Piece by Piece (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack album to the 2024 animated biopic of the same name co-produced and directed by Morgan Neville. Based on the life of American musician Pharrell Williams, the album consisted of 21 tracks—five original songs written and performed by Williams while the remainder of it consisted of existing tracks performed by other artists; this also includes Williams' older songs as well. The titular single from the album was released on September 13, 2024, and the complete soundtrack was released on October 11, 2024, through Columbia Records and I Am Other.
| Piece by Piece (Music from the Motion Picture) | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by Pharrell Williams and various artists | ||||
| Released | October 11, 2024 | |||
| Length | 86:00 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Pharrell Williams chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Piece by Piece (Music from the Motion Picture) | ||||
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Development
editWilliams wrote five original songs for the project.[1][2] Two songs, which he solely wrote, composed and produced, were made for specific scenes, the second one outlined the story which he described it as "like my thesis — [which is] that God is the greatest".[3] The remaining three tracks were co-written with his longtime collaborative partner Chad Hugo who also produced the soundtrack.[3][4] Neville noted that Williams had wrote "early tracks and other bits of score" during the production.[3]
The film also incorporated other songs of Williams which were commercially released, in most of other tracks where Williams was the featuring artist such as Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" with Nile Rodgers (which was soundtracked in the first trailer),[5] Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Beautiful" with Uncle Charlie Wilson, and other tracks were he was the sole artist, such as "Frontin'" featuring Jay-Z and "Happy" which featured in Despicable Me 2 (2013) and his second studio album Girl (2014). Other featured artists include N.E.R.D., Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Wreckx-n-Effect amongst others.[6]
Michael Andrews composed the incidental underscore that complimented the songs featured in the film.[7]
Release
editThe titular track "Piece By Piece" was released as the lead single from the album on September 13, 2024.[8] The song is performed by Williams featuring the Princess Anne High School's marching band the Fabulous Marching Cavaliers.[9][10]
On October 2, 2024, Williams unveiled the track list of the album in his Instagram account featuring 21 tracks.[11][12] The album was released day-and-date with the film on October 11, 2024, through Williams' I Am Other and Columbia Records label.[13]
Critical reception
editPeter Debruge of Variety described the songs being "fresh, neatly reworked".[14] Tony Maglio of IndieWire described the titular track as "banger" although "not quite as good or earworm-y" as Williams' "Happy".[9] Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter wrote Williams' original songs "complement Michael Andrews’ fanciful score."[2] Caleb Hammond of IndieWire also wrote "like so many other moments in "Piece by Piece," the music does the heavy lifting: Williams’ otherworldly production matched with Lamar’s rapping are powerfully rendered on screen, even if the LEGO framing here plays as a little ridiculous juxtaposed against the serious subject matter."[15]
William Bibbiani of TheWrap wrote "There are so many songs. “Piece by Piece” doesn’t stop to play them all in their entirety because it’s not Bernardo Bertolucci’s director’s cut of “1900” and we don’t have all the time in the world. If you only know Pharrell Williams from his hit single “Happy” you will have your mind completely blown by how many classic songs he and his producing partner Chad Hugo have been directly responsible for, or at least guided to fruition. It’s such an incredible, high volume, high quality artistic output that it’s legitimately hard to process, but to hear Pharrell tell it, it was his day job."[16]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's Happening" | Pharrell Williams | 0:33 |
| 2. | "Piece by Piece" | Pharrell Williams and Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers | 2:53 |
| 3. | "Virginia Boy" (remix) | Pharrell Williams featuring Tyler, the Creator | 2:08 |
| 4. | "L'EGO Odyssey" | Pharrell Williams | 4:20 |
| 5. | "For Real" | Pharrell Williams | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Maybe" | N.E.R.D. | 4:23 |
| 7. | "God Bless Us All" | N.E.R.D. | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Señorita" | Justin Timberlake | 4:55 |
| 9. | "Rock Star" | N.E.R.D. | 4:21 |
| 10. | "Rump Shaker" | Wreckx-n-Effect | 5:12 |
| 11. | "Superthug" (LP version) | Noreaga | 5:00 |
| 12. | "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" | Jay-Z | 3:49 |
| 13. | "Hella Good" | No Doubt | 4:03 |
| 14. | "Drop It Like It's Hot" | Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell Williams | 4:30 |
| 15. | "Grindin'" | Clipse | 4:26 |
| 16. | "Frontin'" (club mix) | Pharrell Williams featuring Jay-Z | 3:56 |
| 17. | "Beautiful" | Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell Williams and Uncle Charlie Wilson | 4:59 |
| 18. | "Sooner or Later" | N.E.R.D. | 6:43 |
| 19. | "Get Lucky" | Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers | 6:09 |
| 20. | "Happy" (from Despicable Me 2) | Pharrell Williams | 3:53 |
| 21. | "Alright" | Kendrick Lamar | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 86:00 | ||
Additional Tracks
editSongs that are in the film, but not included on the soundtrack are: I Wish by Stevie Wonder, Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani, Funky Town by Lipps Inc., Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, Tubthumping by Chumbawamba, My Prerogative by Bobby Brown, Bonita Applebum by A Tribe Called Quest, Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing in the Line for the Bathroom) by N.E.R.D., Rump Shaker by Wreckx-N-Effect, Nothin' by N.O.R.E., Spaz by N.E.R.D.,[a], Lookin' At Me by Mase feat. Puff Daddy, Knock Yourself Out by Jadakiss, Shake Ya Ass by Mystikal feat. Pharrell Williams, Hot in Herre by Nelly, Like I Love You by Justin Timberlake, Pass the Courvoisier, Part II by Busta Rhymes feat. P. Diddy and Pharrell Williams, I’ve Seen The Light/Inside Of Clouds by N.E.R.D., and Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory performed by Gene Wilder.
