Nathan Barr’s score for the first season of HBO’s vampire series ‘True Blood’ is a display of a man on a mission. He writes, arranges and performs the music himself – all by himself. The music, in keeping with practicalities, is minimalist for the most part. It sometimes stays in the background as Sookie, Bill or Sam face danger after danger (after danger) and sometimes becomes a part of the story – Eric’s ode from his younger days or Gran being taken home. Much of the season floats in mystery – the score reflects this. The released album contains 21 tracks and is a fair representation of the soundtrack of the show – it combines most of the elements of the musical narrative, not in order, but in a musical flow.
The show itself is a mix of sex, violence and good ole’ fashioned home cooking. It’s a more adult take on the world of vampirism than audiences have been offered in the last few years. As such, it is a darker, funnier and at times much more frightening offering. Barr, and Lisbeth Scott, with whom he collaborated to produce this score, bring this feeling through in their work. The album opens with ‘Take me home’, which will become, if not Sookie’s theme, then the theme for the Stackhouse family. It is a hymn that asks the Lord to take the singer home to heaven. Religion plays a huge role in this show – the setting is in and around the Bible belt in the United States. This is an interesting setting simply because the entire area is largely known for it’s conservative views. This show is about a minority struggling to achieve equality – it makes for very thought provoking analogous TV. As Scott sings ‘Take me home’, the audience is left to wonder – take me home from where? Is it away from this place of intolerance, away from this time or away from this world? It is a simple enough hymn yet in the context of the show it is given extra resonance. It plays most significantly as Sookie learns to let Gran go – she eats the dessert that Gran had made for her. It is an extremely touching scene. Sookie takes into herself something crafted by the person she must now let go, yet as she does this, Gran will stay as a part of her. The lyrics to the piece are prayer-like in their delivery –
‘In the sweet light of the valley,
When the sun falls upon the vine,
I shall lay down all of my troubles and lift up this heart of mine.’
This is the opening piece of the album, capturing the mood perfectly for the series to follow.
In ‘Hairclip’, the theme that will resurface again and again as Sookie delves deeper into Bill’s world is presented. Plucking the strings of a guitar, Barr displays a repeating and falling theme initially. It works well in the air as Sookie discovers more about this man. It evolves into a deeper piece as first a cello enters, rising above the notes to play a melody that is minor and melancholy in tone. There is a lot of this tone in their relationship, beginning in season 1 but continuing into seasons 2 and 3. A violin enters above this again playing drawn out notes, hanging in the air sending a creepy feeling throughout. This piece captures the mystery of Bill – Sookie gives this man a chance but knows nothing about him. This piece suggests that what she finds may not be something she’ll like.
‘Gran’s story’ is the theme for Sookie’s mindreading. Repeating chords on the piano form the basis for the supernatural ability. It plays whenever Sookie tries to look into someone’s mind deliberately. It is a waltz, written in ¾. Like the other pieces, it becomes a harmony of instruments adding to the texture. Cello and guitar join the piano in an otherworldly dance theme. Sookie is sugar and spice and possibly something not all that nice.
A highlight of the first half of the album is a cue from episode 1 – ‘Bill’s entrance’. This is the second time Bill and Sookie meet. She has already saved him from an attack by blood drainers and he has returned to get to know his saviour. The piece is slick and sexy – as she turns, he is standing in the middle of the bar, looking at her. The music simply cuts everything else out. Yes, they are in a crowded room. No it doesn’t matter at all because this is about Bill and Sookie. An interesting thing this piece does is to suggest the under-current of feeling between them. It doesn’t suggest a nice picnic and a walk in the park. It suggests sex, the passionate kind, and not the love making kind. Already we see the two of them drawn together in this way – here is an example of the music giving a teaser of what’s to come.
