When Loral and Ronnel Raphael were teenagers growing up in North London, music for the movies made its mark on them. In fact, when selecting a track to perform at their school talent show, Ronnel — the younger of the two — chose Air’s “Playground Love”, best known as the theme song for Sofia Coppola’s debut The Virgin Suicides. “It gave me the idea of filming him performing (a project which became our first music video), which led to us making music together as Sons of Raphael,” Loral remembers. “Ronnel lost that school talent show but now we wrote music for Sofia’s new film, so it’s cool!”
Indeed, it’s a full circle moment that the duo have come back to Sofia’s world as the composers of Priscilla, the director’s dark and tumultuous documentation of the life of Priscilla Presley — from the moment they first laid eyes on each other (she a 14-year-old; he a 24-year-old megastar) to the powerful point they both parted ways. Their musical work is woven between unorthodox, non-time specific tracks chosen by their friends, Phoenix.
Here, the duo look back through the past half-century of cinema, breaking down the songs from film soundtracks that have touched them the most.
The Virgin Suicides, 2000
No one ever wrote a better theme song for a film than Air’s “Playground Love”. It captures the feeling of The Virgin Suicides in the most beautiful way but can also stand on its own as a brilliant timeless song that will forever stay in this universe. It was the first song on the mixtape I (Loral) made for my high school crush.
The Long Goodbye, 1973
Ronnel was banned for life from the New Beverly Cinema after sneaking into a sold-out screening of The Long Goodbye and getting caught.
Midnight Cowboy, 1969
I (Loral) listened to “A Famous Myth” by The Groop every night of the summer. I would walk at night to the top of the hills in Los Feliz looking down at sleeping Los Angeles, looking up to the stars, and imagining flying over the city at night. I find this song really sad. “One bright night, I’m gonna fly right out my window / Gonna fly so high in the night sky that the people below won’t see me go by.”
Killing of a Chinese Bookie, 1976
“Almost in Love with You” by Bo Harwood and Jack Sheldon is in our two favourite Cassavetes films. Bo Harwood originally wrote it for Killing of a Chinese Bookie after Cassavetes couldn’t get the rights to Bunny Berigan’s “I Can’t Get Started”. Cassavetes wrote the lyrics and Jack Sheldon (yes, the same Jack who sang “The Long Goodbye”) sings. The song is so good that Cassavetes reused it eight years later in Love Streams. Bo Harwood wrote many more wonderful songs for six of Cassavetes other films.
The Night of the Hunter, 1955
Walter Schumann wrote the score and we love this mesmerising sequence, set to “Once Upon a Time There was a Pretty Fly”. There’s a record where Charles Laughton narrates an abridged version of the story on top of the orchestral score. It’s fantastic.
Obsession, 1976
There are too many great Bernard Herrmann compositions in cinema. The entire soundtrack of Obsession is brilliant and the choir parts are from another world. The ending scene is so emotional and the music builds that scene so beautifully. Power.
The Heartbreak Kid, 1972
A real fun theme song by Cy Coleman for a great film. And how amazing is it that Elaine May’s next film after The Heartbreak Kid was Mikey and Nicky?
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986
“Love Missile F1-11” by Sigue Sigue Sputnik soundtracks the coolest opening monologue of all time!
Les Choses de la Vie, 1970
Philippe Sarde’s score for this film is incredible. Romy Schneider singing “La Chanson d’Hélène”? There is sweetness to the sadness of it.
Somewhere, 2010
I love Somewhere. I (Loral) remember watching it because I was alone in the empty cinema, and when I came out it felt like time froze and the sound of the synthesiser from Phoenix’s “Love Like a Sunset (Part II)” just didn’t go away. Phoenix are the best of course, and when we toured with them, “Love Like a Sunset” was the emotional peak of their show for us. When they played it live they screened footage of a documentary called Powers of Ten and it was extremely powerful and moving to watch every night.
The Deer Hunter, 1979
“Cavatina”, the classical guitar music by Stanley Myers, is probably the most memorable piece from The Deer Hunter, but the orthodox hymn “Memory Eternal” sung by a choir over Nick’s funeral scene is a beautiful moment too.
One from the Heart, 1982
An amazing title sequence. The visuals and the music create this whole universe for the film before it even began – and they really did create an entire universe, filming this movie entirely at the [American] Zoetrope soundstage. We love how music is always so different in all Francis Ford Coppola films. From Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle on this one, to David Shire’s piano theme from The Conversation, to the futuristic score of Rumble Fish.
Days of Heaven, 1978
Another title sequence that creates a universe before the film even begins. A super score by Ennio Morricone for a super film.
Hardcore, 1978
Jack Nitzsche’s work on this soundtrack was ahead of its time.