FEATURE:
Reel Gone Kids
The Coming-of-Age Film Soundtrack
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I was watching an episode…
of Mark Kermode’s Secrets of Cinema where, each week, he dissected a genre of film and the clichés, conventions and complexities that define them. One episode focused on coming-of-age films. Whilst it was interesting learning about the narrative structures, insights and characters that define these films, one quintessential element of a coming-of-age film is the soundtrack – it almost seems to be an integral character in the films itself. 2017’s Lady Bird seems to be one of the most-recent coming-of-age films that has really resonated in terms of its story and performances. It also boasts a pretty good soundtrack. From The Breakfast Club and Footloose in the 1980s to Almost Famous in 2000 and Blinded by the Light in 2019, if done right, there is a big appetite for the coming-of-age tale. It can be heart-warming and nostalgic. We can root for this character/characters as they make their way through a film - and we see them develop and overcome obstacles; bond with friends and learn valuable lessons. Whilst the performance, direction, cinematography and editing are all essential ingredients that need to go into the mix, I think that the soundtrack is not only an interlinked and familial part of a coming-of-age film; the songs that we knew in another context can take on a whole new dimension. We can see them in a different light. There have been polls as to the greatest coming-of-age soundtrack. My favourites are either The Breakfast Club or Stand By Me. Whilst the coming-of-age soundtrack of the 1980s holds a special place, I think there have been some great coming-of-age soundtracks of the 2010s that combine classic songs with something a little more modem.
Last year, PASTE spotlighted the best teen movie soundtracks of the 2010s. One film on there that I would count as a modern-day coming-of-age film is Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart (2019). The soundtrack shows that modern filmmakers can concoct pleasing and rich soundtracks that helps to narrate and augment the story; bring the character and setting to life:
“We’ll start with 2019’s token Oscar-snubbed teen comedy Booksmart, Olivia Wilde’s charming and topical directorial debut. The soundtrack is a 2010s indie fan’s wet dream—there’s Perfume Genius (used in one of the coming-of-age film’s most visceral scenes, in the swimming pool), Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and, most notably, LCD Soundsystem. Another 2019 flick with great music, Someone Great, was actually named after the LCD Soundsystem song of the same name, yet frontman James Murphy denied director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s request to use their music, as she told Rolling Stone. If Murphy is picky with which films use his music, he made the right choice between these two: The use of “oh baby” is perfectly timed and fits wonderfully with the mood of Booksmart. There’s also Lizzo, Alanis Morrissette and one of the year’s most memorable entrances courtesy of Billie Lourd and Leikeli47’s “Money.” Legends on all sides”.
I want to focus on the 1980s first in regards the coming-of-age soundtrack. I was born in the decade, so I do not really have a clear memory of the film and culture at the time. Maybe it was the strength of the music of the 1980s or the compelling stories that accounts for some lauded and long-adored coming-of-age films. As this article outlines, some of the best coming-of-age films of the ‘80s feature some incredible, scene-defining musical moments:
“The 1980s, coming-of-age movies and teen comedies overflowed with hip, contemporary tunes and boasted characters with impeccable musical taste. This curation was by design: The powers that be wanted moviegoers to relate to onscreen teens—or at least aspire to be as cool as they were—and saw music as the best way to create an emotional connection.
The movies John Hughes wrote and directed (including 1984’s Sixteen Candles, 1985’s Weird Science, and 1986’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) tend to draw special praise for their music supervision, namely because these films placed familiar acts next to underground artists. In fact, coming-of-age films were the tastemakers and influencers of the ’80s where music was concerned.
However, pre-Hughes, the cult 1982 movie The Last American Virgin and 1983’s Valley Girl had already used this formula to expose new groups to a wider audience. Los Angeles power-pop band The Plimsouls especially benefited from the latter, in no small part because they appeared as a bar band in the flick. Little details such as these ensure that coming-of-age films are deeply intertwined with their musical selections.
Many of the biggest ’80s movie hits are inextricably linked to memorable musical moments. In Sixteen Candles, Molly Ringwald’s character finally consummated her crush on hunky Jake Ryan to the gorgeous sound of Thompson Twins’ synth-pop ballad “If You Were Here.” The infamous Phoebe Cates swimsuit-shedding scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High was set to The Cars’ lurid “Moving in Stereo.” And, of course, John Cusack single-handedly made Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” a love song for the ages when, in Say Anything, he played the tune for Ione Skye from a boom box hoisted over his head”.
