Unshaken
| "Unshaken" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyD'Angelo | ||||
| from the albumThe Music of Red Dead Redemption 2 (Original Soundtrack) | ||||
| Released | January 4, 2019 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:53 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Daniel Lanois | |||
| D'Angelosingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Unshaken"is a song by American singer-songwriterD'Angelo.It was produced byDaniel Lanois,who wrote the track with D'Angelo andRocco DeLuca.The song was written for theoriginal soundtrackto the 2018 video gameRed Dead Redemption 2.It was released as a digital single throughRCA Recordson January 4, 2019, and later as part of the game's soundtrack released byLakeshore RecordsandRockstar Games.It was D'Angelo's first piece of new music released since his third studio album,Black Messiah,released in December 2014.
D'Angelo was invited to perform a song forRed Dead Redemption 2after showing enthusiasm duringplaytesting,having been a big fan ofits predecessor.DeLuca conceived the chant in the song'schorus,based on aproverbbyParamahansa Yogananda.Lanois felt that the lyrics were appropriate to the game's narrative. The song is moderately slow and includes D'Angelo's lower vocal register. "Unshaken" received positive reviews, both in the context of the game and as an individual track, and reached number 6 on theBillboardR&B Digital Song Saleschart.
Background
[edit]Prior to the release of "Unshaken", the last piece of music that D'Angelo put out was his third studio album,Black Messiah,in December 2014, which acted as his first studio album in 14 years. Some time after the release of that album, D'Angelo discovered thatRockstar Gameswas developingRed Dead Redemption 2;as he was a big fan of its predecessor,Red Dead Redemption(2010), D'Angelo reached out to Ivan Pavlovich, the director of music and audio at Rockstar, to play the game. Pavlovich recalled that D'Angelo would visit Rockstar's New York City office at midnight and play the game for several hours, adding that the singer found the game to be "incredible".[1]
Due to his enthusiasm, Rockstar's music team invited D'Angelo to perform on a song for the game's soundtrack. Pavlovich felt that D'Angelo's involvement in the game led to producerDaniel Lanois's engagement with the project. Lanois took an early version of the song to D'Angelo in New York. They added a percussion track, withBrian Bladeon drums,Cyril Nevilleon cowbell, Lanois playing guitar, and D'Angelo playingRhodes piano,and turned it into a full song. The recording process took around a week and a half. Lanois and D'Angelo originally began working on arock-oriented song in a6
8time signature,but "it didn't pan out".[1]
Composition and lyrical interpretation
[edit]
"Unshaken" is a moderately slow track, performed in the key ofG minorwith atempoof 80 beats per minute.[4]Chaz Kangas ofKZGOcalled it aneo soulsong,[5]whileJon CaramanicaofThe New York Timesdescribed it as "lonelycowboy-westernsoul".[6]Musically, Elias Leight ofRolling Stonecalled the song "meditative", featuring soft keyboards, low-key percussion, and a groove inspired byNew Orleans rhythm and blues.[1]D'Angelo sings in his lower vocal register on the track, a deliberate choice by Pavlovich to differentiate it from his typicalfalsettosinging voice.[7]Ryan Reed ofRolling Stonedescribed the performance as "crooning bleak imagery over a percussive groove".[8]Lanois's co-writerRocco DeLucaconceived the chant for "Unshaken" inNew Orleans,[3]based on aproverbbyParamahansa Yogananda:"You must stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds".[2]Lanois felt that the term applied to the determination of game's characters throughout the story.[3]The chant was also used in the song "Crash of Worlds" onthe game's soundtrack(2019).[3]
Ilana Kalish ofAtwood Magazinedescribed the song's opening percussion as a "secret knock on a hidden door", leading into the "privately uttered password" of the opening lines, which repeats Yogananda's proverb.[2]Amanda Hurych ofAXSnoted that the song's chorus is a plea for strength in difficult situations.[9]Dom Nero ofEsquiredescribed the proverb as "something between a battle cry and anelegy",writing that it encapsulates the game's narrative direction.[7]Atwood Magazine's Kalish felt that the verses unlock the thoughts ofRed Dead Redemption 2protagonistArthur Morganas he attempts to decipher his path. She identified a connection between D'Angelo's lyrical approach on "Unshaken" and his previous music, avoiding being "preachy" while being universal.[2]Jason Guisao ofGame Informerfound that the song recounts the game's important themes: "redemption through violence, redemption through heroism, and, most importantly, redemption through fatherhood".[10]
