Soundtracking Anderson: The Royal Tenenbaums

If Rushmore bent time and space with music from the British Invasion, Wes Anderson's third film pushes the method to the extreme of near timelessness using music, costume and prop design to create a sort of cartoon version of Manhattan. For The Royal Tenenbaums, Anderson moved on to baroque rock from the early seventies, helping to create a feeling of melancholy throughout the film, and cementing the label of 'melancomic' to Anderson's work (like it's meaning, this made-up label is both tragic and a bit humorous).

The first song that Anderson had in his head before sitting down to write was a Jackson Browne cover of "These Days" by Warhol Superstar Nico and he wrote his first scene with that in mind: Margo (Gwyneth Paltrow) getting off the Green Line Bus in slow motion (video). Nico's sad and beautiful voice helps color in Margo as much as the raccoon eyeliner that they share.

The opening montage that introduces the characters (expertly voiced by Alec Baldwin) is done to the tune of "Hey Jude" (see video,) which was recorded at the last minute by score scribe Mark Mothersbaugh and his offshoot Mutato Muzika Orchestra. Anderson originally meant to have The Beatles original version open the film (and close it with "I'm Looking Through You,") but circumstances forced their hand to record another version (EW, 12/04). Elliott Smith was approached initially, but he wasn't in any shape to do so at the time, as he was already on a downward spiral that would eventually end with him taking his own life just two years later. Eerily, the song he did provide, "Needle in the Hay," was used prophetically as the backdrop for Richie's attempted suicide (video). That co-writer Owen Wilson had a hand in writing the scene makes it doubly eerie. Continuing on the musical suicide tour of RT, when Richie (Luke Wilson) gets out of the hospital and takes the bus home, it's to Nick Drake's "Fly". Drake's upbeat song is meant to signify a sort of rebirth, but it's hard to ignore the fact that this singer took his own life as well.

This scene is then followed by back-to-back tracks from The Rolling Stones, backing the drama between Richie and Margo. They confess their love to one another to "She Smiled Sweetly," and then Margo says it has to be a secret love and leaves as "Ruby Tuesday" raises in volume on the "goodbye" chorus. This, and a few other RT scenes, I believe mark the first time Anderson uses diegetic music of any significance. The songs play on a turntable, and exist in the characters' world, whereas nearly all the music in his prior work was non-diegetic in nature. This diegetic use of music is much harder to do (see the The Sopranos,) and shows Anderson's growth working with Randall Poster on these films (and on his next film, he would take it to another extreme). Another use of this is The Clash's "Rock the Casbah," playing on a stereo for an Eli (Owen Wilson) drug deal (video). The Clash appeared earlier with Eli as well, as when he buys some drugs while out with Margo you hear "Police and Thieves." Anderson seems to associate punk rock with illicit behavior, as he also uses The Ramones' "Judy is a Punk" as a backdrop to the montage of Margo's secret past. Contrasted with the baroque sounds of the rest of the soundtrack, it's meant to be a little jarring.

If Eli Cash is The Clash (why am I just now noticing Cash=Clash?) then I guess Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) is Bob Dylan. Dylan's "Wigwam" sets the mood for when he meets his grandkids for the first time ("no we didn't" - see video,) and Dylan's theme score Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid helps escort Royal out the door after his ruse has been discovered. And I haven't even brought up the scene of joyful rebellion where Royal and his grandkids raise some hell to Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" (video). There's really no scene that isn't carefully scored, so that each moment is somehow more precious then the next, which initially is the best thing about the film. But together, much like this post I'm writing, it all feels a bit claustrophobic, and that really is the major flaw in this otherwise beautiful, sad, funny film.

