Some Kind of Wonderful

Contemporary Traces of the Modern Soundtrack

Developed for RMIT Media Arts

Close analysis

1. Opening scene – a montage of Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) drumming in her room, Keith (Eris Stoltz) working as a mechanic at the garage then returning home along the train tracks, and Amanda (Lea Thompson) and Hardy (Craig Sheffer) making love in her bedroom. This ‘love triangle’ is outlined in montage form with no dialogue – only the pounding beat of the song playing at full volume (Abuse by Propoganda). The song simulate mechanical rhythms (Keith under the car, walking alongside the train), chugging pistons (Watts’ physical drumming) and sexual energy (the kissing couple) – it scores the theme by interlacing its internal aural elements and traits with the visual depictions of characters. No story is told at this point, but the elements of the story are clearly outlined.

2. Watts practing her drums – her room is sound-proofed. She is in emotional isolation, therapeutically working out her frustrations

3. Hardy and Amanda drive in their car and she is dropped off to play tennis – Miss Amanda Jones by The March Violets plays like her theme. Keith has been watching her – the song represents his idolizing perception of her.

4. Poppy beat/synth track (Catch My Fall by Billy Idol) plays as Keith decides to smash the fire siren. It carries over into him reaching detention hall. The charting of music throughout the film can be divided into two categories: interlude music – synth pads, ambient washes, rocky beats – is transitional and propells the narrative; emotion music – the selected pop songs with stylised artificial production – is sectional and intensifies scenes. The interlude music is anonymous compared to the clearer identity of the pop songs. However the interlude music is composed and produced by Stephen Hague who is the producer of most of the pop songs used in the film.

5. Tinkling keyboards as Watts looks at Amanda changing after sports class.

6. Punchy interlude music (The Shyest Time by The Apartments) as kids gather at the mall.

7. Closer by Joy Division played on cheap cassette deck while Keith paints early at school

8. Dreaming Of You by March Violets plays at club. Watts and Keith argue about him seeing Amanda. “I’d bet my hands on it”. “The only things I care about in my life are me, my drums and you.” The music fades down unrealistically to allow them this conversation.

9. Keith’s sister tells Keith he is being set up to get beaten at Hardy’s party. Transitional music (Brilliant Mind by Furniture) fades up, then gets very loud as Keith approaches Watt’s room. Inside her room we see she is drumming along to the song.

10. Amanda is dropped by her friends. She runs through the school crying, sees Hardy at his car – he blows her a cynical kiss. The cue ramps up, peaks and trails offf following the emotional intensity of sadness she is visibly experiencing.

11. Keith and Watts in the garage shop. She offers to test how well he can kiss. Light jangly pop (instrumental mix of She Loves Me by Stephen Duffy) plays on the casette deck in the background of the garage. They perform a test kiss. The background atmosphere fades down and the music fades up loudly and is overcome with electronic dum post-production.

12. Miss Amanda Jones by The Rolling Stones plays over a montage of all characters getting ready for the Saturday night party.

13. The limmo arrives to pick up Amanda – Turn To The Sky by The March Violets plays loud as their entrance music. It starts again as they drive toward the party. I Go Crazy by Flesh For Lulu plays as Watts drives Keith and Amanda to the art museum.

14. Light church-like keyboard chords play as Keith and Amanda are in the museum – but the theme links to Keith’s reveal to Amanda of the painting he did of her. The emotional tone of this moment then connects to Watts in the car clutching her drum sticks: the theme undercuts her inability to reveal her love to Keith.

15. At the outdoor concert auditorium, the full opening up between Keith and Amanda happens with no music: full disclosure and truth is presented without modulating emotion of the music. He perceives clearly in silence; volume/sound/noise/music has been an excess of frustrated energy which has compelled characters to act/behave in ways without perceiving the effects of their action.

16. Beats So Lonely by Charlie Sexton plays as Keith and Amanda enter the party. It fades up acoustically, then hard-cuts to full volume once they open the doo and enter. In the social space of the party where all the teen energies join, song score and diegetic music fuse. The song plays across the whole scene: it’s dub mix breaks down and builds up over the continuing climax and confrontation that occurs between Keith, Hardy and Amanda. The music continues still once skinhead Duncan comes in with his rough mates to back up Keith. The song thus is not only diegetically playing at the party, but it performs an arena-like staging for this central conflict in the film’s story.

17. Keith sees Watts outside the limmo after he has split from Amanda. The camera does a slight track in to his face: suddenly he ‘sees' Watts for the first time, and the Beats So Lonely track ramps up in volume. His inability to perceive is tensely posed against Watts’ ability to perceive. At this point, the music pinpoints Watts as the story’s central character: all the energy of the songs – their combustible explosive production techniques of compressed reverberated drums - relate to this macro pentup love energy inside Watts.

18. End track Can’t Help Falling In Love by Lick The Tins. Love has finally been declared – Keith and Watts are in-synch with each other, so the hi-level energy of the pop music throughout the film has been quelled. As symbolic producer of the score – demonstrated in the opening scene – Watts connection to the pounding style of dance-club rock/pop drumming. The celtic folk version of the Elvis song almost inexplicably synchronises to this shift in tone of their relationship.

Text © Philip Brophy.