"ALL I WANT IS YOU" U2 (1988)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Reality Bites

When you think of the Reality Bites soundtrack, the first song that probably comes to mind is “Stay (I Missed You”, the song that launched Lisa Loeb’s career. Ethan Hawke first heard Loeb playing her guitar in his apartment building – and evidently thought she was talented enough for more people to hear her music beyond their building. He played her music for director Ben Stiller – and the rest is history. The soundtrack is also supported by classics from The Knack, Squeeze and New Order, and lesser known treasures from Dinosaur Jr. and Arrested Development. And right smack in the middle of the track list is U2’s “All I Want Is You”, which is my favorite song from the soundtrack.

One of the gems from Rattle and Hum, I was always drawn to this track since the moment I heard it. I didn’t have to warm up to it. And, more notably, I never got sick of it. The song had never lost its edge for me (no pun intended). “All I Want You” isn’t one of the band’s greatest instrumental efforts by any means, but there’s room for an Edge guitar solo in there and an unexpected string arrangement. The best thing about the song is that it takes you somewhere and then brings you back home. It starts off quiet, builds up to a crescendo, and then dies down to a near whisper.

“But all the promises we make from the cradle to the grave, when all I want is you.”

"SWEET JANE" COWBOY JUNKIES (1988)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Natural Born Killers

Cowboy Junkies and The Velvet Underground could not be more different from each other. Margo Timmins’ voice is highly melodic and delicate, while Lou Reed’s is much more rock & roll, brash and often more speaking than actual singing. The early Cowboy Junkies work was a place you could turn to for solace., while the VU canon is characterized by rants and occasional moments of cacophony. The differences between the original “Sweet Jane” and the Cowboy Junkies cover reflect these divergent musical approaches to a T.

VU famously opens the song with a shimmery cacophony. It jolts you. But Cowboy Junkies omit the opening and lull us into a placid space by jumping straight into the main chord progressions. VU made the song sound like the start of a party, while Cowboy Junkies made it feel like the end of the night. They definitely played it their way with no intention to sound like VU. This is probably the cover version’s best trait. It’s almost a completely different song that we’re hearing. Aside from the chords, everything else is different: the pacing, the vocals, the instrumentation and the aura.

“But anyone who ever had a heart, they wouldn't turn around and break it. And anyone who ever played a part, they wouldn't turn around and hate it.”

"WHERE IS MY MIND?" PIXIES (1988)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Fight Club

While it may not be in the upper echelon of my personal Pixies favorites, “Where Is My Mind?” has cultural implications that far outweigh the rest of this great band’s catalog. That’s, of course, because of Fight Club, which was not just a terrific film, it was a cultural phenomenon. Controversial and influential, Fight Club ended with this song — and then continued on in public discourse and in private fight clubs across the U.S.

“Where Is My Mind?” is an introduction to the irresistible, jarring world of the Pixies. It’s a coming out party of quiet-loud-quiet dynamics that mimicked the cinematic rhythms of the movie and that would define the Pixies imprint on the music world. They weren’t Nirvana. Or Radiohead. Or Smashing Pumpkins. But they were the ones that influenced all three. We may not have any of those bands without this song. What I’m drawn to on this track: Black Francis going from tentative to full-blown insane. I also think the simple, pervasive guitar riff trumps the mini guitar solo.

“With your feet on the air and your head on the ground, try this trick and spin it, yeah.”

"SAX AND VIOLINS" TALKING HEADS (1991)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Until The End Of The World

This was the last Talking Heads song ever written. In the context of modern rock history, it had a lot riding on it. And the band truly delivered. When they were asked to contribute a song for the movie Until The End Of The World, they were advised to create something that sounded like the near-future. Something that could fly for the year 2000. This was actually an ask for all the soundtrack contributors. But Talking Heads managed to accomplish the task, while staying true to their sound and to who they are.

“Sax and Violins” has Talking Heads written all over it. It has plenty of worldbeat undertones, with its complex rhythms and nuanced instrumentation that evolves throughout the song. It’s also cheeky as hell. Even with the song title. It’s. a twist of the phrase “sex and violence”. Every time I hear the song, I feel this sense of urgency to the experience. I wait with bated breath – with an anticipation that I’ll discover something new from it. Something that Byrne, Weymouth, Harrison and Frantz perhaps wanted to pass along to their fans. The last time I heard it, my ears were more attuned to the samples that appear throughout the song. I can’t even make out what they are. Shrieks? Machinery? Feedback? Maybe all of the above.

“Love keeps us together. And love will drive us insane.”

"STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU" STEALERS WHEEL (1973)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Reservoir Dogs

The torture scene in Reservoir Dogs wouldn’t be the same without this song. Torture scenes don’t often start with the question “Ever listen to K-Billy’s Super Sounds of the 70s?” and end with a policeman’s right ear cut off. But in the world of Tarantino, that’s just how it has to be. The director has a knack for finding the right track to enhance his scenes, and “Stuck in the Middle With You” was one his finest selections. The scene might make you cringe, but the music brings you into the fold.

The track’s melody is so addictive that it wasn’t completely absurd that Mr. Blonde shuffled his feet to it right before wielding his knife. Gerry Rafferty’s vocals are almost Dylan-esque with his nasal undertone. And that famous guitar slide and cowbell carried us into the song. Twenty years later, we would hear these sounds again mimicked on Sheryl Crow’s debut record. “Stuck in the Middle With You” became a one-hit wonder with two lives—an unforgettable birth in 1973 and then an equally unforgettable rebirth 20 years later.

“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.”

"CIRCLE OF LIFE" ELTON JOHN (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: The Lion King

What makes Disney, Disney? Plenty, it turns out. Disney movies have their own unique style of animation. They use only the best voiceovers. They feature really good, sometimes even phenomenal original music. And, above all, they tell great stories. Those last two points are inextricably linked. In a Disney movie, what makes the songs so great is their connection to the story. And vice versa. This is definitely the case with The Lion King – a soundtrack with almost all great originals, including this one by Elton John and Tim Rice.

I’m not the biggest Elton John fan. I’m not even a casual fan, to be honest. Great voice. Great piano player. Great composer. And definitely a great performer. But Elton just isn’t my cup of tea. That said, his collaboration with Tim Rice in “Circle of Life” is nearly flawless. The song is perfect for the movie. The melody starts off in a pedestrian manner in the verses, but things soar and shine in the chorus. The best part is the lyrics. It’s a manifesto for the movie. As the story goes, Tim Rice wrote these brilliant words and handed them over to the Rocket Man to turn into music. He pumped out a spectacular demo in an hour and a half. Now, that’s talent. Maybe I should listen to more Elton John.

“In the circle of life, it's the wheel of fortune. It's the leap of faith. It's the band of hope. 'Til we find our place on the path unwinding, in the circle, the circle of life.”

"I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT" INDIGO GIRLS (1993)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Philadelphia

Indigo Girls was one of the first concerts I went to. It was 1991, and the duo was riding high on the strength of their debut album. While other folk artists like Suzanne Vega and Tracy Chapman helped pave the way, Indigo Girls took things to another level with their emphasis on harmonies and dual acoustic guitar parts to their songs. In high school, I had plenty of bangers to rock out to and hook-laden tracks to move to. But there was something about Indigo Girls that was different. Their songs came from these deep places in their hearts that made them instantly attractive to me. Songs like “Love’s Recovery", “Secure Yourself” and “Closer To Fine” are a part of my high school soundtrack. A few years later, they contributed a beautiful cover of “I Don’t Want To Talk About It”.

While not a Rod Stewart original, the song is certainly most attributed to him. Everything But The Girl also covered it. But my favorite version is the Indigo Girls recording. Somehow it sounds like an original Indigo Girls song even though it isn’t. It feels like it was made for their harmonies with Amy Ray on alto and Emily Saliers on soprano. It’s sung from a place of vulnerability and brokenness, held together by gorgeous acoustic guitar and piano elements that linger in your head long after you listened to it.

“If I stay here just a little bit longer, if I stay here, won't you listen to my heart?”

"LOW RIDER" WAR (1975)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Dazed and Confused

Ever notice how some songs’ riffs instantly make people break out into whistling and humming? There’s magic in their notes and the way those notes are strung together that bring out the endorphins. They’re also instantly recognizable by everyone else around you – for better or for worse. Clapton’s guitar riff on Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”. The bass line in Queen’s “We Will Rock You”. And then, of course, there’s the alto sax hook in War’s “Low Rider”. But, look. There’s so much more to the song than just that one riff that we all hum along to.

Charles Miller’s alto sax riff is the defining element of the song. The element that probably contributes the most to the catchiness. But to ignore everything else would be like only talking about Michael Jordan – and discarding the rest of his team. The Scottie Pippen of the song is the impossibly low bass vocals – also handled by Charles Miller. They’re all-star vocals. The Rodman factor is handled by B.B. Dickerson’s stalwart bass line. Steady and strong. The Steve Kerr role is played by the percussion, featuring cow bells, congas and timbales. Each percussion element is like that occasional three-pointer, assist or hustle play that keeps the team in the game. A team is rarely successful because of a single player. Same goes for the hero element of a song. People might think of Charles Miller’s alto sax first, but they would be remiss to ignore the other parts of this song.

