Comments on: When You Come Back To Me: Revisiting The Reality Bites Soundtrack

By: mrshl

mrshl — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:40:52 +0000

There’s an interview in the Onion AV Club, in which Will Oldham makes much the same point about Wes Anderson’s movie soundtracks. But like anything else, I think the verdict should depend on your results. The question should always be, “is it any good?” Does that song work well with that movie or that scene?

Rather than put a fatwa on the use of any songs not written for that particular movie, I think one can draw a more useful line. There is, to me, a difference between, say, the ridiculous oldies compilation assembled for Forrest Gump, and the kind of thoughtful interaction between songs & scenes we see in Rushmore and Pulp Fiction.

My favorite soundtrack find of all time is Love’s “Always See Your Face” off the High Fidelity soundtrack. I might never have even found that band without hearing that ridiculous song. That being said, it was not used in particularly memorable fashion within the movie. So, even my favorite example was not ideal, I guess.

By: justin

justin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:10:09 +0000

I was never really into World Party, but the album which contains the song that provided that particular band's name is the shit.

By: Mr. Lost His Way

Mr. Lost His Way — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:51:13 +0000

Hey Roberto - you're messing with Annie's career now. That's what she do --license music. But I kinda feel the same way, although now that I think about it, it really could just be one of those things where there are a whole lot of shitty movie soundtracks and a few memorable ones. I got in to Cat Stevens because of Harold and Maude and I have trouble disassociating most of the music from Ferris Bueller with the movie (does Big Audio Dynamite's "Bad" have a life outside of the movie? It's not even a good song, but memorable in the movie). Then there's A Clockwork Orange which makes the music it's own, as does Wes Anderson (I'm thinking of that Portuguese David Bowie stuff). But then, what also comes to mind is the wonderful Midnight Cowboy soundtrack and the mighty Star Wars.

By: roberto

roberto — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:21:14 +0000

Nice. and you made it thru the post without mentioning that Knack song. I’d forgotten about that soundtrack, lots of good songs there. though i blame it along with a few other movies of the late 80s early 90s for that trend of filling up a movie soundtrack with previously recorded and re-purposed songs instead of having songs written for the movie. I find it unsatisfying when the same songs are used for everything, first an album, then a movie, then a commercial, then muzak, then reissued and start all over again. I miss the days of music that was only associated with the movie and that’s all the life it had.