Upon it’s release in 2000, Sofia Coppola’s feature debut, The Virgin Suicides, was described as “beautiful, mysterious, haunting and invariably fatal…just like life”. The accompanying soundtrack, scored and performed by French duo Air, was equally, heartbreakingly divine.
Fifteen years later the film and it’s soundtrack have become cult classics and Warner/Parlophone records will release an anniversary deluxe edition this month to mark the milestone. The reissue features a remastered version of the original soundtrack, a pair of studio outtakes plus an exclusive unreleased live performance recorded in 2000, and several tracks from KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show with Nic Harcourt.
Air have revealed that upon first viewing the film at it’s Cannes premiere in 2000, they were surprised that 80% of their recorded tracks had been abandoned in the final cut. They also opened up about the recording process of the soundtrack’s signature single, “Playground Love” which featured Gordon Tracks (an alias of Thomas Mars, the lead singer for the band Phoenix and future Mr Sofia Coppola). Air called Mars explaining that they needed a song for the closing credits, “and he came over wrote the lyrics, played some drums and sang on the track” …all on a single Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles.
The Virgin Suicides soundtrack will be available as 2-CD set and a Limited Edition Super Deluxe format including coloured vinyl on June 19th.
Credits
Text Courtney DeWitt