Make Your Heart Sing: Romance Film Soundtracks

As Saint Valentine’s fateful day approaches and love’s winged chariot hurries near, look to the screen, turn up the volume and fall in love with film soundtracks. The following films and their soundtracks prove that in love, sometimes what cannot be said, must be sung.

Submarine (2010) Richard Ayoade’s directorial de- but Submarine is a hilarious coming-of-age romance set in Wales, starring Craig Roberts. The eccentric plot sees an unpopular and socially awkward Oliver Tate (Roberts) fall in love with his classmate Jordana (Yasim Paige) as he tries to navigate teen love, his parent’s rocky relationship and Jordana’s mother ’s ill health. The Wes Andersonesque style is married perfectly with moodily tender original songs written by Alex Turner, frontman of the English rock and Arctic Monkeys. Turner’s voice is a divine presence in the film as he manages to perfectly combine the innocence of childhood with the chaos of growing up through acoustic guitar and heartfelt lyrics. Oliver ’s struggle to find the answer to his woes can be summed up in Turner’s lyrics: “And even when you know the way it’s gonna blow. It’s hard to get around the wind.”

Adventureland (2009)

This quiet comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola centres on a beautiful love story between students James ( Jesse Eisenberg) and Em (Kristen Stewart) who meet whilst working at a run-down theme park in Pittsburgh during their summer break. The film is perhaps one of Stewart’s best acting performances and stars a fantastic supporting cast with the likes of Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Ryan Reynolds. Whilst the film is poignant in its portrayal of complicated relationships, the soundtrack is what sets it apart from other in- die romances. Lou Reed is clearly a favourite of Mottola and rightly so. With ‘Satellite of Love’ as well as The Velvet Underground’s “Here She Comes Now” and “Pale Blue Eyes”, Reed’s urgent and melancholic voice effortlessly embodies John and Em’s feelings of young love and uncertainty over their futures. Set in 1987, decade classics also feature such as David Bowie’s “Modern Love” and Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus”.

Garden State (2004) Written and directed by Zach Braff, this romantic-comedy won a Grammy for it’s compilation soundtrack. Based on Braff’s own real life experiences, the film follows Andrew Largeman (Braff ), an actor/waiter in his mid-twenties, as he returns home to New Jersey after the death of his mother. Love soon blossoms between Andrew and Sam (Natalie Portman), a pathological liar who sweetly promises to always afterward admit her lies to him. Perhaps the greatest song featured in the film is “New Slang” by The Shins; Sam even promises that it “will change your life”. Written by guitarist and vocalist, James Mercer, “New Slang” is a rare gem of a song in which Mercer reflects upon his angsty and confused relationship with his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. With the lyrics “If you took to me like a/Gull takes to the wind”, the song rather resembles a poem. Indie folk legends also feature such as Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel and Iron & Wine.

Greenberg (2010) This Noah Baumbach film follows the messy relationship between Florence (Greta Gerwig), a personal assistant to the Greenberg family, and Roger (Ben Stiller), Mr Greenberg’s brother who comes to stay at the Greenberg’s home while they are away on holiday. Whilst the film is not action-packed or overly dramatic, it holds an intimately human quality owing a lot to its brilliant soundtrack. The Californian setting is key to the song choices with the likes of Steve Miller Band’s “Jet Airliner ”, Nite Jewel’s “Suburbia” and Albert Hammond’s “It Never Rains In Southern California”. Greta Gerwig’s rendition of Judee Sill’s “There’s a Rugged Road” is an especially sweet moment in the film.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence shine in this tale of un- conventional love. On release from a psychiatric hospital, Pat (Cooper) meets a young widow named Tiffany (Lawrence) who agrees to help him reunite with his estranged wife if he enters a dance competition with her. Like its characters, the soundtrack is both eclectic and eccentric with songs such as Alabama Shakes’ “Always Alright” and Stevie Wonder ’s “My Cherie Amour ”. Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country” rings out during Pat and Tiffany’s dance rehearsal montage. The lyrics “Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine”, especially, make it hard not to fall in love with this film.

Warm Bodies (2013) Whoever said love is dead? This paranormal romance centres on an unlikely relationship between a human girl and an undead boy in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. Starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer, the film utilises its soundtrack to balance its emotional moments with comedic relief. John Waite’s “Missing You” becomes a running joke throughout the film and Bruce Springstein’s “Hungry Heart” serves as the perfect ironic accompaniment to “R” (Hoult) and Julie’s (Palmer) romantic montage. Conversely, Bon Iver ’s “Hinnom, TX” and The National’s “Runaway” are fitting in more serious moments.