Superbad OST

Posted on July 22, 2016 by emmakwall

Superbad – soundtrack review

Though set in the present day Superbad has a deliciousrogen-goldbergly 70s vibe. I’m (incorrectly) assuming this is because Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the co-writers and basis for the two main characters) grew up in this era and wanted to give the story an authentic nod to their own teen years.

Just the title itself is a giveaway of its retro feel (I can barely say it out loud without doing a bad Curtis Mayfield impression) but there’s other things too. Like the boys having to take the bus everywhere after Seth’s car gets clamped (“don’t be such a vagine man”) or the funky blue shirt and check trousers he borrows from Evan’s dad. Even the logo for Columbia Pictures, the film’s distributor, is in its old style from the 1970s.

Though the main thing of course is the soundtrack. Which is just bursting with Blaxploitation music and funky 70 sounds….so superfly!

Now I’m a huge fan of Superbad. It’s one of my favourite comedies, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it (“hey McMuffin”) and even without the cool soundtrack I would have still loved it. But let’s be honest, a soundtrack like this does give a teen comedy film just that bit more kudos.

I bought the soundtrack not too long ago, it was dirt cheap and second-hand, all the way from America. The case has seen better days but the CD itself was pristine. I mainly got it for (this old classic again…) listening to in the car but it’s still a nice addition to my collection.

f154b29bd12b9ea2ed3de5bcebbd1089The track listing as you can see, is mainly made up of actual pop songs but there are some original pieces of music as well, written by Lyle Workman and Bootsy Collins. Workman does the music for many of the ‘Judd Apatow’ movies and Collins is a funk musician most famous for working with James Brown.

And all in all, they nailed it. Superbad is a great soundtrack that could be a 70s soul compilation in its own right (not every single song is from that era, but most are).

All the tracks feel familiar and if you know the film well, like I do (“he looks like fucking Zac Morris”) you’ll be able to pin point the scene where the music plays. Even the scores are pretty easy to distinguish, like when Fogle gets punched in the off-licence or Seth imagines robbing the supermarket.

Though the rest of the soundtrack is pretty groovy there are some slower, more romantic tracks too – including a gorgeous version of ‘P.S I Love You’ by Curtis Mayfield himself.

These are for the bromance scenes obviously (not wasted on silly girls) and this track in particular always 360_superbad_0816.jpgstrikes me as so damn perfect. The lyrics fit Seth and Evan’s situation so well, their friendship and the *gulp* terrifying prospect of going to different colleges and no longer spending every day together. Check out the lyrics here and the song here.

My two favourite tracks are ‘Too Hot to Stop’ by The Bar Keys, which is easily one of the most recognised songs from the film (it plays at the beginning whilst Seth and Evan are doing their little silhouetted dance which reminds me of Eddie and Richie from Bottom).

The other track I really like is from 2006 – The Roots ‘Here I Come’. This plays at the scary-older-people party when Seth gets the, er, period blood on his pants. I am SO convinced this must have happened in real life to either Rogen or Goldberg or at least someone they knew at school. It’s simply too weird to make up.

And though this scene isn’t included on the soundtrack (though the original song by The Guess Who is available on the deluxe edition), I’m going to leave you with this clip (“Hey, who’s that guy?“) because it’s simply my favourite bit in the movie.

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About emmakwall

Films, books, soundtracks, good humour
This entry was posted in Miscellaneous, Reviews, Soundtracks and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

48 Responses to Superbad OST

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  1. MIB says:
    July 23, 2016 at 07:33

    Seth Rogen was born in 1982….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Tom says:
    July 23, 2016 at 07:02

    Cool to focus on such a great, strong and vital soundtrack. Vital to what the film is trying to do anyway. God I love this movie, you’ve made me wanna go back and watch it again!! My disc is gonna break……

    Liked by 1 person

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    • emmakwall says:
      July 25, 2016 at 09:35

      My disc is gonna break too!!! So glad you enjoyed this post and it made you want to watch the movie again 🙂 Superbad is one of those rare films that I could pretty much watch whenever!

      Thanks so much Tom 🙂 I agree it’s a vital soundtrack too. I thought that about The Guest as well, the soundtrack was very, very important to the film.

      Any other movies you think are like that? Could be interesting to do a top 10 if you’re interested in doing a joint post 1 day perhaps? 10 movie soundtracks that are imperative to the movie (kind of thing!)

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. Jay says:
    July 23, 2016 at 06:02

    It sounds like fun.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. sidekickreviews says:
    July 22, 2016 at 17:08

    I’m a huge fan of Superbad and the 70’s throwback feel and songs make it that much more enjoyable.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. MovieManJackson says:
    July 22, 2016 at 17:02

    Nice analysis! I’m not super high on the movie (actually get bored with it on subsequent watches), but I do remember the soundtrack being great.

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  6. beetleypete says:
    July 22, 2016 at 15:23

    As you will almost certainly already know before getting to the end of this comment, I am not a fan of modern American ‘silly’ comedies. (Exclusions include Ted/Ted 2, Something About Mary and Bridesmaids.) However, I was a fan of films like Shaft, (Got the Isaac Hayes soundtrack on vinyl somewhere) and Superfly. (Got the Curtis Mayfield soundtrack on vinyl somewhere)
    I will just stick with them I think…Great review though. Goes without saying, from ‘the Queen of Soundtracks’.
    As ever, Pete. XXX

    Liked by 1 person

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    • emmakwall says:
      July 25, 2016 at 08:32

      You might like this one Pete! Not really a “silly” American comedy as suuuuch, but I’m sure you won’t believe that haha 🙂 I’m the same with certain genres.

      I don’t mind Ted/Ted 2 but with Seth Macfarlane movies I always feel like something is missing, like I get what he’s doing but he just misses the mark. I did like Bridesmaids!! Though I’ve never liked There’s Something About Mary.

      Cool vinyls!!! And hope you had a great weekend 🙂 thank you for my great title hee hee! Xxx X

      Like

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  7. The Telltale Mind says:
    July 22, 2016 at 14:01

    Loved the movie and the soundtrack wasn’t too shabby either. Great review Ems!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff says:
    July 22, 2016 at 12:31

    I’ve never watched this because having lived through the horror of the ’70s (ugly colors, ugly clothes, ugly hairstyles, ugly cars…) I didn’t want to start giving myself flashbacks. I may have to go ahead and try this now. I’m so glad you got the cd for such a bargain Ems. I may have to give that a listen as well!

    #hugs

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. vinnieh says:
    July 22, 2016 at 11:56

    I do like me some old school funk and soul.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. mikeladano says:
    July 22, 2016 at 11:53

    Oh Emma. You made my day today. You totally nailed this. I’d like to get the CD too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
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