{{Short description|Film soundtrack by Thom Yorke}} {{Redirect-distinguish|Suspirium|Suspiria (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}} {{Infobox album | name = Suspiria | type = Soundtrack | artist = Thom Yorke | cover = Thom Yorke - Suspiria.png | alt = | released = 26 October 2018 | recorded = | studio = * Memory Has No Holes * AIR Lyndhurst | length = 80:15 | label = XL | producer = * Thom Yorke * Sam Petts-Davies | prev_title = Tomorrow's Modern Boxes | prev_year = 2014 | next_title = Anima | next_year = 2019 | misc = {{Singles | name = Suspiria | type = soundtrack | single1 = Suspirium | single1date = 4 September 2018 | single2 = Has Ended | single2date = 3 October 2018 | single3 = Volk | single3date = 10 October 2018 | single4 = Open Again | single4date = 17 October 2018 | single5 = Unmade | single5date = 25 October 2018 }} }}
'''''Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film)''''' is the soundtrack for the 2018 horror film ''Suspiria'', composed by the English musician Thom Yorke and produced by Yorke and Sam Petts-Davies. It was released on 26 October 2018 through XL Recordings.
''Suspiria'' was Yorke's first feature film score, and incorporates instrumental tracks, interludes, and songs. "Suspirium" was nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
== Background == ''Suspiria'' was Yorke's first feature film soundtrack. He declined an offer to score the 1999 film ''Fight Club'' as he was recovering from the stress of promoting the 1997 album ''OK Computer'' by his band Radiohead.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/thom-yorke-nearly-wrote-soundtrack-fight-club-2386137|title=Thom Yorke on how he nearly wrote the soundtrack for ''Fight Club''|last=Trendell|first=Andrew|date=3 October 2018|work=NME|access-date=4 October 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> He later wrote music for short films produced by the fashion label Rag & Bone and a 2015 production of the play ''Old Times'' by the Roundabout Theater Company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wicks |first=Amanda |date=2 February 2018 |title=Thom Yorke soundtracks short film with new music |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/thom-yorke-soundtracks-short-film-with-new-music-watch/ |access-date=3 February 2018 |website=Pitchfork |language=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Chow |first=Andrew R. |date=12 August 2015 |title=Thom Yorke is set to compose music for a Pinter play on broadway |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/12/thom-yorke-is-set-to-compose-music-for-a-pinter-play-on-broadway/?smid=nytimesarts&_r=2 |access-date=12 August 2015 |website=New York Times}}</ref> Yorke agreed to compose ''Suspiria'' after months of requests from the director, Luca Guadagnino.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/movies/8474868/thom-yorke-suspiria-soundtrack-interview|title=Thom Yorke on Why He Was Scared to Tackle the ''Suspiria'' Soundtrack -- And Why He'll Never Stop Touring|magazine=Billboard|access-date=15 September 2018}}</ref>
== Writing == ''Suspiria'' was the first Yorke project since ''The Bends'' (1995) not produced by his longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich; instead, it was produced by Yorke and Sam Petts-Davies.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=2023-11-13 |title=Radiohead side project the Smile return with new album ''Wall of Eyes'' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-smile-new-album-wall-of-eyes-paul-thomas-anderson-video-1234875865/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> Yorke decided it would be pointless to replicate or reference the soundtrack of the original ''Suspiria'' (1977) by Goblin.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=3 October 2018 |title=Thom Yorke on writing the score for ''Suspiria'' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/p06mtlwb |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226210026/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p06mtlwb |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 December 2018 |access-date=4 October 2018 |website=BBC 6 Music |language=en-GB}}</ref> Instead, he cited inspiration from the 1982 ''Blade Runner'' soundtrack,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/thom-yorke-details-new-suspiria-soundtrack-shares-new-song-listen/|title=Thom Yorke Details New Suspiria Soundtrack, Shares New Song: Listen|last=Yoo|first=Noah|date=3 September 2018|website=Pitchfork|access-date=3 September 2018}}</ref> musique concrète artists such as Pierre Henry,<ref name=":0" /> modern electronic artists such as James Holden,<ref name=":0" /> and music from the film's 1977 Berlin setting,<ref name=":17">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/thom-yorke-talks-suspiria-score-at-venice-film-festival-718444/|title=Thom Yorke Talks 'Suspiria' Score at Venice Film Festival|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=1 September 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=3 September 2018}}</ref> including krautrock acts such as Faust and Can.<ref name=":1" />
