Check out our favorite cinematic Phoenix songs: seminal moments that, for most of us, made an indelible impact in our coming of age.
1) Shallow Hal, 2001
Remember that film by the Farrelly brothers with a very shallow Hal (Jack Black) who was put under a spell and saw obese people as attractive skinny people, e.g. Gwyneth Paltrow. Two Phoenix songs appear here, “Summer Days”, which is a summer dream, and “Too Young” from their untitled album released in 2000. This was the first time Phoenix made their way into Hollywood.
2) Lost in Translation, 2003
Who can forget that scene in Sofia Coppola’s second film, when Phoenix’s “Too Young” played in the club? This was before the lead singer of the band, Thomas Mars, married Ms. Coppola. Fun fact: their collaboration actually started back with Virgin Suicides and the Air song that has become a cultural icon of its time, “Playground Love” (symbolizing doomed high school love really) that featured Gordon Tracks as an alias for Thomas Mars.
3) Broken English
Zoe Cassavetes’ debut feature that stared Parker Posey featured “Love for Granted”, the band’s sad love song that was perfect for this 2007 tale of 30-something romantic lovelorn angst and romantic salvation.
4) Bling Ring
The teenage romp based on a true story of a band of girls (and a boy) who robbed the houses of the rich and famous—and didn’t get away with it as they filmed themselves doing it. Reckless teenagers directed by Sofia Coppola and featuring the songs “Drakkar Noir” and “Bankrupt” from Phoenix.
5) Boyhood, 2014
Richard Linklater’s genre-breaking coming of age film that took course over 12 years, starring a child named Mason. We watched him grow up, as played by Ellar Coltrane, with his parents played by Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke and an older sister played by Linklater’s own daughter Lorelei Linklater. The film features the Phoenix song “1901”.
By Caitlin Browne