Music (Buffyverse)
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The use of music was a key component in the fictional Buffyverse established by Buffy and Angel.
Contents |
[edit] Themes
[edit] Buffy theme
- The "Buffy theme" is the music played alongside the opening credits of the show, it was played by Nerf Herder. The song sounds similar to a German pop song from the Eighties called "Codo" by "Döf", but in 2006, Nerf Herder have said that they had "never heard of Döf", and the similarity was coincidental[1]. Back in 1999, Nerf Herder lead singer, Parry Grip gave the background on the writing of the melody, the original melody was not written specifically for the show, it had been in place before Whedon contacted the band asking them to submit a demo for a theme tune,
| “ | "We did the theme song before the show was on the air. It was a song that had already been written, but we really didn't know where to take it. I had some ideas - it was originally going to have some kind of science-fiction theme, which is weird, because we don't do songs like that. I remember having the title of 'Outer Space Rock' or something like that; that was a working thing."[2] | ” |
"Codo" also has a science fiction theme and the lyrics reference an alien and flying objects. Their performances of the song featured outer space themes.
- The punk rock band, Nerf Herder, formed in 1994. In an interview they explain how they came to produce the theme; "[The Buffy production staff] had hired some famous theme song composer to come up with a theme and they didn’t like the one he came up with so, they were kind of on a low budget, and asked local bands to come up with theme song ideas.".[3] In the DVD commentary for "Welcome to the Hellmouth", Whedon explained that part of his decision to go with Nerf Herder's theme was that Alyson Hannigan had made him listen to the band's music.
- The theme itself has no lyrics, it begins with several notes played by an organ, a signifier for horror in movie culture from the 1930s onwards. This is quickly replaced by upbeat rock music, an electric guitar riff signifies youth culture, and a post-modern twist on the horror genre.
- Nerf Herder later recorded a second version of the theme which was used for the opening titles from season 3 on.
[edit] Angel theme
- Darling Violetta were an alternative rock group that performed two songs, "Cure" and "Blue Sun" in the Buffy episode "Faith, Hope & Trick" (the episode in which Angel returned from Hell).
The next year, Angel invited bands to submit demos for the theme music to the show. They asked bands to use "dark superhero ideas" and "Cello-rock".[4] Darling Violetta watched pivotal Angel-related episodes of Buffy like "Passion" and "Becoming, Part One" & "Becoming, Part Two" for inspiration. Eventually Joss Whedon accepted Darling Violetta's interpretation of an Angel theme as that most suitable to the show.
- The theme has a lower tempo than the Buffy theme. It has heavier use of acoustic instruments such as cello and violin. This is perhaps more appropriate for a show about a vampire from 18th Century Ireland on a long journey of redemption.
- In 2005, the band composed an extended version of the Angel theme called "The Sanctuary Extended Remix", which featured on the soundtrack of the series Live Fast - Die Never.
- Joss Whedon and Alexis Denisof sing their own lyrics to the theme song in the DVD commentary to the episode "Spin the Bottle":
- "Angel is a vampire, who solves crimes (yes, he does) with his friends (with the gang). Wesley will never get a leather jacket cuz he will never be cool (aww!) no matter what he does (this episode sucked)."
[edit] Buffyverse discography
A number of CD release have been released linked to the Buffyverse:
| Buffyverse Discography | Release date |
|---|---|
| Buffy Film soundtrack | 1992 |
| Buffy Album | 1999 |
| Once More, with Feeling | 2002 |
| "Radio Sunnydale" | 2003 |
| Live Fast, Die Never | 2005 |
[edit] Score
Many people have worked on the scoring of Buffy and Angel. Some of the main composers have included:
[edit] Christophe Beck
Beck was the main composer on Buffy during seasons 2-4. He continued to compose key episodes after such as "The Gift" and "Once More, with Feeling". He is the sole composer of the Angel first episode, "City of", and assisted Kral during some of Angel season 1 and 2. He also composed a piece for the penultimate episode of Angel.
