A new score to the iconic 1921 film by Charlie Chaplin.
The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy.
My score to The Kid marks my return to comedy since my very first film score, Steamboat Bill Jr., and this time, I got to score another silent icon – I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to score a Chaplin film.
The opening of the film says that it will bring about both laughter and tears, and that coloured my approach to the score from the off – it needed to balance drama and fun, and those are two instincts that I’ve honed throughout my career. I worked on some emotional themes, linked to the mother and the relationship between the tramp and the kid, and I got to employ my natural inclination towards swing music for the fun moments.
As the film turned 100, I was asked to write this score by a chamber orchestra I know, and to fully score it as part of a celebration. I also brought out the relationship theme and adapted it into a song, which would be sung at the event (you can hear my piano demo on the album). Sadly, uncertainty about Covid restrictions meant the event didn’t go ahead in the summer of 2021, but hopefully the orchestrated version will be performed soon!
Tracklist
- The Kid Titles (0:54)
- Please Love and Care for this Orphan Child (4:08)
- His Morning Promenade (5:53)
- Drink Time (1:33)
- Five Years Later (2:51)
- Job Number 13 (4:40)
- The Act of Charity (3:30)
- A Breakfast Tramp (8:17)
- The Doctor’s Visit (3:03)
- A Rooftop Tramp (5:49)
- A Night at the Flophouse (5:16)
- Dawn (1:08)
- Dreamland (5:02)
- The Kid Goes Home (1:11)
- The Kid Suite (5:16)
- I’ll Never Let You Down (Demo) (1:53)
Reece Goodall 