Exceptional soundtracks can make good movies great. They can also take on a life of their own, becoming a greater highlight than their respective films. In this series, I’m selecting some of my favorite soundtrack songs. While quite a few are well-known recordings, I’m also including a few that have flown under the radar over the years.
“Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” has a history with movies. First, it was covered in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’s museum scene by The Dream Academy. Then nearly 25 years later, the original recording was one of two Smiths songs to appear on 500 Days of Summer, a movie that references the greatness of the band and the unique affinity its fans had with its music.
This is a very different side to The Smiths - musically and literally. It was the b-side to the more palatable “William, It Was Really Nothing”. But “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” eventually rose to become the more renowned song and got covered by numerous artists — everyone from Deftones to Hootie & the Blowfish. The lyrics have Morrissey’s drab, morose mindset written all over it. But what made the song stand out from the rest of The Smiths canon is the instrumentation. About a minute into the track, Johnny Marr trades out his jangly guitar riffs for an unexpected interlude with a mandolin. It didn’t rock. It wallowed.
“So for once in my life let me get what I want. Lord knows, it would be the first time.”