Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of films and musical genres. Click “Next Soundtrack” below to explore each soundtrack in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & soundtrack index here.
Pleasantville
New Line Records (1998)
Selected by Sarah Paolantonio
I love this soundtrack because it includes jazz in the sonic world of the 1950s, a genre not traditionally associated with sock hop jukebox hits. Dave Brubeck Quartet’s “Take Five” and Miles Davis’ “So What”—both from 1959—sit alongside classic rockabilly: Robert & Johnny’s “Dream Girl,” Gene Vincent’s “BE-BOP-A-LULA,” Billy Ward and The Dominoes “SIXTY-MINUTE MAN,” and Elvis’ “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear.”
‘90s teens played by Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire find themselves mysteriously transported into a 1950s black and white sitcom, Pleasantville. Joan Allen and William H. Macy fill the complacent roles of mom and dad—“Honey, I’m home!” As Reece and Tobey disrupt the neighborhood with sex and literature, the black and white turns Technicolor and the story becomes an allegory for something greater than this blurb can do justice to. When teens in bright red, orange, and blue are ostracized, they meet at Jeff Daniels’ soda shop and Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” plays. Music becomes a point of contention and a form of protest.
The OST does its job by mirroring the story and setting the time and place. Rave On, indeed.
LISTEN & WATCH: