The Commitments (soundtrack)
Film soundtrack albums
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The music to the 1991 musical comedy-drama film The Commitments featured two soundtrack albums accompanied its release. The first album, entitled The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) was released on 13 August 1991 under the MCA Records label featuring 14 tracks; it was produced by Paul Bushnell, Kevin Killen and Alan Parker and was a chart-topping success upon release, being certified Platinum twice by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 2 million units in the United States and thrice by the British Phonographic Industry for selling 3 million units in the United Kingdom. At the 1992 Brit Awards, the album won the Brit Award for Best Soundtrack.[1]
After the commercial success of that soundtrack, MCA Records released a follow-up entitled The Commitments Vol. 2 (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) on 17 March 1992 featuring 11 tracks, albeit being less successful than the previous release. Both soundtracks were combined and released as a deluxe edition double album by Geffen Records in 2017, that also accompanied five tracks from cast member Andrew Strong's solo album Strong (1993).
The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
| The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | 13 August 1991 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 46:16 |
| Label | MCA |
| Producer | |
The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the film released by MCA Records on 13 August 1991.[2] The album which was produced by Kevin Killen, Paul Bushnell and Alan Parker, featured fourteen songs which appeared in various scenes of the film.[3][4]
Commercial performance
The soundtrack album was a commercial success, reaching the number one position of the New Zealand Albums Chart.[5] It also reached number one on the Australian Album Chart, and was certified 5× platinum.[6] The Commitments was present for a total of 76 weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 8.[7] According to The Daily Telegraph, it has soundtrack has sold 12 million copies worldwide.[8]
Reception
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album "a bit generic",[9] while Robert Christgau called it "a cross between The Big Chill and The Blues Brothers" with performers who "sacrifice idiosyncrasy for competence".[10] Alan Young of Consequence wrote, "With the film’s soundtrack in check, not just the North Side Dubliners earn a piece of soul, but the gift is shared by everyone who desires a getaway and a simpler, honest approach to the world."[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mustang Sally" | Mack Rice | Wilson Pickett | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Take Me to the River" | Al Green, Mabon "Teenie" Hodges | Al Green | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Chain of Fools" | Don Covay | Aretha Franklin | 2:58 |
| 4. | "The Dark End of the Street" | Dan Penn, Chips Moman | James Carr | 2:34 |
| 5. | "Destination Anywhere" | Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson | The Marvelettes | 3:08 |
| 6. | "I Can't Stand the Rain" | Ann Peebles, Don Bryant, Bernard "Bernie" Miller | Ann Peebles | 3:12 |
| 7. | "Try a Little Tenderness" | Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly, Harry M. Woods | Otis Redding | 4:31 |
| 8. | "Treat Her Right" | Gene Kurtz and Roy Head | Roy Head and the Traits | 3:35 |
| 9. | "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" | Penn, Moman | Aretha Franklin | 3:15 |
| 10. | "Mr. Pitiful" | Redding, Steve Cropper | Otis Redding | 2:07 |
| 11. | "I Never Loved a Man" | Ronny Shannon | Aretha Franklin | 3:09 |
| 12. | "In the Midnight Hour" | Pickett, Cropper | Wilson Pickett | 2:21 |
| 13. | "Bye Bye Baby" | Mary Wells | Mary Wells | 3:21 |
| 14. | "Slip Away" | William Armstrong, Marcus Daniel, Wilbur Terrell | Clarence Carter | 4:27 |
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[27] | 5× Platinum | 350,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[28] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[29] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[30] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | 3× Platinum | 900,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[32] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
The Commitments Vol. 2 (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
| The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | 17 March 1992 |
| Genre |
|
| Length | 35:53 |
| Label | MCA |
| Producer |
|
The Commitments Vol. 2 (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the follow-up to the first soundtrack album, produced by Killen and Bushnell and released by MCA Records on 17 March 1992.[33] It included four more songs from the film, as well as seven additional songs performed by the cast.[34][35]
Commercial performance
Unlike its predecessor, Vol. 2 proved less successful than the previous release, peaking at No. 118 on the Billboard 200 chart.[36] The album also reached No. 6 on the Australian Album Chart, and was certified gold.[6]
Reception
Billy Altman, writing for Entertainment Weekly awarded the album a "B", praising the performers for "sounding more mature and together on their seven newly recorded cover versions here than on four left over from the film".[37] Erlewine, in his review for AllMusic awarded the album three stars out of five and described it as being "plain and forgettable".[38]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hard to Handle" | Allen Jones, Al Bell, Otis Redding | Otis Redding | 2:23 |
| 2. | "Grits Ain't Groceries" | Titus Turner | Little Milton | 3:44 |
| 3. | "I Thank You" | Isaac Hayes, David Porter | Sam & Dave | 3:40 |
| 4. | "That's the Way Love Is" | Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong | Marvin Gaye | 4:08 |
| 5. | "Show Me" | Joe Tex | Joe Tex | 2:56 |
| 6. | "Saved" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | LaVern Baker | 2:54 |
| 7. | "Too Many Fish in the Sea" | Whitfield, Eddie Holland | The Marvelettes | 2:45 |
| 8. | "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" | Redding, Steve Cropper | Otis Redding | 2:52 |
| 9. | "Land of a Thousand Dances" | Chris Kenner | Chris Kenner | 3:16 |
| 10. | "Nowhere to Run" | Holland–Dozier–Holland | Martha and the Vandellas | 3:39 |
| 11. | "Bring It On Home to Me" | Sam Cooke | Sam Cooke | 3:41 |
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[50] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[51] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[52] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
The Commitments (Deluxe Edition)
The Commitments (Deluxe Edition) is the double-disc soundtrack combining both the first and second soundtrack, featuring 25 songs in total. In addition, the album also contains five songs from the cast member Andrew Strong's solo album Strong (1993).[53]
Reception
AllMusic's Erlewine described the combination as "all competent, respectful tribute to classic '60s R&B and soul".[54] Kingsley Abbott of Record Collector noted that the album offers "constant variety and interest".[55]
Chart performance
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[56] | 48 |
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[57] | 22 |