Mixtapes for the road

In thinking about soundtracks of road movies, Easy Rider (1969) is one of the first examples that comes to mind. It is particularly noted for the use of songs that epitomized the motorcycle, counterculture of the 1960s with songs by Jimi Hendrix, The Band, Steppenwolf, The Byrds, amongst others. Soundtracks like these are valued for what we might be able to see as a correlation between aesthetic, image/narrative and sound.

Much of this is attributed to conscious choices by the director of the film, and I wonder if this has led to an evolution of recent road movies, or rather films with road movie aspects. I am referring particularly to Broken Flowers (2005) and Elizabethtown (2005). In both movies, the main characters undergo a road trip, accompanied by compilations that their friends have provided for their journey.

The music is thus diegetic, as the character slips the mix cd into the player and goes on his journey. However, the fact that these songs have been chosen by another character gives it a pleasurable sense of “non-diegesis” and it mirrors the same deliberate choices that a director would have made in providing accompanying music to a character in another film.

The two films also seem to regard their soundtracks very self-reflexively. For example, in Broken Flowers, Don Johnston (Murray) goes on a journey to find out the truth about the existence of a 19 year old son that he has only just learnt about. His neighbour Winston provides him with a mix cd, that works perfectly as Don drives through the country searching for his numerous ex-girlfriends. Especially with the use of Mulatu Astatke’s Yegelle Tezeta, the songs give a sense of curious, sleuth-like anticipation from Don.

Elizabethtown has Drew Baylor (Bloom) drive cross country from Kentucky to Oregon, almost in a celebration of the country’s history, in iconic places such as Memphis (focusing on Elvis’ music, lookalikes and Drew himself shown in the driver’s seat donning the same iconic sunglasses). On the open road, Claire Colburn’s (Dunst) voiceover tells Drew: “Some songs require air. Open your windows”. This voiceover somewhat resembles a director’s commentary on a dvd release, explaining the specific reason behind the choice of song in a scene.

This self-reflexive nature gives it a double layered pleasure in viewing the film. But I wonder if there is any unsettling tension as a result of this self-reflexivity. Or does this conscious awareness only help us enjoy it more, without complications?