Some of his memorable tracks include:
- The Buffy-Angel love theme, "Close your eyes" which was used throughout Seasons 2 and 3. [This appears on Buffy album]
- "Remembering Jenny" plays after the death of Jenny Calendar ("Passion").
- "Loneliness of six" plays at the end of "Lovers Walk" as various heartbroken Scoobies walk off in different directions.
- "Sacrifice" plays when Buffy sacrifices herself for her sister and for the world ("The Gift"). [This appears on Once More, With Feeling soundtrack along with Beck's suites from "Restless" and "Hush"]
- "I'm Game" plays at the end of the second-last episode of Angel ("Power Play") as the gang decides to go for a surely-suicidal final assault against the Circle of the Black Thorn.
[edit] Robert Duncan
Duncan is credited as composer for Buffy episodes 7.02 and 7.04-7.22. Memorable tracks have included:
- "Every Girl A Slayer", which plays whilst Buffy proposes her idea to overcome the First, and "Slayer Victory", the track which plays during the fight at the Hellmouth ("Chosen"). These can be downloaded at http://www.duncanmusic.com/buffy.html.
[edit] Robert J. Kral
Kral worked during the entire run of Angel. The soundtrack, Live Fast, Die Never mostly consists of scores from throughout Angel.
[edit] Douglas Romayne Stevens
Stevens contributed various scores to episodes in Buffy's last season, and Angel seasons four and five. Memorable tracks have included:
- "In Westbury Field" which plays when Giles is introduced in England ("Lessons")
[edit] Thomas Wanker
The main composer for the majority of the 5th and 6th seasons of Buffy. His work tended to be subtle, and he thrived in unassuming mysterious underscore.[5] Some of his best work appears in:
- Shadow and Into the Woods, more specifically, the tragic melodies which are used in musical montages shown along with the tragedies of the Summers' coping with their mother's illness, and Riley's feelings of alienation from Buffy.
[edit] The Bronze
The Bronze is a nightclub in Sunnydale. It hosts live music and serves as a key place which the Scooby Gang spend time for leisure. In the opening episodes, Sprung Monkey and Dashboard Prophets establish that much of the music featured at the club is of the alternative rock and roll, though numerous styles of music are also later heard.
Some key musical moments at the Bronze include:
- Buffy and Angel dancing to Sophie Zelmani's "I'll remember you" ("Angel")
- Buffy taunting Xander by intimately dancing with him to Cibo Matto ("When She Was Bad")
- Buffy and Faith flirtatiously dancing to Curve's "Chinese Burn" ("Bad Girls")
- Jonathan, the superstar, performs various hits from Royal Crown Revue ("Superstar")
- Oz along with the other Scoobies hears the band, "Shy" (a fictional front for the real-life band, T.H.C.), and their lead singer Veruca ("Beer Bad"/"Wild at Heart")
- Giles performs 'Giles's Epiphany' along with Christophe Beck and Four Star Mary ("Restless")
- Willow and Tara dance together during Melanie Doane's "I Can't Keep My Eyes Off You" ("Family")
- Michelle Branch plays "Goodbye To You" - A performance which became particularly well noted amongst fans due to the meaning of the episode ("Tabula Rasa" featured the break-up of Willow and Tara; the departure of Giles to England; and the beginning of Buffy and Spike's treacherous relationship). The version used on the show was slightly different to the radio version. ("Tabula Rasa")
- Angie Hart performs "Blue". The song was co-written by Hart and Joss Whedon ("Conversations with Dead People").
- Aimee Mann performs "This Is How It Goes" and "Pavlov's Bell" ("Sleeper")..
[edit] Trivia
The Bronze appears in 66 of the 144 episodes of Buffy. The Bronze acted as a way for the production team to showcase new bands from the Los Angeles area, as well as more well known artists and bands such as Aimee Mann, Cibo Matto and Michelle Branch.
