Jesse Eisenberg made his directorial debut this month with When You Finish Saving the World, and alongside composer Emile Mosseri for the film’s soundtrack, he enlisted Jeff Tweedy to cover the labor anthem “Union Maid.” Check it out below.
Written by Woody Guthrie, the “Union Maid” refrain “I’m sticking to the union” has long resonated with the labor movement’s messages of resilience. Tweedy approaches the song in the same way that Bob Dylan sometimes approached Guthrie’s legacy, with a bit more speed and vocal reserve, to let the powerful lyrics do the talking.
Tweedy’s “Union Maid” cover isn’t his first brush with Guthrie. In 1998, Wilco and Billy Bragg released Mermaid Avenue, an album of the legendary writer’s previously unreleased lyrics set to original music.
The rest of the When You Finish Saving the World soundtrack features classical music courtesy of Mosseri, as well as more pop-driven music by Finn Wolfhard in the style of Ziggy, his character in the film. In a statement, Eisenberg explained his inspirations for the soundtrack:
“Emile is a genius. The idea behind the score is that when Ziggy’s on the screen it’s almost a manifestation of his persona, so the instruments have this certain tonal feel like they’re emerging out of cheap equipment. Of course, Evelyn’s soundtrack is all classical because that’s all she listens to and is what’s in her head. What makes it fun is that these sounds compete with each other throughout the movie, de- pending on who is dominating a particular scene.” Listen to “Union Maid” below, followed by the film’s OST.
This spring, Tweedy and the rest of Wilco will hit the road with Horsegirl and The A’s. Tickets are on sale here.
:quality(85):upscale()/2023/09/14/936/n/1922564/1eb8986c65037ae0e884d9.33922579_.jpg)
