The Virgin Suicides (soundtrack)

Last updated

The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides (soundtrack) cover.jpg
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Released28 March 2000 (2000-03-28) [1]
Genre
Length53:53
Label Emperor Norton [2]
Compiler

The Virgin Suicides (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack accompanying the 1999 debut feature film by director Sofia Coppola. Released by Emperor Norton Records on March 28, 2000, the album features classic rock and pop songs by Todd Rundgren, Heart, Sloan, The Hollies, Al Green, Gilbert O'Sullivan, 10cc and Styx; plus two tracks from the French electronic music duo Air.

Contents

Background

Sofia Coppola wanted the film's soundtrack to convey the feeling of adolescence in the suburbs, a theme to be reflected in the songs chosen from the time the film is set: 1975. [3] Not wanting to rely only on hits from the early 1970s, she opted to combine songs of the period with a "consistently other-worldly soundtrack" in the score by Air, a band she had listened to while writing the screenplay. [3] (The score Air composed for The Virgin Suicides was released as a separate album on February 23, 2000; the band would also go on to collaborate with the filmmaker on some of her subsequent projects.)

Coppola opined that this soundtrack, despite being filled with 1970s music, also had a modern feel. There is a song by the Canadian band Sloan, who formed in 1991; and two selections from Air, including "Playground Love (Vibraphone Version)", a new recording made especially for the soundtrack. She also found that she shared many of her suburban memories and experiences with Air's Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, even though they grew up in a different country. [3]

Brian Reitzell, the film's music consultant (and a former member of Redd Kross), said he wanted to select songs "that were not the songs that everyone thinks of at first, but ones that are a little more obscure. It was important to strike that intimate chord that transports you back to that period. But we also didn't want to be obvious with our choices. We didn't pick any stoner rock for the film, which is what everyone seems to be doing." [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
NME 7.5/10 [5]
Pitchfork 4.8/10 [6]

The soundtrack received positive reviews from critics. AllMusic contributor Gina Boldman wrote: "The soundtrack replays the myriad emotions of adolescence and those of the Lisbon girls in particular." [4] Pitchfork 's Mark Richardson gave context to the album's focus on the '70s in his review: "This soundtrack seeks to replicate the feel of mainstream mid-'70s radio, and to that end, it's a wild success. This is what it sounded like — from the banal pop of 10cc to the raw (okay, medium-rare) power of Heart to the epic romanticism of Styx. Forget disco, CBGB's, punk, and new wave. That stuff didn't play in Peoria until much later. For a real taste of what a suburban kid playing Space Invaders was likely to hear pumping over the arcade sound system, this collection is the real thing. The problem is, no one ever said mainstream '70s radio was particularly good. It was like the mainstream radio of any other time, with a few true innovators, a glut of imitators, and a handful of the truly awful. All are represented here in their proper proportions." [6]

In his 2021 article on music and gender in Coppola's film for Our Culture Mag , Konstantinos Pappis wrote that "what’s certain is that the role of music is more than just affective or nostalgic; it inhabits a complex and often gendered perspective that may either reinforce or offer an alternative to and an escape from the gaze." [7]

Clare Nina Norelli of Mubi.com gave a comparative analysis of the film's incorporated music and its score: "Within the film, rock and pop songs tether the narrative to the material world both diegetically and non-diegetically, connecting the boys to the Lisbon sisters and locating the action firmly within the film’s mid-1970s setting through its contemporaneous music choices [...] We hear these songs when the sisters give a small party at their home, attend their school dance, and when they engage in a moving telephone exchange with the boys that involves playing records to each other in order to express the inexpressible, allowing the music to speak where they cannot." [8] She further described Air's work as "metaphysical, aligned with the heavens" and added: "Through its spacious, soaring, almost hymnal synth harmonies, pulsating rhythms, and bittersweet melodies, their score conveys musically the translucence of memory and invests the ethereal specters of the Lisbon sisters on screen with an added otherworldliness." [8]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Magic Man" Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson Heart 5:28
2."Hello It's Me"Todd Rundgren Todd Rundgren 4:21
3."Everything You've Done Wrong"Sloan Sloan 3:27
4."Ce Matin Là"Air, Patrick Woodcock Air 3:39
5."The Air That I Breathe" Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood The Hollies 3:47
6."How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb Al Green 6:23
7."Alone Again (Naturally)"Gilbert O'Sullivan Gilbert O'Sullivan 3:39
8."Strange Magic" Jeff Lynne Electric Light Orchestra 4:29
9."I'm Not in Love" Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman 10cc 6:04
10."A Dream Goes On Forever"Todd RundgrenTodd Rundgren2:23
11."Crazy on You"Ann Wilson, Nancy WilsonHeart4:55
12."Playground Love" (Vibraphone version)Air, Thomas Mars Air3:51
13."Come Sail Away" Dennis DeYoung Styx 6:04

Personnel

Credits taken from The Virgin Suicides liner notes. [9]

Chart performance

Chart (2000–2001)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [10] 100
European Albums ( Music & Media ) [11] 78
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [12] 35
Scottish Albums (OCC) [13] 29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [14] 20
UK Albums (OCC) [15] 55
US Billboard 200 [16] 138
Chart (2023)Peak
position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) [17] 30

Release history

RegionDateLabel
Japan15 March 2000
  • L'Appareil-Photo Bis
  • V2
Germany17 March 2000
France27 March 2000
United Kingdom
United States28 March 2000Emperor Norton
United States24 October 2020 (reissue*) Rhino Records

(*further US/UK vinyl reissues followed in 2023-24)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air (French band)</span> French music duo

Air is a French music duo from Versailles, consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Their critically acclaimed debut album, Moon Safari, including the track "Sexy Boy", was an international success in 1998. Its follow-up, The Virgin Suicides, was the score to Sofia Coppola's first film The Virgin Suicides. The band has since released the albums 10 000 Hz Legend, Talkie Walkie, Pocket Symphony, Love 2, Le voyage dans la lune and Music for Museum. The band is influenced by a wide variety of musical styles and artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10cc</span> British art rock band

10cc are a British rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians — Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme — who had written and recorded together since 1968. All four members contributed to songwriting, working together in various permutations. Godley and Creme’s songwriting has been described as being inspired by art and cinema. Every member of 10cc was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and producer. Most of the band's records were recorded at their own Strawberry Studios (North) in Stockport and Strawberry Studios (South) in Dorking, with most of those engineered by Stewart.

<i>10 000 Hz Legend</i> 2001 studio album by Air

10 000 Hz Legend is the second studio album by French electronic music duo Air, released in France on 28 May 2001 by Virgin Records and in the United States on 29 May 2001 by Astralwerks. On this album, tracks are longer and more electronic-oriented than on their previous records. These experimentations find the duo expanding their capacities and working with other artists including Beck and suGar Yoshinaga of Buffalo Daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Falkner</span> Musical artist

Jason Falkner is an American songwriter, musician, and guitarist who was a member of the bands Jellyfish, the Three O'Clock, and the Grays. Since 1996, he has released six solo albums, starting with Presents Author Unknown. He is also a session musician and producer who has contributed to dozens of recordings by other bands and musicians as well as a touring guitar player for Beck for decades.

<i>The Virgin Suicides</i> (score) 2000 film score by Air

The Virgin Suicides is a score composed by French electronic music duo Air for the 1999 film of the same name by Sofia Coppola. It was released on 23 February 2000 by Virgin Records. The album was nominated for Best Soundtrack at the 2001 Brit Awards. The French edition of Rolling Stone magazine placed The Virgin Suicides at number 49 on their list of the 100 essential French rock albums. In 2014, NME placed the album at number 11 on their "61 of the Greatest Film Soundtracks Ever" list. In 2019, Pitchfork placed the album at number four on their "Top 50 Best Movie Scores of All Time" list.

<i>The Original Soundtrack</i> 1975 studio album by 10cc

The Original Soundtrack is the third studio album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1975 and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. The Original Soundtrack includes the singles "Life Is a Minestrone", and "I'm Not in Love", the band's most popular song.

<i>The Virgin Suicides</i> (film) 1999 film directed by Sofia Coppola

The Virgin Suicides is a 1999 American psychological romantic drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola in her feature directorial debut, and co-produced by her father, Francis Ford Coppola. It stars James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, A.J. Cook, and Josh Hartnett, with Scott Glenn, Michael Paré, Jonathan Tucker, and Danny DeVito in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Not in Love</span> 1975 song by British band 10cc

"I'm Not in Love" is a song by British group 10cc, written by band members Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. It is known for its innovative and distinctive backing track, composed mostly of the band's multitracked vocals. Released in the UK in May 1975 as the second single from the band's third album, The Original Soundtrack, it became the second of the group's three number-one singles in the UK between 1973 and 1978, topping the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. "I'm Not in Love" became the band's breakthrough hit outside the United Kingdom, topping the charts in Canada and Ireland as well as peaking within the top 10 of the charts in several other countries, including Australia, West Germany, New Zealand, Norway and the United States.

<i>How Dare You!</i> (album) 1976 studio album by 10cc

How Dare You! is the fourth album by British band 10cc. Released in 1976, it included UK hit singles "I'm Mandy Fly Me" and "Art for Art's Sake". The album was the band's third to have cover artwork by the Hipgnosis creative team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreadlock Holiday</span> 1978 single by 10cc

"Dreadlock Holiday" is a reggae song by 10cc. Written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman, it was the lead single from the band's 1978 album, Bloody Tourists.

<i>Marie Antoinette</i> (soundtrack) 2006 soundtrack album by various artists

Marie Antoinette: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2006 historical drama film Marie Antoinette. It was released on October 10, 2006, by Verve Forecast Records and Polydor Records. The soundtrack is composed heavily of atmospheric guitar-based rock music and electronic music, a trend established in previous Coppola films such as Lost in Translation and The Virgin Suicides, which were also produced by music director Brian Reitzell.

