Just when you thought Wes Anderson had a lock on the classic rock soundtrack,
along comes Judd Apatow, the man behind The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked
Up and Superbad, with a soundtrack dripping over with songs from
some of music’s greatest rock legends. Funny People – Original
Motion Picture Soundtrack, the official soundtrack for Apatow’s
film Funny People, features songs from no less than three of the Beatles —
John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Throw in a little Neil Diamond,
James Taylor Robert Plant and Warren Zevon, and you can’t go wrong no
matter how you slice it.
You have to wonder how a rare John Lennon acoustic version of “Watching
the Wheels” fits into the story, Maybe Adam Sandler’s own take on
Lennon 1977 song “Real Love” has something to do with it. McCartney’s
“Great Day” (from his 1997 album Flaming Pie) opens
the record on a slightly sleepy, yet hopeful note, while Starr’s “Photograph”
(co-written with George Harrison for the 1973 Ringo album)
could pretty much work anywhere. Based on the synopsis, one can assume that
when a comedian takes stock of his life, random solo Beatles recordings suddenly
become all the rage.
Warren Zevon is well represented with a couple of tracks from his final album
from 2003, The Wind. An absolutely pulverizing inclusion is
Robert Plant and the Strange Sensations’ “All The King’s Horses,”
from the 2005 Mighty ReArranger album. One can hope Apatow
used it wisely in the film, if he used it at all. An early Neil Diamond take
on “We,” from his 2005, Rick Rubin-produced 12 Songs
album, is as easily configurable as the Lennon track, and a little more refined.
Hopefully, the live version of ‘Jesus, Etc” featuring Wilco with
Andrew Byrd breaks some tension in whatever conflict the film presents. A live
version of “Carolina In My Mind” from James Taylor is just a good
thing to have, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with the film.
If Funny People can offer film audiences half as much excitement and
entertainment as Funny People – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack,
then Apatow may have another big hit on his hands. The soundtrack, as a standalone,
peels back the layers and mixes up an oddball batch of tunes — a couple
of new ones from Coconut Records with some of the more obscure nuggets from
the likes of Lennon, McCartney and Diamond. Put it on, amaze your friends, and
try to figure out how Judd Apatow has the kind of clout to pull such a combination
together.
~ Shawn Perry
