Juno [SOUNDTRACK]

Original Soundtrack (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 8, 2008)
• Original Release Date: December 25, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Rhino Records
• ASIN: B00104W8T6
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (157 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #602 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Director Jason Reitman's warm, compassionate comedy about an unanticipated teen pregnancy was not only a dark horse Oscar® nominee for Best Picture, but saw this soundtrack CD top the charts just two weeks after its release. It's a collection wherein quirky, generation-spanning folk and rock choices are rooted in something more rewarding than mere eclecticism for its own sake--namely the sense of unlikely, hopeful humanity that Kimya Dawson's core songs bring to its slightly askew axis. Dawson's spotlight performances here range from a handful of decidedly twee solo cuts, to the album's key "Anyone Else But You," (her 2001 duet with Adam Green released under the Moldy Peaches moniker,) and a couple more upbeat oddballs by the singer's more recent Antsy Pants project. That effusively innocent musical core is augmented with a pair of eminently sympathetic tracks from Scottish twee-pop magnates Belle and Sebastian, then seasoned with a mix of catalog tracks that spans eras from Buddy Holly to Sonic Youth--utilizing styles as diverse as the Kinks, Mott the Hoople, and Velvet Underground--that nonetheless manage to bolster the film's tender emotions with a graceful, (if skewed,) charm that's hard to resist. --Jerry McCulley


Director Jason Reitman made a whole slew of great decisions with his justly lauded film Juno. One of them was the choice of music he used, which gave potent voice to this soundtrack companion. While all of the songs added energy and emotional atmosphere to the scenes, it was the inclusion of numerous numbers by Kimya Dawson that subtly enhanced the wonderfully drawn title character. Dawson's homemade immediacy and faux stream-of-consciousness lyrics felt like songs that the character Juno would listen to, or create. Dawson's seven (one recorded with Adam Green, her partner in the Moldy Peaches) are interspersed among a dozen other selections which straddle generations--Buddy Holly, The Velvet Underground, Mott the Hoople, Sonic Youth, and Cat Power--and moods, sequenced to flow like one delightful radio program. --David Greenberger

Product Description

Fox Searchlight Picture’s December 2007 coming-of-age comedy Juno, directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking). The narrative centers on whip-smart Juno (Ellen Page, in a breakthrough role), a teenage girl faced with an unplanned pregnancy from an afternoon with the charmingly unassuming Bleeker (Michael Cera). Juno finds her unborn baby the perfect set of parents in Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), an affluent suburban couple who are eager to adopt. Along with the total support of her parents, (Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons) Juno conquers her problems head-on, displaying a youthful exuberance that is both smart and unexpected. The film was an official selection at this year’s Telluride, Toronto, and London film festivals and received the Best Film award at the Rome International Film Festival. The soundtrack to Juno mixes classic rock favorites with indie-rock gems.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Film, Terrrific Soundtrack, January 7, 2008

By	Michael Z. Jody "Psychoanalyst, amateur music... (NYC & East Hampton, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Juno is a gentle, sweet, smart and moving comedy. It's a teen flick that works for adults, and an adult flick that works for teens. The soundtrack is the perfect background (and sometimes foreground) to what goes on in the film, but it also stands alone quite nicely. Most of the songs on the album are quiet, indie, folkie, and acoustic, like the Kimya Dawson songs (three of 'em) which are idiosnycractic and wonderful. Kimya Dawson (formerly of the Moldy Peaches who are also represented here) reminds me ALOT of the Be Good Tanyas (which is intended as a compliment), especially on Tire Swing. There are, however, also some great classic oldie songs from the Kinks and Buddy Holly and Mott the Hoople which are not acoustic-y folkie, but more raucous and energetic. Go out and enjoy the movie and I'm betting you will come back for the music.

73 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soundtrack is Perfect Fit, January 8, 2008

By	Jay Young (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The songs in the soundtrack to Juno fit perfectly with the movie. They are soft, folksy, slightly eccentric, and capture the emotional aura of the film's story, characters, and message. I will comment on each of the songs.

