Musings from Suburbia on a variety of everyday topics. I have realized that MANY times, it is "just me", but I always hold out hope that there are others out there who occasionally see things as I do.
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
Yes, here we are, just one letter away from the end of another a-z challenge. I thought I would pause and take a moment to explain how some of these posts evolve. This letter provides a perfect example of my often imperfect system. I started with the premise that I would try to stay true to myself in choosing which movie soundtracks to post. The letter Y was to be another slight departure from my typical musical stylings with the movie Yentyl. Both of my parents were big Barbra fans, so my appreciation for her and this movie was no surprise. However, when I looked up the soundtrack, aside from Papa Can You Hear Me? some of the songs I expected to see were not there. I quickly realized that part of the reason was that America is from the Jazz Singer. No disrespect intended, Neil and Babs. I am sure that if I took the time to actually listen to the soundtrack again, I probably would have recognized many of the songs. How could I claim that it "mattered" to me though if I was so confused about, and apparently unfamiliar with, the album?
Letter Y, letter Y...You've Got Mail. Did that movie have much of a soundtrack? Time to ask my friend google for some help. Hey now...
...super stuff there! As I pondered the movie some more, to try to get a feel for the tunes in context, I realized I was envisioning Sleepless in Seattle. Ugh. Since this theme has been about the music, and I cannot deny that this mix is awesome, let's go with it. Songs I loved as a kid, like Splish Splash and Rockin Robin*, combined with the amazing Carole King, mixed in with one of my college loves, the Cranberries.
…X (in its Roman numeral form) 10 Things I Hate About You
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
This soundtrack still makes me feel the pain, love, awkwardness and joy of this movie. Most of the songs were new to me at the time, aside from the two Letters to Cleo remakes. I threw this cd in my car somewhere near the beginning of April just to refresh my memory a bit, and to help decide which tune to post. This song still takes my breath away (possibly because I insist on trying to sing along)...
Yes, yes, I know there is a movie that legitimately starts with an X...you're welcome.
…White Nights Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
The dancing, the music, the story! This was another one of my cassette soundtracks. If I had to guess, I bought it for this song in particular...
Totally captured the drama of a teenage girl's love life, or well, you know whatever was happening in the movie that may or may not have paled in comparison.
Soon after, I couldn't get enough of the rest of the songs either!
OK, I tried, but I just can't resist...one last serving of cake for Kari's birthday week celebration. Not her favorite John Hughes flavor, but still, better than no cake at all!
…Uncle Buck Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
Why do the tricky letters all hang out together near the end of the alphabet? Is that like when the shady types sat in the back of the classroom? I admit that I had to ask my friend google to help me think of some movies that started with the letter U. There he was, just hiding, Uncle Buck. Of course I had seen the movie, but did it even have a soundtrack? Why yes, yes it does.
Plus, as a little extra bonus, this post is dedicated to Kari, in honor of her birthday this week. Happy Birthday to the biggest bestest John Hughes fan! Go bust a move, you wild thing!!!!
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
Back many years ago, there was falling in love. This soundtrack offered such a cool celebration of that joy and wonder. The mix of songs and artists felt hip and cool, with just a little touch of "now what?" mixed in.
I had never heard anything by the Cowboy Junkies before, nor can I think of anything since, but I do love this song.
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
*In honor of the letter s, and its power to pluralize, it seemed wrong to choose just one movie from the series (yet apparently acceptable to leave one out).
We were Shrek junkies from the start. The first soundtrack had it all, or so I thought at the time, having no idea what the next ones would bring. Incredibly fun original songs, as well as great remakes to sing along with.
I thought it would be fun this time around to use the movie clips, since I found them! This song worked best when sung loudly, car windows down of course, accompanied by a 3 and 6 year old. Everyone had an important part - Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh...
Shrek 2 brought Counting Crows, Bowie and a really cool song by Dashboard Confessional. We were livin' la vida loca for sure with this in our car.
Absolutely putting these back in my car tomorrow! This song makes me grin so hard it hurts, while my eyes fill with tears. Come on, come on!
Then, when it seemed it couldn't get much better - Shrek 3 came with the Ramones, Wings, Fergie with an awesome remake and...
...Led Zeppelin! One of those bands I knew I wanted my kids to be familiar with, but where and when to start? Thanks Shrek 3!
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
In 2005, our kids were 5 and 8, totally movie theater ready and interested. They were also big singers, in the way that their mother is, as in not good singers, but very happy ones. This soundtrack was a far cry from "kids' music", and just the kind of stuff we needed in the rotation.
I realize that Chingy's Right Thurr might have been a bit more suggestive than Raffi's songs were, but listening to my five year old girl singing "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" along with the radio at that time, made this alternative seem acceptable. Plus, picturing robots while listening to the music added a decent layer of insulation.
Go ahead and listen to this one, and feel good about yourself!
We were already big Fountains of Wayne fans!
Just in case you haven't seen the movie...
(I don't know what happened to picking one song! Breaking all kinds of silly rules I made for myself now that we are in the final stretch. I might even dip into the m&m's jar more than once today. Chaos!)