The soundtrack took about a year and a half to create.<ref name=":1" /> It features the London Contemporary Orchestra and Choir,<ref name=":18">{{Cite news|url=https://consequence.net/2018/09/thom-yorke-suspiria-details/|title=Thom Yorke details Suspiria soundtrack, shares "Suspirium": Stream|last=Young|first=Alex|date=4 September 2018|work=Consequence of Sound|access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref> which previously appeared on Radiohead's 2016 album ''A Moon Shaped Pool.<ref name="Guardian Gibsone">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/06/radiohead-confirm-new-album-daydreaming-released-sunday|title=Radiohead's new album to be released on Sunday|last=Gibsone|first=Harriet|date=7 May 2016|work=The Guardian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508200237/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/06/radiohead-confirm-new-album-daydreaming-released-sunday|archive-date=8 May 2016|url-status=live|access-date=9 May 2016}}</ref>'' Yorke's teenage son Noah played drums on "Has Ended" and "Volk".<ref name=":1" /> Much of the score was completed prior to the film shoot, which allowed Guadagnino to play it on set during filming.<ref name="aol">{{cite interview|last=Guadagnino|first=Luca|interviewer=Ricky Camilleri|title=Director Luca Guadagnino Discusses "Suspiria"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJgRPnH43XU|work=AOL Build|date=19 October 2018}}</ref>
Yorke wrote sketches on piano while reading the script and viewing rushes.<ref name=":1" /> He likened his approach to the film composer Ennio Morricone, whom Yorke felt structured melodies similarly to pop songs.<ref name=":1" /> He said: "There's a way of repeating in music that can hypnotise. I kept thinking to myself that it's a form of making spells. So when I was working in my studio I was making spells. I know it sounds really stupid, but that's how I was thinking about it."<ref name=":17" /> He said he enjoyed working for commission, which motivated him to explore musical ideas he otherwise would not have discovered.<ref name=":1" />
Yorke did not write lyrics that followed the film narrative, but was conscious of the scenes the songs would be used in.<ref name=":1" /> He described the lyrics as political, influenced by discourse surrounding Brexit and the US president Donald Trump, which "got tied up with" scenes of marching soldiers in the film.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/thom-yorke-says-tory-government-treating-uk-like-lemmings-running-off-cliff-2386203|title=Thom Yorke says Tory government are treating UK 'like lemmings running off a cliff' - NME|date=3 October 2018|work=NME|access-date=5 October 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Music == ''Suspiria'' comprises instrumental tracks, interludes, and songs, incorporating instruments such as piano, guitar, flute, drums, and modular synthesisers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/suspiria-2018/hear-thom-yorke-theme-new-suspiria/|title=Hear Thom Yorke's Theme For The New Suspiria|last=White|first=James|website=Empire|date=9 April 2018 |language=en|access-date=11 October 2018}}</ref> "Suspirium" is a piano waltz with flute and sparse production. "Has Ended" is a "slow-creeping groove" with droning keyboards, a dub-like bassline, and time-stretched piano.<ref name=":1" /> "Volk" is a "tension-filled" instrumental with "buzzy" white noise and "cacophonic" rhythms.<ref name=":2" /> For "Choir of One", Yorke recorded himself singing microtonal harmonies.<ref name="Gordon-2023">{{Cite magazine |last=Gordon |first=Jason Thomas |date=2023-09-08 |title=The songs that make Thom Yorke cry |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/thom-yorke-neil-young-bob-dylan-makes-him-cry-1234819196/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Promotion and release == The ''Suspiria'' soundtrack was released on 26 October 2018 by XL Records.<ref name=":18" /> It was preceded by five promotional singles: "Suspirium",<ref name=":0" /> "Has Ended",<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/listen-thom-yorke-has-ended|title=Listen: Thom Yorke - 'Has Ended'|last=Murray|first=Robin|date=3 October 2018|work=Clash Magazine|access-date=3 October 2018|language=en}}</ref> "Open Again",<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/thom-yorke-new-song-video-open-again-suspiria-739460/|title=Hear Thom Yorke's Mesmerizing New Song 'Open Again'|last=Legaspi|first=Althea|date=18 October 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=19 October 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> "Volk",<ref name=":2">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/thom-yorke-volk-video-suspiria-735921/|title=Watch Thom Yorke's Unsettling New 'Volk' Video|last=Legaspi|first=Althea|date=11 October 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=11 October 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> and "Unmade".<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/10/listen-to-one-last-thom-yorke-suspiria-single-befo.html|title=Listen to One Last Thom Yorke Suspiria Single Before the Full Score Drops Tomorrow|date=25 October 2018|work=Paste Magazine|access-date=25 October 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> XL held free listening events in cities around the world in September; fans could enter a lottery by email.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/thom-yorke-announces-suspiria-soundtrack-listening-parties-next-week/|title=Thom Yorke Announces Suspiria Soundtrack Listening Parties Next Week {{!}} Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|date=5 September 2018 |language=en|access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref> In October, Yorke performed three songs from the soundtrack for BBC 6 Music.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/thom-yorke-perform-suspiria-songs-bbc-radio-6-748252/|title=Watch Thom Yorke Perform Three 'Suspiria' Songs for BBC Radio 6|last=Kaplan|first=Ilana|date=28 October 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=29 October 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> A limited vinyl EP of additional tracks, ''Suspiria Limited Edition Unreleased Material,'' was released on 22 February 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/thom-yorke-announces-suspiria-unreleased-material-vinyl/|title=Thom Yorke Announces Suspiria Unreleased Material Vinyl|website=Pitchfork|date=10 January 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-01-10}}</ref>
