Decca Records has today announced the details of the original motion picture soundtrack for Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, the highly-anticipated next entry from the biggest animated franchise in history.
Audiences are taken back to the 70s this time around as Minions: The Rise of Gru chronicles how Gru (voiced by Academy Award nominee Steve Carell), the world’s greatest supervillain, first met the now-iconic Minions before going on to form cinema’s most despicable crew and face off against the most unstoppable criminal force ever assembled.
The film’s sun-soaked ’70s-inspired soundtrack, produced by 2022 Grammy Producer of the Year Jack Antonoff, features an all-star line-up. Hot on the heels of the recently released 2021 hit album ‘Thank You’, Diana Ross ft. Tame Impala steps to the forefront with the upbeat, dance-inducing first single ‘Turn Up The Sunshine’ (releasing next Friday, May 20, and available to pre-save here).
The soundtrack celebrates a range of dazzling funk, disco, and soul classics with brand-new versions of some of the biggest hits of the ’70s from some of today’s hottest talent. From St. Vincent’s new take on Lipps Inc’s 1979 hit “Funkytown” and H.E.R.’s rendition of Sly and The Family Stone’s 1967 smash “Dance to the Music,” to Bleachers’ version of John Lennon’s 1970 track “Instant Karma!” and Phoebe Bridgers’ interpretation of The Carpenters’ 1972 single “Goodbye To Love,” every track has been reimagined by each artist with ingenious results.
And of course, any Minions soundtrack wouldn’t be a Minions soundtrack without the odd “Banana” or “Uh, la cucaracha?” peppered in there. So, in keeping with tradition, the Minions themselves all got into the studio to record their rather distinctive performance of the classic Simon & Garfunkel 1970s favorite, “Cecilia.”
The soundtrack’s executive producer, Jack Antonoff, is an internationally renowned singer, songwriter, and record producer as well as lead vocalist for the rock band Bleachers. As a songwriter and producer, Antonoff, who in 2021 was recognized by the BBC for having “redefined pop music,” has collaborated with a wide array of artists including Diana Ross, Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent, Florence + The Machine, Lana Del Rey, Kevin Abstract and many more. Antonoff’s prolific career has earned him countless awards, including six Grammys, the most recent being the 2022 Grammy Award for Producer of the Year.
Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will be released digitally, on 3-panel CD digipack, standard black double LP, yellow & blue splattered double LP, yellow cassette and a limited-edition picture disc via Decca Records on July 1, 2022, to coincide with the film’s global theatrical release.
Tracklisting:
Turn Up The Sunshine – Diana Ross ft. Tame Impala
Shining Star – Brittany Howard ft. Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire 1975)
Funkytown – St. Vincent (Lipps Inc in 1979)
Hollywood Swinging – BROCKHAMPTON (Kool & The Gang 1974)
Desafinado – Kali Uchis (Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto 1959)
Bang Bang – Caroline Polachek (Nancy Sinatra 1966)
Fly Like an Eagle – Thundercat (Steve Miller Band 1976)
Goodbye To Love – Phoebe Bridgers (The Carpenters 1972)
Instant Karma! – Bleachers (John Lennon 1970)
You’re No Good – Weyes Blood (Linda Ronstadt 1975)
Vehicle – Gary Clark Jr. (The Ides of March 1970)
Dance to the Music – H.E.R. (Sly and The Family Stone 1967)
Black Magic Woman – Tierra Whack (Santana 1970)
Cool – Verdine White
Born To Be Alive – Jackson Wang (Patrick Hernandez 1979)
Cecilia – The Minions (Simon & Garfunkel 1970)
Bang Bang – G.E.M. (Nancy Sinatra 1966)
Kung Fu Suite – RZA
Minions: The Rise of Gru Score Suite – Heitor Pereira
