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Boys Don't Cry soundtrack lacks 1 key song

Diana L. Winson | Benton, Illinois | 12/03/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After seeing "Boys Don't Cry," I was looking quite forward to hearing two of the movie's main songs on the soundtrack: "Bluest Eyes in Texas," the song Brandon sees Lana singing karaoke to in the bar the night he meets her (it's also played at the end of the movie), and the Cure classic "Boys Don't Cry," which is heard later in the movie. "Bluest Eyes in Texas" is the soundtrack's first song, and most people will recognize the cover of the Restless Heart hit sung by Nina Persson and Nathan Larson. I'd had the opening line of the song running through my head ever since I'd seen the trailer for the movie; I've been pushing the repeat button on my stereo ever since I bought this CD. This version of the song is every bit as good as the original, perhaps better, whether you've seen the movie or not. I expect the song to be a pop or country hit again if it ever gets any airplay (difficult to know whether that will happen or not, considering "Boys Don't Cry" is still in limited release -- which is a shame because this movie needs to be seen by everyone). I was greatly disappointed, however, to find that the song "Boys Don't Cry" was not included on the soundtrack. I do not know if this is because of some squabble over music rights or not, but I find this to be a major deficiency in the soundtrack. "Boys Don't Cry" is a crucial element for this recording because it is the title of the movie, it is played during the movie, and its lyrics fit right in with the storyline. (Luckily, I already had the song on a Cure album, but I wish I could hear it on this CD, too.) I sincerely hope the decision to leave this song off the album didn't come about because it breaks away from the slower pace of the soundtrack's other songs; that would be a true tragedy, musically speaking. Other recognizable songs or artists from the new CD are Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings," performed by The Knitters; the Isley Brothers' "Who's That Lady?" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone." Another fitting tune is Larson's "Dustless Highway," a reference to the backroads of Nebraska -- and probably elsewhere in the country -- on which cars kick up so much dust their lights can't be seen. Overall, this soundtrack could be a nice complement to the movie, except for the missing song; however, the sampling of music that could (and is, in the movie) be heard at a roadside bar gives the album a connection to the film that viewers will enjoy, and even those who have not yet been able to find "Boys Don't Cry" in their local theaters should find appealing."

More soundtrack omissions/trailer songs

Diana L. Winson | Benton, Illinois | 03/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I still believe that not having the song "Boys Don't Cry" on the BDC soundtrack is the most glaring omission, but I'll agree that leaving off the Cars' "Just What I Needed" and the song by Opal -- I believe it's called "She's a Diamond" off the 1987 Happy Nightmare Baby release -- is also a mistake. And where, oh where, is George McCrae's "Rock Your Baby"? I loved that song back in the seventies, and I love it today. Plus it, like the aforementioned tunes, occurs at a significant point in the movie -- the most important reason for having a soundtrack, correct? As for the trailer songs: Yes, Rickie Lee Jones' "Rebel Rebel" remake occurs on one trailer, while another trailer (the one I originally saw on The Charlie Rose Show and also found, somewhere, online) features Ten Years After's "I'd Love to Change the World" (off A Space in Time from WAY back in 1971) and ends with Nina Persson singing "The Bluest Eyes in Texas." I'm leaving my BDC soundtrack rating at 4 stars, primarily on the strength of "Bluest Eyes," but had the soundtrack included all the songs from the movie, I would have given it a 5-plus -- and had it tacked on the trailer songs, it would have been a definite 10, even on a 5-star scale!"

Don't be fooled

Devin | Seattle, Washington | 04/30/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The soundtrack is great, especially The Bluest Eyes in Texas, but I feel some clarification is needed for Amazon's above review of this soundtrack. Their review states that the film is about "a young girl who assumed the identity of a boy to avoid the violence and crime of her past." This is completely inaccurate. Boys Don't Cry is about a TRANSGENDERED BOY. Brandon does NOT live as a boy to run from his past. He lives as a boy because he IS a boy, but was born with a female body. To say otherwise is to deny the entire messege of the film, and trivializes the murder of Brandon Teena. This is NOT a simple matter of different interpretations of the film. The WHOLE POINT of the film is that Brandon is NOT simply living as a boy to run from something. The point of the film is that Brandon is living as a boy because, despite his girl body, he IS a boy. Please do better research, Amazon. At least see your films before telling us what they are about."