<i>Lost in Translation</i> (soundtrack) 2003 soundtrack album

Lost in Translation: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2003 film Lost in Translation, directed by Sofia Coppola. The soundtrack was supervised by Brian Reitzell and was released on September 9, 2003, through Emperor Norton Records. It contains five songs by Kevin Shields, including one from his group My Bloody Valentine. Other artists featured on the soundtrack include Air, Death in Vegas, Squarepusher, Phoenix and the Jesus and Mary Chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything You've Done Wrong</span> 1996 single by Sloan

"Everything You've Done Wrong" is a song by Canadian rock band Sloan. The song was released as the second single from the band's 1996 album, One Chord to Another. It is the band's highest charted single ever in Canada, reaching #6 on Canada's RPM Singles Chart. The song was nominated for "Single of the Year" at the 1998 East Coast Music Awards.

<i>Stranger than Fiction</i> (soundtrack) 2006 soundtrack album by various artists

Stranger than Fiction is the soundtrack to the 2006 fantasy comedy-drama film Stranger than Fiction, directed by Marc Forster and written by Zach Helm.

Brian Reitzell is an American musician, composer, record producer and music supervisor best known for his work on many film and TV soundtracks. He is notable for working extensively with the American film director Sofia Coppola. He was formerly the drummer for the LA punk band Redd Kross. He has collaborated extensively with the French electronica duo Air, having performed drums on their albums The Virgin Suicides and 10 000 Hz Legend. Reitzell also toured with the band on their "Moon Safari" tour in 1998 and again in 2000 and 2001. In 2003, he was nominated for a BAFTA, along with Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine, for the score to Lost in Translation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Mars</span> French musician (born 1976)

Thomas Pablo Croquet, known professionally as Thomas Mars, is a French musician and the lead singer of the French indie pop band Phoenix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9 Piece</span> 2011 single by Rick Ross featuring Lil Wayne

"9 Piece" is a song by American rapper Rick Ross. There are two versions, one featuring T.I. and the other – Lil Wayne. The song was originally placed on Ross' mixtape Ashes to Ashes and later released as a single from his fifth studio album, God Forgives, I Don't (2011). However, despite peaking at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song did not make the final cut for the album. In 2013, "9 Piece" was featured on the soundtrack of Sofia Coppola's film The Bling Ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Girl (song)</span> 2003 single by Kevin Shields

"City Girl" is a song by the Irish alternative rock musician Kevin Shields. It is the second track from the soundtrack to the 2003 film Lost in Translation and was released as a standalone single in June 2003. Recorded during summer 2002 with Lost in Translation's music co-ordinator Brian Reitzell, "City Girl" was among the first original material released by Shields since My Bloody Valentine's second studio album, Loveless (1991)—on which he was the main composer, musician and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Things We Do for Love (song)</span> British pop song released in 1976

"The Things We Do for Love" is a song by British band 10cc, released as a single in 1976. It later featured on the album Deceptive Bends released in 1977 and was the group's first release after the departure of band members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Crime (song)</span> 2015 single by Siouxsie

"Love Crime" is a song by Siouxsie. Her first release in eight years, it was featured in the finale of the TV series Hannibal, broadcast in August 2015.

References

  1. ↑ "The Virgin Suicides: Music from the Motion Picture". AllMusic . Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. ↑ Various Artists (2000). The Virgin Suicides (CD Soundtrack). Emperor Norton. ASIN   B00027JY4E. EMN 7029.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "About the Production". Cinema Review. The Virgin Suicides. Archived from the original on 7 May 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
    • "The Cast". Cinema Review. The Virgin Suicides. Archived from the original on 7 May 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
    • "The Style". Cinema Review. The Virgin Suicides. Archived from the original on 7 May 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
    • "The Music". Cinema Review. The Virgin Suicides. Archived from the original on 7 May 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 Boldman, Gina. "The Virgin Suicides: Music from the Motion Picture [Emperor Norton]". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  5. ↑ NME (12 September 2005). "The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack". NME. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  6. 1 2 Richardson, Mark (12 May 2000). "Various Artists: The Virgin Suicides". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  7. ↑ Pappis, Konstantinos (26 March 2021). "Music as an Escape From the Gaze: Soundtracking Gender in 'The Virgin Suicides'". Our Culture. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Scores on Screen. Clouds Up: Air and the Soundtrack of "The Virgin Suicides"". MUBI. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  9. ↑ The Virgin Suicides (liner notes). Various artists. Emperor Norton Records. 2000. EMN 7029.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 10.
  11. ↑ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 17, no. 17. 22 April 2000. p. 17. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
  12. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – The Virgin Suicides" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  13. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – The Virgin Suicides". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  15. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  16. ↑ "Various artists Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  17. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 42. hét". MAHASZ . Retrieved 26 October 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.