* All I Want is You: A delightfully zany song about love; uses analogies ("if you were the wood, I'd be the fire") to get the point across. It's folksy, using the harmonica and guitar.

*My Rollercoaster: A lyric-less song, with the artist just singing "doo-doo-doo." Still, with its whimsical feel, it definitely is in keeping with the spirit of the rest of the album.

* A Well-Respected Man: A nice "soft-rock" song about a well to-do man. It reminds me of Simon & Garfunkel's "Richard Corey," but without the tragic ending.

* Dearest: Buddy Holly. Need I say more?

* Up the Sprout: A short guitar piece that is soft, yet has some "edgy" measures.

* Tire Swing: Kimya Dawson is really a revelation. Her soft-spoken eloquence really shines through. This is another soft-rock song that discusses the writer's experiences with her boyfriend. It includes a canon, which adds spice to the song.

* Piazza, New Catcher: A song about a baseball catcher, who struggles with love and life. This one's fast-moving and has several minor chords.

* Loose Lips: An apt title for the song; Dawson speaks freely. This one's pretty fast-moving, so pay attention.

* Superstar: Definitely the edgiest song on this album, from Sonic Youth, no less. It has a bittersweet feel.

* Sleep: An instrumental song, with humming by Kimya Dawson. Another soft, folksy, sweet song.

* Expectations: A fast, fairly sad song. It's a nice contrast with the rest of the album.

* All the Young Dudes: A great classic rock song, with hints of soul and jazz. Mott the Hopple belts the lyrics out emotionally.

* So Nice So Smart: Kimya Dawson again. Don't let the sunny tune of this song fool you- it's actually quite dark! The chorus is:
"you're so nice and you're so smart
you're such a good friend i hafta break your heart
tell you that i love you then i'll tear your world apart
just pretend i didn't tear your world apart"

* Sea of Love: A slow, melancholy love song.

* Tree Hugger: Think of this as a folk poem song. To give you an idea:
"The flower said, `I wish I was a tree,'
The tree said, `I wish I could be
A different kind of tree,'
The cat wished that it was a bee,
The turtle wished that it could fly
Really high into the sky,
Over rooftops and then dive
Deep into the sea."

*I'm Sticking with You: A self-consciously corny song, but an enjoyable one. It has the "oom-pah" chords and starts out with piano, though it switches to a regular guitar sound eventually. The song begins with "I'm sticking with you, `cause I'm made out of glue." This is definitely not for all tastes- it depends on what your threshold for cheese is.

*Anyone Else But You: A guy and a girl singing to each other about how they couldn't be with "anyone else but you." The Moldy Peaches aren't the best singers, but they're good enough to keep the listener interested, and the music and lyrics are sweet and folksy. This is Kimya Dawson's old band.

*Vampire: A kind of strange song; the singer compares himself (the singer's a 12 year-old boy) to a vampire and sees herself as a social outcast.

*Anyone Else But You: Michael Cera and Ellen Page sing the Moldy Peaches song. This is sweet, and I think their performance is better than the original.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Film, Terrrific Soundtrack, January 5, 2008

By	Michael Z. Jody "Psychoanalyst, amateur music... (NYC & East Hampton, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Juno - Music From The Motion Picture (MP3 Download)

Juno is a gentle, sweet, smart and moving comedy. It's a teen flick that works for adults, or an adult flick that works for teens. The soundtrack is the perfect background (and sometimes foreground) to what goes on in the film, but it also stands alone quite nicely. Most of the songs on the album are quiet, indie, folkie, and acoustic, like the Kimya Dawson songs (three of 'em) which are idiosnycractic and wonderful. Kimya Dawson (formerly of the Moldy Peaches who are also represented here) reminds me ALOT of the Be Good Tanyas (which is intended as a compliment), especially on Tire Swing. There are, however, also songs from the Kinks and Buddy Holly and Mott the Hoople which are not acoustic-y folkie. Go out and see the movie and I'm betting you will come back for the music.