We loved Luca Guadagnino’s highly acclaimed film, Call Me By Your Name, when we caught it at Sundance this year, and our own Dominick Suzanne-Mayer made specific note of Sufjan Stevens’ score, which he says demonstrates the musician’s “perfect ear for the film’s tactile aspects of a summer getting shorter by the day.” The full score is officially released today and subscribers of Apple Music can stream it below.
Call Me By Your Name is Stevens’ first foray into film scoring. A collaboration with Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, the score is distinguished by lush orchestrations and staccato-heavy piano refrains, as well as Stevens’ heavenly vocals. Of the three tracks contributed specifically by Stevens, “Mystery of Love” was featured in the film’s trailer. The other new track is called “Visions of Gideon” and there’s also a new piano arrangement of Age of Adz’s “Futile Devices”. Understandably, Oscar buzz is already circling both the film and Stevens’ work.
In an interview with Lindsay, Guadagnino revealed that he invited Stevens onto the project. “I wanted to have a narration that was not the banal usual literary narration,” he said. “I wanted it to be more about something that really came from the soul. I wanted his epiphany in the movie and I had the privilege that he said yes.” Guadagnino says he asked Stevens for only one song, but that Stevens responded with two originals, along with the piano arrangement of “Futile Devices”.
Call Me By Your Name stars Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Amira Casar, and Michael Stuhlbarg. It opens on November 24th. Watch the film’s trailer below.
In November, Stevens will also be releasing The Greatest Gift, a mixtape of unreleased songs, demos, and remixes from his studio sessions for 2015’s Carrie & Lowell. Listen to the album’s “Wallowa Lake Monster”.