Playlist: Rssmbld Sndtrck - The Royal Tenenbaums
1. "Hey Jude" - The Mutato Muzika Orchestra (video)
2. "String Quartet In F Major (2nd Movement) (Ravel)" - Ysaye Quartet
3. "Sonata For Cello and Piano In F Minor (Enescu)" - The Mutato Muzika Orchestra
4. "Look At Me" - John Lennon - Chas gets his children ready for bed on his first night back home
5. "Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental)" - Vince Guaraldi - Margot is leaving home / Royal tries to reconcile with Margot in the ice cream shop
6. "These Days" - Nico - Richie is picked up by Margot, by way of the green line bus (video)
7. "Police & Thieves" - The Clash - Eli and Margot visit a drug dealer and discuss Richie
8. "Wigwam" - Bob Dylan - Ethyl and Henry discuss their relationship / Royal meets his grandsons (video)
9. "Gymnopedie No. 1" - Erik Satie
10. "Lullabye" - Emitt Rhodes - Chas confronts Richie in his tent (video)
11. "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard" - Paul Simon - Royal takes his grandsons out to raise hell (video)
12. "Main Title Theme (Billy)" - Bob Dylan - Royal leaves the house
13. "Judy Is A Punk" - The Ramones - The Margot private investigator montage
14. "Needle In The Hay" - Elliott Smith - Richie attempts to commit suicide (video)
15. "Fly" - Nick Drake - Richie escapes from the hospital, sneaks back into house (video)
16. "She Smiled Sweetly" - The Rolling Stones - Margot and Richie talk in the tent (video)
17. "Ruby Tuesday" - The Rolling Stones - Margo leaves
18. "Stephanie Says" - The Velvet Underground - Richie is visited by Mordecai* on the roof of the hotel
19. "Rock The Casbah" - The Clash - Royal and Richie try to get Eli some help (video)
20. "Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal)" - Vince Guaraldi
21. "The Fairest Of The Seasons" - Nico - prologue, announcement of Royal's death
22. "Everyone" - Van Morrison - Royal funeral, credits
Score by Mark Mothersbaugh

More: Aside from Mothersbaugh and his score, the other artist who ties the musical theme together goes mostly uncredited, and that's John Cale. He played in Velvet Underground ("Stephanie Says") and played on both Nico tracks as well as "Fly" by Nick Drake.

*The original hawk used to play Mordecai was captured during shooting and held for ransom - production could not wait for him to be returned which is the reason that the bird that appears later in the movie has “more white feathers” - it’s a different bird

Previously: Bottle Rocket, Rushmore

tags: music, film, soundtrack, wes anderson, mark mothersbaugh, rolling stones, the clash, royal tenenbaums, elliott smith, nico, playlist

Soundtracking Anderson: Rushmore

One of the big misconceptions in use of soundtrack in film, is that the music should be a cue as to the time period the film takes place. If anything, Wes Anderson (like Scorsese, Tarrantino, et al.) uses music from a certain era to instead transcend time, or bridge today with what reminds of of a more innocent time (even though, it's often less so.) Anderson's first film, Bottle Rocket, did this to some extent, but it was his second film Rushmore, where he found the perfect context to break down time and space.

While writing the screenplay, Anderson was researching and listening to British Invasion music, and even briefly toyed with the idea of an all Kinks soundtrack. Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is like a misfit school boy character from a Ray Davies or Pete Townshend song, transported across the Atlantic and three decades of time, and in Anderson's hands, it's nearly impossible to separate the music from the character. In many cases, he had a song in mind for a scene before he even fully conceived it*. So Anderson had British Invasion songs in mindgreat from The Kinks and The Who, along the more obscure The Creation. Their song "Making Time" backs one of the greatest opening montages of a movie (showing Max' extracurricular activities at Rushmore,) and nearly works by itself as a music video (and contains a reference to photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue's famous Zissou's bobsled photo, with the still of Max in a go-cart for the Yankee Racers club.)
The next praiseworthy music scene comes to the backing of "Nothing In This World Can Stop Me From Worryin' Bout That Girl" from the Kinks, when we're introduced to the anguish of Herman (Bill Murray,) and he cannonballs into the pool. The ending shot of him underwater is reference to The Graduate, and underscoring that is the remarkable similarity between The Kinks' song and the opening lick to Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" (they share the same rhythmic first five notes on an acoustic guitar).

The musical highlight, though, might just have to be the revenge sequence, utilizing the final section "You Are Forgiven," from The Who's 9-minute mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away" (see video). Interestingly enough Anderson/Post actually use a live version of the song in the film, from the live album Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus, but since that's on the Rolling Stones' stingy ABKO label, they instead use a version from Live at Leeds on the released soundtrack. Speaking of the Stones, there's always a song from them, and for Rushmore it's "I Am Waiting," another song which Anderson had picked before even coming up with the scene. It's a beautiful scene where Herman and Max call a truce, and in the end, all are left feeling miserable.

The music of Rushmore follows it through the seasons, starting with the fall and slipping into a winter of discontent, marked by these last few songs. The next scene with song in the film uses Donovan's "The Wind" while Max flies a kite (video). It starts chilly, but ends with some with some warmth as Max decides to put on a play, and now we're slipping into spring. Cue John Lennon's bouncy "Oh Yoko!" as Max and Herman devise a plan to build the aquarium for Miss Cross. Like the season, it's the start of something new. The film ends with Max's new play ("best play ever,") and the wrap party features "Ooh La La" from the Faces, a song providing a nostalgaic look back with the line "I wish I knew then what I know now, when I was younger". And with Anderson's bending of time, you sort of can.

