Whedonesque : Comments on 17474 : Dr. Horrible Soundtrack now available on iTunes.

Downloading now! :)

I must say that I am genuinely surprised that the title of "My Eyes" isn't "On the Rise"...

And indeed it's an iTunes Plus release, which is supposed to be higher quality and free of DRM.

The One True b!X | September 02, 04:29 CET

Any chance someone could copy the list of track names for those of us who don't want to download iTunes?

I'd originally guess that to be "Inside of Me" but when the general consensus came out for "On the Rise" figured that was the better title.

At first I wasn't even sure what "My Eyes" referred to.

ilion | September 02, 04:30 CET

Maratanos, the track listing is as follows...

1. Horrible Theme
2. My Freeze Ray
3. Bad Horse Chorus
4. Caring Hands
5. A Man's Gotta Do
6. My Eyes
7. Bad Horse Chorus (Reprise)
8. Penny's Song
9. Brand New Day
10. So They Say
11. Everyone's a Hero
12. Slipping
13. Everything You Ever
14. Horrible Credits

Also confirmed that the voices of the Bad Horse Chorus are, indeed, the brothers Whedon.

Knuckleball | September 02, 04:33 CET

Happiness :)

Valentyn | September 02, 04:36 CET

*sits and waits for a cd*

maxsummers | September 02, 04:39 CET

So excited! Although I already have every word (of the songs and dialogue) memorized since I have just been playing the movie on my iPod video, I'm downloading it now! Squee!

Linnea1928 | September 02, 04:43 CET

I just downloaded it and the quality is fantastic!

I'm so excited to finally have the soundtrack!

HowlingLupe | September 02, 04:49 CET

I'm with maxsummers. Any word on if/when there will be a CD? I'm not a huge fan of buying music on iTunes, even if it is iTunes Plus.

Aidje | September 02, 04:51 CET

No word on if for the physical CD, but Joss has stated he intends to eventually get one out. The same place he said he might not write the final arc of Fray, if I could just find that link...

Anyway, I wish this had a few bonuses--like demos, or something--but I'm so excited just to have this that I don't really care.

Jobo | September 02, 05:00 CET

Just downloaded it! I am in a world of happy.

UnpluggedCrazy | September 02, 05:01 CET

Sweet! It's even available internationally *runs off to download*

purplewolf | September 02, 05:07 CET

I was apprehensive when I saw this, thinking it would only be available in the US store but color me happy to see they released it internationally right away! Sweet! The quality is fantastic.

pollyprissypants | September 02, 05:12 CET

Yeah, surprised "My Eyes" isn't "On the Rise". As my favorite song, I've grown quite fond of that seemingly natural title.

In general I'm glad to have the music free of sound effects, but I do miss the pistol shot at the end of Bad Horse Chorus (Reprise). =)

jam2 | September 02, 05:14 CET

Where are you guys internationally? The movie was available in iTunes Canada, but not the rest of the world. If you're from Canada, there probably should have been a problem.

crazygolfa | September 02, 05:16 CET

oh happy day!!!

wilder | September 02, 05:17 CET

That's awesome the fact that they could release internationally at the same time of the US release. It trully makes me happy for all of you guys...

Now I just have to keep waiting for the cd, since we don't have the itunes store here in Brazil.

Also, I kind of got used to refer to 'My Eyes' as 'On The Rise'... it will be hard to chance that in my mind.

maxsummers | September 02, 05:17 CET

Yeah, "My Eyes" seems a really weird title choice.

UnpluggedCrazy | September 02, 05:20 CET

"My Eyes," because things look so different to Penny and Billy? Character-driven titling?

First track I listened to, and it sounds even better than the (already awesome) mushortio.

Second: "Everything You Ever." Pain-tabulous.

And "Everyone's a Hero" is even funnier. How'd that happen?

Felicia Day's singing is more subtle than I noticed before. These tracks seem to bring out more of the fullness of her voice. But it could be my studio-quality-but-affordable earphones :)

[ edited by Pointy on 2008-09-02 06:01 ]

Pointy | September 02, 05:22 CET

My first itunes purchase ever. You guys just made my sick-day. :)

highandrandom | September 02, 05:24 CET

"My Eyes" for the recurring "I Cannot Believe My Eyes".

ilion | September 02, 05:26 CET

Curse you, Whedon! I very happily have avoided iTunes, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that my portable player doesn't play aac files and that most of my digital music is stored on data CDs so what's the point, but you have forced me to use it! Yes, forced me to! And, adding insult to injury, you even made me like it, for it brings me the wonderful horribleness that is Dr. Horrible!

