Soundtracks to our lives

Dear Ann,

It was so cute at the Oscars when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won for that song from the “Once” soundtrack and then both stumped for indie art. What are some of your favorite soundtracks, especially ones that have helped expose new artists?

-- Marina P., Glendale, Calif.

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Dear Cinephile,

My Irish American heart swelled to see Mr. Hansard finally getting some stateside love after years of laboring with the Frames -- a great band that still hasn’t really broken here. Hooking up with a Czech teen prodigy was a smart move. “Once” is a special case, because John Carney made it as an homage to Hansard’s music (before turning to film, Carney was a Frame) and to the magic of his musical connection with Irglova. But I digress.... “Juno” is, of course, the other big soundtrack of the season -- why the supremely droll Kimya Dawson didn’t get an Oscar nod is beyond me. That film follows a common path in soundtracks, using one quirky musical voice to echo and enhance those of the main characters. “Juno” takes an interesting turn when lead actors Ellen Page and Michael Cera actually sing a song by Dawson’s duo, the Moldy Peaches – effectively switching roles with Dawson, echoing and enhancing her voice. This melding of cinematic vision and the pop sound was pioneered in the late 1960s, when rock dominated the zeitgeist and the bad boys of the art house reigned. “The Graduate” defined the era. Director Mike Nichols found a perfect counterpart to Dustin Hoffman’s middle-class lost boy in nebbishy Paul Simon, then at his most museful and quietly furious. Nichols essentially wrote the film to fit around Simon & Garfunkel’s post-collegiate pop.

Nichols and Simon tussled over how much music to use (Simon wanted to save the best songs for “Bookends,” S&G’s fourth album, and Nichols wrongly rejected “Punky’s Dilemma”); that’s why it’s littered with filler from Dave Grusin. But this testy marriage was insanely profitable for S&G, who went from folk-rock renown to superstardom, and for Nichols -- “The Graduate” gave birth to a population explosion of querulous coming-of-age tales (and soundtrack auteurs -- cf. Wes Anderson, Zach Braff.)

The 1970s abounded with variations on this formula. Here’s a list to take to your favorite online store.

“Harold and Maude,” Hal Ashby’s whimsical mortality tale, was built around the contemplative pop of hippie mystic Cat Stevens. Call me cheesy, but I adore the hirsute, sexy, pre-Islamic Cat! Key tracks: "Moonshadow," "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out."

“American Graffiti” invented the oldies format and introduced "Various Artists” soundtracks, which put together different artists from an era, region or style to establish a mood. My “American Graffiti” was 1992’s “Singles” -- the grunge one! Key tracks: from “Graffiti,” "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock," "Sixteen Candles"; from “Singles,” “Dyslexic Heart,” “Nearly Lost You.”

“Shaft” and “Super Fly”: With its focus on black street culture, the seedbed of 1960s pop, blaxploitation was an ideal soundtrack subgenre. For best, it’s a tie between the massive orchestral wallops of Isaac Hayes and the smooth, socially conscious song-stories of Curtis Mayfield. Key tracks: “Theme From 'Shaft',” “Pusherman,” “Freddie’s Dead.”

“Nashville” was Robert Altman’s foray into the country milieu -- notable for its “method songwriting” -- actors composed their characters’ songs. Key tracks: Ronee Blakely’s “Dues,” Keith Carradine’s “I’m Easy.”

“Saturday Night Fever” -- the “Graduate” of the working class. Any backlash, then and now, against the ethereal glory of the Bee Gees is plain wrong. Plus, Tavares and the Trammps! Key Tracks: “Stayin’ Alive,” “More Than a Woman”

"The Harder They Come” was the Jamaican cowboy saga that made Jimmy Cliff a reggae icon and primed Fraternity Row for the Bob Marley invasion to come. Key tracks: “Johnny Too Bad,” “Many Rivers to Cross.”

OK, that was the 1970s. Such a list should alleviate any ideas that “Garden State” ushered in a golden era for pop-fueled soundtracks. 1984 was a pretty good year too, what with “This Is Spinal Tap” and Prince’s “Purple Rain” both rocking our world. And Quentin Tarantino’s always good for a musical laugh – even with “Grindhouse.”

For those who refuse to wallow in nostalgia, a few recent efforts stand with “Once” and “Juno." Jonny Greenwood, Radiohead’s semi-secret weapon, figured out how to get more people to listen to his classical work by leasing it to Paul Thomas Anderson for “There Will Be Blood.” Todd Haynes, the indiest, rockiest filmmaker ever, signed up his alt-hero pals to wax Dylanesque on “I’m Not There.” And Sondre Lerche’s lovely song-suite for “Dan in Real Life” was as overlooked as the movie.

Speaking of overlooked, what have I missed here, readers?

-- Ann Powers

Photo 1 of Bud Cort as Harold in "Harold and Maude" courtesy of Paramount; Photo 2 of Jonny Greenwood by April Bartholomew/For The Times.

Illustration by Jason Gelt. Letters to Ann is a regular feature where Soundboard readers get to pick Ann's brain about music, love, life, good hummus recipes or whatever you want, as long as you can hum along to it. Send questions to ann.powers@latimes.com.