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.
The Trainspotting soundtrack required vivid songs to match the movie’s vivid scenes. “Perfect Day” and “Lust for Life” captured the mood and energy of two very well-known scenes. But in an atypical move, the director chose to only have the character Diane sing “Temptation” instead of feature the full New Order version. But as an homage to the band, the ‘87 version of the song made its way onto this brilliant soundtrack.
“Temptation” was somewhat easy to miss the first time around. It was only released as a single at first — and only charted in the U.K. But the singles compilation Substance became a post-punk must-have in the late 80s, which gave me my first exposure to the song. Like the entire Substance double-disc, I loved “Temptation” from the get go. It was devoid of any remnants of Joy Division, but Sumner, Hooky, Morris and Gilbert reinvented a new sound together with swagger and tenacity.
“Tonight, I think I'll walk alone. I'll find my soul as I go home.”