Curse you, I say!

*is now off to happily transfer her now-converted files to her not-iPod*

(This will make work tomorrow so much more enjoyable, let me tell you what.)

nanceoir | September 02, 05:28 CET

Wow! It sounds so incredible compared to my bootleg!

shishkarobb | September 02, 05:32 CET

So sayeth (tweeteth?) them:

Lyrics and liner notes coming soon on our site. For now, let your ears enjoy the soundtrack on iTunes.

The One True b!X | September 02, 05:35 CET

Wil Wheaton tweeted about the soundtrack being available. That's made of awesome.

crazygolfa | September 02, 05:44 CET

They sound fantastic, how delightful.

FD sings angelically, doesn't she?

kazzmere | September 02, 05:44 CET

It's nice to have the definitive title of songs.

I'm with other people; "My Eyes" just doesn't seem to echo the song as much as "On the Rise." But if the quality sounds better than my bootleg (sorry Joss, but the soundtrack wasn't available until now! I bought the episodes on iTunes as soon as I could, if that helps), then I'm not going to complain.

Also, "Everything you ever" is my favourite line in the song cause its not really a line in the song but a cool background effect sort of thing. So yayness!

CarpeNoctem | September 02, 05:49 CET

For those non-iPod users, here's how you can convert the tracks to MP3 format using iTunes.

Go into edit->preferences->advanced->click the "importing" tab->import using mp3 encoder, choose your bitrate, then apply the changes.

Then select the song files in your library (hold down the shift key and click on them all) click advanced->convert selection to .mp3

It will convert the tracks into the same iTunes folder as the M4As files.

shishkarobb | September 02, 06:01 CET

"Everything You Ever" is the best title! Daedreams was right!

Got my soundtrack, now I await the DVD...

electricspacegirl | September 02, 06:03 CET

Oh, it's great to have the nice quality. Even with my dying headphones. Glad to hear they'll be putting up liner notes, too, I always like having those.

Rachelkachel | September 02, 06:15 CET

Have to agree with everyone on the title of "My Eyes". It will always be "On the Rise" to me now. If they would've gotten this soundtrack out a tad earlier maybe that wouldn't be the case, but I just like "On the Rise" better at this point.

And Wil Wheaton? Really?

DeathIsYourGift | September 02, 06:26 CET

I burned it to CD! So awesome/horrible.

UnpluggedCrazy | September 02, 06:28 CET

If I can tangent for a moment- Pointy, would you have any suggestions on what brand might offer such a pair of studio-quality-but-affordable earphones? The pair I had and loved for the past few years- they got me through bus rides, airport boredom, and roomates having sex- abruptly died when I was on vacation in May. I still haven't found anything that is a good balance of quality and price yet to replace them.

kishi | September 02, 06:29 CET

And Wil Wheaton? Really?

Really.

The One True b!X | September 02, 06:32 CET

Well, NPH referred to the song as "My Eyes" in his online July 24 Washington Post interview, so I've been ready to jump either way. I'm quite comfortable with that title which, as Pointy notes above, has a little more character inflection to it than "On the Rise."

The iTunes quality is very nice.

SoddingNancyTribe | September 02, 06:36 CET

Wil Wheaton is a big fan.

electricspacegirl | September 02, 06:44 CET

It's disconcerting to listen to the official soundtrack after all this time listening to an unofficial one made from the show itself.

The One True b!X | September 02, 06:49 CET

My Windows system is too old for the necessary upgrade to download either the mushortio or the songs. :( I was looking forward to finally having a copy of the songs that I could play over and over, but no such luck.

I'm glad everyone else is enjoying them, though. (She says forlornly - but sincerely.)

samatwitch | September 02, 07:02 CET

samatwitch, check your email. I have a plan. And a kosher, they-get-money one, to boot.

The One True b!X | September 02, 07:06 CET

Hooray I can buy here in the UK!

