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Essay / On the relevance of the Clueless soundtrack
A soundtrack is essential to any film, music is used in various ways by a director: to depict emotions, create and introduce relationships and also to make references to a period. In Clueless, music is mainly used to emphasize the major motifs of the film and reflect the attitudes of the teenage characters. The film begins with the song "Kids in America" in which we see Cher, her friends and other teenagers shopping and partying. This immediately highlights the main focus of the film: the lives of upper-class teenagers. The song is important because it highlights exactly what the characters are: kids living in Beverly Hills, America. "Good hearts do not create new history. Good hearts win no glory." These lines from the song are relevant to the film because the majority of the characters are not presented as nice. This song is important because it reflects the attitudes of the characters; They are depicted as spoiled and selfish people who are not interested in doing anything unless it involves personal gain. When Cher asks Dionne "wouldn't you like to use your popularity for a good cause", she simply and selfishly responds "no". Then the music changes as the audience sees Cher in her room the song is playing in the background. is “Fashion” by David Bowie. This illustrates another key aspect of the film: shopping and fashion. This is important because it shows what is important to Cher's character. As the song plays, Cher is on her computer looking for an outfit to wear to school. Bowie was known for his extreme outfits that were often over-the-top, which is like Cher and Dionne wearing interesting ensembles - "shopping with Dr. Suess?" Cher asks Dionne about her hat, to which Dionne responds "Well, at least I wouldn't skin a collie to make my backpack." Another song that has significance in the film is "Supermodel" by Jill Sobule, the lyrics highlight everything the girls want and do throughout the film. It's used when Dionne and Cher give Tai a makeover, but the lyrics are relevant throughout. "I don't care what my teachers say, I'm going to be a model...and everyone will want to look like me." The teenagers in the film rarely care what their teachers tell them or teach them. Cher has a desire to become "5 foot 10 like Cindy Crawford", which shows her desire to be a "top model". Additionally, everyone at school looks up to Cher, including Amber, despite her protests she often copies what Cher wears. As mentioned before, the song plays when the girls are giving Tai a makeover, which is important because it shows what they consider important. They believe that Tai is "clueless" because of the clothes she wears and that they should make her look like them. This then shows the prejudices of the characters in the film, before her makeover, no one ever noticed Tai except Travis, who she originally likes but is criticized for liking. However, after her makeover, all the boys kept trying to talk to her and constantly stare at her. "I didn't eat yesterday, I'm not going to eat today", although Cher is not as extreme, these lyrics relate to her obsessions with food, she constantly stops her father from eating junk food and worries about herself for eating small things such as "3 M&M's". "Rollin with my homies" is a running motif in the film and the song is mentioned throughout. The first time the song is played is when Cher, Dionne and Tai go to a party in the Valleys,.