Glory (song)
| Glory | |
|---|---|
| Common and John Legend | |
| publication | December 11, 2014 |
| length | 4:32 |
| Genre (s) | Hip-hop , soul |
| Author (s) | John Stephens , Lonnie Lynn , Che Smith |
| Label | ARTium , Def Jam , Columbia |
| Award (s) |
Oscar for best film song Golden Globe |
| album | Selma - Music from the Motion Picture |
Glory is a song by rapper Common and singer John Legend . The song was released on December 11, 2014 via Columbia Records . It is the theme song of the film Selma (2014). The song won an Oscar for Best Song , a Golden Globe for Best Film Song, and a Grammy Award for "Best Song Written for Visual Media".
background
Glory was written by John Legend, Common, and Rhymefest as the theme song for the civil rights drama Selma . The film is about the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. Common himself has a role as James Bevel . John Legend produced the song that runs in the film during the credits. Musically, the song consists of two parts. John Legend sings the chorus in gospel style , while Common performs the two verses as rap . The text, which mainly describes Martin Luther King and the Selma to Montgomery marches, also makes reference to other events. There are references to Rosa Parks and the death of Michael Brown . It was important to both artists to establish the current reference to the time and to show that a great deal had already been achieved with regard to civil rights in the United States, but that there was still a long way to go. When writing songs, Common was influenced by Legends chorus.
The song was performed by the two artists on the occasion of the 50th anniversary in 2015 on the Edmund Pettus Bridge , the original location of the march, when the film team re-enacted the march.
Music video
The music video for the song was released by Common on January 12, 2015, on its official Vevo YouTube channel . Shortly before that, the song received a Golden Globe Award . The video, produced by Paramount Pictures , shows John Legend at the piano and Common on a stage. For this purpose, film clips from Selma are recorded.
reception
At the 2015 Academy Awards , Common and John Legend received an Oscar for best movie song. The duo played the song at the awards ceremony just a few minutes before Idina Menzel and John Travolta presented the award. Glory sat down against Everything Is Awesome by Shawn Patterson (from The LEGO Movie ), Grateful by Diane Warren (from Beyond the Lights ), I'm Not Gonna Miss You by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond (from Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me ) and Lost Stars by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois (from Can a Song Save Your Life? ). After Lose Yourself by Eminem and It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp by Three 6 Mafia , it is the third rap song to win at the Oscar Awards. The two had previously won a Grammy Award and a Golden Globe for the song. It was the first Oscar for both of them.
The song, which appeared both as part of the soundtrack album and as a download, was also commercially successful.
| Charts | Top ranking | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Chart placements | ||
 Austria (Ö3)
|
47 (1 week) | 1 |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
|
38 (1 week) | 1 |
 United Kingdom (OCC)
|
62 (1 week) | 1 |
 United States (Billboard)
|
49 (3 weeks) | 3 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Pete Hammond: Oscar Watch: Common, John Legend On 'Glory' - “We Wanted To Reflect The Time We Live In”. Deadline, February 15, 2015, accessed January 15, 2017 .
- ^ John Legend & Common - Glory. OnSmash, January 13, 2015, accessed November 15, 2017 .
- ↑ Dave McNary: 'Selma' Wins Oscar for Best Original Song with 'Glory'. Variety , February 22, 2015, accessed January 15, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d Chart sources: DE CH UK US