B E N F O L D S

我為這部電影製作了五首歌.

這過程真是...不是很容易的,但我想這就是大成本動畫電影的本質.這是一部給小孩子看的電影,我很喜歡,因為它從一些很傻的角度來探討了消費主義.是適合給孩子看的電影.當然拉,郊區的蔓延,消費的過剩都是些常被討論的問題,但這些都已是我們生活中的一部份,而我認為讓小孩子提早看到這些不同觀點是件好事.從無邪純真的小動物眼中重新探討.即便你已經看過了你這年代的動畫動物了.所以當他們提出這部電影而找上我為其中一員我欣然接受,因為我認同電影的出發點,而動畫師們為我演出,秀給我看很酷的動畫草稿,還在洛杉磯的員工餐廳裡餵飽我當然也是其中原因.

在故事內容還剛開始發展的階段我就開始寫歌了.當CGI動畫製作開始萌芽綻放期間,我原創的音樂顯得很搭,但在看電影時,我的歌卻顯得渺小而太細微.夢工廠大可以找超人氣的,有12白金唱片的歌手製作的,而我常思考他們為什麼沒這樣做.他們沒這樣做是因為他們想要一個說故事的人的聲音在背後,他們選擇我我實在很開心,所以我全心投入,甚至這代表著必須為電影的完整而放棄一些音樂的東西.

所以歌是配合著電影而寫的,配合得天衣無縫(蚊子屁股般的緊).如果他們改了一些鏡頭,我得視情況他媽的重新錄製以配合那感覺和時點.我早下決定要為這部電影作牛作馬了,並不在乎這突然的變化,我在乎的是加深說故事人的情感,歌曲的諷刺性和重要性.很多人參與這部電影,而他們都有各自想表達的東西,所以有時候事情變得有些難搞.你的電話一天內就響了一百次,就在你要按下錄音鍵的剎那,不過總的說來,當看電影的時候,音樂和電影又相融了.

我傷了些腦筋,得重寫"rocking the suburbs(搖滾吧郊區)"的歌詞.我必須思考.我是不是要讓我寫過的東西更下一層樓.他們要我在結尾的地方重新編寫,當我用原曲配上電影時,我知道我一定得改歌詞.就是不搭.更別提歌詞中有"狗屎"呀"媽的"呀實在是保護級電影不宜.不過"suburbs(郊區)"的音樂部份倒很完美.導演的判斷是對的,而我選擇不當膽小鬼,重新編詞.不再是白人男孩的憤怒音樂,而單純只是"suburbs(郊區)",講平常人在郊區裡買的日常東西呀那些的.

到最後,我最滿意的版本並沒放進電影裡.如果我願意改更多歌詞的話,還有可能.做電影的那些人不想把爭議的話對孩子和家長說,還算有道理.所以我們放了修改的版本,而我幫Shatner寫了一小段在橋上大罵作為彌補.我把自己的版本"suburbs remix 06(郊區混音06)"放在不同的地方重現光明,這樣你就會聽到我把原曲改編後精神還在,而給孩子看的電影院版本中又能更貼切電影本身.我想"suburbs remix(郊區remix)"本身和原曲同樣的強烈.但許多人會不同意.沒差.我卻很滿意,因為我把它視為完全不同的歌曲.

開場曲"Family of Me(我的家庭)"是為電影量身訂做的.我的挑戰是跳脫電影後歌曲還得能聽,而我決定不刻意改造它,讓它自然保持它的本性.不過如果萬一那天你無聊的時候放dvd,開場時把音量轉小,去想像該放進去的音樂,應該挺有趣的.我花了幾天時間嘗試不同的方法來寫.指示是寫一首歌讓小孩認識RJ,布魯斯威利(Bruce Willis)配音的那隻浣熊,最糟的部份是他遇上麻煩.我決定讓他吹噓他多棒,所以諷刺性反差了他遇上困難的處境.背景歌曲中的合聲總是會和主唱唱反調,原來的歌詞是:"喔,我是個屁眼大混蛋",但顯然這歌詞壽命不長.導演和製作人大笑了幾聲後,就在我解釋為什麼在孩子面前唱"屁眼大混蛋"沒問題的同時,他們停止了大笑,.我想是"屁眼"的部份有問題,只有"混蛋"應該就沒事了吧.我也不知道..