Simon | September 02, 07:13 CET

As someone who hasn't been able to watch the show yet, is it better to wait, or download the soundtrack? The lyrics won't be tied into any context if I listen now, but it's agony waiting. Could someone offer an opinion - will listening ruin any of the best parts?

. | September 02, 07:14 CET

I would vote for waiting. As agonizing as that is.

The One True b!X | September 02, 07:20 CET

I'd say wait. Which will be difficult. But it'll be better that way.

kishi | September 02, 07:26 CET

gem, I don't know if it would ruin anything, but I think you'll lose the impact if you're not watching the pictures that go with the songs. Something as short and simple and enjoyable as "Bad Horse" the song I think needs to be seen and heard together first.

cabri | September 02, 07:28 CET

This is slightly off topic, but I want the "Horrible Theme" as my ring tone.

lookitsjulia | September 02, 07:28 CET

Is it possible Joss and co could make more money from the soundtrack than the actual show?

Simon | September 02, 07:30 CET

*happy dance!*

Hex | September 02, 07:37 CET

Will wait for the physical cd... can't deal with iTunes, bet I can't even use it to buy over here, since as far as I remember there's no functional iTunes store down here....

So, "On the Rise" is not "On the Rise", but "My Eyes"?
Kind of weird, it reminds me of "Rent", where there's a "Your Eyes".

Numfar PTB | September 02, 07:39 CET

Simon, I think so. The soundtrack costs more.

electricspacegirl | September 02, 07:40 CET

Ok, I'm dying to know if anyone thinks Felicia Day played the violin solo for the credits.

It sounds like it could be a real, live person, but it's been a while since I played with MIDI instruments. Things have come a LONG way since then. :)

BTW: My first post on Whedonesque! WooHoo!

Der JagerMeister | September 02, 07:47 CET

My first post – yay- so excited to be able to download the soundtrack in Australia! Can’t wait to catch the train home and listen to them on my iPod!
Oh - Kishi – re your question:

would you have any suggestions on what brand might offer such a pair of studio-quality-but-affordable earphones?

I just bought the best headphones for my iPod for only (AUS) $69. They are called ‘ iGrado’ and are made in the US by a company called Grado Labs so do a Google search for them. Really great quality for the price.

missemd | September 02, 07:50 CET

I'm so glad I can actually send Joss and gang some money for their shiny production finally. I would most definitely buy Dr, Horrible if it was available internationally, but the soundtrack will hold me over until the DVD release. The quality is pretty great. I can't stop listening to it!

Dan C. | September 02, 08:21 CET

Der JagerMeister: It's certainly a real violin, but I don't think it's Felicia playing - more likely to be Amir Yaghmai as credited in the end titles.

Kaneda | September 02, 08:32 CET

Bah, I never seem to be able to buy anything on iTunes. Just tried again, registering a bunch of cards, and it doesn't work for any of them. Can't figure why.

Never mind. I shall wait for the CD!

*waits*

Vortigun | September 02, 08:33 CET

Lyrics and liner notes are now up on the drhorrible.com. =o)

ETA: And seems I was right about Amir Yaghmai.

[ edited by Serge on 2008-09-02 08:58 ]

Kaneda | September 02, 08:56 CET

Its interesting to see who contributed what to each song. Does anyone know specifically which character Zack is singing under in "So They Say"? The only one I figure it can be is Moving Guy, yeah?

eddy | September 02, 09:29 CET

Love it. Is it just me, or are the fancy scifi-style keyboards a little more subdued in the mix than on the original? Noticed this particularly on Brand New Day.

Mort | September 02, 09:40 CET

The songs are so wonderful my overriding impession is: "Too Short!" I'm eager for Joss's franchise-expansion plans to unfold so we can hear more from this incredibly talented set of composers, lyricists, and performers.

(Oh, and can Penny un-die so that we hear more of Felicia's sweet voice?!)

SteveP | September 02, 10:44 CET

eddy: I think you're right. Since Michael Boretz (who played one of the Moving Guys) isn't credited in the liner notes as singer, I guess his voice is Zack's.

Kaneda | September 02, 11:10 CET

Woooot !! First iTunes purchase, possibly also last iTunes purchase (might stay on and only buy Plus stuff to encourage its spread) but i've never been happier to spend £8. Thank-you so, so much to Team Whedon for making it available internationally and, even better, seemingly DRM free (it's copying across to my notPod right now ;).

