The Virgin Suicides (soundtrack)

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The Virgin Suicides
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Released28 March 2000 (2000-03-28)[1]
Genre
Length53:53
LabelEmperor Norton[2]
Compiler

The Virgin Suicides (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack accompanying the 1999 film of the same name. The album, released on March 28, 2000, by Emperor Norton Records, featured music from Todd Rundgren, Boston, Heart, Sloan, The Hollies, Al Green, Gilbert O'Sullivan, 10cc, Styx, and two tracks by Air, which includes a previously recorded material, and an original composition, specially for the film. The album was released in CDs and LP formats.

To coincide with the 20th anniversary of the film's release, a special vinyl edition of the soundtrack – consisting of a two-sided pink splatter disc – was re-issued by Rhino Records on October 24, 2020.[3][4]

Background[edit]

Sofia Coppola wanted to convey the theme of adolescence in the suburbs in the soundtrack.[5] She did not want to use standard hits from the 1970s music, but opted for a "consistently other-worldly soundtrack" produced by Air, whom Coppola had listened to while writing the screenplay. She opined that the album, despite being influenced by the 1970s music, also had a modern feel. She found that Air shared many of her suburban memories and experiences even though they grew up in a different country.[5] According to music consultant and former member of Air, Brian Reitzell, 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."[5]

Reception and analysis[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
NME7.5/10[7]
Pitchfork4.8/10[8]

The soundtrack received positive response from critics. Reviewing for AllMusic, Gina Boldman wrote "The soundtrack replays the myriad emotions of adolescence and those of the Lisbon girls in particular."[6] Pitchfork's Mark Richardson wrote, "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."[8] "The Virgin Suicides is Godin and Dunckel at their best – entirely removed from logic and gleefully, wickedly free to roam their own, unique world."[7]

In a 2021 analysis, Konstantinos Pappis of Our Culture Mag 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."[9] Clare Nina Norelli of Mubi.com gave a comparative analysis on the film's incorporated music, saying "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."[10] She further described Air's score as "metaphysical, aligned with the heavens" and further wrote "Through its spacious, soaring, almost hymnal synth harmonies, pulsating rhythms, and bittersweet melodies, their score coveys musically the translucence of memory and invests the ethereal specters of the Lisbon sisters on screen with an added otherworldliness."[10]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Magic Man"Ann Wilson, Nancy WilsonHeart5:28
2."Hello It's Me"Todd RundgrenTodd Rundgren4:21
3."Everything You've Done Wrong"SloanSloan3:27
4."Ce Matin Là"Air, Patrick WoodcockAir3:39
5."The Air That I Breathe"Albert Hammond, Mike HazlewoodThe Hollies3:47
6."How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"Barry Gibb, Robin GibbAl Green6:23
7."Alone Again (Naturally)"Gilbert O'SullivanGilbert O'Sullivan3:39
8."Strange Magic"Jeff LynneElectric Light Orchestra4:29
9."I'm Not in Love"Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman10cc6:04
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 MarsAir3:51
13."Come Sail Away"Dennis DeYoungStyx6:04

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Virgin Suicides.[11]

Chart performance[edit]

Chart (2000–2001) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 100
European Albums (Music & Media)[13] 78
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 35
Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] 29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 20
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 55
US Billboard 200[18] 138
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[19] 30

Release history[edit]

Region Date Label Ref.
Japan 15 March 2000
  • L'Appareil-Photo Bis
  • V2
 [20]
Germany 17 March 2000
[21]
France 27 March 2000 [22]
United Kingdom [23]
United States 28 March 2000 Emperor Norton [24]

References[edit]

  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. ^ "Various Artists - The Virgin Suicides (Music From The Motion Picture) - Vinyl LP". Rough Trade. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  4. ^ Valley, Happy. "Virgin Suicides (Music from the Motion Picture) Soundtrack (Pink Splatter Coloured Vinyl) (RSD2020)". Happy Valley. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "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.
  6. ^ a b Boldman, Gina. "The Virgin Suicides: Music from the Motion Picture [Emperor Norton]". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  7. ^ a b NME (12 September 2005). "The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack". NME. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  8. ^ a b Richardson, Mark (12 May 2000). "Various Artists: The Virgin Suicides". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  9. ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (26 March 2021). "Music as an Escape From the Gaze: Soundtracking Gender in 'The Virgin Suicides'". Our Culture. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Scores on Screen. Clouds Up: Air and the Soundtrack of "The Virgin Suicides"". MUBI. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  11. ^ 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)
  12. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 10.
  13. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 17. 22 April 2000. p. 17. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – The Virgin Suicides" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – The Virgin Suicides". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Various artists Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  19. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 42. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  20. ^ "The Virgin Suicides (Music from the Motion Picture)". HMV Japan. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  21. ^ "The Virgin Suicides". Amazon (Germany). Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  22. ^ "The Virgin Suicides". Amazon (in French). France. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  23. ^ "The Virgin Suicides (Original Soundtrack)". Ebay. United Kingdom. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  24. ^ "The Virgin Suicides (Music from the Motion Picture)". Ebay. United States. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
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