"打劫(Heist)"原本是個很呆的孩子玩笑,不過我們必須告訴觀眾浣熊RJ是個吹笛手(唆使他人效仿自己的人),類似業務員.角色們個性純真,所以歌曲除了稍微寓示一下這樣的行為不是太好之外,一定得免去嘲諷.歌曲中堅持說,你可以買也可以儘管的用,明天架上依然會有更多.中間的寓意得讓孩子知道否則對孩子來說就只是好玩,他們會丟更多的爆米花.

"仍然(Still)"是首關於兩個主角的轉捩點,讓我投入最多的心思.它是關於事情就在你預期之外,或不經意中發生了變化.我在寫的時候想像著蓋瑞山德林(Gary Shandling)的角色Verne,他是個失意的科學家,為了逃避更大的問題,從顯微鏡中觀察沒生命的物體.不過他也體認到就算事情看來是靜止的,事實上還是不斷的在變動和改變.所以雖然他知道他為了逃避巨大的現實而躲在觀察細微的事物,把這些微小的事物加起來和他一直在躲避的事情大小其實是一樣的.在電影原聲版本中,我切入了浣熊和它住在拖車裡母親的過去,不過是有點超出電影的範圍了...

"超級市場裡迷路"是一首碰撞(clash)樂風的經典.我試著在被未成年接受和不讓我最愛的歌俗掉之間把持住.我怕我最近常用的管樂器的部份會有不良示範.哈哈.我想還可以接受拉.或許小孩子現在會去聽"倫敦吶喊(London Calling)"吧!(註:堪稱搖滾史上最偉大的龐克專輯).

總的來說,這次製作,歌曲都是專門為了這部充滿色彩而仔細的大製作電影量身訂製,我對完成它,和嘗試加強敘事的部份樂在其中.我現在做到了,我可能在短期內無法靠這維生.它實在他媽的讓我快起笑了.我希望你喜歡這部電影.天祐美國.

~ben

(本文由本人粗略的翻譯,原文為Ben Folds自己在給歌友會會員信中所寫的原聲帶製作後感,若有任何翻譯不完整或失真處歡迎給comments指教,因為還不是很完善所以若需轉載請先來comments告知經同意後再轉,謝謝!Ben Folds rocks!)

Over The Hedge OST
Over The Hedge Official Movie Site

原文如下(摘自fanclub newsletter):

i did five songs for this movie.

what a process... not a painless one, but i think that's the nature of big budget animated films. it's a kids movie and i like it because it's a look at consumerism from some silly points of view. a good thing for kids to see. sure, suburban sprawl, consumer waste are issues that get talked about a lot, but it's all part of our lives, and i think it's good for kids to see it all early on from different points of view. through the innocent eyes of animals gives a fresh look. even if you've already seen your share of animated animals. so when they pitched the movie, i was in because i agreed with it's intent. and the animators act it out for you and show you cool sketches and feed you in their cafeteria in los angeles.

i began writing the songs to story boards which were fairly raw. my original music for the scenes became appropriate as the production of the CGI animation began to blossom. my songs began to sound small and overly detailed when viewing the movie. so we concentrated on simpler and much larger, more pointed production and songs. dreamworks could have gone with a super pop extraveganza with 12 platinum acts, and i often wondered why they didn't. but they didn't because they wanted a single voice as sub narration beneath and i was flattered that they wanted me and i gave it all i had, even if it meant sometimes sacrificing musical things i wanted to do for the better of the movie.

