4/5 A Complete Soundtrack List
  by Wesley Goo (Long Beach, CA)
Hey All!

Serendipity is one of my favorite movies - yes, sappy and syrupy - but hey, it hit the spot. And here's a complete list of songs for those of you die-hard fans (like myself) who try to put together a REAL soundtrack:

1. Cool Yule - Louis Armstrong (opening department store scene)
2. Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Lewis Ross as the New American Guitar Ensemble
3. Moonlight Kiss - Bap Kennedy (plays from when Sara gets into the cab through the skating scene)
4. January Rain - David Gray (plays during giving of the phone number)
5.Joy To the World - Tuba Christmas ("that's a lot of tuba")
6. Fast Forward - Alan Silvestri (instrumental score music)
7. Waiting in Vain - Annie Lennox (Sara in San Francisco)
8. 83 - John Mayer - (when Jonathan is going to get hair cut)
9. "Sarah Smile" - Hall & Oats (kid on bike singing it while John is in taxi)
10. From Rusholme With Love (Serendipity Mix) - Mint Royale (Lars' music)
11. Never a Day - Wood (playing in club after Lars' finishes his set)
12. Black Eyed Dog - Nick Drake (just a clip used in scene where Halle is asleep and John is drinking beer AND after John and Jeremy see Sara's sister in the window)
13. Rose Rouge - St. Germaine (used in wherehouse w/Eugene Levy AND at the end on the plane and at beginning when Eve says "PRADA")
14. Shake It Off - Jarvis Church (Used instrumentally when Sara and Eve search driving range)
15. Charley's Prelude - Don Byron (at wedding rehearsal)
16. When You Know - Shawn Colvin (when Jonathan gets "Love in the Time of Cholera" from Halle and in cab).
17. January Rain - David Gray (used again here at the ice rink)
18. Northern Sky - Nick Drake (Jonathan and Sara meet again)
19. Cool Yule (reprise) - Louis Armstrong (back in dept. store)
20. The Distance - Evan & Jaron (during credits)
21. This Year - Chantal Kreviazuk (during credits)

Okay, hope that helps. One more little tip for you wanting the instrumental score by Alan Silvestri (i.e., When Jonathan is reading his obituary, etc.) ... The best you're going to get (I think) is doing what I did ... hook up a CD recorder to your DVD player (or VHS) and record it directly off the DVD/VHS. This way, you'll not only have the music but you may have some audio clips of dialogue too. It's fun!

Trailer Music: All instrumental music ... don't know where it's from (it may be all Alan Silvestri's) ... the only "real" song in the trailer (at least the one on the DVD) is "Babylon" by David Gray.

Hope that helps. Happy Listening!

Wesley

4/5 Satisfying
  by T. Jones-Yelvington (Chicago)
A good soundtrack is crucial to the execution of a well constructed romantic comedy. The best romantic comedies recognize that they are meant to be formulaic, to play upon our need for happy endings, light hearted cinematic dialogue and memorably cliched one-liners. Likewise, a good romantic comedy soundtrack plays a crucial role in manipulating our emotions.

Just like the movie, the Serendipity soundtrack passes the test w/ flying colors. The tracks are selected with careful intentionality, and it shows, both while watching the film and while listening to the album. If you've seen the movie, it is quite possible you will remember many of these tracks. That is because they are all well selected.

Bap Kennedy's "Moonlight Kiss," David Gray's "January Rain," Nick Drake's "Northern Sky," Annie Lennox's "Waiting in Vain," Shawn Colvin's "When You Know" and John Mayer's "83" are all superb. Louis Armstrong's "Cool Yule" is perfect for the obligatory upbeat vocal jazz standard which backs the opening credits of every romantic comedy. Even the album's slightly obnoxious poppish tracks -- Wood's "Never a Day," Evan and Jaron's "The Distance" and Chantal Kreviazuk's "This Year" -- are not all that offensive, and all three have grown on me.

Only a few fairly minor complaints: Why do soundtracks include titles not heard in the movie? Is this because the albums are produced before the film is edited? In the case of Heather Nova's "Like Lover's Do," I don't particulaly mind. It's a very likable song from an artist I enjoy, and is in keeping w/ the tone of the soundtrack. Brian Whitman's version of (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me, however, is completely unneccesary. Perhaps the album's weakest track, it adds absolutely nothing to an already over-covered song. If it appeared in the movie, it might be another story -- but it doesn't, and could stand to be cut from the soundtrack as well.

Also -- why is it that soundtrack songs are always placed in a different order than they appear in the film? I suppose I can understand that a purchasable album requires cohesiveness, and this often makes it neccesary to reorder the tracks. However, when I purchase a soundtrack, I do so to relive the movie -- a difficult task when the songs are out of order. And after all, the world does revolve around me and my desires -- doesn't it?

In any case, this is a strong soundtrack. I am happy to have purchased it, and even happier to have discovered some new (and well respected) artists in the process. (Nick Drake currently sits happily waiting on my wish list, and I recently burned a friend's copy of David Gray's White Ladder.)

There is a definite qualitative difference between this album and other soundtracks of its kind, and I eagerly reccomend skeptics explore it. Perhaps it will become a "happy accident."
--TIM

5/5 If you liked the Sitar music on Serendipity...
  by
If you liked the sitar music on Serendipity, you should know it's not included on this cd. Mint Royale has a cd called On The Ropes and the song you want to check out is "From Rushmore, With Love."

5/5 Wonderful soundtrack for a wonderful movie
  by Sara (Kansas City, MO)
I would like to start out by saying that this movie is on my top 5 favorites. Being a 'Sara' myself, I was extremely happy when I saw this movie and the character in the movie was a lovable and adorable girl. I also, of course, loved John Cusak. But this is about the music. Music can carry a movie and I think this soundtrack definitely carried this movie. 'January Rain' by David Gray (a GREAT artist who I HIGHLY reccommend) is the main theme song it seems throughout the movie and fits perfectly at the end when they meet up on the ice rink. The other songs by Nick Drake and Annie Lennox and others also fit perfectly to the movie's 'longing for love' appeal. I am a hopeless romantic and to any others out there, this soundtrack is perfect listening on those nights when you just want to sit back and think about your certain someone.

4/5 Not on the album!
  by
If anyone is looking for the name of the jazzy song (the scene where they are flying to New York), it's Rose Rouge by St. Germain. It's a shame they didn't include it on the soundtrack, it really is a great tune!