The enduring appeal of the movie soundtrack

Having problems getting airplay for your music? No need to worry about that anymore. Get them into the soundtrack of a motion picture and if your song proves appealing to the moviegoers, you will surely have a hit. 

Using Di Na Muli in Sid & Aya was a clever move. Because the picture turned out big at the box office, Di Na Muli has become a huge hit. People are listening again to the Itchyworms version from two years ago and have taken into their hearts the new cover by Janine Teñoso, who has become the hottest young singer around.

Now comes The Day After Valentine’s starring Bela Padilla and JC Santos of 100 Tula Para Kay Stella fame. The picture is another love story and has just as a sentimental soundtrack to match. Singing Pinoy all originals are Marion Aunor with her composition Akala; John Roa with Taguan; The Juans with Pag-ibig Lang; and the track that I believe would be the big seller, For The Rest Of My Life written by Ned Esguerra of Side A and performed with a sexy lilting style by Bela herself.  

And this is not just happening hereabouts. Bad news for all those who have been knocking ABBA music these past 40 years. Those sparkling ABBA songs have not only remained extremely saleable, they have also inspired two box-office blockbusting motion pictures, Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Last heard, the sequel Here We Go Again is already close to a $300M gross at the tills. That is excellent performance for a film produced at the cost of only $75M.

But this bit of news is even sweeter. The legendary Cher has become so enamored of ABBA music that she is now recording a whole tribute album. The Academy Award-winning actress, Moonstruck, TV star, Sonny & Cher, hitmaker, I Got You Babe and Believe, top Las Vegas draw, played the glamorous grandmother in Here We Go Again. She got to sing ABBA’s Fernando with Andy Garcia in the soundtrack. 

Last week, Cher released the first single from her ABBA album, a house take on Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A Man After Midnight and it sounds fantastic. I am already very excited to hear her Dancing Queen set for release in September.

Did you know that until Drake’s Scorpion came along, the all-new and original soundtrack of The Greatest Showman was all poised to be the biggest selling album of 2018 with Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron as lead artists? The Canadian hip-hop star wrested the honor away from the soundtrack but it still remains one of the year’s biggest sellers. 

In fact, The Greatest Showman soundtrack remains No. 1 in other countries. A very good example is the United Kingdom, where it is on the same level as Adele’s 21 and British radio still reverberates to the tune of The Greatest Show, This Is Me, Rewrite The Stars and other tracks composed by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Because the upcoming Miss Granny has a soundtrack of pre-Manila Sound Pinoy tunes, people have become aware of Boy Mondragon and Efren Montes. Yes, those then young boys were hitmakers during the early ‘70s and were butting heads with the Jackson Five in the local hit charts. Now, Miss Granny star Sarah Geronimo has done covers of Mondragon’s Rain composed by George Canseco and Montes’ Kiss Me Kiss Me, which was composed by Jessie Saclo.

I am excited to hear the soundtrack of A Star Is Born. The latest remake of the Hollywood classic stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who also directs. The songs used are new originals by Lukas Nelson, son of country music legend Willy Nelson. I do not know if the Gaga came up with a song or two just like Barbra Streisand who composed Evergreen for her A Star Is Born some 30 years ago. I hope she did and maybe she will get an Oscar, too.

 I am also excited to hear the soundtrack to Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. This is the live action version of the timeless Christmas story about a girl who got a nutcracker for a present and was then taken on an enchanting adventure. The ballet version has famous music by the great Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. So I am curious to find out how his Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and The Waltz of the Snowflakes will be used in the movie. 

I am sure Bohemian Rhapsody will have a soundtrack album. I am sure though that it will be made up of original recordings by Queen. It was not hard finding actors who can act and who resemble the then young members of Queen but then, I do not think anybody can find one who also sings like Freddie Mercury. So just use the old songs.