so the songs were written to picture. tight as a gnat's ass. if they changed some frames, i'd record the whole fucking thing again if i needed to, to keep the feel and timing. i was determined to serve the film and not interested in random needle drop, but in adding feeling or irony or highlight to the narrative. there are a lot of people working on these kinds of movies, and each has an opinion, so sometimes it got hairy. and your phone rings 100 times a day, usually right when you press the record button in the studio. but all in all, when watching the film with the music, it all came together.

the assignment i had to get my head around was rewriting lyrics for 'rockin the suburbs'. i had to think on that one... if i wanted to bastardize something i'd already written. they wanted a rewrite for the end credit. when i saw the film and they'd used the original for temp music, i knew i HAD to change the words. they didn't fit, nevermind that there are 'shits' and 'fucks' which is absurd for a kids movie. the 'suburbs' music was perfect though, the directors were right and i decided not to be a pussy and i worked on a rewrite. instead of being about angry white boy music, it's simply about living in the suburbs and about all the things you buy.

in the end, the version that i was happiest with didn't make the movie. it could have, had i been willing to change more lyrics. the film makers did not want to push a few issues and words with kiddies and parents, which is fair enough. so we used a mutated version of the original for the film and i wrote shatner a little piece to rant in the bridge. i'm putting out my version, 'suburbs remix 06' out in a few ways so it sees the light of day. this way you'll hear my original impression of a rewrite, while the children's film version will serve 'over the hedge' better. i kinda think 'suburbs remix' is as strong in its own right as the original. many will disagree, fine. but i'm very happy with it since i see it as a completely different song.

the opening credit song 'family of me' was written very tightly to the picture. the challenge was to make it work by itself outside the movie. and i decided not to extend this song and try to make it into more than it was. but if you're bored sometime and have the dvd, watch the opening scene with the volume down and try and imagine the music that should go there. kinda fun. i spent a few days with the scene trying different things out. the directive was to write a song that let the kiddies know that RJ, the racoon played by bruce willis is at a low point. that he's in trouble. i decided to make him brag about how great he was, so the irony of that would play against his perdicament. the background vocal lyrics always contradict the lead vocal. the original lyric was 'ooh, i'm an asshole' but obviously that didn't last for long. the directors and producers got a good laugh and then they stopped laughing when i tried to explain why it's okay to say 'asshole' in front of kids. i think it's the 'hole' part. ass might be alright. i don't know...

'heist' was supposed to be silly kids fun. but we needed to tell the audience that the racoon, RJ was a pied piper, a bit of a salesman. the characters are all still innocent so it has to be irony free, except for just a hair of foreshadowing that it might not always all be alright. the song insists that you can buy and use as much as you want, more will appear on the shelves the next day. otherwise, it's just fun for kids so they'll throw more popcorn.

'still' is the watershed song for the two main characters and what i put the most thought into. it's about how things change when you're not expecting or when you're not looking. and i wrote it imagining the gary shandling character, verne, as a sad scientist who's been looking at inanimate objects through a microscope to avoid bigger picture issues. but he realizes that even the things that appear to be still are actually moving and changing as well. so in his trying to avoid the bigger reality by obsessing over details, he's realizing the details all add up to the same thing he's run from. in the soundtrack version, i got into the racoon's history with his trailor mom some, but that was a little outside what the film called for....

'lost in the supermarket'. a clash classic. i was trying to walk that line between making it work for kids and not cheesing one of my favorite songs up too badly. i have a fear of horn sections which i've been addressing lately. haha. and i think it worked out just fine. maybe the children will now go out and listen to 'london calling'.

all in all, the production, the songs are built specifically for a massively colorful detailed big production film and i enjoyed the challenge of matching that and trying to enhance the narrative the whole thing. now i've done that, i'm probably not going to make a career of it it anytime soon. it nearly drove me fucking crazy. i hope you enjoy the film. god bless america.

~ben