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Can’t wait for August: Osage County? The Hollywood Reporter exclusively debuts a song from the film’s official soundtrack, in stores Jan. 7 in the U.S.
August: Osage County, a big-screen adaptation of the 2007 Tracy Letts play directed by John Wells, follows a struggling Osage County, Okla., family.
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The mid-tempo ballad “Violet’s Song” by JD & the Straight Shot, the New York-based blues/rock group headed by Cablevision CEO/president James Dolan, was written from the point of view of the family matriarch, Violet, played by Meryl Streep. Lyrics like “Born and raised to stand my ground/To this house I am bound forever, forever/I will not break, I will not bend/Always ready to defend forever, forever” describe Violet’s tough exterior and demeanor.
Dolan and Marc Copely, guitarist for JD & the Straight Shot, co-wrote the track.
“The character Violet is a study in family dysfunction. She has abused herself and her family for 30 years. ‘Violet’s Song’ is written from her point of view,” Dolan tells THR. “Refusing to see the pain in her life, she drives her entire family away with denial and anger that stretches all the way back to her own childhood.”
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Adds Copely: ” ‘Violet’s Song’ was inspired by the character Violet and her role as the centerpiece of her family’s dysfunction, while supported by the rich musical tradition and landscape of Oklahoma.”
JD & the Straight Shot have released four albums since 2005, the latest being 2011’s Can’t Make Tears.
Listen to the track below.
Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
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