A lot of coming-of-age films feature characters and situations where the lead is undergoing a harsh lesson or is struggling. They then will find clarity, bond with their peers or find satisfying resolution. Not that they all operate in this manner, though there is a distinct arc that many of the best coming-of-age films follow. More than any type of film – apart from a musical or music biopic -, the music in a coming-of-age film is more powerful than pretty much anything else. As most of the films feature teenage characters, this is the age when we discover music and are at our most inquisitive and immersive. One would think that coming-of-age films would only speak to teenage audiences but, as we have seen this type of film released through the decades, the audience demographic is varied. Newer examples such as Lady Bird appeal to younger and older audiences alike. I want to bring in an article that not only underlines a couple of hidden coming-of-age gems. They also explain why the soundtracks are so important and appeal to people:
“If you’ve seen as many coming-of-age movies and series as I have, you’d notice that most of them have one thing in common — our teenage protagonist always loves music. You’ll know this because of the scene where they talk about a specific artist or song. You know, that scene.
Two coming-of-age pictures have slipped onto the radar this year — Oscar nominee Lady Bird and Netflix original Everything Sucks. They are both lovely and I highly recommend them. And while the two aren’t very similar, they do have that one thing in common — they both use music as a storytelling motif.
And really, the list of movies and series that do this goes on. Perks of Being a Wallflower. Submarine. Bandslam. Why do so many screenplay writers feel the need to incorporate music into their coming-of-age narratives?
Nostalgia Factor
Coming-of-age stories always aim to elicit nostalgia. These stories are, of course, about growing up, and there is nothing more nostalgic than remembering what it was like growing up.
Thing is, it’s really easy to elicit nostalgia through music. When a movie is popular, chances are, you’ll see it once in the movie theatre and never again. But when a song is popular, it’s everywhere. Everywhere. You’ll hear it in the mall, the restaurants, the school, and it’ll end up being the number one thing people associate with a certain year.
And coming-of-age writers really like to set their stories in a past year.
Take Lady Bird; set in 2002. We know this because the main character says it in the opening scene, but also, there are numerous references to 2002 pop culture everywhere. When Lady Bird’s dad drives her to school, Hand in My Pocket plays on the radio, and Lady Bird goes, “Did you know that Alanis Morissette wrote this song in only 10 minutes?”
Foundation of Character
In order for a coming-of-age story to work, you have to like the protagonist — or, at the very least, you have to sympathize with them. Fortunately for writers, we’re more keen towards sympathizing with the awkward, out-of-place teenager because most of us felt that way when we were teenagers.
And having a distinct taste in music can make the protagonist seem a.) more odd and nonconformist, and b.) more likable. It’s kind of like the movie is saying “Look, this kid has good taste! Root for him!”
Take the 2009 film Bandslam — a movie that did not get the success it deserved. Our protagonist, Will, is a weirdo for a lot of reasons. But mostly for the fact that he’s in his own world that’s just music. The movie even starts off with him literally writing a letter to David Bowie, and later on, he looks around his classmates and says, “I tend to make snap judgments about people based on what kind of music they like.”
A big part of the movie’s plot is driven by music. Not only because the movie’s main plot is about them forming a band, but also because the turning point of the movie is Will and Charlotte forming a friendship through — you guessed it — music. The two of them find common ground by being both The Velvet Underground fans, and even share a special moment together listening to Femme Fatale.
Coming-of-age films just can’t seem to exist without music — and understandably so. Music is such great shorthand, and a great filmmaker knows how to use shorthand effectively yet subtly.
Heck, even coming-of-age films that don’t talk about music use music as a shorthand. After all, where would Sixteen Candles be without If You Were Here, and The Breakfast Club without Don’t You (Forget About Me)?”
