Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student assistant Nicole (class of 2024) and features
Coming-of-Age Movie Soundtrack
With Commencement coming up and only a couple of months until Summer, one can’t help but ponder on how far they’ve come and think about how uncertain the future is. Here is a playlist with songs to help you romanticize academic life and think of it as if you were the main character of a coming-of-age film!
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Are you looking for the perfect movie soundtrack for a productive study session?
My favorite movie soundtrack to listen to is Amélie, composed by Yann Tiersen. Amélie is a French film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, released in 2001. The story revolves around Amélie Poulain, a shy and imaginative young woman with a unique perspective on life. Throughout the story, Amélie searches for love and connection, as she navigates her feelings for a quirky and introverted young man named Nino. The film is known for its visually rich cinematography and imaginative storytelling. It is essentially a celebration of the small joys in life, emphasizing the transformative power of kindness and the magic that can be found in everyday moments.
Yann Tiersen’s enchanting and evocative soundtrack for the film Amélie stands as a testament to the power of music in capturing the whimsy and charm of this cinematic world. The delicate piano melodies, accordion harmonies, and playful orchestration transport listeners into the imaginative universe of the main character. Tiersen’s ability to convey the innocence, romance, and melancholy within the film is truly extraordinary. From the waltz of “Comptine d’un autre ete: L’apres-midi” to the introspective notes of “La Valse d’Amélie,” (my personal favorite) each piece is a musical masterpiece that mirrors the emotional depth and complexity of the narrative.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Among the shelves of CD’s in Parson’s music library sits the soundtrack of Casablanca, one of the most famous movies of all time with a score that certainly holds its own. The score, composed by revolutionary Austrian composer Max Steiner, will transport you to the 1940s and fill you with the triumphant energy of World War II cinema. Steiner not only utilizes leitmotifs in his scoring, but his songs provide formal and rhythmic continuity for the film as a whole, making his composition a true masterpiece.
The beating heart of the film is the song “As Time Goes By,” originally written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It is rumored that Steiner disliked this song and wanted to scrap it altogether, but he was forced to use it because the female lead (Ingrid Bergman) cut her hair for a different production and wouldn’t be able to reshoot any scenes with a new theme song. Notwithstanding Steiner’s disdain, the song is a true masterpiece with the context of the film. “As Time Goes By” represents not only the love that Rick and Ilsa have for each other, but also the past that they shared. When the song is not present in scenes between the two of them, the strain on their relationship becomes all the more apparent. Conversely, the song’s presence denotes a sense of calm between the two. Steiner weaves the song’s melody throughout the film to somehow bridge gaps between scenes, allude to strife, and foster love all at once. It is his compositional ingenuity that sets this film apart from many others.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
One of the best films I have watched is definitely La La Land. For the longest time, I have heard so much about this film and how it is so many people’s favorite movie. But I never understood the hype for it until very recently.
La La Land is a musical centered in Hollywood as two individuals fall in love. Emma Stone plays Mia, an aspiring actress, and Ryan Gosling, plays Sebastian, a struggling Jazz pianist. The characters meet and fall in love as they try to pursue their dreams. This is a beautiful movie about following one’s dream, falling in love, and the hard decisions that can intervene between the two lovers.
This movie is filled with beautiful Jazz music, many colorful and beautiful scenes, and moments that make you fall in love with the story. The soundtrack in particular is very compelling. My favorite tracks from the movie are “Mia and Sabastian’s Theme,” “Planetarium,” and “City of Stars.” The Music Library actually has a score dedicated to the music in the film. The score focuses on piano, vocal, and guitar chords arrangements for anyone to try.
If you have not yet watched or heard about the amazing film La La Land, I definitely recommend giving it a try!
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Slumdog Millionaire flashes between Jamal’s life as a teen and his childhood, showing the realities of living on the streets of Mumbai as a young child. The story is compelling, and the acting is phenomenal, but the thing that makes this film is the soundtrack. With artists like M.I.A. involved, it is easy to understand how this film won the Golden Globe for best soundtrack in 2009. A. R. Rahman, the score’s creator, wanted to create a mix of both modern and old India in the soundtrack.
While this movie discusses and portrays hardship and is not indicative of every success story, I think it gives hope to those who feel stuck and like they won’t succeed. You can check out the soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire at the Music Library!
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
If you’re anything like me, Mama Mia! is a classic pick for movie night. The catchy songs, written by Swedish 70s group ABBA, are upbeat and danceable. The movie features Meryl Streep, who plays the hardworking Donna. Her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), is getting married and wants to invite her biological father. However, it could be one of three different men that Donna was involved with. Sophie sends invitations to all of them, leaving her mother in a predicament as she faces her former lovers. With the addition of breathtaking Greek landscapes and hilarious friends, this film embodies the music that brought it to life. The sweet, slow ballad reminds me of the waves crashing on Greek beaches while the fiery electric guitar solos personify the energy that the men bring to Donna’s life once again. I often wonder how a series of ABBA songs could correlate to form an entire movie. The original recordings are so iconic on their own but Mama Mia! brings them all together for one hilarious story. Parsons Music Library offers both ABBA CDs and the score from Mama Mia!, so you can also listen and read along with these iconic tunes.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Danny Elfman is such a prolific composer, known for commonly working alongside filmmaker Tim Burton. Arguably, the best and most diverse collection of his work can be found in his music for the 2005 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” His score explores a variety of styles, from Bollywood to the sugar-pop of the 1960s. While the piano score struggles to capture all of the complex work and sound behind the “Main Titles” (Elfman at his prime, in my opinion), it does an excellent job providing a solid basework for solo playability. The piano adaptation for the “Finale” is perfectly captured and successfully leaves what it intends to bring – a feeling of finality and completion at the end of a wild ride.