== Reception == {{Album ratings | MC = 82/100<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/suspiria-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/thom-yorke|title=Suspiria [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] by Thom Yorke Reviews and Tracks|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=suspiria-mw0003208259|title= Review of ''Suspiria [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]''|last=Yeung|first=Neil Z.|accessdate=27 October 2018}}</ref> | rev2 = ''The A.V. Club'' | rev2score = B+<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/thom-yorke-summons-a-dark-new-sound-in-suspiria-1829996429|title=Thom Yorke summons a dark new sound in ''Suspiria''|last=Purdom|first=Clayton|date=26 October 2018|website=The A.V. Club|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Consequence of Sound'' | rev3score = B<ref>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2018/10/album-review-thom-yorke-scores-scares-on-the-spinning-suspiria/|title=Thom Yorke Scores Scares on the Spinning Suspiria|last=Graves|first=Wren|date=31 October 2018|website=Consequence of Sound|access-date=1 November 2018}}</ref> | rev4 = ''The Guardian'' | rev4score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="guardian-review">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/26/thom-yorke-suspiria-soundtrack-review|title=Thom Yorke: Suspiria review – nape-prickling soundtrack sits in the shadows|last=Beaumont-Thomas|first=Ben|date=26 October 2018|website=The Guardian|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> | rev5 = ''The Independent'' | rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/thom-yorke-suspiria-soundtrack-review-album-horror-film-a8601091.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/thom-yorke-suspiria-soundtrack-review-album-horror-film-a8601091.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Thom Yorke, Suspiria album review: Radiohead frontman's first ever soundtrack summons the darkness of horror|last=Bray|first=Elisa|date=25 October 2018|website=The Independent|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> | rev6 = ''Mojo'' | rev6score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Thom Yorke|magazine=Mojo|issue=301|date=December 2018|page=93}}</ref> | rev7 = ''Pitchfork'' | rev7score = 8.0/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/thom-yorke-suspiria-music-for-the-luca-guadagnino-film/|title=Thom Yorke: ''Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film)'' Album Review|last=Sherburne|first=Philip|date=27 October 2018|website=Pitchfork|access-date=28 October 2018}}</ref> | rev8 = ''Q'' | rev8score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Terror Visions|last=Monroe|first=Jazz|magazine=Q|date=December 2018|page=106}}</ref> | rev9 = ''Rolling Stone'' | rev9score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="rs-review">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/thom-yorke-suspiria-soundtrack-review-746730/|title=Review: Thom Yorke Mixes Haunting Instrumentals and Gorgeous Songs on 'Suspiria'|last=Vozick-Levinson|first=Simon|date=25 October 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> | rev10 = ''Uncut'' | rev10score = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Thom Yorke - Suspiria (Music For The Luca Guadagnino Film)|last=Bonner|first=Michael|magazine=Uncut|date=December 2018|page=20}}</ref> }} ''The Guardian'' said the ''Suspiria'' soundtrack "[belonged] in the background to ramp up the emotional cues, and as such is not as satisfying a home listening experience". The review praised the "raw" synthesiser sounds but found them "melodically basic", and found some tracks approached horror cliche.<ref name="guardian-review"/> ''Rolling Stone'' praised the vocal tracks, describing them as "vintage Yorke, and they make you wish he'd written more of them for ''Suspiria''." The review concluded: "It's an intriguing sideways swerve for Yorke, who's still finding new ways to unsettle and delight listeners after all these years as one of rock's greatest ever late-night spooks."<ref name="rs-review"/> "Suspirium" was shortlisted for the 2019 Academy Award for Best Original Song,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2026566/thom-yorke-sampha-the-coup-more-make-oscars-best-original-song-shortlist/news/|title=Oscars' Best Song Shortlist Includes "Shallow," "All The Stars," & More: See The List|date=2018-12-17|website=Stereogum|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> though it did not earn a nomination at the 91st Academy Awards.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2019 |title=The 91st Academy Awards {{!}} 2019 |website=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref> It was also nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2020-grammy-awards-nominations-complete-winners-list |title=2020 Grammy Awards: Complete Nominees List |date=20 November 2019 |website=The Recording Academy |access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref>
