Composing Greatness: #10. The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "La La Land" (2016)

Scene from La La Land

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Series Composer: Justin Hurwitz

Entry: La La Land (2016)

Collaborators (If Available): N/A

Nomination: Best Original Score

Did They Win: Yes

Other Nominees:
Best Original Score
-Jackie (Mica Levi)
-Lion (Hauschka & Justin O'Halloran)
-Moonlight (Nicholas Britell)
-Passengers (Thomas Newman)

Additional Information

This is to help provide perspective of where each composer is in their Oscar-nominated life as it related to the current entry.

Oscar Nomination: 3

Oscar Wins: 2

Track List

1. "Mia Gets Home
2. 'Bathroom Mirror"
3. "Classic Rope-A-Dope"
4. "Mia & Sebastian's Theme"
5. "Stroll Up The Hill"
6. "There The Whole Time"
7. "Bogart & Bergman"
8. "Herman's Habit"
9. "Mia Hates Jazz"
10. "Rialto At Ten"
11. "Rialto"
12. "Mia & Sebastian's Theme (Late For The Date)"
13. "Planetarium"
14. "Holy Hell"
15. "Summer Montage - Madeline"
16. "It Pays"
17. "Chicken On A Stick"
18. "City Of Stars - May Finally Come True"
19. "Chinatown"
20. "Surprise"
21. "Boise"
22. "Missed The Play"
23. "It's Over - Engagement Party"
24. "The House In Front Of The Library"
25. "You Love Jazz Now"
26. "Cincinnati"
27. "Epilogue"
28. "The End"
29. "Credits"
30. "Mia & Sebastian's Theme (Celesta)"

Note: Listen to here.

Exploring the Music

The area of the column where I will explore the music in as much detail as I see fit for each entry.

Theme Exploration:

"Mia Gets Home"

The one thing that's different about this score compared to just about every other one is that this is accompanied by original songs. This piece of music doesn't appear until deep into the first act, where the characters have been established and we've already heard a full song. What makes it work as more than an interstitial building to "Somewhere in the Crowd" is how it manages to feel like a daze. Emma Stone is humming to herself at the beginning, placing the listener into a trance of reality and romantic fiction. It's a nice little ditty that feels a bit subdued when compared to everything else in La La Land. Still, it's that dreamlike quality that makes the score an exceptional piece of work. 

Interesting Standout:
"Herman's Habit"

While this is a film that prides itself on being about jazz, this is one of the few that breaks free of the cinematic motifs that Justin Hurwitz has. Instead, it's just a jazz combo performing on stage. You can hear the upright bass, the horns are booming, and it feels authentic even with the soundtrack featuring a lot of the big band material. It stands out for how it doesn't sound polished, having a realism to it that makes it alluring. This isn't one that will form motifs, at least not directly related to the characters. It's one that works as the backbone of the attitude that the film has. It's fun, spontaneous, and captures everything nicely. 

Best Moment:
"Epilogue"

Is there any other answer when talking about La La Land? Whether you love it or not, the "Epilogue" captures one of the most singular scenes in the entire movie. Here is where the action drops out and goes into a cinematic dream of a montage. It captures an alternate reality where everything went right for Mia and Sebastian. It's beautiful, made more bittersweet by the reality. It's also soaring as the longest track in the whole film, managing to be filled so much emotion and build, bringing all of the motifs together in a swirling mix of awe. Most of all, it's one of the few times that the music takes center stage without having somebody talking over it. This is the heart of the film, and also what makes Hurwitz one of the most promising composers of the next decade. It's no wonder that he got two Oscars for this film (and another nomination). 

Did This Deserve an Oscar Nomination?:
Yes

It's unclear how much of a resonance La La Land will have after the infamous Best Picture fiasco, but there's no denying that this is one of the few films that is all about the music. Much like The Artist, it's almost essential to the personality of the film. The performances could be bad and the story lacking, but because that music manages to have a romantic nostalgia for why we love film, it makes things a little more tolerable. It helps that the melodies build in such a powerful way. There have been few scores so far on this list with as memorable motifs as this. It has so much passion and heart, even if it contradicts the recent trend of young nominees pushing boundaries. This is a classical score in a modern lens, and it works perfectly in a way that elevates everything around it to a new standard. 

Did This Deserve to Win?:

Yes

As mentioned, the music is the core of this film's soul, and it's hard to imagine it working without melodies so majestic, an orchestra so intricate, and motifs so immediate that it leaves you smiling. While it's true that Hurwitz deserved to win for this, I'm less certain about his win for Best Original Song, as "City of Stars" is one of the less interesting songs they could've chosen. My theory is that Emma Stone won Best Actress for "Audition," which is a far more captivating song (though, if I could editorialize, the Moana soundtrack cumulatively deserved to win more). Still, in just four films Hurwitz's work with Damien Chazelle has made them a force to be reckoned with. Who knows how far things will go in the next decade. Hopefully, they will be this fun going forward. 

Up Next: Best Original Score - Mica Levi, Jackie (2016)

Best Theme

A ranking of all themes composed by The Freshman Class of the 2010's.

1. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: "Hand Covers Bruise" - The Social Network (2010)
2. John Powell: "This is Berk" - How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
3. Johan Johannsson: "Cambridge, 1963" - The Theory of Everything (2014)
4. Mychael Danna: "Piscine Molitar Patel" - Life of Pi (2012)
5. Will Butler & Owen Pallett: "Sleepwalker" - Her (2013)
6. Gary Yershon: "Mr. Turner" - Mr. Turner (2014)
7. Ludovic Bource: "The Artist Overture" - The Artist (2011)
8. Justin Hurwitz: "Mia Gets Home" - La La Land (2016)
9. Johan Johannsson: "The Armored Vehicle" - Sicario (2015)
10. Steven Price: "Above Earth" - Gravity (2013)