Fly: Songs Inspired by the film Eddie the Eagle (Soundtrack Review)
I really can’t see how anyone could possibly listen to this album and NOT be compelled to take on the world! It really doesn’t hold back on the positivity which makes it the best kind of music to wake up to on a Monday morning. I’m sure there are some people who might find songs with such an up beat message to be pretty corny and unrelatable, considering all the ill’s of the world. But that’s just when we need this kind of music the MOST! It’s times like these when we need to be shaken out of our “doom and gloom” mind set and reminded that there are still things in this world worth believing in!
Soundtrack
When you first listen to these tracks your mind immediately assumes that it knows EXACTLY where the lyrics and melodies are heading. Luckily, in the case this album we have some next level song writing that really (pardon the pun) ELEVATES this concept which we’ve all heard so many times in our lives; to reach for the stars and never give up! So at no point did I ever roll my eyes and think, “here we go again”. All you feel when you put on these songs is pumped and inspired!
The story of Eddie the Eagle follows a young man struggling to overcome his personal obstacles to reach his most ultimate dream; to be an Olympic athlete. Now, that might sound about as cliche as you can get, but what really connects you to the hero of this story is the fact that there isn’t really anything particularly special about him. This isn’t the kind of story where an underprivileged kid discovers that he has a unique natural talent, and all he needs is the opportunity to showcase it. No, this is the story of someone who is quite UNTALENTED but still has a fiery passion that pushes him to become something that everyone else says is beyond him. It is this relentless drive and determination that inspired these artists to write these songs.
The album opens dramatically with “Ascension” by Holly Johnson. Every track has excellent sound quality but “Ascension” has a particularity rich and crisp tone. The song begins with a very modern pop music feel, but once it hits the climax midway through, it becomes quite unaplogetically 80’s. You could say it takes a turn towards the era of “Flash Dance”. This stylistic choice is clearly by design as the film itself is set in the late 80’s. But songs like “Out of the Sky” by Marc Almond and “Living Inside My Heart” by ABC incorporate this approach with a bit more subtlety. Where Johnson’s track strives to recreate the style and vibe of that time, “Sky” and “Heart” use the 80’s as more of an influence rather than a blueprint for their writing.
The running theme throughout all of these songs is to never give up on your dreams and to fight for the things you want in life. Now, when writing such motivational music and lyrics it’s quite easy to end up sounding like an after-school special. So one needs to take great care to walk that fine line. Overall every artist seems to walk that tight rope with great skill. Although I must say there are a couple tracks that unfortunately fall into the cliched “Tony Robbins” style of song writing. For example; “Touching Hearts and Skies” by Midge Ure, in addition to being a bit overloaded with 80’s synths, has lyrics that are a bit watered down and fail to match up to the passionate emotions that are evoked by the other songs on the album.
I was surprised to discover that Taron Egerton is a pretty darn good singer! On the track “Thrill Me” written by Gary Barlow and Andy McCluskey, witch he is also accompanied by Hugh Jackman, we’re treated to a schmaltzy over the top dance/pop tune with the kind of lyrics that could easily be used for a high school football theme. There’s just no nuance to them whatsoever. But I’ll be honest, this is probably one of my favorite songs on the album! I heard that the filmmakers had to talk Taron and Hugh into performing the song. Despite the fact that they’re both accomplished singers, they both had reservations about getting into the studio. I just love idea of the two of them awkwardly singing this silly song together! It would be so amazing if this become a new trend in Hollywood! Just imagine on every soundtrack there would be an original song performed by the main stars of the movie! How great would it have been if Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford performed a Country song together for the “Fugitive” soundtrack?!
is available on Amazon March 18th.
