Favorite Music Soundtrack from Non-Musicals

 

What is the soundtrack of your life? In moments of self-reflection or melancholic exercise, I remember those songs at certain milestones in my life. If my life is a movie, this playlist reflects the ups and downs of a life marked by challenges and disappointments and triumphs and resilience. Songs like "You Are" by Lionel Richie and "Have I Told You Lately" by Rod Stewart are musical counterpoints in my life.

As Carole King wrote: "My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue. An everlasting vision of the ever-changing view". Perhaps one day, I will elaborate more on my life's playlist; not as colorful as a celebrity's, indeed not as scandalous.

Favorite musical soundtrack from non-musicals

Over the years, some movie and tv theme songs have captured my attention, sometimes mutating (no pun intended with the current Omicron problem) from their original issue. The songs below achieved their fame or notoriety. They have become my personal playlist of soundtracks from non-musical films.

THE ENTIRE "SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE" SOUND TRACK

I enjoy movie musicals, but I also love when great songs emerge from non-musical films. Sometimes, the musical soundtrack defines the movie or tv show. The story becomes richer and more powerful because the music provides the backdrop to one or more scenes in the show. The cinematic experience is enlivened by melodies that speak to the soul.

About ten years ago, I found my old VHS tape of the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romantic comedy "Sleepless in Seattle" that I bought in 1993. I rediscovered Louie Armstrong, Jimmy Durante, and the rest of the gang. I plopped myself on my most comfortable chair and sang along with the music, even chuckling at the song, "Making Whoopee." Twenty-eight years since the movie about Sam, Annie, Jonah, Dr. Marsha, and the Empire Street Building, I am still watching. This has been an annual tradition for me during the holidays.

Some critics may dismiss this rom-com as cheesy and simplistic. Honestly, I don't know what I love more, this story or the music. Still, I love it for its quirkiness, its whimsy and magic, its unrelenting message of romance, and love the second time around with the melodies perfect for every scene. This is an anomaly in itself because I love every single song in this movie. Most of the time, only one song in a film would appeal to me.

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“YOU DON'T OWN ME” from the movie First Wives Club

This was a triumphant declaration of Women Power; a female anthem, if you will, of overcoming rejection and betrayal and of living life to the fullest.

 

“OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL” from the movie Risky Business

Tom Cruise in his boxers. Enough said.

“I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER” from My Best Friend's Wedding

Just a giddy sing-along in a restaurant. Karaoke heaven. I can easily envision myself joining in. Can somebody start this in my key, please?

 

“TWIST AND SHOUT” from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Imagine taking over a parade float and having everybody bopping along to a beautifully lip-synced version of the Beatles hit. Sway your hips, flail your arms with wide abandon, just twist and shout.

Sounds good to have the whole crowd just enjoying the music. Way before Covid-19 pushed for physical distancing and masks.

“UNCHAINED MELODY” from Ghost

 A love so strong that it protects even from beyond the grave. The pottery wheel/ceramic-making scene has become steamy and seductive. I must confess that I started laughing uncontrollably when I attended a clay pottery class during a vacation in Ilocos. It was awkward because my mind went to the gutter.

“HOW DID YOU KNOW?” from the movie All My Life

 “How did you know I needed someone like you in my life?”

 Knowing that there is a sad ending, wouldn’t it be still worth it to spend precious time with the one you love? Would it be better to save up on beautiful memories while you can? This was a tear-jerker Filipino movie that could rival "The Notebook."

 

“IKAW AT AKO” (You and I) from the movie Hello, Love, Goodbye

A promise for a forever love between two overseas foreign workers (OFWs) in Hongkong. I am impatiently waiting for a sequel. 

My favorite quotes from the movie:

Ethan: Kung mahal mo ako, bakit hindi ako ang piliin mo, Joy? (If you love me, why don't you choose me, Joy?)

Joy: Kung mahal mo ako, bakit pinapapili mo ako? (If you love me, why do you ask me to choose?)

Cue in the music, and the tears (mine) fall.

“YOURS” from the Korean TV series Jirisan

 There are much more memorable original soundtrack (OST) from tv shows. but that's another list. The theme from Voltes V and Hawaii 5-0 will surely be in the Top 10 list.

Here's my new LSS (Last song syndrome) from my bias Kim Seok-Jin (WWH) from BTS. Jin's voice is emotive and draws you in. He had me at the first note. His "Latatata" went down several octaves, down to just a piano accompaniment, and Wow!

Fangirling aside, Jin infuses his songs with emotions; his voice telling a story. I am mesmerized.

 

A Carole King Moment

I am having a Carole King moment. I have started reading her book "A Natural Woman: A Memoir" where she chronicled her remarkable journey from young mother to a much-awarded musical icon with far-reaching influence to more generations to come.

Her songs had transcended the passage of time by weaving beautiful rich hues in the tapestry of life. Her songs are timeless and powerful often speaking to simple yet deep emotions. With passion and chutzpah. Vulnerable and strong.

This November, her musical “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" opens in Broadway. This is a much-awaited musical of a passionate Brooklyn girl who followed her dreams into securing legendary status in music history.

She is one-of-a-kind, a prolific singer-songwriter who had given the world countless musical hits. She had been revered as the most successful female songwriter in pop history. A Songwriters Hall of Fame awardee and Lifetime Grammy awardee, she is also slated to receive the MusiCares 2014 Person of the Year in January in recognition of her amazing body of work as well as her charitable works here and abroad.

My favorite Carole King songs: A Natural Woman, I Feel the Earth Move, Now and Forever, You’ve Got a Friend, Tapestry, and of course Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.

Carole King was honored at the White House as the recipient of the 2013 Gershwin Prize for Popular song. King is the first woman to receive the award, which was created in 2007 by the Library of Congress to recognize "the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world’s culture". http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/07/02/honoring-carole-king-white-house


Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow


Carole and Gerry Goffin (her first husband) penned a song that became a no. 1 song for the Shirelles. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow was covered by several artists. Here are my favorites:

Carole King (with James Taylor)




Carole King (with Willie Nelson)





Shirelles





Lorrie Morgan




Amy Winehouse





Leslie Grace- a native New Yorker born of Dominican parents had a bilingual, bachata cover which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Radio Airplay,




Gloria Estefan, Trisha Yearwood, and Emile Sande at the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize show





Jocelyne, a French singer recorded this version- Reviendra-t-il encore?





Lil Malmkvist recorded a Swedish version called "Hur blir det i morgon" in 1961.





TRIVIA:

Neil Sedaka went to Highschool with Carol who he claimed to be as his girlfriend. Years later, he wrote this song for her.




Carol’s then-husband Gerry Goffin wrote a humorous answer.





Now and Forever




Tapestry



My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue
An everlasting vision of the ever changing view
A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold
A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold




And I started to sing her songs again. Which would be a disservice to her. But I have a feeling she wouldn't mind at all. :)



Addendum: June 16, 2014. Carole King's first husband, Gerry Goffin, passed away this week. It is a testament to his greatness as a lyricist that music lovers still vividly recall the words to the songs of that bygone era. His partnership with Carole King had produced countless hits that had survived the test of time. He was indeed the poet laureate of teenage pop.