With the recent reveal of Wonderland‘s very own Autumn cover star, Bastille’s Dan Smith, the band curates a theatrical, film-themed playlist for us. Dan explained, “I’ve always been a bit of a film geek and movie soundtracks were a big part of me discovering music when I was growing up. They can be like brilliantly curated mix tapes in and of themselves, and I love how the right song choice can completely transform and elevate a scene into something amazing and iconic.” Well, we’ll let you take it from here then!
Bobby Womack – “Across 110th Street” (from Jackie Brown)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOg_8hCC4u4
Tarantino’s soundtracks often shine a light on slightly forgotten classics. He is a master when it comes to using music in film, and it’s interesting that his music choices come during the screenwriting process. I love how he weaves dialogue from his films into the soundtracks themselves, making it all fully intertextual. I loved “Jackie Brown” when I first saw it, and this song is forever synonymous with it for me.
The Pixies – “Where is My Mind?” (from Fight Club)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gkibxWr0DY
The iconic final scene of “Fight Club”, post mega-twist, is soundtracked by this awesome Pixies tune and introduced me to them as a band. It’s so perfect in so many ways for that scene.
Prince – “Purple Rain”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfrD3GNC8_4
It’s hard to know what to say about someone as incredible as Prince, but it would be impossible to do a film soundtrack playlist and not mention either him or “Purple Rain”. It’s such a brilliant, iconic tune, and I can’t hear it without seeing bits of the film and its artwork in my head.
Simon and Garfunkel – “The Sound of Silence” (from The Graduate)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zLfCnGVeL4
My parents used to play a lot of Simon and Garfunkel when I was a kid so their music throughout “The Graduate” always really struck me. I’ve always really liked the film and it’s portrayal of complicated youthful disillusionment, and the use of this song to soundtrack the lead character’s lazy-poolside-Mrs Robinson-affair-laden summer is really great.
Echo & The Bunnymen – “The Killing Moon” (from Donnie Darko)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWz0JC7afNQ
Donnie Darko’s director, Richard Kelly, so effectively bottles nostalgia for the 80s throughout the movie. I love the use of music throughout this film, and it introduced a young teenage me to Echo & The Bunnymen and loads of music from the 80s that I’d never heard before. I love this song, and it always makes me think of the opening scene where Donnie wakes inexplicable finds himself waking up on a golf course before cycling home.