Rock Ramblings: Music still plays major role in films

By Medicine Hat News on September 21, 2017.

Do you remember the last movie soundtrack you purchased? Other than the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise or the odd Disney movie it seems like movie soundtracks have gone the way of the dodo bird.

I was sippin’ back a glass wine with one of my girlfriends the other night and we started reminiscing about the movie “Clueless.” Not only can we recite every line in the movie, but we both agreed that it had one of the best soundtracks of our generation. The cult-classic teen movie was released 22 years ago — a time where soundtracks were a crucial selling point for a film. The music supervisor on “Clueless” is the same person behind great films like “Pulp Fiction,” “Reservoir Dogs” and “Boogie Nights.”

The “Clueless” soundtrack featured songs from the Beastie Boys, Radiohead and Counting Crows. It introduced my generation to up-and-coming acts like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Muffs. The 14-song collection was mostly upbeat but had hints of alt-rock and ska mixed in with it — definitely a ’90s’ era defining mixtape.

This week marked the 25th anniversary of the Cameron Crowe film “Singles,” another movie with a popular soundtrack. The rom-com was set against the backdrop of Seattle’s rising grunge scene featuring music from Chris Cornell, Mike McCready and Alice and Chains. Crow said the album was “designed to be sort of an anti-soundtrack, more like a souvenir and a simple mix-tape of some of Seattle’s finest.” The soundtrack was remastered in an expanded release this past spring.

Sticking with the ’90s, I can’t forget to mention the soundtrack to “Empire Records.” The film takes place inside a record store, so they obviously had to deliver on the music front. While critics despised the film, teens (like me) loved it mostly because of the soundtrack. In fact, three songs from the soundtrack charted, including The Gin Blossoms’ “Til I Hear It From You,” which was the band’s first top 20 hit. The Cranberries, Better than Ezra and Edwyn Collins all have standout tracks on the album.

Other movie soundtracks from that era that stand out include 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber.” I remember listening to that tape from front to back while cruising in my parents Chrysler. How can you resist singing along to “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” by the Crash Test Dummies or “Crash” from The Primitives? That same year “Pulp Fiction” put out a memorable soundtrack with songs from Al Green, Chuck Berry and Dusty Springfield.

While we may not purchase movie soundtracks like we used to, music still plays a significant role in films and other events in our lives. Speaking of, 105.3 ROCK will be your soundtrack tomorrow at Beerfest at the Medicine Hat Lodge from 5-9 p.m.

Cassie Donnelly is the morning show co-host at 105.3 ROCK. You can reach her on twitter @cass_1053rock.