"Free Birds" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Free Birds (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" Soundtrack Description

Overview

Time-traveling turkeys with a first-timer on the podium: the album is a largely orchestral showcase for composer Dominic Lewis, punctuated by two commercially minded songs. The Relativity Music Group release presents a brisk, pun-titled cue list that tracks the film’s jailbreaks, colonial skirmishes, and end-credits glow.

Lewis’s score does the heavy lifting—kinetic woodwinds for slapstick, warm strings for tribe-bonding, brassy action for the Myles Standish fights—while Social Distortion’s cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Up Around the Bend” rolls over the credits. A MattyBRaps single (“Back in Time”) was cut for the project and packaged with the album. Album facts are consistent across AllMusic, Film Music Reporter, and DSP listings.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Dominic Lewis. This was his first major feature as lead composer.

What label issued the album and when?

Relativity Music Group; digital release late October 2013, with retail rollouts following on major services.

Which song plays in the end credits?

“Up Around the Bend” covered by Social Distortion.

Is MattyBRaps’ “Back in Time” in the film?

It’s an official single on the album and in marketing; on-screen placement is not consistently documented.

Is this mainly songs or score?

Primarily score (29 tracks total on DSPs), with two prominent song tracks.

Any awards recognition for the music?

Lewis received an Annie Award nomination for music in an animated feature.

Notes & Trivia

• The soundtrack opens with Social Distortion’s CCR cover and closes with MattyBRaps—bookending an otherwise orchestral album.
• Several cue titles double as plot signposts (“Poultry Pardon,” “Killing Two Birds with One Standish,” “Cranberry Saucer”).
• The score album credits orchestrators Stephen Coleman, Jonathan Sacks, and Tommy Laurence; Gavin Greenaway conducted.
• Lewis’s work here led to later studio features and series; industry notes repeatedly cite this title as his breakout.

Genres & Themes

Orchestral adventure–comedy → Motion and clarity. Busy woodwinds + rhythmic brass sell chases and gag timing; strings center the tribe scenes.

Pop-punk cover → Exit energy. Social Distortion’s “Up Around the Bend” gives the credits a radio-friendly lift after the climax.

Kid-pop single → Marketing hook. “Back in Time” targets the film’s family demo and the campaign’s YouTube footprint.

Tracks & Scenes

Scene notes align with album cue titles and widely cited usage; precise minute-marks vary by cut/version. Diegetic = heard by characters.

“Up Around the Bend” — Social Distortion
Where it plays: End credits of the theatrical cut; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A classic-rock hook to send the audience out on a high.

“Back in Time” — MattyBRaps
Where it plays: Official single tied to the film/album; used in promotional materials; on-screen use is inconsistent across sources; non-diegetic if present.
Why it matters: Campaign song that mirrors the time-travel premise.

“Poultry Pardon” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: The presidential turkey-pardon sequence early on; non-diegetic score.
Why it matters: Establishes the comic tone and Reggie’s fortune flip.

“Turkatory” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: Covert facility scenes tied to the time-machine setup; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Percussive stealth writing for lab infiltration gags.

“Cranberry Saucer” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: First liftoff of the spherical time machine; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Big, spinning motif to sell the leap.

“Great Egg-scape” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: Escape run with the egg-shaped craft; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Rapid ostinatos push the chase mechanics.

“Killing Two Birds with One Standish” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: First major clash with Myles Standish’s men; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Comic-martial punctuation for the antagonists.

“School of Flock” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: Training/bonding montage among the turkeys; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Lyrical theme signals community taking shape.

“Hold On to Your Giblets” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: High-speed travel/impact beats; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Brassy punchlines, rhythmically tight cuts.

“Fowl Play” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: Big third-act set-piece; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: The score’s action showpiece; heavy brass + percussion.

“Laid to Rest” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: Somber aftermath before the finale; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Straight, emotive writing—no irony.

“Iratus Aves” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: Climactic confrontation; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Latin-titled curtain-raiser for the final push.

“Ocellata Turkeys” — Dominic Lewis
Where it plays: Closing tag/credits nod; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A playful epilogue to the main arc.

Music–Story Links

Score cues map one-to-one with plot beats: a pardon becomes a motif, a lab becomes staccato stealth, a tribe becomes string-led warmth. The album’s sequencing mirrors that arc, so the listen replicates the film’s rhythm. Saving Social Distortion for the exit reinforces the “buddy-comedy with edge” brand without stepping on dialogue-heavy sequences.

How It Was Made

Composer: Dominic Lewis. Album issuer: Relativity Music Group (digital late Oct 2013). Personnel highlights: orchestrations by Stephen Coleman, Jonathan Sacks, Tommy Laurence; conductor Gavin Greenaway; score mix by Alan Meyerson; recording by Nick Wollage; music editor Dave Metzner. Two song placements anchor the package: Social Distortion’s CCR cover and MattyBRaps’ tie-in single.

Reception & Quotes

Critical sentiment on the film was mixed-negative; the score drew more praise in specialty outlets. Availability has remained steady on DSPs each holiday season.

“A joyous, fully orchestral-and-choral delight… rich and vivid orchestrations.” Movie Music UK

“[Social Distortion] have contributed a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Up Around the Bend’ to the soundtrack.” Rolling Stone (news item)

Additional Info

• Album runtime on DSPs: ~65 minutes (29 tracks).
• Digital singles also issued: “Up Around the Bend” (Social Distortion) and “Back in Time” (MattyBRaps).
• Annie Award nomination cited the film’s music contribution.
• Titling puns telegraph scene function; helpful for cue-to-scene mapping.
• Multiple stores show minor date discrepancies (common metadata drift); label credit remains Relativity Music Group.

Technical Info

• Title: Free Birds (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2013
• Type: Original score with two featured songs
• Composer: Dominic Lewis
• Key personnel: Orchestrations — Stephen Coleman, Jonathan Sacks, Tommy Laurence; Conductor — Gavin Greenaway; Music Editor — Dave Metzner; Mix — Alan Meyerson; Recordist — Nick Wollage
• Label: Relativity Music Group (digital release late Oct 2013)
• Notable song placements: “Up Around the Bend” (end credits); “Back in Time” (campaign/album)
• Editions/availability: Streaming/download widely available (Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL); no exhaustive “songs only” compilation beyond the two singles

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: AllMusic; Film Music Reporter; Movie Music UK; Rolling Stone; Apple Music; Spotify; TIDAL; IMDb; Wikipedia.

November, 09th 2025