Oscar Nominee,Ā GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, and Country Music Hall of FameĀ member Glen CampbellĀ documented his final tour while struggling with Alzheimerās Disease in the Criticsā Choice nominated film GLEN CAMPBELLā¦IāLL BE ME. Music from the documentaryās soundtrack will be released on February 17 onĀ Big Machine Records.
The soundtrack will feature the Oscar and GRAMMY nominated song, āIām Not Gonna Miss You,ā which was co-written by Campbell and producer Julian Raymond. The song, in collaboration with the famed Wrecking Crew, is the last one Campbell ever recorded.
SaidĀ Rolling StoneĀ of the soundtrackās hit single,Ā āGlen Campbell has recorded his final song and the result,Ā āIām Not Gonna Miss You,āĀ is a poignant, confessional tune that serves as a stunningly personal coda to a career spent entertaining millions throughout the world.ā
āā¦heartbreakingly demonstrates the manās profound understanding of the disease, something that does not always come across in the filmed footage,ā addedĀ VarietyĀ of the song.
GLEN CAMPBELLā¦IāLL BE MEĀ isĀ anĀ epic human drama that intimately showcasesĀ the man and hisĀ music throughout Campbellās struggle withĀ Alzheimerās. Chronicling the story of love, laughter, resilience and power of song, this film shows howĀ against all odds,Ā Americaās greatest country star would not give up.Ā It was directed and produced byĀ James KeachĀ (producer ofĀ Walk The Line)Ā and produced byĀ Trevor AlbertĀ (Groundhog Day).
The soundtrack is also composed of songs thatĀ capture the myriad facets of an Arkansas traveller who became a first call Los Angeles session player, toured with the Beach Boys and recorded one of ASCAPās Most Played Songs ā āGentle on My Mindā ā of all time. Whether it was his āGlen Campbell Goodtime Hour,ā which ran for four seasons, āTrue Grit,ā also starring John Wayne, or his collaborations with Jimmy Webb (āWichita Lineman,ā āBy The Time I Get To Phoenixā), the maple-coated tenor has broken ground and maintained a sense of artistry regardless of the medium he was working in.
For the soundtrack to GLEN CAMPBELLā¦IāLL BE MEĀ the translational reality of his music is evident in various representations of the songs that have become a part of the American musical lexicon. The 10 track compilation is a witness to how music transcends moments, time and limitations ā and exists in the hearts of all who embrace it.
āIām Not Gonna Miss Youā is the heart-breaking final song of a career thatās spanned pop, country and adult contemporary. A heart-tugging portrait of what it means to recede into Alzheimerās, buoyed by the Beach Boysā harmonies and anchored by the echo-of-time piano chords, is an acknowledgement of the reality to come. Unflinching in its recognition of whatās lost, an elegiac dignity to being honest about the numb fills the void of memory.
āGentle On My Mindā finds break-out young superstars The Band Perry considering the tug of being gone that colours John Hartfordās āGentle On My Mind.ā Kimberly PerryāsĀ smoky alto ā breathy over a finger-banjo and the bend of a steel guitarĀ āĀ balances the yearning for whatās gone with the lure of whatās beyond the next horizon to reflect Campbellās own innocent grasp of love and rambling that defined a generation almost a half century ago.
āHome Againā finds Campbellās daughter Ashley comfortably filling her fatherās place as a reassuring presence, weaving acoustic instruments with a vocal warmth that is acceptance of life on its terms and the embrace of the good things found along the way. Her brightness suggests the same sense of being present in the moment that made her father the voice of people coming into their own during the turbulent ā70s and into the ā80s.
āWichita Linemanā (Live from the Ryman) is a tremendous testament to the indelible place music holds in Campbellās soul. Already well into Alzheimerās grasp, he not only acknowledges Webbās writing prowess, the multiple Grammy-winner brings a weathered truth to enduring the distance between where he must be and the one he loves. As the pathos of the vocal strikes listeners, Campbellās guitar-playing rises from the tracks, stunning with an emotional twining of notes and tension on the strings that conveys even more pain than his vocal ā only to finish with a soaring final profession of endurance on the songās protestation of āIām doing fine.ā
āA Better Placeā (Live From The Ryman) is the song from that historic Ryman concert that sums up Campbellās life 2:38 minutes. A bit philosophy, a string of details, a few insights into his current state of being, the gently strummed song of fidelity to his family, the admission of his need to lean on them and the acceptance of love existing beyond traditional definitions lends a sense of the things that truly matter.
For a man whoās led a life beyond dreams, in some ways, GLEN CAMPBELLā¦IāLL BE MEĀ is a sad denouement. But to see it lived out with so much heart, so much hope, so much caring and ultimately, so much music, the documentary and accompanying soundtrack are articles of the faith that in love all abides. Do as Campbell would hope: enjoy the music and find the way to enfold the ones you love any way you can while you can… and know even when itās not perfect, itās perfect in what it is.
Big Machine Records is partnering with CMT US, who will stream the entire soundtrack exclusively, the week before release. From 2/10 ā 2/16, fans can listen to all 10 tracks exclusively on GlenCampbell.CMT.com and on the CMT Artists App.
Big Machine Label Group CEO and PresidentĀ Scott BorchettaĀ is the Executive Producer of the soundtrack.
GLEN CAMPBELLā¦IāLL BE ME SOUNDTRACKĀ will include the following tracks:
āIām Not Gonna Miss Youā / Glen Campbell and The Wrecking CrewĀ (2:57)
āGentle On My Mind*āĀ (Documentary Version) / The Band PerryĀ (3:41)
āRememberingā / Ashley Campbell (3:59)
āAll I Need Is Youā / Glen Campbell (4:00)
āThe Long Walk Homeā / Glen Campbell (2:21)
āWichita Linemanā (Live from Ryman Auditorium) / Glen CampbellĀ (4:11)
āA Better Placeā (Live from Ryman Auditorium) / Glen CampbellĀ (2:19)
āGentle On My Mind*ā (Single Version) / The Band PerryĀ (3:10)
āHome Againā / Ashley CampbellĀ (2:55)
āIām Not Gonna Miss Youā (Single Version) / Glen CampbellĀ (2:57)
See the trailer for the film here.