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.
Sliding Doors
MCA (1998)
Selected by Justin Chadwick
It may be hard for some to remember, but years before she launched her incredulously successful Goop enterprise and started hawking vagina-scented candles, the actress-turned-business-mogul Gwyneth Paltrow actually appeared in films, with top-billing, starring roles. And despite the wealth of criticism surrounding her acting chops, she actually turned in a handful of fine performances.
Now, while her turn in Shakespeare In Love (1998) earned her an Oscar, for my money, her most memorable role was for a film released earlier that same year. That would be Sliding Doors, a cleverly constructed exploration of how one’s life path is dictated by the smallest of serendipitous events (like catching or missing the next train).
More than two decades later, Sliding Doors makes for an engrossing viewing experience, made more so by its engaging soundtrack. Highlights abound whether it’s Aimee Mann’s “Amateur,” Aqua’s “Turn Back Time,” Jamiroquai’s “Use the Force,” or Olive’s “Miracle.”
But the album’s biggest claim to fame is the fact that it introduced the wider world to one Dido Armstrong and featured the Faithless collaborator and then-aspiring singer-songwriter’s song “Thank You,” nearly three years before it was officially released as a single from her debut album No Angel (1999) in December 2000.
As the story goes, the acclaimed hip-hop producer The 45 King first heard “Thank You” via a TV advertisement for Sliding Doors and was so impressed with the song, that he lifted it for his production that would subsequently become Eminem’s massive hit single “Stan.” Released in November 2000, “Stan” would prompt Dido’s label to formally release “Thank You” as an official single a few weeks later, which breathed new commercial life into No Angel and set her on the road toward stardom.
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