Dull Tool
| "Dull Tool" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Fiona Apple from the film This Is 40 | |
| Released | 2012 |
| Format | Digital download |
| Genre | Pop rock |
| Length | 4:22 |
| Label |
Capitol Records Universal Music |
| Writer(s) | Fiona Apple |
| Producer(s) | Jon Brion |
"Dull Tool" is a song by American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple, released on the soundtrack to the comedy film This Is 40 (2012).[1] It is the first track Apple wrote solely for a film.[2] "Dull Tool" was produced by Apple's long-time collaborator Jon Brion, and leaked online in November 2012, several weeks before the soundtrack hit stores on December 11. Apple recorded a second song for This Is 40, though this was not included in the film nor its soundtrack.
Background and composition
American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple became involved with the comedy 2012 film This Is 40 after being sent a script by its writer and director, Judd Apatow. The two had met a few years previously during a benefit concert for a family clinic; Apatow was a self-described fan of her music. Some time after sending Apple the script,[3] film composer Jon Brion told Apatow that Apple had recorded a demo for the film. Apatow later commented in an interview with Pitchfork Media, "I didn't know she would write anything. The song was perfect, and I knew exactly where to put it."[3] He added that Apple had recorded a second song, but he could not find an appropriate place to insert it into the film; he called this song "equally as great as 'Dull Tool'. It was heartbreaking not to put it in, but I'm sure it'll reach people at some point. It's a beautiful song."[3] Brion, a long-time collaborator of Apple's,[4] produced "Dull Tool", as well as every other original song featured on the album.[5]
"Dull Tool" has been perceived to reference a poorly-ended relationship,[6] in which Apple begins by discussing the game hide and seek and ends by "launching into a barrage of insults."[7] Lyrically, various music critics considered the "dense and fevered" song to be the "tortured antidote" or "painful sequel" to "Hot Knife", a song from Apple's 2012 album, The Idler Wheel....[6][7] Slate noted that the song included Apple's regular "fast-tumbling waltzes on the piano" as well as "an orchestra’s worth of mandolins, violins, electric guitars, and timpani."[7]
Release and reception
The song appears in This Is 40, but was not initially planned for inclusion in the film's soundtrack.[8][9] In October 2012, Pitchfork Media reported a supposed conflict between Apple and her record label, Epic Records. Apple had reportedly "lashed out at her label for pulling promotional support from her new album [The Idler Wheel...] in response to her placing a song on a soundtrack" that was being produced by two other music companies.[10] This led to speculation that Epic did not want the soundtrack to be released.[11] It leaked online in November 2012, several weeks before the soundtrack debuted in stores on December 11.[7][12]
In a review of the soundtrack, Rolling Stone called the song "sprightly but vicious",[13] while the Corpus Christi Caller-Times opined that the album was "smartly assembled" and Apple's song "convincingly echo[ed] domestic frustration".[14] Though Apple's music has been featured on other film soundtracks, "Dull Tool" marked the first time she could be eligible for an Academy Award.[2] The Huffington Post revealed that Universal had listed it among other pieces it submitted for consideration to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,[15] but it did not receive a nomination for Best Original Song.[16]
References
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "This Is 40 [Original Motion Soundtrack]". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- 1 2 "Fiona Apple's 'This Is 40' Song 'Dull Tool' Leaks". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. November 18, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- 1 2 3 Fitzmaurice, Larry (December 11, 2012). "Interviews: Judd Apatow". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Rosen, Christopher (October 22, 2012). "Fiona Apple & 'This Is 40': Original Song 'Dull Tool' Will Appear On Soundtrack". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Davis, Edward (November 17, 2012). "Listen: Fiona Apple's "Dull Tool" From The 'This Is 40' Soundtrack; Paul Rudd Hearts Ween In New Poster". IndieWire. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- 1 2 Golden, Zara (November 19, 2012). "Fiona Apple Digs In With "Dull Tool," Her New Song For Judd Apatow's This Is 40". VH1. Viacom. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Wickman, Forrest (November 19, 2012). "Listen to a New Song From Fiona Apple". Slate. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Battan, Carrie (October 23, 2012). "Fiona Apple Records Song for Judd Apatow Movie". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Battan, Carrie (November 8, 2012). "Fiona Apple's Song for the Judd Apatow Movie This Is 40 Will Be Released After All". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Battan, Carrie (October 24, 2012). "Did Fiona Apple's Label Epic Records Stop Her Judd Apatow Film Song From Being Released?". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Fiona Apple feuding with label over Apatow film song?". MSN. October 25, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Cruz, Araceli (November 19, 2012). "Fiona Apple's "Dull Tool" Leaks". Fuse. The Madison Square Garden Company. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Rosen, Jody (December 11, 2012). "This Is 40 Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ De Leon, Jesse (January 25, 2013). "'This is 40' soundtrack signals middle age in style". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. The E.W. Scripps Company. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Makarechi, Kia (November 18, 2012). "'Dull Tool': Fiona Apple's 'This Is 40' Song Arrives With Plenty Of Spunk". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Dobbins, Amanda (January 10, 2013). "Turns Out the Academy Doesn't Like Cool Music". Vulture. New York Media. Retrieved February 1, 2013.