Men in Black II (soundtrack)

Men in Black II (Music from the Motion Picture)
Soundtrack album by
Danny Elfman and various artists
ReleasedJune 25, 2002
Recorded2002
StudioNewman Scoring Stage, 20th Century Fox, Los Angeles
Length53:19
LabelColumbia
Danny Elfman chronology
Spider-Man
(2002) 		Men in Black II (Music from the Motion Picture)
(2002) 		Red Dragon
(2002)
Men in Black soundtracks chronology
Men in Black
(2002) 		Men in Black II
(2012) 		Men in Black 3
(2019)
Singles from Men in Black II (Music from the Motion Picture)
  1. "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)"
    Released: May 13, 2002

Men in Black II (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack to the 2002 film Men in Black II directed by Barry Sonnenfeld; a sequel to Men in Black (1997) and the second instalment in the eponymous film trilogy starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, reprising their roles from the predecessor. The soundtrack released through Columbia Records on June 25, 2002 and featured original score composed by Danny Elfman and three songs—"Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)" by Will Smith and Trā-Knox, "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men and "I Will Survive" by Tim Blaney—the former of which was released as a single on May 13, 2002.[1]

Critical reception

Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks.com wrote "Elfman fans and everyone else in the known universe have heard this score once before, making it an unnecessary addition to any collection."[2] Thomas Glorieux of Maintitles wrote "Men in Black 2 is saved from the same mistakes due to the diversity and better cohesion in tracks. Yet as a listening experience it could have been better if the best moments of the first returned to replace the worst moments of the second."[3] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "there aren't those standout moments, but the album plays consistently well from start to finish."[4] Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote "Much like his score for the first film, Danny Elfman's score for Men in Black II mixes the composer's innately twisted melodies and arrangements with allusions to classic spy themes and urban music (as a nod to the film's star, Will Smith). This time around, Elfman's compositions aren't quite as outlandish, serving more as a backdrop to the film's action than a musical commentary on it."[5]

Track listing

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Worms Lounge 1 (Worms in Black)"Danny Elfman5:20
2."Logo"Danny Elfman0:22
3."Titles"Danny Elfman5:01
4."Big Jeff"Danny Elfman2:25
5."Headquarters"Danny Elfman1:52
6."Chop-Chop"Danny Elfman2:00
7."Heart Thump"Danny Elfman1:51
8."Customs"Danny Elfman0:51
9."Hunting For K"Danny Elfman1:41
10."J Nabbed / K's Back"Danny Elfman2:20
11."The Real Story"Danny Elfman1:41
12."Sleuthing"Danny Elfman2:21
13."The Defense Begins"Danny Elfman2:47
14."The Chase"Danny Elfman3:22
15."The Light"Danny Elfman5:44
16."The Finale"Danny Elfman0:18
17."Worm Lounge 2"Danny Elfman3:09
18."Titles Revisited"Danny Elfman2:57
19."I Will Survive"Tim Blaney3:03
20."Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)"Will Smith featuring Trā-Knox4:20
21."Who Let the Dogs Out"Baha Men3:19
Total length:53:19

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[6]

  • Music composer and producer – Danny Elfman
  • Conductor – Pete Anthony
  • Orchestra contractor – Debbi Datz-Pyle, The Music Team
  • Orchestration – Bruce Fowler, David Slonaker, Edgardo Simone, Steve Bartek
  • Supervising orchestrator – Steve Bartek
  • Additional orchestrator – Marc Mann
  • Music preparation – Julian Bratolyubov
  • Additional music preparation – Ron Vermillion
  • Scoring stage crew – Damon Tedesco, Tom Steel
  • Engineer – Bill Talbott
  • Recordist – John Rodd
  • Recording and mixing – Dennis Sands
  • Additional recording – Adam Michalak, Greg Dennen
  • MIDI controller and choral contractor – Marc Mann
  • Digital score editor – Bill Abbott
  • Assistant score editor – Denise Okimoto
  • Technician – Noah Snyder

Charts

Chart performance for Men in Black II (Music from the Motion Picture)
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 34
UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[8] 45
US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)[9] 16

References

  1. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1452. May 10, 2002. p. 32. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  2. ^ Clemmensen, Christian (April 10, 2003). "Men in Black II (Danny Elfman)". Filmtracks.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  3. ^ Glorieux, Thomas. "Danny Elfman: Men in Black II". Maintitles.net. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Southall, James. "Elfman: Men in Black II". Movie Wave. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  5. ^ Phares, Heather. "Review: Men in Black II [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  6. ^ Danny Elfman. Men in Black II (Music from the Motion Picture) (Media notes). Columbia Records.
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack / Danny Elfman – Men in Black II" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50 – 25 to 31 August". Official Charts Company. August 25, 2002. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  9. ^ "Soundtracks: Week of July 20, 2002". Billboard. July 20, 2002. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2024.