The Five Best Songs from The Wayne’s World 2 Soundtrack

Wayne's World

Paramount Pictures released Wayne’s World 2 in 1993. The second installment added some new characters, including Saturday Night Live co-star Chris Farley. Additionally, several music stars appeared as themselves, including Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. One of the things many critics noticed is the movie has a more dramatic tone than the first. The movie starts a year after Wayne and Garth move out of their parent’s house into an abandoned factory in Aurora, Illinois. The first stop is an Aerosmith concert where Wayne meets his girlfriend’s new record producer, Bobby, played by Christopher Walken. Once home, he goes to sleep and has a fitful dream where Jim Morrison advises him to do a rock concert called Waynestock. He also sets the pair on an adventure featuring many of the original movie’s signature lines like “schwing” and “exsqueeze me.” Alongside the comic genius of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey is a fantastic soundtrack.

According to The Ringer, the movie may seem over the top and just another “dumb comedy.” Yet, it “helped launch the golden age of comedy movies. Top publications like The New York Times Magazine ran articles explaining many of the movie’s famous catch lines like “schwing” and “we’re not worthy.” After the Wayne’s World movies, many comedies drew from the film and used similar humor. Amazingly, a timeless film started with Mike Myers’s skit to amuse his friends, later part of Second City, and then Saturday Night Live, where Garth’s character started. Even though Roger Ebert wasn’t crazy about the profanity, he couldn’t help but notice how relatable the characters of Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar were. Ebert said on his website, “the secret to the comedy of the ‘Wayne’s World’ movies is their goodwill…the series has created two characters it is impossible to dislike.” Aside from the two characters, there is something else that’s impossible to dislike, the soundtrack. These are the 5 best songs from The Wayne’s World 2 Soundtrack.

5. Shut Up & Dance – Aerosmith

 

Aerosmith walks out of a limo which is the extended version of the mirth mobile. Even though Wayne and Garth went through many ups and downs getting Waynestock off the ground, they finally made the concert happen. Aerosmith fades to the background, and the scene switches to Wayne having a conversation with his incarnation of Jim Morrison. Bobby Khan shows up and wants to see Cassandra. Aerosmith’s performance and the 90s crowd is a throwback to groups that were popular during the decade.

4. YMCA – The Village People

 

Cassandra and Bobby Khan are sitting at a cafe, and Wayne and crew are spying on them. All four start running down the street while Bobby Khan is chasing them. Just as they reach the end of the alley, a gate is locked, so they go into the newest building, which happens to be a gay club. Wipeout barely ends before the four are on stage performing YMCA. It’s a fitting song since all four they’re wearing costumes similar to the Village People. This scene is another example of how the movie incorporates many campy scenes while parodying timeless classics.

3. Frankenstein – Edgar Winter

 

Even though it doesn’t pack the same punch as the “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the first movie, “Frankenstein” sets the tone for the second installment. Before you see the many characters, the audience hears one of the main catchphrases from the movie, “extreme closeup.” The camera pans upwards to the abandoned doll factory where the pair lives. Garth chimes in that it’s the “babe lair.” After the song ends, Wayne and Garth’s show starts.

2. Mrs. Robinson – Simon and Garfunkel

 

The scene where this song appears is a play-off, The Graduate. Wayne is running down the street trying to stop the wedding. Even the church looks almost identical. Much like some of the other comedy Myers does, it’s an outrageous play on pop culture. When he gets to the church, Wayne finds out he is at the wrong church and runs frantically to the next church, where he finds the actual wedding. Wayne’s former girlfriend looks around while everyone mouths cuss words and decides to chase after him. However, a fight breaks out in the church while this song plays in the background, which takes it from the emotional scene in The Graduate to an over-the-top skit, something only Myers can deliver.

1. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

 

The first scene of Wayne’s Word was Wayne, Garth, and two of their friends singing along to this song in a car driving down the streets of Aurora, Illinois, and it made a comeback in the second movie. Rolling Stone ran an article about why this song was so important to Mike Myers. The scene in the film first appeared on Saturday Night Life, and many thought it gave Queen something of a revival. Aside from the memorable scene, there is another reason why Mike Myers chose this song. His fondness for the song started when his family took a trip to England. After hearing it, he couldn’t stop listening to it. Another portion of the scene that remained true to life was the car Garth was driving. Myers friends used to ride around in a Dodge Dart Swinger singing the song at the top of their love. Myers also said that the movie was semi-autobiographical.

Final Words

Mike Myers once said, “I still believe at any time the no-talent police will come and arrest me.” However, all of his characters on Saturday Night, including Linda Richman and some of the movie’s most memorable characters like Austin Powers and Shrek, prove otherwise. Nonetheless, his portrayal of Wayne is probably the most memorable. After all, the movie spawned some well-known catchphrases that people who grew up in the 90s still use today. So “party on” and relive the 90s by watching this classic.

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