== Track listing == {{Track listing | headline = Disc one | all_writing = Thom Yorke
| title1 = A Storm That Took Everything | length1 = 1:47
| title2 = The Hooks | length2 = 3:18
| title3 = Suspirium | length3 = 3:21
| title4 = Belongings Thrown in a River | length4 = 1:27
| title5 = Has Ended | length5 = 4:56
| title6 = Klemperer Walks | length6 = 1:38
| title7 = Open Again | length7 = 2:49
| title8 = Sabbath Incantation | length8 = 3:06
| title9 = The Inevitable Pull | length9 = 1:36
| title10 = Olga's Destruction (Volk Tape) | length10 = 2:58
| title11 = The Conjuring of Anke | length11 = 2:16
| title12 = A Light Green | length12 = 1:48
| title13 = Unmade | length13 = 4:27
| title14 = The Jumps | length14 = 2:38
| total_length = 38:05 }}
{{Track listing | headline = Disc two | title1 = Volk | length1 = 6:24 | title2 = The Universe Is Indifferent | length2 = 4:48 | title3 = The Balance of Things | length3 = 1:08 | title4 = A Soft Hand Across Your Face | length4 = 0:44 | title5 = Suspirium Finale | length5 = 7:03 | title6 = A Choir of One | length6 = 14:01 | title7 = Synthesizer Speaks | length7 = 0:58 | title8 = The Room of Compartments | length8 = 1:14 | title9 = An Audition | length9 = 0:34 | title10 = Voiceless Terror | length10 = 2:30 | title11 = The Epilogue | length11 = 2:46 | total_length = 42:10 }}
{{Track listing | headline = ''Suspiria Unreleased Material'' extended play tracklist | title1 = Unmade Overtones | length1 = 1:29 | title2 = Unused Spell | length2 = 0:50 | title3 = A Conversation With Just Your Eyes | length3 = 5:16 | title4 = The7th7h7th7thson | length4 = 1:07 | title5 = Volk Spin Off v1 | length5 = 2:23 | title6 = Volk Spin Off v2 | length6 = 0:53 | title7 = Volk Spin Off v3 | length7 = 1:46 | total_length = 13:44 }}
== Personnel == * Thom Yorke – words, music, arrangement, production, recording * Sam Petts-Davies – production, recording, mixing, music editing * Hugh Brunt – orchestration, conducting * Noah Yorke – drums * Tom Bailey – engineering {{small|(AIR Lyndhurst)}} * Laurence Anslow – assistance {{small|(AIR Lyndhurst)}} * Alex Ferguson – assistance {{small|(AIR Lyndhurst)}} * Walter Fasano – music editing * London Contemporary Orchestra and Choir – score performance * Giulia Piersanti – hands and eyes used on front cover * Stanley Donwood – design * Doctor Tchock – design * Agnes F – design
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Chart performance for ''Suspiria'' ! scope="col"| Chart (2018) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |- ! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.auspop.com.au/2018/11/aria-chart-watch-497/|title=ARIA Chart Watch #497|publisher=auspOp|date=3 November 2018|access-date=3 November 2018|archive-date=31 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331231750/https://www.auspop.com.au/2018/11/aria-chart-watch-497/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | 65 |- {{album chart|Austria|30|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=8 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|Flanders|23|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=3 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|Wallonia|44|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=3 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|BillboardCanada|93|artist=Thom Yorke|rowheader=true|access-date=25 April 2023}} |- {{album chart|Netherlands|40|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=3 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|France|109|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=25 April 2023}} |- {{album chart|Germany|55|id=371507|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=2 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|Ireland2|53|artist=Thom Yorke|rowheader=true|access-date=3 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|Italy|20|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=25 April 2023}} |- {{album chart|Portugal|33|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=16 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|Scotland|10|date=20181102|rowheader=true|access-date=3 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|KoreaInt|100|date=2018.11.04~2018.11.10|rowheader=true|access-date=4 December 2018|refname="korint"}} |- {{album chart|Spain|26|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=25 April 2023}} |- {{album chart|Switzerland|28|artist=Soundtrack / Thom Yorke|album=Suspiria|rowheader=true|access-date=7 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|UK2|13|date=20181102|rowheader=true|access-date=3 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|UKIndependent|2|date=20181102|rowheader=true|access-date=25 April 2023}} |- {{album chart|UKSoundtrack|4|date=20181102|rowheader=true|access-date=25 April 2023}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|79|artist=Thom Yorke|rowheader=true|access-date=6 November 2018}} |- {{album chart|BillboardIndependent|2|artist=Thom Yorke|rowheader=true|access-date=25 April 2023}} |- {{album chart|BillboardSoundtrack|5|artist=Thom Yorke|rowheader=true|access-date=25 April 2023}} |- {{album chart|BillboardAlternative|6|artist=Thom Yorke|rowheader=true|access-date=25 April 2023}} |}
== References == {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} {{Thom Yorke}} {{Three Mothers trilogy}} {{Authority control}}
Category:2018 soundtrack albums Category:Thom Yorke albums Category:XL Recordings soundtracks