It was a happy coincidence that both the weather and the television schedule were both so bleak on Sunday night that I even noticed that The Gump was on. As I’d already spent the lazy day exhausting my supply of un-viewed Friday Night Lights episodes, Forrest Gump’s appearance on the TV guide shone where perhaps on a more summery or entertaining evening it might have been overlooked. Say what you want about Tom Hanks the Oscar machine (return to roles like 'Volunteers' and 'The Money Pit' says I), this is a great film. I won’t go into any detailed review of the movie, but to say that the tale is set against some of the most iconic generation-defining songs ever to be released. It’s one of those movies where, as you’re watching it, you actually not only notice the songs, but you engage with them. They are more than just background noise or mood-setters; they are as integral to story as Bubba, or Lieutenant Dan or Jenny herself. For the most part, the songs are before my time – but they still manage to illicit strong emotions that connect me with the characters and their intertwined narratives. Maybe that’s down to the movie, maybe that’s down to the quality of the songs. My bet is that it’s an incredibly successful combination of the two.
I mean, check out these tracks; 32 songs and not a stinker amongst them (bear with me here, it's worth looking at):
"Hound Dog" performed by Elvis Presley
"Rebel Rouser" performed by Duane Eddy
"(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" performed by Clarence "Frogman" Henry
"Walk Right In" performed by The Rooftop Singers
"Land of 1000 Dances" performed by Wilson Pickett
"Blowin' in the Wind" performed by Joan Baez
"Fortunate Son" performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" performed by The Four Tops
"Respect" performed by Aretha Frankli
"Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" performed by Bob Dylan
"Sloop John B" performed by Beach Boys
"California Dreamin'" performed by The Mamas & the Papas
"For What It's Worth" performed by Buffalo Springfield
"What the World Needs Now Is Love" performed by Jackie DeShannon
"Break on Through (To the Other Side)" performed by The Doors
"Mrs. Robinson" performed by Simon & Garfunkel
"Volunteers" performed by Jefferson Airplane
"Let's Get Together" performed by The Youngbloods
"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" performed by Scott McKenzie
"Turn! Turn! Turn!" performed by The Byrds
"Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" performed by The 5th Dimension
"Everybody's Talkin'" performed by Harry Nilsson
"Joy to the World" performed by Three Dog Night
"Stoned Love" performed by The Supremes
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" performed by B. J. Thomas
"Mr. President" performed by Randy Newman
"Sweet Home Alabama" performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd
"It Keeps You Runnin'" performed by The Doobie Brothers
"I've Got to Use My Imagination" performed by Gladys Knight & the Pips
"On the Road Again" performed by Willie Nelson
"Against the Wind" performed by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
"Forrest Gump Suite" composed and conducted by Alan Silvestri
What’s even better are that there are even more songs NOT on the ‘official’ soundtrack, but remain just as relevant:
"Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams
"Sugar Shack" - Jimmy Gilmer And The Fireballs
"Hanky Panky" - Tommy James and The Shondells
"All Along the Watchtower" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
"Soul Kitchen" - The Doors
"Hello, I Love You" - The Doors
"People Are Strange" - The Doors
"Love Her Madly" - The Doors
"Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" - Pete Seeger
"Let's Work Together" - Canned Heat
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" - Tony Orlando & Dawn
"Get Down Tonight" - KC & The Sunshine Band
"Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Running On Empty" – Jackson Browne
"Go Your Own Way" performed by Fleetwood Mac
As far as soundtracks go, this one is hard to beat. Part of the problem, I think, is that movie soundtracks can get it SO right. Most of the time, neither the characters nor the demands on their time are anything close to realistic. Hard to imagine any time at all in a 2-hour cinematic classic being spent on what most of us spend most of our lives doing. Do we ever see Spartacus playing Yahtzee on his mobile while on the toilet (because that’s how I spent a good 20 minutes of my day yesterday)? At what point does Scarlet O’Hara pull up the marigolds and swish out the manky cat food bowl? And I’m pretty sure that not even the director’s cut of Titanic gives me any insight to Jack Dawson’s lengthy and on-going battles with HSBC’s ‘not-so-local’ local call centres. And yet these things -these totally un-remarkable things – consume a great deal of the average person’s life. I guess the trick is in not only remembering (or endeavouring in) the truly remarkable things, but also in celebrating the personal victories in our relatively mundane lives. As Uncle Walt teaches us, ‘…a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.’ We are the grass, we are the stars and my soundtrack, Muppet Show and all, will be worth a listen someday. In some cases, I need to do get off of the Lazy Boy and do some things worth remembering. In other cases, I need to find the music to accompany the notable things I’ve already done. Until then, enjoy the music of the all-but-forgotten Forrest Gump. Thank you please.
No comments:
Post a Comment