'Hunger Games' Soundtrack: How The Pistol Annies 'Forced' Their Song Onto the Album (Video)

When Angaleena Presley urged her Pistol Annies bandmates, Miranda Lambert and Ashley Monroe, to read Suzanne Collins’ YA novel The Hunger Games, none of them could have predicted the madness that would ensue.

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The trio was so inspired by Katniss Everdeen and her journey that they penned a song titled “Run Daddy Run” – a line from the book – in her honor.

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“Angaleena had read The Hunger Games and talked me and Miranda into reading it, and we all fell in love with it,” Monroe told The Hollywood Reporter at the film’s premiere. “[We] all could relate to it in different ways.”

“[Angaleena] was a coal miner’s daughter, [Miranda] is a bow hunter, as Katniss was, and my dad died at an early age, I kind of took care of my mom,” she explained. “We were so inspired by the book and the story that it told, so we wrote [the song] and forced our way onto the soundtrack. It was our goal.”

The Hunger Games soundtrack, produced by T-Bone Burnett, also boasts tracks from Taylor Swift, Arcade Fire, The Civil Wars, Maroon 5 and The Decemberists. Released just days before the film hit theaters, the album is continues to hold its position as the No. 1 seller on iTunes.

“We didn’t get the call to write for the movie or anything, we didn’t even know,” Lambert said. “We actually just wrote the song… kind of begged our way through. T-Bone loved it and produced our song. We’re so proud. “

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The newly formed trio is hardly unknown, releasing their debut album Hell on Heels in August 2011, but Lambert describes their new level of exposure as something “huge.”

“Its breathtaking to me,” added Presley. “I’m so proud to be a part of this project. This project has created so many new readers -- Literacy abounds, I love it!”

“She’s a nerd,” Lambert deadpanned.

Watch THR’s complete interview with the Pistol Annies in the video above to find out why Blake Shelton has adopted the nickname “Pistol Andy” and how the group is contributing to the current season of The Voice.

E-mail: Sophie.Schillaci@thr.com
Twitter: @SophieSchillaci