[edit] Dingoes Ate My Baby
- Oz's band, Dingoes Ate My Baby appeared on the show many times:
| Episode | Location | Songs |
|---|---|---|
| "Inca Mummy Girl" | The Bronze | "Fate" & "Shadows" |
| "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" | The Bronze | "Pain" |
| "Dead Man's Party" | Buffy's House | "Never mind", "Pain" & "Sway" |
| "Homecoming" | The Bronze | "She knows" |
| "Band Candy" | The Bronze | "Violent" |
| "Revelations" | The Bronze | "Run" |
| "Living Conditions" | Buffy's dorm room | "Pain" (on stereo) |
| "The Harsh Light of Day" | The Bronze | "Dilate" |
| "The Initiative" | The Bronze | "Fate" |
[edit] Lorne and Caritas
Lorne was born in a dimension called Pylea, a world without music. In 1996, he happened upon a dimensional portal and was sucked through it. He landed in Los Angeles and discovered music and culture. Soon after he opened up a karaoke bar, Caritas. He had honed the ability to read people's auras when they sung, and he could give them direction.
Some key musical moments include:
- The first song from Caritas seen on screen is Lorne singing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" ("Judgment"). Lorne was seen in many more Season 2 episodes singing at his bar.
- In the same episode, Angel, a long-time fan of Barry Manilow, sang "Mandy". When he needed guidance once again he chose Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" ("Dear Boy").
- Cordy, Wes and Gunn drunkenly sing Queen's "We Are The Champions" after they have been sacked from Angel Investigations ("Redefinition").
- Darla sings Ella Fitzgerald's "iLL Wind" when asking Lorne for advice. ("The Trial") .
- Lindsey McDonald sings "L.A. Song". The music and lyrics written by David Greenwalt ("Dead End")
- The last performance seen at Caritas was Patsy Cline's "Crazy" sung by Fred ("That Old Gang of Mine").
- After the destruction of Caritas, in the Angel finale, Lorne visits another bar and sings Regina Belle's "If I Ruled The World" ("Not Fade Away").
[edit] Soundtrack
[edit] Velvet Chain
The Buffy EP was released by Velvet Chain in February 1999, following their appearance in Never Kill a Boy on the First Date. The title track, "Buffy" is a retelling of the relationship between Buffy and Angel during seasons 1 and 2 of the show. The album also features the songs, "Strong" and "Treason", the two songs the band played during their appearance on the show.
[edit] Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan's music is used twice on Buffy at two key moments (finales of Season 2 and 6).
- Full of Grace
In Becoming, Part Two "Full of grace" plays when Buffy leaves Sunnydale. The song and Buffy's abandonment signify the character reaching an all-time low.
- Prayer of St. Francis
At the end of the sixth season in Grave, "Prayer of St. Francis" plays as Buffy climbs out of the ground with Dawn. The song is all about overcoming that which is wrong, and renewal.
The song, appears in the U.S. version of the Radio Sunnydale (12 songs), but not in the UK one (21 songs).
- To some fans, Sarah McLachlan's tunes were the musical voice of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially of the Angel/Buffy relationship, and her lyrics were used in website layouts, fan videos, and fan art across the web. McLachlan's song's have included the tracks 'Angel', and 'I Will Remember You' (which are also the names of Buffy and Angel episodes respectively).
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ "Before Nerf Herder, the original Buffy theme: "Codo" by 1980s Austrian band, Döf." Whedonesque.com (October 2006)..
- ^ Springer, Matt, "Slayerpalooza", from Buffy the Vampire Slayer magazine #1 (UK, Oct 1999), page 18.
- ^ Members.lycos.co.uk - Interview with Nerf Herder
- ^ Websites.cable.ntl.com - Interview with Darling Violetta lead guitarist
- ^ bluntinstrument.org.uk Bluntinstrument.org.uk - Review of Thomas's work on Buffy
[edit] See also
- Buffyverse complete tracklist - List of music which plays in each episode of Buffy and Angel.
[edit] External links
[edit] Themes
[edit] Darling Violetta
[edit] Nerf Herder
[edit] Composers
- Bluntinstrument.org - Christophe Beck
- Duncanmusic.com - Official site
- Douglasromaynestevens.com - Official site
- Cityofangel.com - Interview with Robert Kral
- Bbc.co.uk - Interview with Robert Kral
