This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs
Movie: Heat
Heat is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s not just a crime thriller. It’s the story of how hate and respect can indeed co-exist. It’s a reminder that we might have a lot more in common with our enemies than we might dare think. And few movies capture the dark, ominous and isolating veneer of L.A. as powerfully and as beautifully as Heat. Michael Mann needed an equally ominous soundscape, which he found in Moby’s cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades”.
While Joy Division’s original felt like it played out inside a dark cellar, Moby’s version sprawls across the L.A. cityscape. There’s an expansiveness felt in the performance and the production. The guitar riff soars up while the bass notes descend down. Can anybody be on the same level as Ian Curtis? Maybe not. But Moby certainly fared well in getting inside Curtis’ skin and into his shoes for a few epic, haunting minutes. I can’t think of a better track to rear its head as Heat neared its climax.
“We'll give you everything and more. The strain is too much, can't take much more.”