Playlist: Rssmbld Sndtrck - Rushmore
1. "Making Time" - The Creation - Montage introducing of all of Max's extracurricular activities
2. "Take Ten" - Paul Desmond - Max gets a haircut from his dad (video)
3. "Concrete And Clay" - Unit 4 + 2
4. "Nothing In This World Can Stop Me From Worryin' Bout That Girl" - The Kinks - A depressed Herman cannonballs into the pool (video)
5. "A Summer Song" - Chad and Jeremy (video)
6. "Blinuet" - Zoot Sims - Dinner after play, Miss Cross brings a guest (video)
7. "Here Comes My Baby" - Cat Stevens - Max makes a go of it at public school
8. "Jersey Thursday" - Donovan
9. "A Quick One, While He's Away" - The Who - Montage of war between Max and Herman (video)
10. "I Am Waiting" - The Rolling Stones - Max and Herman call a truce and everyone is miserable
11. "The Wind" - Cat Stevens - Max flies a kite and decides to put on another play (video)
12. "Rue St. Vincent" - Yves Montand
13. "Oh Yoko!" - John Lennon - Max and Herman devise a way to build the aquarium for Miss Cross (video)
14. "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" - Vince Guaraldi
15. "Manoir Des Mes Reves" - Django Reinhardt - Wrap party after the premiere of Max’s play (video)
16. "Ooh La La" - Faces - Wrap party after the premiere of Max’s play (video)
Score by Mark Mothersbaugh

*For this film, and all that followed, Anderson and music supervisor Randall Poster began trying to secure the rights to the music before shooting, so the actors had a better feel for how the scene a going to be played.

Previously: The Music of Bottle Rocket
Jansch, Poster, The Squid and the Whale

tags: music, film, soundtrack, wes anderson, mark mothersbaugh, rolling stones, the kinks, rushmore, the who, randall poster, playlist

Soundtracking Anderson: Bottle Rocket

The latest film from Wes Anderson, The Darjeeling Limited, comes out next Friday, and in anticipation of that I've reassembled all the music to each of his prior films, starting today with Bottle Rocket.

Wes Anderson is a creature of habit, or perhaps I should word that differently... when Anderson finds something he likes, he sticks with it. Bottle Rocket began his long relationship with Owen Wilson, who's been a part of every Anderson film released thus far, and in light of recent events, it's fascinating to go back and see his Dennis Hopper-like portrayal of Dignan, the wanna-be criminal. Anderson keeps going back to the same well with the music as well, and Bottle Rocket started his relationship with music supervisor Randall Poster*, Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh doing score, the songs of The Rolling Stones** and the music of the old Peanuts cartoons, with songs from Vince Guaraldi appearing on the original short from 1994.

Each Anderson film seems to center on a single artist and branch out from there, and for Bottle Rocket it's the band Love. This Los Angeles psychedelic-tinged outfit was led by the late Arthur Lee, who, like Wilson's Dignan, fancied himself an outlaw. That the band incorporated Spanish-style embellishments only added to the appropriateness of the songs to the film.

Below are playlists reassembling the songs as they appeared in the film. I've included the soundtrack to the original short from '94 as well (chock full of Charlie Brown goodness.)

Playlist: Rssmbld Sndtrck - Bottle Rocket (1996)
1. "Alone Again Or" - Love
2. "2000 Man" - The Rolling Stones
3. "Seven & Seven Is" - Love
4. "Prendeme La Vela" - Abelardo Vasquez & Cumanana
5. "Zorro is Back" - Oliver Onions
6. "Mambo Guajiro" - Rene Touzet
6. "Pachanga Diferente" - Rene Touzet
7. "Over And Done With" - The Proclaimers
Score by Mark Mothersbaugh

Playlist: Rssmbld Sndtrck - Bottle Rocket (1994 - Short)
1. Old Devil Moon - Sonny Rollins
2. The Route - Chet Baker
3. Skating - Vince Guaraldi
4. Stevie - Duke Ellington
5. Happiness Is - Vince Guaraldi
6. Jane-O - Zoot Sims

*When Anderson first delivered Bottle Rocket it fell kind of flat, so producer James Brooks brought in Randall Poster to help flesh out the soundtrack and he brought in Mothersbaugh to do the score as well.
**It should be noted that while The Rolling Stones have a song in every film, none appear in the soundtrack releases.... that is until next week. The Darjeeling Limited Soundtrack is being released on ABKO Records, which is notable for being the home of Mick and Keith's little band. That's one way to finally get the Stones on your album.

tags: music, film, soundtrack, wes anderson, mark mothersbaugh, rolling stones, vince guaraldi, bottle rocket, love, arthur lee, playlist