Monday, April 17, 2006

Music: Swing Kids soundtrack


If you've never had a chance to watch this powerful film, I highly recommend it. Focusing on 1930s Germany and the Hitler Youth, Swing Kids delivers a powerful view of resistance through music. To read a review of the movie, click here.

The big band "swing" movement exploded in America, but it also made it overseas to the youth of Germany. And they loved it. Many of them grew out their hair, wore their clothes baggy and unkept, and at night, they went and danced.

The soundtrack for this movie is phenomenal. It accurately portrays the mood of the era with fast-paced swing music, guaranteed to put you in the dancing mood. Bill Banks' "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Aint' Got that Swing)" and Benny Goodman's "Swingtime in the Rockies" are only a few of the toe-tapping tunes included. But the soundtrack also includes orchestral sections that delve into the dramatic portions of the movie.

The film delivers a little known slice of pre-World War II history, when Germany stood on the brink of unleashing the worst war the world has ever known. But the soundtrack puts you smack in the middle of that history.

If you're looking for some great WWII era music, the soundtrack to Swing Kids will definitely put you "In the Mood"!

1 comment:

Bailey Stewart said...

I guess I need to stop by this site a lot more often. LOL

I love this movie, but I haven't seen it in a long time. Might have to look for it.