Everyone’s talking about how the “New Moon” soundtrack is shaping up to be the best of the year. I’m a little distracted by, y’know, vampires and werewolves to make any educated speculation about the music, but all the talk got me reminiscing about my favorite soundtracks. One thought led to another, and before I knew it I was narrowing down my top soundtracks of the 1990s. Yep, you read that right — the 1990s. Let’s not discuss my eccentric yet genius train of thought.
I have a few rules when it comes to soundtracks.
1. Various artists are a must. If all the songs are by the Bee Gees, it ceases to be a soundtrack and is instead a Bee Gees album.
2. The songs as a whole must reflect the mood of the movie. If the songs are all doom and gloom and the movie is about high school, I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s a little melodramatic for my taste.
3. Can I put the movie on repeat? Then I can put the soundtrack on repeat. That’s how I roll.
What are your favorites? Did they make my list? Scroll through to check it out.
Reality Bites
1. My Sharona – Knack 2. Spin The Bottle – The Juliana Hatfield 3 3. Bed Of Roses – The Indians 4. When You Come Back To Me – World Party 5. Going, Going, Gone – The Posies 6. Stay (I Missed You) – Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories 7. All I Want Is You – U2 8. Locked Out – Crowded House 9. Spinning Around Over You – Lenny Kravitz 10. I’m Nuthin’ – Ethan Hawke 11. Turnip Farm – Dinosaur Jr. 12. Revival! – Me Phi Me 13. Tempted (94) – Squeeze 14. Baby, I Love Your Way – Big Mountain
I have vivid memories of listening to this CD on my very first CD boombox. One of its only special settings was “repeat,” and I wore that sucker out, especially with this album. I only wish Ethan Hawke’s version of the Violent Femmes tune “Add It Up” was on it; that’s one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Otherwise, best track: “When You Come Back to Me”
Brokedown Palace
1. Silence – Delerium 2. Party’s Just Begun – Nelly Furtado 3. Policeman Skank (The Story of My Life) – Audioweb 4. Rock the Casbah – Solar Twins 5. Damaged – Plumb 6. Fingers [Original Mix] – Joi 7. Contradictive – Muggs, Tricky 8. Leave It Alone – Moist 9. Naxalite – Asian Dub Foundation 10. Even When I’m Sleeping – Leonardo’s Bride 11. Bangkok [Thai Version] – Brother Sun Sister Moon 12. Wind – PJ Harvey 13. Deliver Me – Sarah Brightman 14. Arrest/Darlene Goes Home – David Newman
Why is it so damn difficult to find a decent clip of this movie on the Internet? It was made 10 years ago, not 10,000 years ago. Puh-lease! At any rate, I found the trailer, which includes my favorite track, “Silence.” The music might be a little sullen, but that’s OK because the movie is, too.
Pulp Fiction
1. Pumpkin and Honey Bunny (Dialogue)/Misirlou 2. Royale With Cheese 3. Jungle Boogie – Kool & the Gang 4. Let’s Stay Together – Al Green 5. Bustin’ Surfboards – The Tornadoes 6. Lonesome Town – Rick Nelson 7. Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield 8. Zed’s Dead, Baby [Dialogue] 9. Jack Rabbit Slims Twist Contest (Dialogue)/You Never Can Tell 10. Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon – Urge Overkill 11. If Love Is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags) – Maria McKee 12. Bring Out the Gimp (Dialogue)/Comanche 13. Flowers on the Wall – The Statler Brothers 14. Personality Goes a Long Way [Dialogue] 15. Surf Rider – The Lively Ones 16. Ezekiel 25:17 [Dialogue]
I owned this soundtrack on tape back when I drove an ancient Ford pickup (true story) in high school. It got a lot of play, especially “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon.” One night on my way home from a party I rolled down the window and sang along with the tape at the top of my lungs as the wind whipped my face. My favorite tracks? The surf guitar tunes scattered throughout.
Romeo & Juliet
1. #1 Crush – Garbage 2. Local God – Everclear 3. Angel – Gavin Friday 4. Pretty Piece of Flesh – One Inch Punch 5. Kissing You – Des’ree 6. Whatever (I Had a Dream) – Butthole Surfers 7. Lovefool – The Cardigans 8. Young Hearts Run Free – Kym Mazelle 9. Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good) – Quindon Tarver 10. To You I Bestow – Mundy 11. Talk Show Host – Radiohead 12. Little Star – Stina Nordenstam 13. You and Me Song – The Wannadies
This is one of the few movies I’ve ever stood in line to see. To teens my age when it came out, it was revolutionary. First Mel Gibson in “Hamlet,” now a hip version of “Romeo & Juliet”? Sign us up! Shakespeare had never been so sexy. Best track: “To You I Bestow”
Batman Forever
1. “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” – U2 2. “One Time Too Many” – PJ Harvey 3. “Where Are You Now?” – Brandy 4. “Kiss from a Rose” – Seal 5. “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game” – Massive Attack & Tracey Thorn (Smokey Robinson cover) 6. “Nobody Lives Without Love” – Eddi Reader 7. “Tell Me Now” – Mazzy Star 8. “Smash It Up” – The Offspring (The Damned cover) 9. “There Is a Light” – Nick Cave 10. “The Riddler” – Method Man 11. “The Passenger” – Michael Hutchence (Iggy Pop cover) 12. “Crossing the River” – Devlins 13. “8” – Sunny Day Real Estate 14. “Bad Days” – The Flaming Lips
OK, so this movie has Val Kilmer in it, and that’s a big plus for me. It’s not the best “Batman” movie ever made, but it does have the best music. Everyone has a soft spot for U2 and Seal, but I’ve got to give mad props to “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game.”
Dazed and Confused
1. “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” – Rick Derringer 2. “Slow Ride” – Foghat 3. “School’s Out” – Alice Cooper 4. “Jim Dandy” – Black Oak Arkansas 5. “Tush” – ZZ Top 6. “Love Hurts” – Nazareth 7. “Stranglehold” – Ted Nugent 8. “Cherry Bomb” – The Runaways 9. “Fox on the Run” – Sweet 10. “Low Rider” – War 11. “Tuesday’s Gone” – Lynyrd Skynyrd 12. “Highway Star” – Deep Purple 13. “Rock and Roll All Nite” – KISS 14. “Paranoid” – Black Sabbath
This movie was so full of awesome music they released not one but TWO soundtracks. I’m rocking the first one here because it got a lot more play on the aforementioned boombox. My favorite music scene is when Mitch goes home, puts on his headphones and out comes “Slow Ride.” Take it easy.
