Friday Flashback: Soundtracks

I'm trying hard to get out of the 90's mood. Its been hard because I'm constantly reminded of great music from the era. That said, we will press pause and instead today I thought it might be cool to focus on great soundtracks. Of course, this will be yet another subjective view of music from a guy who is alone on an island regarding his tastes. I will note, the movies have special importance for me which is perhaps why I chose the songs to share with you. These will be selections from various genres and eras as I tend to be eclectic. I also will warn you, this will be the first of many posts on the topic.

When looking at soundtracks you have to really think about the songs and why they, in some cases, transcend the movies that featured them. Yes, I could easily pick songs like "My Heart Will Go On" or "Walking On Sunshine", but why the hell would I do that? You should know by now, I love the hidden gems.

So, I start with a classic. In 1944, a 19 year-old Lauren Bacall saunters into our hearts in To Have and Have Not and captivates the audience. I have the Life Magazine which features Ms. Bacall on the cover as part of the promotion for the movie on my wall in my basement. She is that great to me. The following clip features Ms. Bacall singing (though many believed for years that her "voice" was dubbed Andy Williams) with the great Hoagy Carmichael on "How Little We Know". She sang several songs in the film but this was by far the most engaging. The movie is a classic which has been dismissed by some as a knock off of Casablanca ... the formula is certainly there, but the chemistry between Bogart and Bacall is what makes this film stand out. There will never be a "movie" couple who will capture their magic ... let me stop here.

Next up is another classic. The movie is Imitation of Life (1959). I first watched this movie with my mother and the haunting vocals of one Mahalia Jackson ("Trouble of the World") at Annie's funeral still brings me to tears no matter how many times I see it. Douglas Sirk maybe doesn't get enough credit for making a powerful film about "passing" in late 50s America but, man, does it hit you. Yes, it is a remake. And yes perhaps many people just simply see this as a Lana Turner vehicle but its really so much more. You have to see the movie to truly appreciate how important this scene is ... but, again Ms. Mahalia brings it home like no other.



So, as I'm sittin here, in this chair... wait, that sounds like a song lyric. A great one at that. Car Wash (1976) is a movie that I hold in great reverence. It was a movie I was likely way too young to see, but I do know it was one of the first movies I saw when we moved to Kansas City (drive-in) and for that, it is a favorite. Rose Royce had, what was at the time, an unheard of feat ... three hits off a soundtrack album???? Wow. The songs perfectly set the mood for the film. This was a studio film designed to capitalize on the Blaxploitation genre, but what makes this a great movie wasn't the necessarily the performances (a young and roguish Bill Duke or funny Frankie Ajaye or pre-Huggy Bear Antonio Fargas or Daddy Rich himself, Richard Pryor) or the plot (a day in the life of car wash workers) it was really the simplicity of it all. The movie was just a straight forward comedy with some bite to it. But the soundtrack (specifically the title song) is what people remember. Mary J did do a great remake of "I'm Going Down" but the song that does it for me is "I Wanna Get Next to You". Just listen.



Next is a favorite on every level. Now, I know folks out there love Wizard of Oz, hey, so do I, but The Wiz (1980)... SMH ... man, I love this movie. It shares much with the Car Wash, a cameo from Richard Pryor and a pre-"Gee, how can I screw up the Batman movies" Joel Schumacher (who wrote the screenplay of The Wiz and Car Wash) and both were regarded as commercial failures. Be that as it may, my love for both is undeterred. The Wiz showcased a warchest of talent: Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, the incredible Mabel King, the beautiful Lena Horne and the songwriting talent of Ashford & Simpson ("Solid") and Quincy Jones to oversee the music. How could it go wrong? Well, who knows? Again, my love for the film is never ending. Felt only right to include it as the Anniversary Edition of Wizard of Oz was released this week. Here is Michael singing to the crows...



Last up is a couple of favorites from a movie that gets hardly any run. School Daze (1988). This movie is my favorite Spike Lee film, hands down. He got it right. The story is great, the characters are spot on and the cast ... oh the cast... Larry (when he was still Larry) Fishburne, Kadeem Hardison (pre-Dwayne Wayne), Darryl Bell, Tisha Campbell, Giancarlo Esposito, Jasmine Guy (pre-Whitley) and a unknown Sam Jackson. This was the movie that in many ways made the show A Different World relevent, especially when you consider the cast. Sadly, this movie is forgotten by almost everyone. This was a pivotal film in my development from a teenager to a young man. As a black man of light complexion, the struggle within the community regarding identity and confidence came to a head for me with this movie. There are two scenes in particular... "Good and Bad Hair" (identity) and the desperate love song, "Be Alone Tonight" (confidence). This movie should be in your Netflix queue because it does give you so much to think about. By the way, yes, it did give us the go go classic "Da Butt" by EU, however, I prefer not to go there.





See ya next week!!

P.S. I give you a bonus because the new Fame sucks and the original can't be touched... the movie or the show. Ladies and gentleman, Ms. Irene Cara ... the original Coco.