikipedia

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2013 single by M83 featuring Susanne Sundfør

“Oblivion” is a song by French 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.

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]

The song 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]

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.