(and thanks to shishkarobb for the conversion instructions too, very handy ;)

Saje | September 02, 11:21 CET

Hmm, will probably skip this and wait for the DVD.

mjwilson | September 02, 12:24 CET

I've thought of it as "My Eyes" since NPH referred to it by that namein an interview.

Also it's now the #1 album on the Australian iTunes store.

[ edited by Hee on 2008-09-02 14:07 ]

NuVanessa | September 02, 13:11 CET

I can't hear the name My Eyes without thinking, "The goggles do nothing!"

But that's okay. Still my favorite song.

Jobo | September 02, 13:38 CET

kishi, quester for studio-quality-but-affordable headphones, I swear by but do not idolatrate Koss Pro-4AA headphones, on sale at Amazon for about $60. You might want to read the customer reviews for drawbacks. Some find them too big and bulky (doesn't bother me; I've the the world's largest head, but you're probably not a balloon-headed freak) but the sound is perfect & pure.
ETA: I wouldn't wear them outdoors -- they seem just a bit bulky for casual listening on the bus. They're a bit huge, too. They answer the question, "What is the opposite of earbuds?"

ETA: Another neat thing about "My Eyes" -- how gorgeously they harmonize musically while violently clashing lyrically. ETfurtherA: "My Eyes," because much of the difference between Penny's world and Billy's is therein.

[ edited by Pointy on 2008-09-02 14:30 ]

Pointy | September 02, 14:00 CET

The soundtrack costs more.

I'm waiting for the disk also but what is the price on iTunes?

Slipping About | September 02, 14:02 CET

Darn, it was Amir Yaghmai. Well, not darn in a BAD way, it was a great solo.

Slipping: the cost for the US version is $9.99. I have no idea about Internationally.

Der JagerMeister | September 02, 14:18 CET

It costs £7.99 in the UK, that's just over 14 US dollars (going by today's exchange rate).

Simon | September 02, 14:22 CET

It's £7.99 in the UK (so just over $14).

Saje | September 02, 14:22 CET

Oops, jinx ;).

Saje | September 02, 14:23 CET

Anyone else finding it impossible to give this as a gift? iTunes won't take my money, which is a shock.

ETA: Welcome, Der JagerMeister and missemd!

[ edited by Pointy on 2008-09-02 14:32 ]

Pointy | September 02, 14:31 CET

Thanks Simon and Saje :)

Slipping About | September 02, 14:58 CET

Woot! Happy September 2nd to me and the rest of us! Now the wait for the DVD begins....

Scaniano | September 02, 15:13 CET

It was so easy to convert to mp3, I'm still not sure I believe it. And while I do miss some of the background sounds, it is nice to hear things I hadn't noticed before.

Lioness | September 02, 15:30 CET

Having finally listened to it completely, my only complaint is with "Bad Horse Chorus (reprise)", what was being called "Bad Horse Phone Call". No whinny or gun shot. :(

Otherwise. I love it! ;)

shishkarobb | September 02, 15:47 CET

Personally I'm a little disappointed with the way this was treated when making it a soundtrack. Comparing it to the Buffy one, when they released the soundtrack for 'Once More With Feeling' they finished off all the songs which ended abruptly in the show, excised all of the dialogue and expanded on each one a little more. These changes really made each song stand on its own feet rather than being intrinsicly tied into the corresponding visuals.

While I was happy to be finally able to give some money to the Whedons, I'd have liked something slightly more than an high-quality audio rip of the show.

Aidan W. | September 02, 16:33 CET

ITunes decided to take my money for gifting the soundtrack :)

Pointy | September 02, 18:05 CET

Course we get to do this again next week.

Simon | September 02, 18:13 CET

Course we get to do this again next week.

Huh?

The One True b!X | September 02, 18:18 CET

There's another Whedonverse soundtrack that'll be coming out.

Simon | September 02, 18:19 CET

Aidan W., the OMWF soundtrack didn't expand on that many tracks, just 'Under Your Spell' and 'The Parking Ticket', I think. And we were just given the extra bits that occurred in the Buffyverse but we didn't see/hear. In Dr. H, the songs stop. There is no more song, it would be wrong to expand them. As far as dialogue and sound effects, they did edit that, leaving in the stuff (they feel) is part of the songs. Not sure there's anything more they could have done here.

