Album: Veronica Guerin: Original Soundtrack
Artist: Harry Gregson-Williams
2003 Hollywood Records
CD: 5050466-5820-2-7
Performed by
Sinéad O'Connor: vocals (1, 15)
Brian O'Donnell: vocals (11)
Hugh Marsh: electric violin
Michael Levine: violin
Kim Carroll: guitars
Peter DiStefano: guitars
Toby Chu: guitars
Produced by Trevor Horn (1), Harry
Gregson-Williams (2-15)
Supervising music editor: Marc Streitenfeld
Music editor: Sophie Cornet
Recorded by Chu/Gregg Silk
Mixed by Alan Meyerson
Album compiled by Meri Gavin
Mastered by Pat Sullivan
Soundtrack executive producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Executive in charge of music and soundtracks for Buena Vista:
Mitchell Leib
Music creative/marketing for Buena Vista: Glen Lajeski
Music supervisor: Maggie Rodford
Director of soundtracks for Buena Vista: Desirée Craig-Ramos
Art direction: Dave Snow
Design: Coco Shinomiya/Monster X
Tracks:
1. "One More Day" [Gregson-Williams/Horn/Marsh/Patrick Cassidy]
(3:20)
2. "Dublin 1996" [Gregson-Williams] (2:50)
3. "Driving" [Gregson-Williams] (1:37)
4. "Preparations" [Gregson-Williams] (1:50)
5. "The Killing" [Gregson-Williams] (5:07)
6. "Research" [Gregson-Williams] (1:03)
7. "Traynor Lies" [Gregson-Williams] (2:11)
8. "The Beating" [Gregson-Williams] (4:24)
9. "Conversations" [Gregson-Williams] (1:54)
10. "First Warning" [Gregson-Williams] (1:14)
11. "Bad News (Fields of Athenry)" [mus: Gregson-Williams; lyr: Pete
St John; arranged by Gregson-Williams] (6:05)
12. "Second Warning" [Gregson-Williams] (2:25)
13. "Deceit" [Gregson-Williams] (3:32)
14. "Never Show Your Fear" [Gregson-Williams] (1:23)
15. "The Funeral" [Gregson-Williams/Marsh/Cassidy] (2:21)
Notes: Horn went through a phase of producing songs for film scores.
"Veronica Guerin" was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, like 2004's "King Arthur" that Horn also worked on,
and there are many of the same executives involved. Veronica Guerin
was an Irish journalist who was murdered in 1996 when she was
investigating the drug trade in Dublin. The film is a biographical
drama about her invesitgation and murder. It was directed by Joel
Schumacher, with Cate Blanchett as Guerin.
The main score is by Harry Gregson-Williams, who had previously
worked with Trevor Rabin. As well as producing the single, Horn also
contributed lyrics to it. In a Feb 2024 interview with The
Vulture, Horn told the story:
We did a song for the end of the movie Veronica
Guerin. It was a beautiful song, and I wrote the lyrics.
What I remember was that the director hadn’t liked them very much.
In fact, he hated it. When I got to the studio to record I was
really nervous because having somebody tell you that they don’t
like your song isn’t very encouraging. But the first thing Sinéad
said to me was, “I fookin’ love the lyrics! It’s a really great
song!’ I said, “Darling, I love you.” And she was terrific on it.
I’m so sad that she passed so young. She was a troubled soul, but
she had the most beautiful voice.
Sinéad O'Connor needs no introduction, but the other vocalist, Brian
O'Donnell, will not be a familiar name. In Apr 2002,
Gregson-Williams visited the shoot for the film in Dublin. While in
the city centre, he heard a boy "of ten or twelve years of age"
(quoting his description in the liner notes) busking. He and
Schumacher thought it would be interesting to record the boy for the
film score, but Gregson-Williams ran out of time to arrange this,
having to return to Los Angelese. He contacted his brother Rupert
(who also worked on "King Arthur"), who sent a friend to track down
the boy based on only a description and where he had been singing.
After some days, the boy was located, contracts signed and he was
recorded in a quiet street singing several songs. One of these a
cappella performances of "The Fields of Athenry", a 1979 song
by Pete St John, then became the basis for (11), with
Gregson-Williams adding orchestra and choir. (HP, 17 Feb 24)
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