What is folk punk-y, number one on iTunes, and Rhino Records’ highest charting album to date? The soundtrack to Juno, the little indie movie that could.
I’m not sure which surprised us more, the popularity of the film or its all-encompassing soundtrack, which features tunes from Buddy Holly to the Moldy Peaches, to even a cover of a Moldy Peaches song performed by Ellen Page and Michael Cera.
Page, who plays Juno, a high schooler coming to terms with an unplanned pregnancy, selected much of the music for the soundtrack. In an interview she had with Pitchfork Media this past November, Page stated, “[Juno director] Jason Reitman and I were meeting for maybe the second or third time and he simply said, ‘Well, what do you think Juno would listen to?’ Immediately I said the Moldy Peaches […]” The Moldy Peaches’ lead singer, Kimya Dawson was contacted by Reitman and agreed to do some of the music for the album.
When asked why she chose the Moldy Peaches, Page told Pitchfork, “the Moldy Peaches’ music is very humorous. I mean, it has a hint of novelty, but it is full of so much heart and so much simplicity and it’s so genuine…. I loved how it was just bare-boned, and I feel like that is similar to Juno, the film in general and the character. She has a sarcastic wit that she hides behind, but she’s also just an extremely genuine, honest, says-what-she-thinks human being, and I feel the film’s like that as well. It has that tone.”
Well, that’s all well and good, but it still does not account for this soundtrack’s intense popularity. Reuters ran an article this past Friday in which Rhino Entertainment executive VP/GM Kevin Gore stated, “everyone who’s seen the movie feels a musical connection to it. Kimya’s songs fit in beautifully. There’s a wonderful indie spin to it, but it appeals to a very broad audience because of the way the film was written.”
This “musical connection” is very apparent upon viewing the film. I’ve never really noticed a soundtrack while watching a movie before, but this one definitely stuck out throughout. So go see Juno, it really is phenomenal and listen to the soundtrack. You’ll broaden your musical horizons and it truly completes the film.