I do wish they had Captain Hammer's 'WAAAAAAAAY!' as a track. =)

jam2 | September 02, 18:21 CET

Oh, right Simon. Der on me.

The One True b!X | September 02, 18:28 CET

@jam2: Totally agree, and to add, this isn't just a "high quality audio rip". Other than the dialogue and sound effects being removed, it's clearly remixed and mastered to be suitable for a CD. Reverb changes, change in various balances between instruments and voices etc.

Work went into this -- more than strictly necessary, I'd say.

Kaneda | September 02, 19:30 CET

I'm very angry. With me. I burned a CD last night so I could bring it to work and listen to it here.

And then left the CD at home.

The One True b!X | September 02, 19:33 CET

Awesome. Now I can walk and hear it as opposed to just walking and singing it to myself.

Does anyone know where there are details of the Evil League of Evil DVD Contest stuff??????

Dolphin Tamer | September 02, 19:36 CET

@jam2 I personally wish they'd left in NPH's evil laugh at the end of the opening theme. True, it wasn't there for any of the other eps, save the first, but it felt somewhat odd not hearing it there.

Other than that, they did a great job on producing those files. Joss must have quite the recording setup. Wonder if Joss ever dreamed of running a sound board in AV club. ;)

Der JagerMeister | September 02, 19:39 CET

B!X... dude. Ok, I know it's not funny, but LOL. That cracked me up for some reason. :)

Der JagerMeister | September 02, 19:40 CET

Dolphin Tamer: There are no details yet, beyond what was said at Comic-Con, which was basically just "we're gonna do this thing".

Der JagerMeister: It's all good.

Randomly: I once, in college, chased campus security around with a tape recorder while drunk on Jager. Ah, times.

The One True b!X | September 02, 19:42 CET

@bix Heh, "Don't RECORD me, man!"

Der JagerMeister | September 02, 19:50 CET

I owe it all to you who showed me the light.

Dolphin Tamer | September 02, 21:42 CET

It's Here...It's Here!
So find an iTunes near!
The soundtrack we've been
waiting for has finally come out
So start bangin on those keyboards
Stop bandy-ing about
Open up your wallets and get one for
you and me
Get one for everyone you know
Don't be a dumb donkey

We'reDoomed | September 02, 22:21 CET

I think Dolphin Tamer's having a "Brand New Day".....

RUN.

pat32082 | September 02, 22:27 CET

It's cool to see Dr Horrible in the top ten albums on the UK itunes.

[ edited by Derf on 2008-09-03 15:54 ]

Derf | September 02, 22:53 CET

I've been humming 'My Eyes' (AKA: 'On The Rise') all day because of iTunes!

Has there been an announcement on when the DVD is coming out?

BigLandoz | September 02, 22:59 CET

Not yet no. Be interesting to see who will release it.

Simon | September 02, 23:02 CET

I have added a Wikipedia page for the soundtrack.

UnpluggedCrazy | September 02, 23:20 CET

I have a weird feeling either an independent lable or Fox will release the dvd. Here's hoping they release a bluray version simultaneously. I really want this in full HD. :)

LOUiE | September 03, 00:02 CET

Thanks for your help, cabri, kishi and b!x. Seems like a good idea to wait on the DVD, in that case.

. | September 03, 00:12 CET

Crap, I just crashed my computer trying to install iTunes ;). I'll get a "new" computer (i.e. not my 533Mhz processor one I'm using now, but rather a 1Ghz one, yay for old-and-free computers from our observatory ;)) soonish, so I'll just have to wait a bit before I can fork money over to Joss & co. Which sucks, because I still have not payed them anything (I wanted to get the Dr. Horrible face-shirt, but after watching the whole thing, that now makes me feel bad. Any word on the new designs yet? :)).

And now, back to bed (jeez, one sick day and it's the day the soundtrack and liner-notes get released ;))

GVH | September 03, 01:04 CET

GVH, no word on what the designs are, but the newsletter which emailed out today says "coming soon".

The One True b!X | September 03, 01:13 CET

I love the show. Well acted, well written, full of goodly Jossness (or Jossy goodness perhaps).

