John Cusack Film Soundtracks - First Installment

High Fidelity

"Rob, top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the '80s and '90s. Go. Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?" ~ Barry

So I’ve been going through all my old cds, and had forgotten how awesome many of the soundtracks to John Cusack films are. Well, at least the ones he co-produces. Well, at least two of them are good. I actually bought the soundtrack for High Fidelity in between reading the book and actually seeing the film. The book and the soundtrack totally did it for me, so I was stoked to see the movie…and then somewhat disappointed. I feel like they were really close to having a great film, but just didn't quite pull it off.

I found it bizarre that they didn’t even use “High Fidelity” by Elvis Costello on the soundtrack at all; but rather, chose “Shipbuilding” instead? I understand the pun of using “High Fidelity” as the title of a story of a man who doesn’t really know how to have a real and meaningful connection to another person, but still…the song kicks ass. It probably had to do with copyright laws and fees. But, John Cusack: yummy, always.

This is the track listing for the commercially produced soundtrack. There were many more on the film that didn't make the cut for the album. Click here to see crazy-detailed comments on what was left out.

1. You're Gonna Miss Me - 13th Floor Elevators
2. Everybody's Gonna Be Happy - The Kinks
3. I'm Wrong About Everything - John Wesley Harding
4. Oh! Sweet Nuthin' - The Velvet Underground
5. Always See Your Face - Love
6. Most Of The Time - Bob Dylan
7. Fallen For You - Shiela Nicholls
8. Dry The Rain - The Beta Band
9. Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
10. Cold Blooded Old Times - Smog
11. Let's Get It On - Jack Black
12. Lo Boob Oscillator - Stereolab
13. Inside Game - Royal Trux
14. Who Loves The Sun - The Velvet Underground
15. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) - Stevie Wonder

LOVE how they ripped on Stevie repeatedly in the film, but still included one of his best songs (and one of my personal favorites ever) on the soundtrack: I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever).

Barry's Customer: Hi, do you have the song "I Just Called To Say I Love You?" It's for my daughter's birthday.
Barry: Yea we have it.
Barry's Customer: Well, can I have it?
Barry: No, actually, you can't.
Barry's Customer: Why not?
Barry: God. Do you even know your daughter? There's no way she likes that song. Oops, is she in a coma?

If you haven't heard the soundtrack, or just haven't listened to it in awhile, I highly recommend it. It's a great mix of old and new, and even the new are still relevant five years after it was released (Stereolab, etc.).

Here's a few of my favorite tracks to get you started.

Sheila Nicholls - Fallen For You

Stereolab - Lo Boob Oscillator