To move away from Bill and Sookie for a moment, the supporting characters are well represented on this album as well. Tara, Sookie’s best friend and the argumentative bar tender in Merlotte’s, has one of the most interesting side stories of the season. She comes from a broken home and an alcoholic, abusive mother. ‘Tara and mother’ is a return of ‘Take me home’. This theme fits because of the nature of Tara’s involvement with the Stackhouse family – she is an honorary member of a family that is the antithesis of her own. Her mother hardly notices her – yet this tender music plays over the two of them. Perhaps Barr was suggesting what might have been or simply mocking Tara, saying to her that family should be a certain way and hers certainly isn’t. A little bleak, probably not his intention. Yet the hint of that is there in this little cue. It is so interesting because, were the music to be played between Sookie and Jason, or Sookie and Gran, it would be standard heart-warming fare. It serves as a reminder that context is important, especially in film. ‘Tara in the pool’ represents Tara’s escape from this mother. It is a classical twist on the album as she plays with abandon in the beautiful home of Maryann. It starts simply, with plucked strings and runs on the piano, perhaps suggesting the child who is walking into a room they don’t have permission to be in. Then the harp enters; softening the mood before the cello comes to compliment it. They set a serene sound over Tara as she dives into the water, laughing with her new-found freedom.
Jason Stackhouse, Sookie’s brother, is the loveable rogue of the show. He is an idiot with a heart. His skills lie mostly in bedding women and his storyline follows this. ‘Jason and Amy’ is a track that accompanies his conversation with his new girlfriend. It is twanging guitars alongside the more traditional instruments and follows a steady 1-2 beat. It doesn’t hurry and it suggests peace between them. As they delve deeper into the vampire world and ‘doing V’, this peace is shattered. Displaying this peace on the album is a moment to reflect that Jason is in fact good hearted – his lack of thought brings him into trouble. ‘Amy’s goodbye’ is a beautiful piece that follows Amy out – the piano begins the piece, joined rapidly by cello and violin. In the scene, they share a dream of running free around a field. The piano captures the movement while the strings play on the mood between them. It is a wonderfully fun and moving piece, which is all the more heartbreaking as the visuals on screen again defy the mood of the music. There is another thing to note – there is no tension in this music. It is in a major key and there are no pauses. Therefore, we know what is going to happen because the music does not lend any change. It does not suggest that something will happen to intervene. It simply says ‘this is happening. I’m going to make it as nice as possible for you, but this is happening.’
‘The Tribunal’ is, for me, the standout piece of the album. It captures the horrific theme of the show – it’s about vampires. A lot of these vampires aren’t very nice people. A lot of people aren’t very nice people. The court is a mock up of human legal systems. An eye for an eye is the judgement given – simple, harsh and in the eyes of the vampire laws fair. Beginning with a violin drawing the note out, the piece sets the mood for a complete change in tone. There is simply nothing else like this on the album. Bill is out of his depth – he has killed a vampire and must face the consequences. He is very alone. His sentence is disturbing. This piece is disturbing. It shows us that even the scary things get scared sometimes too.
‘Grieve to grave to groove’, another cue focusing on Bill and Sookie, plays as Sookie mourns Bill. He has burned to death in a fire. He has been murdered. No one seems to care. As alone as Bill is in the court, she is now in the graveyard. She finds his headstone. Her grief is played out in the slow theme that had been developing between them. It is a terrible ode to the man she was growing to love. Thankfully, he pops out of the ground and ravishes her. The piece is literally two stuck together – one half is Sookie’s loneliness and sadness. The other half is their sex music. The sudden and jarring change in mood captures her surprise and passion as he rises out of the ground, filthy and hungry for her. This piece is one of the best examples of the truly adult nature of the show. It doesn’t hold back and it doesn’t wait for the censors.
Conclusion
The score for season one, as a whole, displays a raw talent at work. It is simple and complicated. The pieces combine to deliver an opera of emotion and mixed up worlds. The show uses analogies and examples to talk about a host of different topics. Nathan Barr has held the feel of the show in these tracks and on the screen. ‘True Blood’ won’t be to everyone’s taste but the music is something that any soundtrack collector will really want to take a bite out of.
