''Garden State'' is the soundtrack album to the film '' Garden State''. Compilation producer

Zach Braff Zachary Israel Braff'Scrubs' Star Zach Braff Wows ...

was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Pictures, Television or Other Visual Media for his work on the album.

Album information

The music that accompanied the film was hand-picked by Zach Braff. Commenting on the selections, Braff said, "Essentially, I made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay." The film’s budget limitations meant that obtaining all the songs Braff wanted for the film proved difficult, but Braff felt that the soundtrack was so integral to the script, he sent a copy of it with every request he sent out. The music in the film features a number of

indie-rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produce ...

artists, notably

the Shins The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's cu ...

. In an early scene, Sam passes Andrew a headset which is playing the song "

New Slang "New Slang" is a song by American rock band The Shins, released on February 19, 2001 as the lead single from the group's debut studio album, ''Oh, Inverted World'' (2001). Written by guitarist and vocalist James Mercer, it concerns his hometown ...

" by the Shins as she says "You gotta hear this one song — it’ll change your life; I swear." A second Shins song, " Caring Is Creepy", is also featured on the soundtrack.

Songs that did not appear on the album

The song " Orange Sky" by

Alexi Murdoch Alexi Murdoch (born 27 December 1973) is a British folk musician and songwriter.Elms, Robert (22 April 2011), "BBC London 94.9". Since his debut in 2002, Murdoch has released two LPs and one EP. His music has been featured in numerous televisi ...

was also featured in the movie, but did not appear on the soundtrack, as the rights to the song were owned by Fox's ''

The O.C. ''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initiali ...

'' It was played between "New Slang" and "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You" in the film. The song "Hey Lil' Momma" by the Sho-Shot AllStars is playing in the background of the party scene where Jesse reveals selling his silent

Velcro Velcro, officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies, is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fasten ...

patent. Later during the party the song "Whitey" by

Everlast Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage name Everlast, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter, who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. He was also part of the hip hop supergroup La Coka ...

is playing in the background during a game of

Spin the bottle Spin the bottle is a kissing party game commonly played by teenagers. The game was very popular among teenagers during the second half of the 20th century because it fostered "sexual" interactions between boys and girls. It has even been describe ...

in the interlude between portions of the song "In the Waiting Line". Additionally, " Love Will Come Through" by Travis was used in the film’s trailer, but never made it into the film or onto its soundtrack. The trailer also featured "

Such Great Heights "Such Great Heights" is a song by American indie pop band The Postal Service. It was released as the lead single from their debut studio album, '' Give Up'', on January 21, 2003 through Sub Pop Records. The single includes a previously unrelease ...

" in the original version by

the Postal Service The Postal Service are an American indie pop supergroup from Seattle, Washington, consisting of singer Ben Gibbard, producer Jimmy Tamborello, and Jenny Lewis on background vocals. The band released their only album, '' Give Up'', in 2003 on S ...

rather than the Iron & Wine cover used in the film. The song "

Chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

" by

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...

appeared in the commercials but didn't appear on the soundtrack. The song " Adelita" by

Francisco Tárrega Francisco de Asís Tárrega Eixea (21 November 185215 December 1909) was a Spanish composer and classical guitarist of the late Romantic period. He is known for such pieces as Capricho Árabe and ''Recuerdos de la Alhambra''. He is often calle ...

was played on guitar by Peter Sarsgaard when he was talking to Zach Braff in his room, and played on the video of Sam ice skating in the alligator costume. Also, "

Three Times A Lady "Three Times a Lady" is a 1978 song by American soul group the Commodores for their album '' Natural High'', written by lead singer Lionel Richie. It was produced by James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores. It was the Commodores' first number ...

" by

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...

is sung during the funeral scene. Neither song appears on the soundtrack. Additional instrumental composition by Chad Fischer "Motorcycle Ride with Sam" was featured in the DVD menu.

Reception

Zach Braff received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 2005 for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The

Broadcast Film Critics Association The Critics Choice Association (CCA), formerly the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), is an association of television, radio and online critics. Their membership includes critics who review film and television. Founded in 1995, it is the ...

nominated it for Best Soundtrack. Commenting on the soundtrack’s importance to the film, Sponic Zine wrote The album has sold over 1.3 million copies and has been certified as

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

In popular culture

In an episode of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' hosted by Braff, Braff plays a high school student in a skit where various high school interest groups are attempting to select a theme for the upcoming

senior prom A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school ye ...

. Braff’s character suggests a ''Garden State'' theme because the soundtrack "changed islife", but the prom committee describes it as a "''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' mix CD". Braff's character replies that he happens to know "...those songs were very carefully ''chosen''"; nevertheless, the idea is quickly dismissed. He then puts on headphones with the sound of "New Slang" by the Shins playing in the background.

Track listing

External links

Garden State Soundtrack Official Site

Garden State Film Official Site

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2004 soundtrack albums Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media Various artists albums Romance film soundtracks Comedy film soundtracks Drama film soundtracks