O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack)

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	December 5, 2000 (2000-12-05)
Genre	Country folk bluegrass blues gospel soundtrack
Length	61:24
Label	Lost Highway/Mercury
Producer	T Bone Burnett
Music sample
"I Am a Man Of Constant Sorrow"

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the soundtrack album of music from the 2000 American film of the same name, written, directed and produced by the Coen Brothers and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman.

With the film set in Mississippi during the Great Depression, the soundtrack, produced by T Bone Burnett, uses bluegrass, country, gospel, blues, and folk music appropriate to the time period. With the exception of a few vintage tracks (such as Harry McClintock's 1928 single "Big Rock Candy Mountain"), most tracks are modern recordings.

The soundtrack was reissued on August 23, 2011, with 14 new tracks that were not included in the original album, "including 12 previously unreleased cuts from music producer T Bone Burnett's O Brother sessions."^[1]

Development and sound

The soundtrack was originally conceived as a major component of the film, not merely as a background or support. For this reason it was decided to record a soundtrack before filming.^[2] T Bone Burnett was invited to design collections of music.^[3] One member of The Stanley Brothers, Ralph Stanley, personally took part in recording the music for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, singing a cappella folk song O Death.^[4]^[5]^[6]

There is a notable use of dirges and other macabre songs, a theme often recurring in Appalachian music,^[7] such as in "O Death," "Lonesome Valley," "Angel Band," and "I Am Weary", in contrast to the bright, cheerful songs, like "Keep On the Sunnyside" and "In the Highways", in other parts of the film.

"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" has five variations: two are used in the film, one in the music video, and two in the soundtrack. Two of the variations feature the verses being sung back-to-back, and the other three variations feature additional music between each verse.^[8] The voices of the Soggy Bottom Boys were provided by Dan Tyminski (lead vocal on "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow"), Nashville songwriter Harley Allen, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's Pat Enright.^[9]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[10]

The soundtrack CD became a best seller, certified eight times platinum as of October 2007^[11] with sales of 7.9 million copies in the United States as of January 2015.^[12] It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002, the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (for singer Dan Tyminski, whose voice overdubbed George Clooney's in the film on "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow", Nashville songwriter Harley Allen, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's Pat Enright), and the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "O, Death" by Ralph Stanley.

In 2001 the album spent over 20 weeks on the Billboard Top Country Chart. It won an award for album of the year and "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" won an award for single of the year from the Country Music Association.^[13]

Some of the artists on the soundtrack played a concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, which was recorded in the documentary film, Down from the Mountain.

In 2006, the album ranked #38 on CMT's 40 Greatest Albums in Country Music. In 2009, Rhapsody ranked it #8 on the "Country's Best Albums of the Decade" list.^[14] Engine 145 Country Music Blog ranked it #5 on the "Country's Best Albums of the Decade" list.^[15] In 2010, All Songs Considered, a program on NPR, included the soundtrack on their list of "The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings."^[16]

On August 23, 2011, a 10th anniversary edition was released featuring a bonus disc with 14 new tracks that were not included in the original album, twelve of which were "previously unreleased cuts from music producer T-Bone Burnett's O Brother sessions."^[17]^[18]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
1.	"Po' Lazarus"	traditional	James Carter and the Prisoners	4:31
2.	"Big Rock Candy Mountain"	Harry McClintock	Harry McClintock	2:16
3.	"You Are My Sunshine"	Jimmie Davis, Charles Mitchell	Norman Blake	4:26
4.	"Down to the River to Pray"	traditional	Alison Krauss	2:55
5.	"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (radio station version)	Dick Burnett	The Soggy Bottom Boys	3:10
6.	"Hard Time Killing Floor Blues"	Skip James	Chris Thomas King	2:42
7.	"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (instrumental)	Burnett	Norman Blake	4:28
8.	"Keep On the Sunny Side"	Ada Blenkhorn, J. Howard Entwisle	The Whites	3:33
9.	"I'll Fly Away"	Albert E. Brumley	Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch	3:57
10.	"Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby"	traditional	Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch	1:57
11.	"In the Highways"	Maybelle Carter	The Peasall Sisters	1:35
12.	"I Am Weary (Let Me Rest)"	Pete Roberts (Pete Kuykendall)	The Cox Family	3:13
13.	"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (instrumental)	Ed Haley	John Hartford	2:34
14.	"O Death"	traditional	Ralph Stanley	3:19
15.	"In the Jailhouse Now"	Blind Blake, Jimmie Rodgers	The Soggy Bottom Boys	3:34
16.	"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (with band)	Burnett	The Soggy Bottom Boys	4:16
17.	"Indian War Whoop" (instrumental)	Hoyt Ming	John Hartford	1:30
18.	"Lonesome Valley"	traditional	The Fairfield Four	4:07
19.	"Angel Band"	traditional	The Stanley Brothers	2:15
Total length:				60:18

