As part of my goal to focus more on the blog and maybe gain more than 4 readers
(hi mom!), I now have an official URL! You can easily go to www.cellogirldenver.com to follow this blog and my mostly musical ramblings. 🙂
This post was supposed to be about my current guilty pleasure, The Neighbourhood (stay tuned for more on that delightful diversion). It was waylaid, however, by my revisiting an old favorite movie, The Crow, this weekend after literally years of having it gather dust on the shelf. I loved this movie so much when it came out that I saw it three times in the movie theater and the soundtrack became the soundtrack to my life for at least a year. The album marked a turning point in my musical tastes – finally I “got” goth and industrial music in a way that I hadn’t before, opening the door for bands like Type O Negative and, more importantly (to me), HIM.
The Sound of My Senior Year in High School
The impact of this movie on my impressionable, 17-year-old self is actually difficult to articulate. While I had already been listening to metal for over 5 years at that point and had certainly followed its eclipse by Grunge and Alternative, I had generally not focused on the goth and industrial elements except when it showed up on Headbangers Ball.
There was also the side benefit of prepping me for my move to Seattle two years later – where it actually does rain all the time (only a slight exaggeration).
The Crow Soundtrack is one of those perfect soundtracks that captures the essence of the movie and of the time period it represents seamlessly and without effort. The music infuses the movie with a dark, edgy atmosphere and sensuality, acting as an additional character in the story. It is noteworthy that James O’Barr wrote the original graphic novels while listening to Joy Division and The Cure, both of which ended up on the soundtrack (JD in the form of NIN‘s cover of “Dead Souls”). The movie may have also had a notable influence on my love for:
- Moody broody goth boys (preferably in makeup)
- Dark humor. Preferably coming from moody broody goth boys in makeup. (One hopes that we can be as witty as Eric Draven when killing our killer: “Victims, aren’t we all?”)
Some things you just don’t grow out of. Case in point:
I hadn’t noticed the strong resemblance until I watched again last night. Inadvertent conditioning? Probably.
For me at least, the movie and the soundtrack have stood the test of time and continue to have an emotional impact. I revisited it with some trepidation last night – would I still love it like I did nearly two decades ago? Or would it be like watching Labyrinth (you know what I’m talking about – that movie is not nearly as cool now as it was when we were in junior high)? I am clearly ecstatic that I do, in fact, love it as much as I did when I was 17. Whew!
I leave you with some of the music from this phenomenal soundtrack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyr5WdrEvGI
And one picture, cuz I do need to share (RIP Brandon):
Desire to revisit the greatness of The Crow? The movie is available on Netflix and Amazon and the soundtrack is available on Spotify and Amazon.
PS How do we feel about the reboot? There is a new version of the original story being filmed as I type. I am trying to wait for the release to form a judgment or opinion. But you know I already have… 😉