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a collection of film soundtrack music curated by Music Library student manager Colin (Class of 2021).
Films have been my go-to source of entertainment for years. In high school, my friends and I became heavily invested in the awards season of movies, in which we tried to watch every film that was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy. Movies are not measured for enjoyability by their success winning awards, nor do awards automatically make a movie “good.” Rather, this activity was something that my friends and I enjoyed doing, and exposed us to a lot of new films and directors. Particularly interesting for us in watching films was hearing the soundtrack, as all of my friends and I were involved in my school’s music program. We loved talking about the scores of films, and the impact that specific songs have through their leitmotifs or influence on the narrative. For example, we were obsessed with the soundtrack from La La Land, because, well let’s be honest; who can’t tap their foot or hum along with the songs when listening to its music?
Richard Wagner had a great influence upon the film industry and its scores due to his methodical approach to writing operas, in which the music he composed enhanced the narrative through the use of leitmotifs, or short musical phrases that indicate the appearance of a character or narrative theme. This concept was recognized by the film industry, and was expanded on by different film composers, specifically Max Steiner who is known as “The Father of Film Music.” Steiner was heavily influenced by Wagnerian musical concepts, and would incorporate leitmotifs, non-diegetic sounds and other elements that enhanced the musical experience in movies and their relation to narratives. Since Steiner, films have grown to incorporate songs into their soundtracks that are either specifically written for the movie from a preexisting band, or the rights are bought from a band to include their song in the movie. The songs themselves share the same focus that Steiner envisioned for his films, in that songs are used for a narrative purpose in order to advance the plot, express the emotions of a specific character, and/or give credibility to the environment in which the film or a scene takes place.
A sampling of films scored by Max Steiner
With this playlist, I wanted to highlight songs used in films that transcend just their immediate presence in the film. The rules of this playlist are rather loose, in that the songs included may have been written for the specific movie in which they are famous for being in, or written before the movie and added to the soundtrack and become a staple song for the film. I have included highly popular choices that the general film-viewing population would agree with, such as “My Heart Will Go On” in Titanic and “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” in The Breakfast Club. However, I have also offered some of my personal choices of songs that I believe greatly enhance the movie and urge audiences to listen to the song outside of the filmic experience, but do not necessarily have the history or popular recognition by audiences. I hope that choices like “Slip Away” from Booksmart and “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman will expand your music and film libraries. I have organized the songs in order of their film’s release date, and my personal choices begin with “Send Me on My Way” from Matilda. And this playlist does not feature any instrumentally focused soundtracks that typically appear in large blockbuster films, but rather individual songs focused on lyrics. I hope you enjoy this eclectic playlist and relive some great film experiences through music!
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
With the 92nd Academy Awards freshly behind us, I’ve been thinking about my favorite film soundtracks. For me, a driving factor of what makes a movie memorable or great is its music –either score, soundtrack, or both. I love when I hear a song that I recognize during a scene, which I can dance or sing along to in my seat. On the other hand, I also love when movies introduce me to music. The only reason I loved the songs “Hungry Eyes” and “Be My Baby” so much as a kid was because of the movie Dirty Dancing.
My parents showed me Dirty Dancing at a young age, probably because I was a dancer whose first childhood dream was to be a Broadway star, and it instantly became one of my favorite movies. The soundtrack, which features songs spanning multiple decades, made an already wholesome and fun movie even more enjoyable. Even as a child, I could feel the nostalgia that it portrayed, as it features 50’s and 60’s pop hits like “Love is Strange” and “Stay” that instantly transport the viewer to a summer in 1963. Naturally, a distinctly 80s sound is also incorporated in songs like “She’s Like the Wind” sung by lead actor Patrick Swayze himself, a man of apparently many talents. And of course, many of these songs are used in dance scenes, following Baby and Johnny’s journey from frustrating rehearsals to final performance.
There are many iconic movie scenes that will be forever associated with their respective songs, or vice versa. Think: “(Don’t You) Forget About Me” with Judd Nelson’s fist in the air at the end of The Breakfast Club, or “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon” in Uma Thurman’s apartment in Pulp Fiction. But undoubtedly one of the most commonly known and referenced music/movie scene pairings is “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” from the final dance scene in Dirty Dancing –with extra emphasis on the achievement of Baby’s lift that happens right as the song climaxes. This is the kind of flawless, emotional moment that makes the right fusion of a scene and a song selection one of my favorite aspects of film. It’s also one of the many moments that made the Dirty Dancing soundtrack go multi-platinum.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Although my parents definitely read the book to me previously,my first tangible memory of The Polar Express was in first grade when my class had “Polar Express Day.” On that day we came to school in our pajamas, drank hot chocolate, and watched The Polar Express. As a result, I have always had a certain fondness for the movie.
In 2017, I played “The Polar Express Suite” with my youth orchestra as a part of our annual Christmas concert. Even with our packed program, “The Polar Express Suite” still stuck out as one of my absolute favorites. The suite highlights the main themes from the polar express soundtrack and creates the same majestic feeling the songs have in the movie. The suite is often overlooked but I find it to be just as much of a holiday classic as the movie itself.
