Published on Jan 24, 2000
The big hoopla about this new movie,
Magnolia, is that it is inspired by the songs of Aimee Mann.
In fact, some dialogue was directly lifted from her lyrics. Avid
Mann fan that I am, I was extremely anxious to get my hands on the
soundtrack and just as excited about seeing the movie.
I’ve accomplished both of those deeds and can honestly tell you:
I’m still very excited about the soundtrack but my fervor over the
film has ebbed somewhat. In my haste to see this movie, I neglected
to read the fine print: This film is about one second shy of 3
hours and plot was a trivial matter kicked to the wayside. I was
fortunate, having given the soundtrack a spin before hand. For
those of you who have never even heard of Mann and went to see this
film based on your enjoyment of
Boogie Nights, I suggest getting the soundtrack immediately
as an antidote to your shock and confusion.
Apparently, Paul Thomas Anderson was riding high after the
success of
Boogie Nights and had the license from his studio to do
pretty much anything he wanted as a follow up. So he decided to
indulge himself. The result was a marathon of a movie and radio
airplay for Mann.
In the liner notes to the CD, Anderson practically credits the
entire film to Mann, which I think is a bit much. Deriving a
character such as the chauvinistic Frank Mackey (Tom Cruise), from
a Mann song (presumably, “Driving Sideways”) is sheer creative
genius and I can’t give the credit to Aimee this time.
This isn’t the first time that film and popular music have been
conjoined.
The Graduate gave us visuals for some classic Simon and
Garfunkel tunes and the music of Cat Stevens was tightly woven
through the plot of
Harold And Maude. The marriage of Mann’s music and the film,
Magnolia, tends to be an awkward union at best. At one
point, in the film, the characters (one on his deathbed!) sing
along to the poignant song, “Wise Up”. The cringing that swept over
the audience was almost audible.
But folks, this is not a movie review, it’s an album review and
I can confidently say that Mann is more consistent than her
writer/director friend.
The soundtrack is actually a collection of older and new
material which will appear on her forthcoming album
Bachelor No. 2. Out of the 13 tracks, four of them are just
filler by other artists, fortunately tacked on the end.
The album starts out with a cozy cover of Harry Nilsson’s “One”.
Mann has even spiked the tune with a line or two of her own. After
that intro we are treated to nine tracks of creative brilliance,
describing the foibles we’ve nearly all endured by simply being
human. The thing about Mann is her ability to convey the
shortcomings and missteps that invariably arise between people.
You’ll be nodding your head in commiseration as you listen to line
after line acknowledging feelings you’ve often dealt with.
In “Driving Sideways,” Mann brilliantly describes the mental
castration that a man feels when he practically bends over
backwards for a woman who won’t “deliver”: “And you will say/that
you’re making headway/And put it in overdrive/But you’re mistaking
speed/For getting what you need/And never noticing/That you never
do arrive”. If you listen closely, you’ll notice the ending guitar
solo is the melody from “Walk Like A Man” by the Four Seasons.
Then there’s “Deathly”, a gorgeous song, a plea to a potential
lover to curb his affections because his object, the singer, is an
emotional wreck: “Now that I’ve met you/Would you object to/Never
seeing each other again/’Cause I can’t afford to/Climb aboard
you/No one’s got that much ego to spend.” By track nine, it appears
that the singer has acquiesced: “You look like/A perfect fit/For a
girl in need/Of a tourniquet/But can you save me”.
“Momentum” is a clever little oxymoron: a swing tune about
stagnating in life. You won’t be able to listen to this song
without assessing your own life. Who can’t relate to this? “And I
know life is getting shorter/I can’t bring myself to set the
scene/Even when it’s approaching torture/I’ve got my routine”
There is not a single low point in Mann’s performance. The
melodies are hook-laden and infectious. Her lyrics are a glorious
showcase for her gift of rhyme. Even the instrumental version of
“Nothing Is Good Enough” only whets the appetite for the vocal
performance of the same song on her forthcoming album.
Magnolia the soundtrack can stand fine on its own without
the tedious movie or the four tracks which snap us out of the
introspection Mann has induced. Do yourself a favor. Skip the movie
(until available on video), but by all means indulge yourself in
this album.