For the Love of 80's Babies
Hi there. DD here. In college The Cars Greatest Hits compilation was a regular in my music rotation. Pat Benetar was also a frequent flyer in the line-up. If, like me, you are an 80’s baby then this soundtrack is for you.
Sing Street is set in Ireland and follows the story of a boy trying to impress a girl by starting a band. In the process he discovers his identity. Love and heartbreak ensue and character is built. The songs speak to that process. There is a near-seamless blend of story and original music throughout: Girls is about fitting in vs. figuring yourself out while, you know, chasing after a girl. Up speaks to how young love (you guessed it) lifts you up. But the intensity of people who are experiencing strong emotions for the very first time is evident in each. It makes for great original music.
Gary Clark, the front man for Danny Wilson, a Scottish pop band from the 80s, did most of the original song writing. Duran Duran, The Cure, The Jam, Joe Jackson, and Motorhead, among others also make it onto the soundtrack. The Sing Street originals are appropriately nestled among them.
Adam Levine’s soundtrack song Go Now has a more early 00's, melodic quality to it and was written for the movie and is strongly reminiscent of the The Fray’s How to Save a Life. It compliments Sing Street’s more straight forward, To Find You, which I suspect is the best and most over-looked song on the album. But these are soft breaks from the 80’s theme; pretty much everything else speaks to men wearing eyeliner and over-sized shirts with leggings. Ear worms like Drive It Like You Stole It and The Riddle of the Model are straight up synthetic, electric 80’s singles. And they are still happily on my mind weeks later.
All in all, the soundtrack is fun and speaks to a time we all live through. If big hair, chunky jewelry and electric colors are your thing then the album is definitely worth a listen. And even if you aren’t an 80’s baby, the themes are universal. They will speak to you.
