Watchmen: Music from the Motion Picture [Soundtrack]

My Chemical Romance (Artist), Nat King Cole (Artist), Bob Dylan (Artist), Simon & Garfunkel (Artist), Janis Joplin (Artist), KC and the Sunshine Band (Artist), Billie Holiday (Artist), Philip Glass (Artist), Leonard Cohen (Artist), The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 3, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Reprise Records
• ASIN: B001N3OCV6
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,914 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Watchmen's Music From The Motion Picture is as wildly adventurous as the film-from Modern Rock hero My Chemical Romance covering Bob Dylan's 'Desolation Row' and 1960s classics from Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin to unforgettable gems from Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. Watchmen may be the first soundtrack ever to include both Leonard Cohen and KC & The Sunshine Band.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly eclectic compilation!, March 16, 2009

By 

Paul Campbell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Watchmen: Music from the Motion Picture (Audio CD)

A number of reviewers have taken this soundtrack to task for its omissions - and, yeah, I was really surprised and disappointed "99 Luftballons" wasn't included (although only 20-some seconds were used in the film perhaps the filmmakers didn't realise the indelible mark it would leave!).

Still, this being the age of the internet and MP3s it is very easy to make your own 'Complete' Watchmen soundtrack as several websites have already posted the movie's tracklisting.

First off, I bought both soundtracks, the Various Artists and the Tyler Bates Score edition (which, incidentally, is VERY good - has an intensity and darkness that the film's pop tunes overshadow). Also, the CDs come with terrific internal artwork - honestly, worth the price of buying them alone.

For a few extra $s you can pop over to Amazon's MP3 download section and create you own version of the soundtrack: I ripped the original CD into my computer then supplemented it with 6 others featured both in the movie and its trailers, all downloaded from Amazon's MP3 catalogue. I then burned them all onto one 80 minute CD (an * denotes the additional songs which I downloaded).


1) Take a Bow - Muse*
2) The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning - Smashing Pumpkins*
3) Unforgettable - Nat King Cole
4) The Times They Are a-Changin - Bob Dylan
5) 99 Luftballons - Nena*
6) The Sound Of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
7) Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin
8) I'm Your Boogie Man - KC & The Sunshine Band
9) You're My Thrill - Billie Holiday
10) Pruit Igoe & Prophecies - Philip Glass
11) Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears for Fears*
12) Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
13) Clyde - Waylon Jennings*
14) All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
15) Desolation Row - My Chemical Romance
16) First We Take Manhattan - Leonard Cohen*
17) Pirate Jenny - Nina Simone

Total running time: approx. 76 mins.

I left out "Ride Of The Valkyries" as this would have taken the running time to 81 mins. Besides, chronologically it falls between Simon & Garfunkel and Janis Joplin - and, dude, that's just wrong! But, seriously, "Valkyries" completely jars: and, anyway, Apocalypse Now already 'owns' that tune.

Tracks 1) and 2) featured to great effect in the movie's trailers and 16) was the second song used in the end credits. Yes, I know, it was actually the Muzak version of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" which was used in the movie - but, really, who wants that?!

31 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Skip the Soundtrack, Pick Up Tyler Bates's Score Instead, March 4, 2009

By 

Andrew Shaffer "Author, Blogger" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Watchmen: Music from the Motion Picture (Audio CD)

There are two "Watchmen" albums out. One is Tyler Bates's excellent, haunting score. And the other is this collection of golden oldies.

Don't get me wrong--every one of these songs, with the exception of My Chemical Romance's punkish Bob Dylan cover--are five-star classics. But does Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" really work side-by-side with "The Times They Are A-Changin'"? Does KC and the Sunshine Band belong in the same context as Jimi Hendrix? It's eclectic, but not there aren't any overlooked gems that would even make it a decent mix-tape.

If you don't already own these classics, I would suggest cherry-picking the songs and artists you do want on Amazon's MP3 store or iTunes. And while you're at it, pick up the Smashing Pumpkins' "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning", which was featured in the "Watchmen" trailer (but not on the soundtrack or in the film).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helped to make the movie great!, March 7, 2009

By 

justawave (bellevue, wa) - See all my reviews

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

One of my first thoughts after the movie was how well the music fit; I like the irony that some of the songs bring to the moment and as a commenter said connects the scenes to the times they are in. I don't think how common or not the music is should factor into a soundtrack's rating - Forrest Gump is a good example. I hadn't read the graphic novel before watching the movie but picked it up right after - several songs were part of the original graphic novel. Good article about this soundtrack: http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/watching-the-watchmen-soundtrack-1003947204.story