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
*I could have fudged this one with Quicksilver (Kevin Bacon? Yes, but did I see it? No.) Instead, I quick picked the first five movie scenes with a strong song connection that came to mind in roughly two minutes (before I had time to think too much).
Breakfast Club - When that fist goes in the air, after the build up from the good-byes and the letter being read? YES!
Saturday Night Fever - He totally used that walk.
Muppet Movie - Perfectly natural for a frog made of fabric to be playing his banjo in a swamp, singing about his dreams.
Say Anything - Boom! There it is. No explanation needed.
Top Gun - Oh how I loved this scene for both the song itself, as well as the impromptu serenade.
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
This. Part of me feels like I need to just dance around the edge of this one, for if I fall in, I may not be able to get back out. I wore out my copy of the cd, but refused to throw it away. Instead I would listen up to where the music became garbled, and sometimes would just sing through, hoping the next song would miraculously be fixed. Clearly buying a new copy would have been far too complex of a solution, and it wasn't like I could have brought myself to throw away the original one anyway.
Oh my gosh! I cannot locate my CD or case, and had a very hard time finding an image online.
This music made me feel the feels of the movie over and over again. The soundtrack echoed the notion of quirky outcasts. If You Leave and Do Wot You Do were the gateway tunes for me to seek out more music by OMD and INXS. Other songs, like Round Round and Bring on the Dancing Horses, just became part of my Pretty in Pink world, and I only listened to them in that context. I will say that the opening drum beat and guitar chord of Pretty in Pink gets me every time. I feel young again, filled with hope and a celebration of slight awkwardness.
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
A few weeks ago I was riding around in the car with my kids, listening to the "oldies" station. My son was quietly singing along to a song I would not necessarily consider to be in the "every teenager knows that one" category. Just as I was about to ask him where he knew the tune from, I realized it was on this soundtrack that I used to play so often when they were little.
My knee jerk reaction, of course, was to be overcome by the passage of time. Very quickly though I was filled with happiness at the thought that this little piece of something we shared was still there, stuck in the corner of his mind. A little background music softly playing while our story unfolded and children grew...part of the soundtrack.
I have this CD back in my car now and have listened to it three times in the past two days. Of course these songs fill me with nostalgia for my own childhood as well. I loved the stories they told, and that beat that made you need to move, dance and sing. You get three because it is the weekend, so you have more time to spare, and absolutely not because I cannot decide on one!
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
Remember our movie viewing habits when we were kids? We could go to the movie theater, or hold out hope that the Wonderful World of Disney was going to show something exciting (once a week). Luckily there were movie soundtracks to help fill the time while we could only daydream of things so futuristic and supercalifragilistic-expialidocious as vhs, let alone dvd, options. !
I had a black record player that folded up on itself like a suitcase that I could carry around. I would clear the small table in my bedroom and set up my music station, select the vinyl du jour and sing along. I remember standing on a chair, gazing out at the attentive stuffed animal crowd, but am not sure if it was for better stage presence, or simply because there was no floor space available due to my poor housekeeping skills. Certainly Mary Poppins would arrive, via umbrella obviously, at any moment to help me deal with my mess, and when she did...
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
I am not exactly sure how this cassette found its way into my hands. I almost think it had something to do with one of my Columbia House memberships. I can tell you what song was playing and what street I was driving down, but that would be of little interest to you if you aren't from around here. Actually, such information might not be fascinating regardless of where you grew up. I just know it felt edgy and cool. There were a couple of songs I was very familiar with, but they were being sung by different people than I was used to.
The movie itself was a bit darker than what I was typically watching at that time, and the music was less top forty than my usual. So exciting! Late eighties, sun shining, car windows down...
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
This selection is in no way meant to disregard the benefits of "wax on, wax off" from the first Karate Kid movie, but remember, my theme is about the music. Without the Glory of Love, who knows what song teenage couples would have deemed an appropriate anthem in the summer of 1986. Talk of honor and heroes? Tough to beat. (Plus, there is that den-den daiko scene. Thank you, google, for knowing what I was talking about!)
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
I remember walking to the car after seeing this movie, thinking about how I would certainly buy it as soon as it came out on dvd. In the meantime, the soundtrack would promptly be added to my collection.
My kids were too young for the movie in 2007, but the CD had enough catchy, funny, quirky tunes to make it a staple in our car music rotation.
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
I saw this play with my mother years ago when I was in college, and LOVED it. We were so excited when the movie was coming out, and even more so because my daughter was joining us.
I was drawn in once again from the opening bars. Some of the songs seemed familiar even twenty years later. Apparently what I had forgotten was how dark things get. How did I forget that?! I don't want to spoil the plot for those of you who are going to rush to watch the movie. Really, that's why I am going to cut this one short. It has nothing to do with the fact that it's 11:00 on a school night. It is your best interests I am considering. In honor of my daughter's birthday, I tried to have her pick her favorite song from the soundtrack. She purchased three of them, but cannot choose (or simply refuses to). Therefore, based on the title alone, and as a tribute to living with teenagers...
