Review of Joshua Johnson's score for I Am Big Bird
Joshua Johnson’s score for I Am Big Bird is everything you’d expect from a documentary about Carroll Spinney. It’s warm, orchestral, sweeping, and nakedly emotional. It calls to mind in turns the rich melodicism motions of a John Williams score and the warm Americana of a Randy Newman score.
The press surrounding the film made it clear that this isn’t a movie about Sesame Street – it’s a movie about Carroll, Big Bird, and Spinney’s passion for his role and love for his wife. It’s about why, at age 81, he continues to put on the enormous suit that he’s been wearing since 1969. And as you’d expect, there’s no Sesame Street music here – no catchy Paul Williams ditties, no entrancing Phillip Glass pieces. But what IS there is the warmth and heart and earnest emotionality at the core of anyone and anything connected to Jim Henson.
The score is largely orchestral, with lots of grand, sweeping motion in the background and delicate solos over the top. It’s highly melodic, which is certainly not a given in the 21st-century film music, but it’s appropriate. Soaring, even. A cynic could accuse it of being cheesy, but given the subject of the film, it works perfectly.
The opening prelude is a tender, jaunty piano solo with light pizzicato strings. It’s a delicate touch, and it manages to be kinetic and gentle, all at the same time, with just tiny hints of pathos in an unexpected chord here and there. It’s perfect scene-setting, and perfect tone-setting for the score at large. It’s also got a gentle waltz lilt to it, which is another huge recurring element of the score. In fact, it’s kind of amazing to see how many different directions Johnson explores within such a famously-explored mode.
One of the most surprising things about the album is the variety of melodic material. This is a deeply interesting selection of music, with more going on melodically than a lot of blockbuster action movies manage to have in their music. The themes for Carroll Spinney and for Big Bird are interrelated, but they’re not the only themes we have to grab onto. In an age where an entire film score might be built on one or two different melodies, this album is a delight. Another area where Johnson demonstrates mastery is in his arrangement – his restraint when deciding when to go full orchestra or use a lighter texture his admirable.
This is warm music. It feels inexplicably American, in that sort of Copelandy way. It’s a big, warm hug of a score, and I can’t think of anything more appropriate for a film about a man who guided generations of children through their formative years. Spinney said that he and his wife have taken to listening to the music while the travel. That seems appropriate, too. It’s moving in just the right places, and thoughtful in just the right places, to be that backdrop. But don’t just put it in the car and have it going in the background. This is music that deserves to be thought over, and listened to with intent. It’s gorgeous. And it certainly deserves a place on your shelf.
Related posts:
You Might Also Like