Release
[edit]
"Unshaken" was originally only available for listening via gameplay inRed Dead Redemption 2when it was released in October 2018.[1]It is played in the background while Arthur rides on a horse back to his camp at a pivotal moment in the game's story.[7]Bootleg versionsof the audio were eventually uploaded toYouTubefor listening outside of the gameplay.[1]The song's official release came on January 4, 2019, when it was uploaded onto digital platforms throughRCA Records.[8][11]The song was later published byLakeshore Recordsand Rockstar Games as part ofThe Music of Red Dead Redemption 2 (Original Soundtrack),released digitally on July 12, 2019,[12]and as aCDandvinyl recordon September 20, 2019.[13]
Reception
[edit]Atwood Magazine's Kalish praised the combination of musical elements in "Unshaken", particularly the lyrics and percussion.[2]Hurych of AXS described the song as "a perfect complement" toRed Dead Redemption 2's narrative.[9]Esquire's Nero called the track "transporting", hailing its performance in the game as "a sublime narrative moment that's among the best gaming has ever offered".[7]Dave Thier ofForbeswrote that the song's percussion track was in rhythm with the gallop of Arthur's horse in the game.[14]Game Informer's Guisao identified that "Unshaken" was the game's most popular song.[10]It peaked at number six on the USR&B Digital Song Sales.[15]
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from the liner notes ofThe Music of Red Dead Redemption 2 (Original Soundtrack).[16]
- D'Angelo– vocals,Rhodes piano,writer, lyrics
- Brian Blade– drums
- Rocco DeLuca– writer, lyrics
- Daryl Johnson– percussion
- Daniel Lanois– guitar, writer, lyrics, producer, mi xing engineer
- Cyril Neville– percussion
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USR&B Digital Song Sales(Billboard)[15] | 6 |
References
[edit]- ^abcdeLeight, Elias (December 18, 2018)."D'AngeloF-ckingLoves Playing 'Red Dead Redemption 2'".Rolling Stone.Penske Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on December 19, 2018.RetrievedApril 22,2020.
- ^abcdeKalish, Ilana (January 24, 2019)."Today's Song: D'Angelo's" Unshaken "is the Guarded Knock on a Hidden Door".Atwood Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on January 28, 2019.RetrievedOctober 7,2019.
- ^abcdLanois, Daniel(August 21, 2019)."The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2 Featuring Daniel Lanois".NTS Radio.Archivedfrom the original on August 27, 2019.RetrievedOctober 7,2019.
- ^""Unshaken" by D'Angelo – digital sheet music ".Musicnotes. 22 January 2019.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2020.RetrievedApril 21,2020.
- ^Kangas, Chad (October 30, 2018)."D'Angelo Snuck A New Song Into 'Red Dead Redemption 2'".KZGO.Go Media.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2020.RetrievedApril 21,2020.
- ^Pareles, Jon;Caramanica, Jon;Ganz, Caryn; Russonello, Giovanni (January 4, 2019)."The Playlist: D'Angelo's Cowboy Soul, and 9 More New Songs".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on January 5, 2019.RetrievedApril 21,2020.
- ^abcdNero, Dom (July 12, 2019)."How Red Dead Redemption 2 Found Its Sound—and That One Perfect D'Angelo Song".Esquire.Hearst Communications.Archivedfrom the original on July 15, 2019.RetrievedApril 21,2020.
- ^abReed, Ryan (January 4, 2019)."Hear D'Angelo's Brooding 'Red Dead Redemption 2' Song 'Unshaken'".Rolling Stone.Penske Corporation.Archived fromthe originalon January 4, 2019.RetrievedApril 21,2020.
- ^abHurych, Amanda (January 4, 2019)."Listen: D'Angelo reveals track 'Unshaken' off 'Red Dead Redemption 2' soundtrack".AXS.Anschutz Entertainment Group.Archived fromthe originalon April 29, 2020.RetrievedApril 29,2019.
- ^abGuisao, Jason (June 23, 2021)."This Tribute Concert To Red Dead Redemption II Proved The Power Of Its Music".Game Informer.GameStop.Archived fromthe originalon June 23, 2021.RetrievedAugust 13,2021.
- ^abD'Angelo;Lanois, Daniel(2019).Unshaken(Liner notes).RCA Records.
- ^"The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2: Original Soundtrack Out Now".Rockstar Newswire.Rockstar Games.July 12, 2019.RetrievedAugust 6,2019.
- ^"The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2: Original Soundtrack Vinyl Coming September 20".Rockstar Newswire.Rockstar Games.August 16, 2019.RetrievedAugust 29,2019.
- ^Thier, Dave (October 29, 2018)."Who Sings 'Unshaken' In 'Red Dead Redemption 2'?".Forbes.Archivedfrom the original on October 29, 2018.RetrievedApril 29,2020.
- ^ab"Unshaken Chart History".Billboard.Eldridge Industries.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2020.RetrievedApril 21,2020.
- ^Rockstar Games(2019).The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2 (Original Soundtrack)(Liner notes).Lakeshore Records.