"Just (After Song of Songs)" is a 2014 song written by composer David Lang. The song was performed by the

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vocal group Trio Mediaeval, violist Garth Knox, cellist Agnes Vèsterman, percussionist Sylvain Lemêtre. In 2015, it was adapted for use in the soundtrack for the comedy-drama film ''

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Yo ...

,'' directed by

Paolo Sorrentino Paolo Sorrentino (; born 31 May 1970) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. His 2013 film ''The Great Beauty'' won the Academy Awards, Academy Award, the Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe, and the British Academy of Film and Te ...

. The song is based on language from the '' Song of Songs'' in the Old Testament. It has received widespread acclaim from various news sources and music review websites, including

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

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, and

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Production

The song was originally commissioned by the Louth Contemporary Music Society as part of their 2014 album ''song of songs''. Every song on the album was inspired by the Old Testament '' Song of Songs,'' and it included music by composers David Lang,

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled '' Sequenza''), and for his pioneering work ...

, and Betty Olivero. The pieces were performed for the first time at a Louth Contemporary Music Society concert in

Drogheda, Ireland Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

, on October 24, 2014. The recording of "Just (After Song of Songs)" was a collaboration between the Norwegian vocal group Trio Mediaeval, violinist Garth Knox, cellist Agnes Vèsterman, percussionist Sylvain Lemêtre. In 2014, film director

asked David Lang to create a soundtrack for his comedy-drama movie, ''

''. Lang decided to include his previous song, "Just (Song After Songs)," in the movie soundtrack. In the context of the movie,

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

called the song "a wonderfully intimate work of subtle sensuality."

Themes

The Old Testament '' Song of Songs'' is known for its focus on the passionate love between a man and a woman. Lang uses only language found in the ''Song of Songs,'' in order to emphasize the intimacy of this kind of relationship. Lang has stated that he uses the relationship between man and woman as a metaphor for the relationship between man and God.

Style

The song is written in a simple, repetitive style, with every line starting with either "just your," "and my," or "our." These are meant to represent the different voices (male and female) found in the ''Song of Songs''. Any line that is structured as "just your

lank Lank may refer to: * Lank (surname) * Lank, Cornwall, a hamlet in Cornwall, United Kingdom * Lank Rigg, fell in the English Lake District See also * Lanc (disambiguation) Lanc may refer to: __NOTOC__ Organizations * National-Christian Defense L ...

represents the male voice, "and my

represents the female voice, and "our

represents shared ownership.

Reception

The song has received wide praise from a variety of news sources and music critics. Andy Gill, of

, summarized the song as consisting of "descending close-harmonies listing lovers’ qualities in an hypnotic, incantatory manner." Chris Voss, of Classical Boston Radio, called the piece "simple but compelling."

Fiona Maddocks Fiona Maddocks is a British music critic and author who specializes in classical music. Described as "one of the UK's leading writers and commentators on classical music", Maddocks has been chief music critic of ''The Observer'' since 2010. S ...

, of

, called the piece "bewitching and incantatory." The song has also been performed and recorded by other musical groups, most notably the

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research YIVO (Yiddish: , ) is an organization that preserves, studies, and teaches the cultural history of Jewish life throughout Eastern Europe, Germany, and Russia as well as orthography, lexicography, and other studies related to Yiddish. (The word ' ...

in 2018. The song was sampled by multiple prominent musical artists, including American singer

Mike Posner Michael Robert Henrion Posner ( ; born February 12, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.For Posner's full name, see He released his debut album, ''31 Minutes to Takeoff'', in 2010. The album includes the US ''Billboar ...

and British indie pop band

the xx The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), a ...

References

External links

Just (Song After Songs) - David Lang WebsiteJust (Song After Songs) - Youtube
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