We have just passed the 10th (!) anniversary for the film Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. With both Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry’s imaginations at the helm it was sure to be weird and romantic, and has become one of my favorites modern movies to date. The soundtrack was almost a character itself, which a lot of great soundtracks tend to be.
I know I am not the only person that immediately fell in love with the music and went right out into the world to track down as much of it as possible. Jon Brion composed some beautifully lilting piano pieces for the most emotional parts, and these still tug my heartstrings even after all this time. They crescendo and then dissapear almost too soon, like some of the best memories and feels. Adding some spice and color was a great song by Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar, a jangly track by The Willowz during a late night dance party, then a nice cover of The Korgis’ “Every Body’s Got To Learn Sometimes” by Beck book-ending the whole affair. I watched it again recently, and the music took me right back to how I felt the first time. Music and memory is a funny thing…it can transport you through time and different versions of yourself. Experience Design helps bring listeners into various states of ambiance, whatever the the order of the day might be. We can’t know for sure exactly what a song will mean to any given person, but it’s a fascinating thing to explore in our field. Although I’ve sometimes wished I could erase particularly bad music from my memories, when it comes to music I truly love (like with Joel and Clementine) I’m always willing to start over again.
– Submitted by Amanda Varney, Music Design