Ranking All The Songs from The Wedding Crashers Soundtrack
The hilarious 2005 film Wedding Crashers stars Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) and John (Owen Wilson), a pair of divorce mediators who spend their spare time going to other people’s weddings uninvited to drink for free and meet desperate women. It’s a good plan for the bachelor’s, but you have to have goals, so they decide to attend when they see the opportunity to crash a high-profile wedding for the Secretary of the Treasury’s Daughter. Naturally, things don’t go smoothly, and romantic antics ensue. We won’t spoil the details, but it makes for a fun film and a better soundtrack. We’re ranking all the songs from The Wedding Crashers Soundtrack.
15- Mr. Ambulance Driver by The Flaming Lips
Mr. Ambulance Driver from The Flaming Lips was first released on The Wedding Crashers Soundtrack in 2005. This tragically sad song is all about love and loss. The bargaining and acceptance stages of grieving are wrapped up in this surprisingly mellow and pleasant tune. The music video shows an interview with a young man who was severely injured in a car crash, but the singer is a survivor who lost someone he loved.
14- Cinnamon by The Long Winters
Cinnamon first came out on the 2003 album When I Pretend To Fall. According to singer John Roderick, “The song ‘Cinnamon’ is actually set in Europe, it’s an example of a story song where the story was really self-evident to me as I was writing the song. I thought it was going to be completely obvious to the listener, and then I discovered from talking to people that no one had any idea what the story was actually. That was very confusing to me and a lesson in how oblique my songwriting is, I guess in a sense.”
13- This Modern Love by Bloc Party
Bloc Party released This Modern Love on their 2005 album Silent Alarm Remixed. The song is about falling into so-called ‘modern love.’ The singer tries to awkwardly express his affection while also explaining how much he doesn’t know what to do. As the song says, “And don’t get offended if I seem absent-minded. I get tongue-tied”
12- Hava Nagilah by Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson
Hava Nagilah is a traditional song often sung at Jewish weddings and other celebrations. Although Vince Vaughn butchers it, there are many lovely renditions of this joyful song. Hailed as one of the first modern Jewish folk songs in Hebrew, you’ll never forget this tune once it gets inside your head because of the sheer outpouring of emotional excess and abundant delight that comes with it.
11- I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today by Guster
I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today is all about the singer’s fervent desire to hold on to something precious. Love slips away easily, but the name says it all here. When you truly love someone, it’s entirely normal to worry about what might happen if they weren’t there.
10- More Adventurous by Rilo Kiley
More Adventurous by Rilo Kiley is about being torn. As one astute contributor explains on Song Meanings, “It sounds to me like Jenny is in two minds about getting married; she wants it as her “last testament,” maybe because she thinks they’ll be more accepted if they are married, especially if they have a baby. But she also says it’s okay with her if they don’t. I think she thinks marriage will ruin the love.”
9- Love Underground Robbers On High Street
Not everyone is comfortable or safe showing off their emotions. Love Underground is an anthem for all lovers and others who feel love but need or want to hide it. The song dances around the topic and implies that sometimes just admitting that you feel love could ruin it.
8- Circus by The Sights
Circus by The Sights is a sort of selfish song. The singer wants someone to feel how they feel or ‘see’ what they see. At the same time, they are dismissive of the answers and perhaps dismissive of the self, feeling undeserving despite the outwardly egotistical take.
7- Rock n Roll by The Sounds
Some songs are about being jaded or excited, but Rock n Roll by The Sounds is a little bit of both. As the lyrics say, ‘Something sweet or something strong. Seems like love no longer can turn me on. Like boy need girl and girl need boy. Got a nasty habit called rock’n’roll.” The excitement here isn’t for the personal connection and oxytocin of love but rather the euphoric bacchanal of music.
6- Sister Jack by Spoon
The singer in Sister Jack is almost the opposite of our previous entry. This voice feels left out even when they’re in the middle of the music, incomplete. Sister Jack is what or who they truly crave.
5- Aside by The Weakerthans
Aside from The Weakerthans is a masterpiece of semi-ironic, all too relatable lyrical artistry. As Stylus Magazine puts it, “Aside had a bit of snark to it, a little bit of ironic distance. John K. Samson writes tremendous lyrics for this type of music, zippy but never quite falling into punk or hardcore (or rock or whatever). Standard slower verses into swelling choruses, but with some wiseass singing about being “Terrified of telephones and shopping malls and knives / And drowning in the pools of other lives.”
4- In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry
In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry is a feel-good hot-weather bop that was simultaneously perfect for its time and ahead of it. Mostly, it’s about drinking and getting laid, but many great songs are. Not so many have this much soul and whimsy.
3- Shout ( Matter Music Remix ) by The Isley Brothers
Some songs have deep philosophical meanings or confusing convoluted lyrics. Shout by the Isley Brothers is not one of those songs. SHout is pure joie de vivre, a wild, unambiguous dance song about love and moving your feet. Any version, every remix, is a classic.
2- The Sound Of Settling Death Cab For Cutie
Death Cab For Cutie does macabre and mournful in a very memorable way, and The Sound Of Settling is no exception. The singer in this tune is too shy to express how they really feel or too timid to embrace and chase it. Instead, they’ve decided to take a backseat and become a background character in their own story. They are not settling by agreement or in a charming-old-house sense. No, this settling is one of inevitable, entropic ennui.
1- Splash, Turn, Twist by Jimmy Eat World
The 2001 song Splash, Turn, Twist by Jimmy Eat World is a fantastic song by an even better band. More importantly, it expresses how the characters in the movie feel about falling in love when it finally happens. Although this tune didn’t top the charts, four other songs from the Bleed American album did. Splash, Turn, Twist is one of those timeless, summery love songs that deserves better than it got, so we’ve put this underrated tune on the top of our list.
Final Thoughts
When you’re looking for some great tunes for your own impending nuptials, The Wedding Crashers is worth listening to, but you don’t need to get married to enjoy these songs. After you’ve heard the music, we recommend watching the movie as well. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have excellent on-screen charisma, and together they’re a comedic force and a worthy watch. We only regret they didn’t team up more often.