Am I the only person in the world who thinks that it would have been just that slight bit better, classier maybe, without the poo and tard jokes?

zaphod | September 03, 02:15 CET

Captain Hammer isn't supposed to be classy. That's the entire point of those jokes being there.

The One True b!X | September 03, 02:46 CET

I think the poo and tard (and penis) jokes are at Captain Hammer's expense and go to the question of who CH is, so no problem for me. (I actually don't like the poo joke, but only because it feels awkwardly phrased to me, as if to just complete a rhyme.)

ETA: heh, simulpost.

[ edited by jam2 on 2008-09-03 02:47 ]

jam2 | September 03, 02:46 CET

Sure, I understand that, but there's classy unclassy and school boy unclassy. :-)

[ edited by zaphod on 2008-09-03 02:55 ]

zaphod | September 03, 02:54 CET

Reading the lyrics again, I realize how much it says about Captain Hammer. He is afraid of these homeless people, he even says so, just as the ducks scared him. So he gets nasty and calls them names and insults them. It is part genuine obliviousness- he doesn't think of anyone but himself-and part defensiveness.
And Captain Hammer is very schoolboy in many ways.

[ edited by Lioness on 2008-09-03 02:58 ]

Lioness | September 03, 02:57 CET

If anyone is still reading and hasn't seen this -- totally geek meltdown -- Felicia w/Jonathan Coulton singing Still Alive!!!!

zeitgeist | September 03, 04:31 CET

Aye, Z, it were linked here a few days ago . . . but well worth the reminder, especially for one such as I who'd never heard of Mr. Coulton or the song. I enjoyed it muchly. :-)

ETA: Oh, but this video is very fun too - you all have probably seen it already, but it's Jonathan C and friends playing "Still Alive" on Rock Band in concert in San Francisco.

SoddingNancyTribe | September 03, 04:43 CET

Now I just have to keep waiting for the cd, since we don't have the itunes store here in Brazil.

maxsummers, email me. Address is in my profile here.

The One True b!X | September 03, 05:10 CET

Can't... stop... playing... soundtrack...

ManEnoughToAdmitIt | September 03, 05:34 CET

My 3 year old daughter bursts into laughter at the poo line every time. I don't care how classy it is if it makes my daughter laugh. "The hammer is my penis" ain't classy either and yet, hilarious. I wish I could stop my daughter quoting that line in particular, cursed slow mute finger.

Mort | September 03, 06:47 CET

Well, neither is "you know who does that? Lassie" or "you know it's fine to know your place" classy. The entire song is laced with unclassy.

Going back to the first mention of the classy issue in this thread, really what confuses me is the idea that negative character traits shouldn't be portrayed as legitimately negative, but should always somehow be lightened up into mere intimations or representations of unclassiness.

I mean, if the fear is that someone out there is actually finding these remarks funny because they like laughing at the mentally retarded, well, that's an issue with ugly-minded people, not an issue with the writing of unclassy characters.

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2008-09-03 06:52 ]

The One True b!X | September 03, 06:52 CET

And heck, keep in mind that "classy" things like Shakespeare were laced with schoolyard humour. Take Bottom from a Mid-Summer Night's Dream, for instance. Such an ass!

ilion | September 03, 06:56 CET

Aye, Z, it were linked here a few days ago . . .

Oops :) Was away for the weekend and then got avalanched by work. Still trying to catch up!

zeitgeist | September 03, 12:43 CET

I guess what I meant by classy is that those two for me seemed to be below the normal writing standards for Joss. That it could have been written better, I guess, which is not something that I really ever think when watching anything that Joss has written. Jayne for example is crass, immature, moronic at times and morally bankrupt, but his dialogue is still well written. I just cringed is all - but at the writing, not at the character.

(jeez, I'm feeling almost disloyal or ungrateful saying that)

[ edited by zaphod on 2008-09-05 20:23 ]

zaphod | September 05, 15:20 CET

I just heard about this now when I was browsing through itunes. At first I added the songs I liked but the total came out to be $10 so I bought the whole album instead. And now I can't stop listening to it.

Anyway when the hard copy is released, I hope they'll package it together with the DVD.

xander fan | September 09, 18:17 CET

September 02 2008