(500) Days of Summer soundtrack – Review

(500) Days of Summer is one of those movies that succeeds because of the great soundtrack for the film. It’ll be impossible to separate the two. The songs here are the film’s underscore and are so vital to the everything in the film. I also wouldn’t be surprised if those who liked the movie walk out of the theater and head over to a store to buy this soundtrack.

Musically, this soundtrack is the film on CD, kicking off with the opening narration from the trailer with A Story of Boy Meets Girl, then kicks right off with a Regina Spektor tune Us (she also contributes another song to the soundtrack). Most of the songs here are to enhance the romantic nature of the film and Joseph-Gordon Levitt’s emotional roller coaster Zooey Deschanel put him through. Speaking of Ms. Deschanel, her band She&Him does a cover of The Smiths’ Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want to a delight fan of the group. It’s more inspirit to her sound, than the fun made-up band she created for the Yes Man soundtrack (here).

The soundtrack consists mostly of indie rock acts, with some classic cuts like the Hall & Oates ’80s hit, You Make My Dreams, which of course, is a standout dance number in the film. The song perfectly captures hat feeling of first love (or that feeling when you finally sleep with the person you really care about), and while it’s great having it here, you have to see how the song is married to Levitt’s and the film’s standout sequence.

The Smiths appear twice, and there second song is There is a Light That Never Goes Out is a great song, as is the UK rock band Mumm-Ra’s She’s Got You High. The song is mournful but upbeat, a nice tune on love and the feelings of love. That’s how this soundtrack works. Collecting a variety of tunes squarely bent on telling the story of two lovers that fall apart, and it could also be a soundtrack for our own love lives. While the songs aren’t new sans the She&Him cover, collecting these together is a wonderful experience for fans of the film, who are probably curious to listen to the bands the characters were, as well as expanding to new musical horizons. For fans of the film and indie music (although I kind of hate using that term for these songs, perhaps rock-folk would work better?), this is bliss.

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