Credits
editCredits adapted from Film Music Reporter:[17]
- Original songs written and performed by Pharrell Williams
- Original score composed and produced by Michael Andrews
- Music producer: Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo
- Music mixer: Mike Larson
- Music editors: Todd Burke, Todd Kasow
- Score recorded at Elgin Park Recordings
- Score engineer: Alexander Thompson
- Score mixer: Todd Burke
- Musicians: Michael Andrews, Robert Walrer, Gabe Noel, Kenneth Crouch
- Choir: Phylicia Hill, Rick Charles Nelson, Lorie v. Moore, Pattie Howard, Ty Taylor, Diimond, Amber Sauer, Elle Skyes
Notes
edit- ^ Due to the negative connotations surrounding the word Spaz in countries like the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia, The song’s title is changed to Splash in the film’s credits.
References
edit- ^ Ford, Rebecca (October 7, 2024). "Pharrell Williams Didn't Want to Make a Movie About His Life—Unless It Came With LEGOs". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Gyarkye, Lovia (August 31, 2024). "'Piece By Piece' Review: Morgan Neville's Animated Pharrell Williams Doc Inspires Wonder, and Some Questions". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ a b c Jackson, Angelique (June 6, 2024). "Pharrell Williams Debuts Trailer for His Lego Animated Biopic 'Piece by Piece' — and Teases Two New Tracks". Variety. Archived from the original on September 7, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Coyle, Jake (October 8, 2024). "In 'Piece by Piece,' Pharrell finds Lego fits his life story". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Gooden, Tai (June 7, 2024). "Pharrell Williams' Life Story Comes to Lego Form in Piece By Piece Trailer". Nerdist. Archived from the original on June 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Fekadu, Mesfin (September 11, 2024). "Pharrell on Checking His Ego for the New Lego Doc About His Life". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ "Michael Andrews Scoring Morgan Neville's 'Piece by Piece'". Film Music Reporter. August 21, 2024. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Zemler, Emily (September 13, 2024). "Pharrell Williams Unveils Life-Affirming Single 'Piece by Piece'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Maglio, Tony (September 13, 2024). "The Title Track to Pharrell Williams' LEGO Biopic 'Piece by Piece' Is a Banger — Listen Here". IndieWire. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Kearns, Sarah (September 13, 2024). "Pharrell Drops Title Track for LEGO-Themed Documentary "Piece By Piece"". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Schube, Will (October 3, 2024). "Pharrell Taps Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator & More For 'Piece By Piece' Soundtrack". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Pharrell Williams [@pharrell] (October 2, 2024). "The Piece By Piece soundtrack is a celebration of my music and friends, featuring tracks both old and new 🙏🏾Which is your favourite?". Archived from the original on October 3, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ "'Piece by Piece' Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. October 3, 2024. Archived from the original on October 3, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (October 1, 2024). "'Piece by Piece' Review: Pharrell Williams Gets the Lego Treatment in Bouncy Outside-the-Box Doc". Variety. Archived from the original on October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Hammond, Caleb (August 31, 2024). "'Piece by Piece' Review: Pharrell Williams' Musical Genius Is Highlighted in a Creative but Shallow LEGO Package". IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Bibbiani, William (October 9, 2024). "'Piece by Piece' Review: Lego-Animated Pharrell Doc Is Built Like a Brick Hit House". TheWrap. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ "Music team credits – Piece by Piece". Film Music Reporter. October 2, 2024. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.