"Learn Me Right": A Deep Dive into Mumford & Sons' Contribution to "Brave"
Disney•Pixar's "Brave," a grand adventure set in the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland, tells the heroic journey of Merida. The film masterfully weaves the rich natural setting throughout the story, brought to life with sophisticated filmmaking and extraordinary performances. Integral to this immersive experience is the music, which elevates the authenticity with a fresh and contemporary approach. This article delves into the song "Learn Me Right," an original piece performed by Birdy and Mumford & Sons for the film's epilogue, exploring its significance within the movie and its broader context within Mumford & Sons' discography.
The Music of "Brave": Setting the Stage
The music of "Brave" supports the story, bolstering this epic journey with Merida. The music really sets the tone for the film and underscores the time period. Scottish-born Patrick Doyle, only the fourth composer to write a score for a Pixar film, used a variety of native Scottish instruments such as bagpipes, solo fiddle, Celtic harps, flutes and the bodhran. To give the score a contemporary and fresh feel he included original bespoke electronic sounds and electronically treated dulcimer and cimbalom. Doyle employed many classic Scottish dance rhythms such as reels, jigs and strathspeys, which not only serve the action but keep it authentic. Two new songs performed by acclaimed Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis are among the film’s musical highlights. “Touch the Sky,” with music by Pixar’s own Alex Mandel and lyrics by Mandel and director Mark Andrews, accompanies Merida’s liberating and exhilarating ride through the forest when she is able to escape the confines of castle life. The song “Into the Open Air,” with music and lyrics by Mandel, is heard later in the film during a special moment between mother and daughter.
"Learn Me Right": A Culminating Moment
"Learn Me Right" is an original song performed by Birdy, whose self-titled album has been awarded Gold and Platinum status in UK and Europe respectively, and the Grammy®-nominated British folk-rock group Mumford & Sons, who also wrote, arranged and produced the track. Mumford & Sons sketched out a piece that would do justice to the culminating moment of the movie, underscoring the emotion, heart and the lessons learned between mother and daughter. Pixar’s Katherine Safarian was seemingly keen to get the band on board. "Learn Me Right" is an amazing song. I feel something every time I hear it. As Birdy herself stated, “I love it because it tells a story."
Mumford & Sons' Perspective
"It’s quite fun doing a song for a movie rather than for an album," said Marcus Mumford. "We liked the idea of having an orchestra in the background and having a girl like Birdy sing-it’s been quite liberating."
Birdy's Contribution
Birdy's vocals bring a unique quality to the song, blending seamlessly with Mumford & Sons' signature sound. The singer started garnering attention earlier this year with her self-titled debut album, which largely saw her taking on indie covers from acts like Bon Iver, the xx and Phoenix. On 'Learn Me Right,' the 16-year-old has just the right pitch to go along with the Scottish folk-inspired track.
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Lyrical Resonance
The song is attached to the upcoming Disney/Pixar animated film 'Brave,' which centers on a young girl's battle to fulfill her destiny and keep her family's royal leadership intact. With that in mind, the key chorus, "We'll fulfill our dreams and we'll be free" strikes a chord with the listener.
The Signature Mumford & Sons Sound
As for Mumford and Sons, the band does solid work in mostly backing the young singer. The things we have come to love in the past few years -- the banjo, guitar, bass, and string play of the band -- really drive the track home, and Mumford get an assist from a backing orchestra.
"Babel" and Beyond: Mumford & Sons' Evolving Sound
Mumford & Sons hadn’t made any real transformation from Sigh No More. The biggest difference between Babel and Sigh No More, aside from the length, is that the majority of songs are in the same vein as Roll Away Your Stone in sheer magnitude. But they’re still the same bunch of country gentlemen that sound like they’d be playing in a pub in England. There are still banjos, fiddles and Marcus singing the word “I” with an expertise only he can achieve.
Babel Album Review
Babel- Sigh No More opened with the short, quiet and absolutely beautiful title track. It is usually Mumford’s style even live to open with a low-key track that builds into something extraordinary by the end of it. So I was completely taken off guard by this opener, which is perhaps the loudest, fastest and most visceral track on the album. Marcus screams the lyrics unforgivingly, and it immediately sets the tone for the album. Whispers in the Dark- One of the less impressive tracks on the album. It has all the ingredients for your typical great Mumford song, but the chorus lacks the bursting quality their fastest songs have, and the emotional depth their quietest tunes have. That is where this track falls short; it’s not fast or slow, quiet or loud. I Will Wait- This is their big first single for Babel and they did a fabulous job with this one on SNL. But I think the reason this has not taken off the same way Little Lion Man did is that it lacks the angst that made LLM so special. It isn’t a problem for me. Holland Road- This is the only other track similar to Whispers in the Dark in that it is striving to be an epic-ly loud song, but coming right after the emotionally charged I Will Wait leaves me underwhelmed. There is nothing actually wrong with it; it’s a good song on its own. Ghosts That We Knew- I heard a live recording of this about a year ago, and even in its raw it form quickly became one of my favorite Mumford songs ever. It is one of their quietest songs to date, but perhaps one of their most touching. It is most similar to After The Storm from the previous album in its humble beauty. Lover of the Light- Maybe it is the use of a standard drum set, which you don’t often hear in their songs over the banjos and guitars, but something about this track seems more like a standard song you’d hear at a stadium concert rather than an English pub. Lovers’ Eyes- The band opened with this song on their Portland, ME stopover for the Gentlemen of the Road tour, starting with one haunting stanza of the “I walk slow, take my hand, help me on my way” bridge before beginning the song. I was pretty much in tears five seconds into their performance of it. Reminder- The shortest song on the album, and seemingly the rawest and most honest. There’s nothing here but Marcus and a guitar. Hopeless Wanderer- After much deliberation, I have decided that this is my favorite track on the entire album (coming so close to Ghosts That We Knew, Below My Feet and Lovers’ Eyes). I say this because it is the only song on the album that actually gave me chills on the first listen and subsequent million listens. The pre-chorus is unlike anything else. The repetitiveness of the staccato piano is not annoying in the slightest, but rather ties the whole song together. The speed and power at which Marcus strums the guitar in the chorus took me off guard the first time. You do not expect it to hit you after such a gentle opening. Broken Crown- Ah, here is the angst that we’ve been waiting for. This song has glaringly Christian references, and utilizes once again Marcus’s favorite swear word. Below My Feet- As I said, this came really close to being my favorite, and stood out to me immediately when they performed it on SNL before the album came out. This also has a lot of Christian undertones, but it is another song that just oozes with emotion and beauty. Not With Haste- Don’t think you can change the title of the song from Learn Me Right and replace Birdy with Marcus and think that I won’t notice this song was in the Pixar movie Brave. I actually made my mom stay through the credits of the movie to check if I was right in recognizing Mumford & Sons in the background of the song. I was. For Those Below- This does not sound like any other Mumford song out there. It is high-pitched and full of vocal harmonies. The Boxer (feat. Where Are You Now- This is similar to For Those Below and The Reminder in the stripped down honesty of it.