“Take a little trip with me.”

"DEAD SOULS" NINE INCH NAILS (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: The Crow

The Crow’s dark underworld found the right musical counterparts in its soundtrack from top to bottom. With contributions from dark, edgy bands, the songs spanned the musical spectrum — from The Cure to Henry Rollins to Rage Against the Machine. The track list reads like a college radio playlist. And one of my favorites is the Nine Inch Nails’ cover of Joy Division’s “Dead Souls”. It’s pretty ballsy to cover Joy Division. If you’re gonna do it, you better sure as hell nail it. And nail it NIN sure did.

The Crow comic books have been known to find inspiration from Joy Division, making the inclusion of “Dead Souls” that much more powerful. Just as the movie brought a new element to the original stories and images, Nine Inch Nails found a way to reinvent the Joy Division song with its own unique musical sensibilities. While Joy Division took to the upper registers with Hooky’s bass lines high up on the fretboards and Ian Curtis’ spastic vocal tremors, NIN found a home in the lower registers, with cyclical bass drum beats, grating electric guitar riffs and Trent Reznor’s tormented chants. It’s a thing of beauty in its own dark way rather than try to be Ian Curtis 2.0.

“Someone take these dreams away that point me to another day.”

"KISS FROM A ROSE" SEAL (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Batman Forever

The trajectory of a song is a peculiar thing. It started out in a place that most songs don’t climb back out of: the trash can. Seal wrote it well before his debut album, and then tossed it aside not feeling happy about it. By the time he was about to record his second album, he decided to show it to his producer. Together, the two of them resurrected “Kiss From A Rose”. But shortly after the song entered the charts, it fell out. Then, in a twist of fate, it came back with a vengeance, reaching the top of the charts in the U.S. Of course, this second life and incredible success had a lot to do with the fact that it was chosen as the love theme for Batman Forever. But, there’s a lot more to it than that, starting with the fact that there’s just no other song quite like it in history.

“Kiss From A Rose” is as ambitious as it gets. The melody, epic. The musicality, cinematic. The voice, grand. The song takes you on an elegant voyage back in time. They don’t write pop songs like it anymore, and likely never will. “Kiss From A Rose” is like a black and white movie, and exceptionally grand at times. It takes its listeners on a voyage through a caravan of acoustics guitars, synthesizers, drums and string arrangements. But the most memorable part is Seal’s voice. The song display’s Seal’s iconic, soulful vocals with incredible versatility up and down the scales.

“And now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the gray.”

"ANGEL" GAVIN FRIDAY (1995)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet

Prior to the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack, I had never heard of Gavin Friday or The Virgin Prunes. Later, I found out that he collaborated with Bono on a few tracks. He’s clearly a somebody in the music world, particularly in Ireland. But that didn’t matter for me. When the soundtrack came out, I was completely enveloped by it, and it became an album that my then-girlfriend and I listened to incessantly just because we saw that crappy, yet beautiful-looking movie that it came with. There were plenty of standouts on the record, but “Angel” soared to the top.

The interesting thing about “Angel” is that it was written before Romeo + Juliet, despite feeling like it was made just for the movie. The song mirrors the complicated situation that the main characters found themselves in. Like my then-girlfriend and I, they were helplessly in love to the point where it becomes impossible to put the brakes on it despite the impending doom. Flanked by gorgeous swirling synth layers, Friday’s falsetto feels like the whispering angel on one shoulder at times and the deceitful demon on the other.

“Angel.... hold on to me, love is all around me.”

"TEMPTATION" NEW ORDER (1982)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Trainspotting

The Trainspotting soundtrack required vivid songs to match the movie’s vivid scenes. Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” and Iggy Pop’s. “Lust for Life” captured the mood and energy of two very well-known scenes. But in an atypical move, the director chose to only have the character Diane sing “Temptation” instead of feature the full New Order version. But as an homage to the band, the ‘87 version of the song made its way onto this brilliant soundtrack.

“Temptation” was somewhat easy to miss the first time around if you’re from the States. It was only released as a single at first — and only charted in the U.K. But the singles compilation Substance became a post-punk must-have in the late 80s, which gave me my first exposure to the song. Like the entire Substance double-disc, I loved “Temptation” from the get go. It was devoid of any remnants of Joy Division, but Sumner, Hooky, Morris and Gilbert reinvented a new sound together with swagger and tenacity. In my mind, it is one of the true great New Order anthems. Each band member firing on all cylinders.