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
While we are going back in time, it is not as far as usual. This movie was released on March 28, 2000. This photo of my son and I comparing our bellies was taken on March 17, 2000. (I don't think I had a green maternity shirt, and who knows if that is the outfit my little friend started the day wearing.)
My due date was April 22, so my husband and I had plenty of time to take in a movie. I am uncomfortable just thinking about sitting in a movie theater seat as I look at this photo, but John Cusack has always been worth some sacrifices and hardships.
The music was certainly not all familiar to me at the time, but I thought it was such an incredible background to the story. The eclectic mix was plausible for the true music lovers in charge of Championship Vinyl. The story was bittersweet as was the soundtrack at times, but it still provided some comfort and relaxation without the pressure to sing along. Just some peace and soothing notes in my world since, at the time, very frequently, it had anything but.
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
Not only is it the word that you heard, but it is on vinyl - a two record set! As if the songs contained therein were not enough, I treasured the album cover like it was a scrapbook of my very own friends. Rizzo, too cool for school, with that faraway look in her eyes, Danny in his gym outfit, Frenchie with her pink hair, and Sandy, Sandy, Sandy!
Truth? I got a little bit giddy when I opened the cover just now. Can you tell? Reading each song, thinking it was the best until reading the next title.
This time it is impossible to separate the soundtrack from the movie. The songs are the movie and vice versa. The main characters' songs were awesome enough, but look at all of that Sha-na-na! Oh, how I loved that show...Bowser, Johnny tearing up while singing Teen Angel, Lennie on sax. (sigh) Back to the movie at hand...It is hard to choose one song to post, so I am going to leave this one up to my nine year old self. I am fairly certain this is the one she'd have picked...
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
I went to see this play almost fifteen years ago. My gosh! How long ago does that mean the movie was? How old am I? No need for us to bust out our calculators to work that out. Did I ever even see this movie? I have visions of Kevin Bacon dancing in a town where that is not allowed. That sounds about right as far as a quick summation goes.
Once again it is the music that stuck. Hello again, Kenny Loggins! Let's hear it for that boy as we hold out for a hero. Oh, so close, almost paradise-almost. If only the volume I used to sing that love theme song with was in any way directly correlated to my ability to carry a tune. Without further ado...you know you're ready to kick off your Sunday shoes and cut loose!
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
This is another one of those movies that I probably only saw once, but the thrill lived on for me in the form of an overplayed cassette tape. The general plot of the movie is vaguely familiar, while the lyrics are still crystal clear.
I was in the beginning stages of loving Bruce Springsteen, and thought this sounded close. That is not to say that I didn't think John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band sounded super swell just on their own. In the name of nostalgia, I have to include this one as well...
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
Oh...this...1987? I had fallen in love - HARD. Head over heels, the sort of mind in the clouds state where Wipeout should have been playing while I walked around, especially going up stairs. You got that? All of these songs. All. Of. Them. I had the time of my life, and that guy totally pulled me out of the corner. Maybe swimming pools are not as well suited as secluded lakes for practicing overhead lifts, but how could you not try? Somehow that seemed less intimidating than the rest of the dance moves. I am sure you can get the love theme stuck in your head without any help from me, so instead I offer this...
Luckily, for those of us who may have been a tad bit obsessed with this soundtrack, and movie, they released More Dirty Dancing!
When one cassette ended, I just put in the other. My mind is darting all around right now with a battle between Hungry Eyes and this extra bonus for you...
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
I am not saying that this is a soundtrack I spent a lot of time listening to, but some great things do happen when you bring Kenny Loggins to the movie mix. (Spoiler alert: Not his last appearance!) Even better things happen when you couple his singing with a gopher puppet.
My other favorite memorable musical scene from the movie is when Al (Rodney Dangerfield) flips on his tricked out golf bag, blasting Journey's Anyway You Want It, while dancing on the course.
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
I honestly can't remember if I saw this movie first when HBO was sort of a new and exciting thing, or if it was on video. I was a teenager who probably was not old enough to fully grasp the angst of the movie, but the music certainly provided me with the comfort of familiarity. They were songs I'd hear playing, being sung or just hummed around the house. This cassette kicked around in my collection for a long time. Look at that list! Granted, there are a couple of songs there, I'm looking at you Whiter Shade of Pale, that I don't necessarily enjoy when pulled out of the context of this soundtrack, as if I need to hear them together in this order. I actually might need to do that right now, while singing very loudly, as I am pretty sure all of these lyrics are still taking up some very important space in my brain. Good Lovin'? I can barely sit still!
Soundtracks That Mattered (to me) is my theme for the A-Z Challenge this April.
Well, well, well...the letter A, and I am nearly overwhelmed with nostalgia. I don't know how many times I actually watched this movie - on VHS of course - the soundtrack on cassette was typically in the car, so it felt like a daily occurrence. I loved how the music told the tale, starting with the upbeat tracks of people falling for each other. The notes were not a backdrop for the story, but became the story. My friends and I were in our late teens and early twenties, many of us finding love. These songs celebrated that phase of something more adult than the relationships we'd had before. As much as I did love the movie, slightly less than my uber fan friends who had the movie poster and favorite quotes, the music held me much longer. (But no, Dan, they were not just bowling partners.)