10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition bonus disc
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
1.	"Hard Time Killing Floor Blues"		Colin Linden	1:15
2.	"You Are My Sunshine"		Alan O'Bryant	3:29
3.	"Tishomingo Blues"		John Hartford	2:01
4.	"I'll Fly Away"		Erik Darling and The Kossoy Sisters	2:32
5.	"Big Rock Candy Mountain"		Van Dyke Parks	1:42
6.	"Tom Devil"		Ed Lewis & The Prisoners	5:19
7.	"Keep On The Sunny Side"		The Cox Family	2:36
8.	"Angel Band"		Hannah, Leah, Sarah Peasall and Robert Hamlett	0:58
9.	"Big Rock Candy Mountain"		Norman Blake	2:18
10.	"Little Sadie"		Norman Blake	1:50
11.	"In the Highways"		The Cox Family	2:12
12.	"Hogfoot"		John Hartford	3:47
13.	"The Lord Will Make A Way"		The Fairfield Four	2:36
14.	"In The Jailhouse Now"		Harley Allen	3:05
Total length:				35:40

Personnel

Norman Blake – Performer, guitar, vocals
Jerry Douglas – Dobro
Alison Krauss – Vocals, harmony vocals
Chris Sharp – Rhythm guitar
The Stanley Brothers – Performers
Ralph Stanley – Performer
Sam Bush – Mandolin
Emmylou Harris – Performer
John Hartford – Fiddle, vocals
The Fairfield Four – Performer
Buck White – Mandolin, vocals, harmony vocals
Ed Haley – Arranger
The Whites – Performers
Mike Compton – Guitar, mandolin
Alan Lomax – Arranger
The Cox Family – Performers
Harley Allen – Vocals, harmony vocals
Barry Bales – Bass
Ron Block – Banjo
Curtis Burch – Dobro
T Bone Burnett – Arranger, producer
Evelyn Cox – Guitar
Sidney Cox – Banjo, vocals, harmony vocals
Suzanne Cox – Mandolin, vocals
Willard Cox – Vocals, harmony vocals
Stuart Duncan – Fiddle
Pat Enright – Vocals, harmony vocals, yodeling
Isaac Freeman – Bass, vocals, lead
James Hill – Vocals
Harry McClintock – Performer

Tim O'Brien – Vocals
Maura O'Connell – Vocals
Carter Stanley – Arranger
Dan Tyminski – Guitar, vocals
Wilson Waters – Sax (Tenor), vocals
Cheryl White – Bass, Vocals, harmony vocals
Sharon White – Guitar, vocals
Robert K. Oermann – Liner notes
Sam Phillips – Vocals
Gillian Welch – Arranger, vocals
Dub Cornett – Vocals
Chris Thomas King – Guitar, vocals
David Rawlings – Vocals
Gavin Lurssen – Mastering
Mike Piersante – Mixing
Peter Kurland – Location recording
First Baptist Church of Norfolk Choir – Vocals
Chris Sharp – Guitar
Nathaniel Best – Lead
Robert Hamlett – Vocals
Joseph Rice – Vocals
Sarah Peasall – Vocals, harmony vocals
Hannah Peasall – Vocals
Leah Peasall – Vocals, harmony vocals
The Soggy Bottom Boys – Performer
Tim Blake Nelson – Vocals, performer
Porter McClister – Tenor backup vocals
James Carter and The Prisoners – Performers
Sandy Wilbur – Musicologist

Chart performance

Album

Chart (2000–2002)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	1
U.S. Billboard 200	1
U.S. Billboard Top Soundtracks	1
Canadian Albums Chart	3
French Albums (SNEP)^[19]	9
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[20]	15
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[21]	14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[22]	87

Singles

Year	Single	US Country
2002	"Man of Constant Sorrow"	35

References

↑ Germain, David. New 'O Brother' set serves up more old-timey music Yahoo! News (August 22, 2011). Retrieved August 22, 2011
↑ Ridley, Jim (May 22, 2000). "Talking with Joel and Ethan Coen about 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'". Nashville Scene. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
↑ "O Brother, why art thou so popular?". BBC News. February 28, 2002. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
↑ Ellison, Michael (June 18, 2001). "American high". The Guardian. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
↑ Kumer, Anita (September 9, 2008). "Bluegrass Legend Ralph Stanley Endorses Obama". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
↑ "Museum Honoring Music Legend Ralph Stanley Set to Open October 16". Ralph Stanley Museum. 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
↑ McClatchy, Debbie (2000-06-27). "A Short History of Appalachian Traditional Music". Appalachian Traditional Music – A Short History. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
↑ Long, Roger J. (2006-04-09). ""O Brother, Where Art Thou?" entry page". Retrieved 2007-11-09.
↑ "Soggy Bottom Boys Hit the Top at 35th CMA Awards". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
↑ O Brother, Where Art Thou? at AllMusic Allmusic Review
↑ "RIAA certifications". Billboard.
↑ Jessen, Wade (January 29, 2015). "Luke Bryan's 'Party' Still Rocking, Sam Hunt's Album Holds at No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
↑ Price, Deborah; Stark, Phyllis (December 29, 2001). ""O Brother" One of Country's Biggest Success Stories". Billboard - the International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment. Missing or empty |url= (help)
↑ "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade" Archived January 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
↑ Staff (December 10, 2009). "Top Country Albums of the Decade (#10-#1)". Engine 145. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
↑ "The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings". NPR. November 16, 2009. Retrieved 2010. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
↑ Germain, David (August 22, 2011). "New 'O Brother' set serves up more old-timey music". Associated Press. Yahoo! News. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
↑ Lewis, Randy (August 23, 2011). "'O Brother,' is it 10 already?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
↑ "Lescharts.com – Soundtrack – O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
↑ "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack – O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
↑ "Charts.org.nz – Soundtrack – O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved July 9, 2013.

