Time Travel Tuesday: the Juno Soundtrack
Mr. Folkie and I finally saw the movie Juno weekend before last. It is certainly very cute and a must-see, and now it has won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. I do love little arthouse films like this, and I think it's fantastic that the stuffy Oscars are finally getting around to giving them the recognition they deserve. Ellen Page is excellent as the title character, whose speaking style reminds me of a couple of young women I know and love.
Like Atonement, which won the Oscar for soundtrack and was the subject of another Time Travel post, Juno's soundtrack is also a major character in the film, with a mixture of new compositions from folkish Kimya Dawson mixed with a variety of known alternative artists from Belle and Sebastian to the Velvet Underground. While the Dawson tracks are as cute as a June-bug, in my opinion their off-the-cuff quality tends to not stand up to repeated listening away from the movie visual.
In contrast, the other tracks, really well-chosen to fit nicely with both Dawson's and with the film's themes, show that real quality counts. The one we both came home lusting for was the short song "Dearest" by Buddy Holly. Anyone who has only heard the big hits like "Peggy Sue" and "Everyday" and the slicked-up, over-dubbed string things like "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" might be surprised by the wonderful simplicity of Holly alone with his guitar. I think I'll have to do a Time Travel post on Holly one of these days.
Today's offering is a few of those other songs from the Juno Soundtrack.
Barry Louis Polisar: All I Want Is You (opening credits)
also found on My Brother Thinks He's a Banana and Other Provocative Songs (1977) [Buy]
Belle and Sebastian: Piazza, New York Catcher
also found on Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003) [Buy]
Buddy Holly: Dearest
also found on 20 Love Songs (1982) and other compilations I don't have time to look up today.
And let me remind you that last June (Time Travel Tuesday: La Vie En Rose) I predicted a Best Actress award for Marion Cotillard, and the movie certainly deserved the Best Make-up award it received too.
3 comments:
I heart Buddy Holly, and I agree that his song was quite endearing and well used in the film.
The Kimya Dawson tunes sort of irritated me, and I just can't figure out why.
Hi, Nat!
Yeah, it's kinda cute at first how they seem so tossed-off-in-five-minutes fresh, and they go right along with what's happening in the movie. But then, 30 minutes after the movie ends, you're hungry for something with more substance.
Do you mind to re-upload Buddy Holly's Dearest? I would appreciate it.
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