“Tonight, I think I'll walk alone. I'll find my soul as I go home.”

"NEARLY LOST YOU" SCREAMING TREES (1992)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Singles

Grunge was one of the few genres that seemed to come out of nowhere to take over the world. It was a strain of alternative rock that was practically unavoidable by the masses. Just how influential was the period? Well, as anyone who owned a flannel shirt in the early 90s can tell you, it impacted pretty much everything. Even non-grunge acts became more grunge-like during that era. Depeche Mode, Suzanne Vega and other artists all released albums that borrowed elements of the grunge sound into their recordings during the period. But the real stuff was where it was at. And right up there near the top was Screaming Trees’ “Nearly Lost You”.

Singles was one of those rare creative expressions that managed to define a new generation while also encapsulating an important musical era. It didn’t just use actors to achieve those ends. The film took place in Seattle – and actual members of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains appear in it. When “Nearly Lost You” came out, it could be heard constantly in my dorm hall. It got into your head, and then just stayed there. Mark Lanegan’s vocals were nearly Tom Waits-like, and the guitar riff swirled around like a siren. “Nearly Lost You” was just as important as any track off Nevermind, Dirt, BadMotorFinger and Ten – and it should come as no surprise that it became one of the most memorable songs from the Singles soundtrack.

“Did you hear the distant lie calling me back to my sin.”

"GIRL, YOU'LL BE A WOMAN SOON" URGE OVERKILL (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Pulp Fiction

The idea of covering a Neil Diamond song isn’t anything new. Long before Urge Overkill did it, others tried their hand at the task and created covers that were even more iconic than the originals. UB40 brought “Red Red Wine” to the masses. And The Monkees made “I’m A Believer” a classic. But Urge Overkill was a bit of an unlikely participant in the Diamond cover caravan. They rocked a lot harder and opened for Nirvana and Pearl Jam at the time they recorded the song. But their cover of “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” is a cultural icon, ushering the song into the mainstream consciousness as part of the Pulp Fiction movie soundtrack.

There’s more to “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” than the catchy chorus. The song thrives on several tempo changes and strumming styles and the underlying flamenco persona on Diamond’s version is still there though slightly toned down. In the song, it feels like the girl rushes through the red muleta and emerges as a woman on the other side. The guitar certainly plays a prominent role in Urge Overkill’s music. But here, it. takes a backseat and the vocals take centerstage, making it a perfect track for the heroin overdose scene.

“Can't count all the ways I'd die for you, girl. And all they can say is "He's not your kind".”

"SISTER CHRISTIAN" NIGHT RANGER (1984)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights rode on the back of a vivid, throwback soundtrack — and Night Ranger was at the helm. Call it a glorified karaoke anthem or a cheesy power ballad, but the one thing “Sister Christian” has is that it sticks. Arguably the most memorable musical moment of Boogie Nights, it’s difficult to turn off the melody once the song comes on – and it becomes an impossible task when you get to the iconic chorus. I’m always sucked into its excessive, long-haired, hard rock world, for better or worse.

“Sister Christian” is a musical paradox to the Boogie Nights scene that it appears in. It’s steady, resolute, that’s what makes it a power ballad. But beyond the cymbal crashes and soaring 80’s guitar riffs, even the opening piano chords are unflinching. It’s the rock in a completely unstable scene that feels like it’s about to erupt at any given moment. The sounds of those gun shots are impossible for the characters to prepare for. It just happens. But with “Sister Christian”, you feel the groove and the rhythm, and you know exactly where it’s going – and when. Maybe that dynamic is what makes “Sister Christian” so likable beyond the movie, too.

“You're motoring. What's your price for flight in finding mister right? You'll be alright tonight.”

"WISE UP" AIMEE MANN (1999)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Magnolia

Magnolia is one of those rare gems that benefits from a brilliant album. But the movie didn’t inspire the music. P.T. Anderson clarified that Aimee Mann’s songs actually inspired the film. It’s about the rhythm and sounds of life – where the feeling of isolation is excruciating and unavoidable. The frog scene may be the most iconic moment, but, for me, the most memorable scene was the ensemble performance of “Wise Up”, when each cast member took turns singing the song. What would’ve been a disaster move in another movie just made perfect sense in Magnolia. It just worked. And it wouldn’t have been possible if Aimee Mann didn’t write and record such an incredible song.