I am going to end by sourcing an article that explores my favourite coming-of-age closing scene – and the incredible song that soundtracks it. Before then, I want to move into the 1990s (I might explore the more modern coming-of-age films in a future feature). In 2009, Entertainment Weekly looked at the coming-of-age soundtracks of the ‘90s. This is a decade that remains very important to me. As a teenager of the 1990s, I not only can connect with many of the films’ characters; the music also resonates inside of me. There are a couple of segments that I want to quote:
“Empire Records— 1995’s episodic day-in-the-life of a ragtag crew of young record-store employees, including Robin Tunney and a pre-Jerry Maguire Renée Zellweger — focused firmly on the present. The movie may have tanked at the box office, but its soundtrack prevailed (remember the irresistible thump and jangle of Edwyn Collin’s “A Girl Like You”?)with its intensely mid-‘90s collection of acts like the Cranberries, the Gin Blossoms, and Toad the Wet Sprocket. Did it hurt to have Aerosmith icon Steven Tyler’s daughter Liv, just beginning her acting career, dancing on a rooftop to The The’s “This Is the Day?” It did not!
Hiphop received far fewer mainstream cinematic tributes than rock in the‘90s, but some of the best artists of the era finally got their due in last year’s indie dramedy The Wackness, set in NYC circa 1994. In it, enterprising high schooler (Josh Peck) sells pot out of a Popsicle cart and reveres the sounds of the city’s rap royalty: the Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack, KRS One. Still, some rockers of past generations eek their way in too: Mott the Hoople (“All the Young Dudes”), Donovan (“Season of the Witch”), and the Velvet Underground (“Sister Ray”). But no cultural moment exists in a vacuum, right? Rappers like the late Notorious B.I.G. happily sampled from artists of the past, from Minnie Ripperton to the Isley Brothers; no doubt they would appreciate the presence of a few golden oldsters.
For Reference: Lisa Loeb, “Stay”; Me Phi Me, “Revival”; Elliott Smith, “Between the Bars”; The Wu-Tang Clan, “Tears”; Big Mountain, “Baby I You’re your Way”; Nas,“The World Is Yours”; Edwyn Collins, “A Girl Like You”; Evan Dando, “The Ballad of El Goodo”; The Gin Blossoms, “Til I Hear It From You”.
Although the 1990s was twenty/thirty years or go (plus), I think the films and soundtracks – and for other decades – still stands up today. There is a timelessness to these films that means they will be preserved and discovered afresh by teens who are looking for answers and guidance in the modern age.
Each phase of a coming-of-age film is important and needs to connect with its audience. I think the final scene is important, as the rest of the film has been leading up to this moment. That may sound obvious but, whereas an action film or a thriller can provide catharsis or a twist with its final scene, I think the coming-of-age final reel is more varied and satisfying. Whether our characters have learned an important truth, are walking into the sunshine together or, like Stand By Me, there is a sad twist, the song used to accompany this scene is vital! We all have our favourite but, in terms of pure satisfaction and memorability, the end of John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club is the best. This article discusses why a classic Simple Minds song is so important in the finale of the classic ‘80s film:
“Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” from The Breakfast Club
This is a quintessential end-of-movie song, from a quintessential teen-movie ending-scene, written and directed by quintessential teen-movie auteur John Hughes. I remember watching The Breakfast Club on VHS at age 15, in 1986, and thinking that Hughes had achieved something singular and true to teenage life.
Years later, it feels like the confessional soliloquies (and sudden romantic pairing-off) among the disparate characters of The Breakfast Club were more idealized than realistic. Still, there’s no question it was a groundbreaking movie in terms of how American teenagers — and their fears, hopes, and preoccupations — were portrayed on the screen. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” underscores the stakes (who are these kids, and what will they mean to each other after today?) during the film’s climactic moment of symbolic rebellion: Brian reading his “you see us as you want to see us” essay in a voice-over as Bender pumps his fist into the air and the credits roll.
Interestingly, the Scottish rock band Simple Minds were initially resistant to recording the song, which was composed by producer Keith Forsey and guitarist Steve Schiff (Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol had already turned down the opportunity). They eventually relented under pressure from their record label, and the band is now remembered for this song — and the way it evokes the triumphant final image of The Breakfast Club”.
I shall leave things there. I am interested in the relationship between film scores and the impact they have on scenes. I am also curious about film soundtracks across all genres and the importance of the music. I feel there is something special about the coming-of-age soundtrack and the way music is deployed and utilised. It can be powerful or emotional. It can be uplifting or joyous. The songs can impact an individual in a big way, or they speak to an entire demographic. Not only can a coming-of-age film make a splash at the box office at the time. It can be picked up years down the line and make an impression on a new audience. Similarly, a strong and compelling coming-of-age soundtrack can stand…
IN the memory for generations.