RADAR The Groove of the Galaxy
“YOU NEVER CAN TELL” was Chuck Berry’s masterpiece. It was made in 1964. Most people, however, know it from 1994’s Pulp Fiction, where it accompanied John Travolta and Uma Thurman’s slinky twist. Here was the classic trade-off between old pop music and new movies. The music became edgy by association. The film suddenly had a heart.
Since Quentin Tarantino paired a torture scene in Reservoir Dogs with Stealers Wheel’s 1972 hit “Stuck in the Middle With You,” the juxtaposition of pictures that are hard to look at with music that’s all too easy to listen to has become a standard strand of the multiplex experience. We smirk knowingly, tap our feet and feel sophisticated.
It’s also been one of the few things that parts record buyers from their money. There have been huge-selling soundtracks before— The Bodyguard sold more than 13 million copies in the U.S. alone— but when The Guardians
of the Galaxy went to No. 1 in the U.S. in 2014, it was the first time that a soundtrack of old songs had managed it.
The collection was made up of numbers from the ’70s, like “I’m Not in Love” by 10cc ( below) and Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling.” These old hits, which sound both comforting and strange to young ears, were superhero Peter Quill’s last link with Earth as he was carried off by space pirates. The cover of the soundtrack was tricked up to look like his handlabeled mixtape.
Entire musical careers can be rejuvenated by soundtrack editors, who simply choose what works. Radio programmers ignored Iggy Pop’s 1977 “Lust for Life” until Danny Boyle used the song for Ewan Mcgregor’s opening dash in 1996’s Trainspotting.
Now the two are married for all eternity. We really shouldn’t be surprised. Nothing warms the heart like music and motion.