Ranking the 10 Best Songs from the Repo Men Soundtrack
Repo Men is a 2010 science fiction film directed by Miguel Sapochnik, starring Forest Whitaker, Jude Law, Liev Schreiber, and Alice Braga. The film is set in the future at a time when medical technology has advanced. For instance, people can extend their lives by buying artificial organs. If a person cannot procure an organ, an organization called the Union sends agents to repossess the organ. As interesting as the film’s storyline is, we will focus on its soundtracks. Some people underestimate the impact of soundtracks in films. For instance, they help a director set the tone for the movie and for the audience to empathize with a particular character. The soundtracks in this movie achieved the purposes they were intended for. This article will rank the songs from this movie’s soundtrack from good to best.
10. 54-46 That’s My Number by Toots and the Maytals (1969)
This song became one of the first reggae songs to become popular outside Jamaica. The song has since been sampled, covered, and used in several films. According to Song Facts, Toots wrote this song after he was imprisoned for marijuana possession. 54-46 was his prisoner ID number. He claimed that he was framed out of jealousy after releasing his hit song Bam Bam.
9. Sing it Back by Moloko (1999)
This song originally appeared in Moloko’s second album, I am Not a Doctor (1998) but was later released as a single the following year. The video of this song features Moloko vocalist Roisin Murphy dancing alone in a metallic flapper dress accompanied by psychedelic light effects. According to Vice, the video concept was based on Michael Jackson’s 1979 song, Rock With You.
8. Dream a Little Dream of Me by The Mamas and The Papas (1968)
The song covers the 1931 song released by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt. This group grew fond of the song due to the influence of a group member, Michelle Phillips. Michelle’s father had been friends with Fabian Andre, and it suddenly makes sense why the group covered the song. One of the members, Cass Elliot, revealed she was unhappy with the song. According to Louis Armstrong, she found the song campy. Despite her unhappiness with the song, it did well in the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada in 1968.
7. Nausea by Beck (2006)
Nausea is primarily an acoustic song that draws elements from funk and heavily relies on percussion. Beck revealed that he made this song to sound like “the Stooges,” an American band. Whenever he would perform it live, he would sing it the punk rock way, just like the Stooges. It took Beck one week to write and produce this song. The song reached #13 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2006, which is impressive considering the time it took to compose the song.
6. Everyday Will Be a Holiday by William Bell (1967)
In most Christmas songs, singers typically sing about Santa Claus, presents, or the snow. William decided to go off-topic by singing about longing for the return of his woman. The song claims that the calendar does not determine the holiday but is instead determined by the love of his life. Besides the song’s sentiment, you cannot help but admire the saxophone in the background and the desperation in his voice.
5. Burn My Shadow by Unkle (2007)
Unkle claimed this song was released in isolation before embarking on recording their main album. The best part of the song is Jeordie White, who plays bass in the song. This song became popular due to the bass part of the song. Unkle claimed that the West Coast stoner rock scene heavily influenced the drums in the song.
4. Feeling Good by Nina Simone (1965)
Like the song’s title, you will feel good listening to it. Elements that make this song pleasant to listen to are the soaring crescendo and a spine-tingling guitar riff. This song was written to express a certain kind of euphoria, the kind you would feel after being liberated from oppression. Her song became popular in 1994 after being featured in a British TV commercial for Volkswagen. Since then, her vocals have been sampled in numerous songs.
3. Release Yo’ Delf by Method Man (1995)
It is easy to write off most 1990s hip-hop as violent, but some of them had a message we could resonate with. For instance, the rapper pokes fun at people who demand respect, yet they do nothing to deserve it. Besides passing across a message, he showcases his creativity by calling himself a household provider. At first, you will assume he is talking about being the breadwinner. However, he uses the term to mean that he is a provider of hardcore rap lyrics.
2. Hit It and Quit It by Funkadelic (1971)
Some people resent songs that reference sex. More often than not, they detest how unsubtle they are concerning the subject. There are songs about sex that do not come across as too filthy, and this song does just that. The song is subtle because of the use of sexual euphemisms, as evidenced by the song’s title. Also, you can admire the song for not being afraid to tackle a taboo subject. After all, there is a risk of receiving backlash by referencing sex in songs.
1. Love Lives by Dave Stewart (2010)
Love is not a new subject in songs. However, this song manages to challenge us on how we should love. For instance, he sings about not being afraid to display love to your partner if you love them. This song is relatable because we all know of people who are too scared to show love to those they claim to love.
