The Frank Ocean song that was cut from ‘Django Unchained’
Quentin Tarantino has developed one of the most recognisable styles in contemporary cinema, marked out by his unflinching commitment to violence, excessive use of expletives, and dependably killer soundtracks. His interest in curating the latter seems to have become almost as important as his distinctive visual style, his soundtracks becoming almost as successful as the films they accompany.
The director’s preoccupation with musical accompaniment began with his very first feature film, Reservoir Dogs. His clever use of Stealers Wheel’s ‘Stuck In the Middle With You’ even gave the song a new life, though, for many, it remains tied to the image of Mr. Blonde’s torturous razor use. Since then, Tarantino’s soundtracks have been reliably rocking.
From the iconic dance to Chuck Berry in Pulp Fiction to a Nancy Sinatra needle drop in Kill Bill, music is a staple element of his auteurship. Tarantino has demonstrably great taste, so it’s unsurprising that he once recruited the songwriting talents of Frank Ocean.
In 2012, Tarantino put out Django Unchained, a revisionist tale of slavery and revenge. The film starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx, the latter of whom also contributed to the soundtrack with a song he created with Rick Ross. Tarantino’s musical curation also featured tracks by John Legend, Jim Croce, James Brown and 2Pac, but Ocean’s name and voice was notably absent from the film.
Although Ocean revealed that he had penned a track for the film during an interview with GQ, it unfortunately never made it into the final cut. Tarantino released a statement about his decision not to include Ocean’s composition in the film, admitting that there simply wasn’t a scene that it fit alongside.
“Frank Ocean wrote a fantastic ballad that was truly lovely and poetic in every way,” he enthused, “there just wasn’t a scene for it. I could have thrown it in quickly just to have it, but that’s not why he wrote it and not his intention. So I didn’t want to cheapen his effort. But, the song is fantastic, and when Frank decides to unleash it on the public, they’ll realise it then.”
The song was titled ‘Wise Man’, and was unleashed onto the public by Ocean in the same year the film was released via Tumblr. “Django was ill without it,” he shared. The track itself features Ocean’s characteristically beautiful vocals and words, with repeated declarations of, “I bet your mother would be proud of you.”
The exclusion of the stunning composition left a Frank Ocean-shaped void in the soundtrack, but it’s understandable and respectable that Tarantino didn’t want to force the song in if it didn’t fit. Listen to the track below.
Never Miss A Take
The Far Out Quentin Tarantino Newsletter
All the latest Quentin Tarantino content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.