External links

Preceded by Under Rug Swept by Alanis Morissette	Billboard 200 number-one album March 23 – April 5, 2002	Succeeded by Now! 9 by various artists
Preceded by I Need You by LeAnn Rimes Inside Out by Trisha Yearwood I'm Already There by Lonestar Pull My Chain by Toby Keith Greatest Hits by Martina McBride Greatest Hits Volume III: I'm a Survivor by Reba McEntire Scarecrow by Garth Brooks Drive by Alan Jackson No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems by Kenny Chesney	Top Country Albums number-one album February 24 – April 27, 2001 June 30 – July 13, 2001 July 21 – September 14, 2001 September 22 – October 5, 2001 October 27 – November 9, 2001 November 17–23, 2001 January 19 – February 1, 2002 March 16 – May 10, 2002 June 29 – July 5, 2002	Succeeded by Coyote Ugly by Various Artists I'm Already There by Lonestar Pull My Chain by Toby Keith Greatest Hits by Martina McBride Greatest Hits Volume III: I'm a Survivor by Reba McEntire The Road Less Traveled by George Strait Drive by Alan Jackson No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems by Kenny Chesney No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems by Kenny Chesney
Preceded by Greatest Hits by Tim McGraw	Top Country Albums number-one album of the year 2002	Succeeded by Up! by Shania Twain

Grammy Award for Album of the Year

1959–1979	The Music from Peter Gunn – Henry Mancini (1959) Come Dance with Me! – Frank Sinatra (1960) The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart – Bob Newhart (1961) Judy at Carnegie Hall – Judy Garland (1962) The First Family – Vaughn Meader (1963) The Barbra Streisand Album – Barbra Streisand (1964) Getz/Gilberto – Stan Getz, João Gilberto (1965) September of My Years – Frank Sinatra (1966) A Man and His Music – Frank Sinatra (1967) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1968) By the Time I Get to Phoenix – Glen Campbell (1969) Blood, Sweat & Tears – Blood, Sweat & Tears (1970) Bridge over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel (1971) Tapestry – Carole King (1972) The Concert for Bangladesh – Various (1973) Innervisions – Stevie Wonder (1974) Fulfillingness' First Finale – Stevie Wonder (1975) Still Crazy After All These Years – Paul Simon (1976) Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder (1977) Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (1978) Saturday Night Fever – Various (1979)

1980–2000	52nd Street – Billy Joel (1980) Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross (1981) Double Fantasy – John Lennon and Yoko Ono (1982) Toto IV – Toto (1983) Thriller – Michael Jackson (1984) Can't Slow Down – Lionel Richie (1985) No Jacket Required – Phil Collins (1986) Graceland – Paul Simon (1987) The Joshua Tree – U2 (1988) Faith – George Michael (1989) Nick of Time – Bonnie Raitt (1990) Back on the Block – Quincy Jones and various artists (1991) Unforgettable... with Love – Natalie Cole (1992) Unplugged – Eric Clapton (1993) The Bodyguard – Whitney Houston (1994) MTV Unplugged – Tony Bennett (1995) Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette (1996) Falling into You – Celine Dion (1997) Time Out of Mind – Bob Dylan (1998) The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill (1999) Supernatural – Santana (2000)

2001–present	Two Against Nature – Steely Dan (2001) O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack (2002) Come Away with Me – Norah Jones (2003) Speakerboxxx/The Love Below – Outkast (2004) Genius Loves Company – Ray Charles and various artists (2005) How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – U2 (2006) Taking the Long Way – Dixie Chicks (2007) River: The Joni Letters – Herbie Hancock (2008) Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (2009) Fearless – Taylor Swift (2010) The Suburbs – Arcade Fire (2011) 21 – Adele (2012) Babel – Mumford & Sons (2013) Random Access Memories – Daft Punk (2014) Morning Phase – Beck (2015) 1989 – Taylor Swift (2016)

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