It’s interesting that some of the most beautiful songs we know are also some of the most sad songs we know. “Wise Up” is one of them. There are many great Aimee Mann songs on the soundtrack, but what made this one unique was how Mann spanned a range of emotions in a single vocal performance, going from fragile to assured, hopeless to fearless, all within three and a half minutes. While “Wise Up” wasn’t written specifically for Magnolia, it seemed to perfectly convey the condition of each of the characters in the film so well, making it one of my favorite soundtracks of all time.

“You're sure there's a cure. And you have finally found it.”

"NEW DAWN FADES" MOBY (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Heat

Heat is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s not just a crime thriller. It’s the story of how hate and respect can indeed co-exist. It’s a reminder that we might have a lot more in common with our enemies than we might dare think. And few movies capture the dark, ominous and isolating veneer of L.A. as powerfully and as beautifully as Heat. Michael Mann needed an equally ominous soundscape, which he found in Moby’s cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades”.

While Joy Division’s original felt like it played out inside a dark cellar, Moby’s version sprawls across the L.A. cityscape. There’s an expansiveness felt in the performance and the production. The guitar riff soars up while the bass notes descend down. Can anybody be on the same level as Ian Curtis? Maybe not. But Moby certainly fared well in getting inside Curtis’ skin and into his shoes for a few epic, haunting minutes. I can’t think of a better track to rear its head as Heat neared its climax.

“We'll give you everything and more. The strain is too much, can't take much more.”

"THE MAN IN ME" BOB DYLAN (1970)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: The Big Lebowski

One of my all-time favorite movies, The Big Lebowski features a strong, diverse set of songs on its soundtrack — from a Gypsy Kings cover to a CCR staple. But no other song on the soundtrack embodies the film and The Dude more than “The Man in Me”. The song a director picks for an opening scene can sometimes make or break a film. It’s the mood setter. And the Coen brothers nailed it. There was no better song to kick off The Big Lebowski than Bob Dylan’s “The Man in Me”.

Not your typical Dylan anthem, it felt like it was written and performed specifically for The Dude — a melodious homage to the main character. Beyond the opening scene inside Ralph’s Supermarket, it’s used again in the famed hallucination scene — and apparently Jeff Bridges has sung it and led audience participation at Lebowski Fest. It’s not just widely loved, it’s beloved. “The Man In Me” is The Dude put to music – with its “la la las” and stoner organ hook, endearing us to the main character from the very opening scene.

“Storm clouds are raging all around my door. I think to myself I might not take it anymore. Take a woman like your kind to find the man in me.”

"DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)" SIMPLE MINDS (1985)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: The Breakfast Club

Few movies turned the high school experience upside down better than The Breakfast Club. It introduced us to all the cliques, spent nearly three quarters of the movie going through all the stereotypes, and then it flipped the paradigm on its head. The movie ends with Anthony Michael Hall’s character reading his note to the principal out loud: “Each of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal.” Then one of the most iconic 80’s songs comes on as Bender walks through the high school football field, pumps his fist and we go to the closing credits. “Don’t You” was the exclamation mark for the whole movie.

Instantly recognizable from that first hit of the snare. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” was a turning point in the commercial trajectory of Simple Minds. Up until then, they wrote a fair amount of great music, but not many in the States knew about them. The Breakfast Club changed all that. This was one of the original brat pack anthems. This was one of our anthems. No matter how you saw us. In the simplest terms. In the most convenient definitions. A brain. An athlete. A basket case. A princess. A criminal.

“Don't you try and pretend. It's my feeling we'll win in the end.”

"WHITE RABBIT" JEFFERSON AIRPLANE (1967)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Platoon

Another case of a great scene made even greater because of the music. “White Rabbit” was a perfect choice for the movie scene. Guys getting high. Minds expanding. Charlie Sheen walks in to a room with very little clarity about what happens there. Tensions rising. Then falling almost instantly. All the while, Grace Slick’s phenomenal lyrics paint a picture of what might be happening inside their heads. There’s mystery in the story and in the melody, making it a wiser musical choice than some other stoner anthem, like a Pink Floyd song.

A reimagination of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “White Rabbit” is a trip. It brings the classic story to life in a psychedelic twist probably created with the aid of mind-expanding substances. It goes down a rabbit hole of Spanish-influenced rhythms and guitar playing. Grace Slick once said that the song was heavily influenced by Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain album, which you can hear most clearly in the instrumentation, but also in the melody as well. “White Rabbit” is a wild blend of cultures and mediums with an adult’s liberating interpretation of a childhood tale.

“And if you go chasing rabbits and you know you're going to fall. Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the call. Call Alice when she was just small.”