Babel: A Critical Reassessment
Babel brings with it, that classic Mumford charm; the strum of the guitar, the beat of the drum, all played with reckless abandon. There’s a vulnerability, a pain in Marcus Mumford’s voice that is hard to resist. There’s passion, rare and unequaled. The tracks themselves act as self-deprecating love songs, gentle at first, expanding into monumental and dynamic productions. They speak of regret and loss, change and belief. Each anthem, with their layers of harmonies, come together to create one entity.
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At first glance, you might find a sense of familiarity in the melodies - the standard Mumford rhythmic patterns. NO. We can not discount the fact that these songs have the ability to sound the same. If you take the time to listen again - break down the barriers that hinder you - you will find that they’re not only extensions of one another, but the tracks are magnificently crafted all on their own. It takes time, a bit of finesse, to shatter those heavy rhythms and find the unassumingly romantic, devotional lyrics.
Not With Haste gives us sizeable segments of the aforementioned, with remarkably novel, beautifully skilled strains. “Learn me hard. Weirdly enough, it was quite easy to pick my favorite track on the record. Lover of the Light goes above and beyond with a few swoon worthy phrases here and there. A tad more lighthearted than the others, it could comfortably be a rightful closer to this Brit-folk album. You’ll discover the title track is similar to Light in melodic theme, but with a tad more oomph to it. I Will Wait, on the other hand, is comparable lyrically, relentless in its communication, hopeful for a change of heart. Furthermore, Whispers In the Dark is a delightful surprise. With its initially simplistic and increasingly dark melody, you’ll easily spot Broken Crown as a prime definition for indignation and sorrowful romanticism. Fair warning, you might want to grab the tissues and keep them handy for Reminder and Lover’s Eyes, as well. I guarantee you will be unable to control yourself as the band chant together, reaching further and higher into the sky with their harmonic calls. “I’ll walk slow. Take my hand, help me on my way. If those weren’t enough to convince you, effortlessly one of the best tracks on the album, Below My Feet will settle your vote.
Beyond the Singles: A Deeper Appreciation
Some sentences always come with a qualifier. They’re one of those bands that one always has to justify liking, as their folk rock isn’t considered ‘acceptable’ to like, at least nowadays, after the singles from 2009’s Sigh No More became overplayed and people suddenly turned against them. My own variation on this would be, ‘I like Mumford & Sons, but the best songs on their debut weren’t the singles.’ I realised this after a while, and it’s something I stand by even now.
Evolution, Not Revolution
Babel, whilst it is assuredly a progression, might not be the step forward that some hoped it would be; by the same token, people who wanted Sigh No More 2.0 will be disappointed. Yes, those people exist, but that’s an argument for another time. This time around, the best song definitely isn’t the single - I Will Wait is as rousing and anthemic as we’ve come to expect from Marcus Mumford and company, but it’s a song that could have fit on the debut without anyone batting an eye. Plenty of songs on the album have single potential, of course, but Babel is pound-for-pound better than its predecessor. Of course, I speak from the perspective of someone who thinks the years have not been kind to Sigh No More, so your mileage may vary on this one, but the widescreen qualities of the title track, the album opener, are rather difficult to resist.
Marcus’s voice sounds rougher, like he’s trying to push himself, and by the end of Whispers in the Dark, there’s a definite sense that the band have a similar goal. The bravery inherent in throwing out something of a darker timbre so early on helps the album to move up a gear, and it does so in emphatic fashion with the six-minute Ghosts That We Knew, its lyrics dealing with the difficult topic of depression, and its musical palette expanded considerably from what had gone before. On the whole, the byword for Babel seems to be ‘evolution’, and not ‘revolution’, and that’s fine with me. Besides, there’s one thing it definitely has in common with its predecessor - it gets better as it goes on, really hitting its stride with the harmony-heavy Lover’s Eyes, and not letting up from there. This album isn’t going to be for everyone, and there will be some who avoid it precisely because of who’s behind it, but for what it is, it’s a job well done. ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ - just tighten it up and give it some polish. That approach has worked for them.
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"Not With Haste": The Album Version
Not With Haste is a fine closer, and if it sounds familiar to some of you, it’s because a noticeably different version (Learn Me Right) was on the soundtrack for the newest Pixar film, Brave. This time, it’s given a much more tender treatment. While I prefer the latter (for numerous reasons), the band’s version does a good job of closing an album that proves that they’re far more than a flash in a pan.
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