The Stars of Stage and Screen…Song #64/250: Come and Get Your Love by Redbone from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for the Film Guardians of the Galaxy

Music is entertainment. It absolutely is. But, for many of us, music can be far more than that. Music helps us to mark the milestones in our lives. I have often used the phrase “the soundtrack of my high school years” or “the soundtrack of the decade or the times” to indicate that certain songs, artists and bands have come to be associated with certain periods of time in our collective memories. I am willing to bet that many of you can remember a tender kiss that was paired with a particular song. Those of us who are married all probably had a “first dance” song that we associate with that wonderful day. For those who follow sports teams, many of those teams have “goal songs” or other hype songs that have become synonymous with those teams and their success. Perhaps you have a cottage and have certain “campfire” songs that always bring you back to that peaceful, easy feeling of being on vacation, no matter where you hear it played or when. I could make a seemingly endless list of important moments from all of our lives that have had a musical component added on to them that always helps to bring us back to that moment. In many ways, for many of us, music is an important part of our personal story. Drum beats and heart beats intertwine to give us a sense of our own identity. In other words, music grounds us and gives a sense of place and time and, dare I say it, of home and of family.

It is this idea of exploring the connection between music and personal identity that fuels much of what happens in the 2014 Marvel Universe movie Guardians of the Galaxy. Before I say anything more, I want to assure those of you who are not followers of the multiple storylines and “universes” that are explored through the films that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that you don’t really need to understand any of the characters or myths or spin offs or prequels/sequels/origin stories or even the plotline to this very movie in order to understand today’s post. That is because the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, for all of its explosions and high speed chases and computer effects, is essentially a movie about the importance of family and of personal identity and, of course, of how music ties it all together. Marvel Universe fanatics may beg to differ but in my opinion, the storyline of a galaxy-wide chase for a magical orb that holds within it the power to destroy the universe is actually fairly irrelevant. Because of that, I found Guardians of the Galaxy to be kinda boring, to be honest.  What this movie is really about is the classic plot device that brings together the life journeys of a band of misfits in such a way that forces them to work together for their common good. In the case of the Guardians of the Galaxy, all five of these characters are broken inside because of one form of family trauma or another. Together, through the collective experience that they share, they heal their hearts. The power of that healing and the love that forms the foundation of it becomes a force more powerful than even that possessed by the magical orb. In the end, the misfits develop a family unit with each other that they had always been lacking as individuals. The power of love triumphs over the power of evil, as it tends to do in fairy tale stories such as this. 

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for this film, Guardians of the Galaxy has been one of the most successful films out of the entire Marvel Universe catalogue. At last check, it had grossed over three-quarters of a billion dollars in sales. It has also spawned two sequels so far. One of the reasons that has been given for the success of this particular film franchise is that it has enough sci-fi elements to it to satisfy Marvel Universe fans but that it also has enough humanity woven into the storyline to attract those moviegoers who are there just for the personal stories. Even though I found the battle scenes to be a bit on the ridiculous side, there was enough of a playful dynamic between the five main “Guardian” characters to keep me invested and watching. In some ways, take your favourite sitcom characters such as those from Friends or Seinfeld and place that social dynamic in a sci-fi setting and you will get a sense of the comedy and camaraderie that exists throughout this film. It is that social foundation that gives the film such a firm base upon which to build and grow. Further to that, as the movie goes along and we discover the stories behind the familial grief that each character harbours, it is music that comes to the fore to help the healing process begin. One of the key elements that helped to make Guardians of the Galaxy such a fan favourite was the film’s soundtrack and how that music was used to reinforce the important themes of love, family and personal identity. So let’s take a moment and talk about that because for me, this is the best part of Guardians of the Galaxy. 

In the very opening scenes of the movie, we find a young boy named Peter Quill at a hospital with his family. He is listening to the song “I’m Not in Love” by 10cc on a SONY Walkman as he sits in the waiting room while his mother lay in a hospital bed nearby. Peter’s mother is dying (of what looks like cancer). The Walkman, and the cassette tape it holds, was a gift to Peter from his mother. The tape is a mixtape of songs that have something to do with important moments in the relationship between Peter and his mother. It is her gift to her son as her life fades away. It is meant to act as a reminder of who he is, where he came from and that he was unconditionally loved by his mother. Soon Peter is asked to come into her hospital room to say his goodbyes. His mom holds out her hand and asks for his. He is overcome with emotion at what touching her hand will mean and, instead, turns away and cries. She passes away without having held her son’s hand. *(Spolier alert: hand holding becomes an important part of the healing process as the film goes on). In any case, young Peter runs out of the hospital. He is crying and upset and is just madly running away from it all when, suddenly, out of nowhere a spaceship appears and young Peter (and his Walkman) are mysteriously abducted and taken away from Earth. The rest of the movie takes place twenty-thirty years in the future with Peter being a grown man who is played by actor Christopher Pratt. All throughout the action that follows, Peter Quill carries with him that same Walkman that was given to him by his mother. He listens to that same mixtape, too. In that way, even though the Guardians of the Galaxy has the appearance of a typical outer space movie, the way that Peter Quill constantly returns to that mixtape for reassurance serves to remind us that he is human and that this is a very Earth-centric film despite the various far flung locations the plotline takes us to. A second element to this mixtape are the songs themselves. They are all from the 1960s and 70s and, as such, they evoke a connection in our minds with those time periods. Much in the way that I often have said that such and such a song is part of the soundtrack of the 1960s or whenever, the songs that make up the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack serve that same function. They cement that connection between Peter Quill and Earth in our minds, even though the onscreen action may be happening in a mining colony at the far reaches of the known universe. The final aspect of this soundtrack that makes it so special is that the songs played on Peter Quill’s mixtape all have something to do with love. So even though Peter Quill begins the movie as a thief and a rogue (much like Hans Solo from Star Wars), he is fuelled by his mother’s love via the songs on this mixtape all throughout the film. It is not surprising that the film ends as it began, with Peter discovering an unopened gift from his mother which, when opened, turned out to be Mixtape Vol. 2. The love goes on and on. That is what family means to those lucky enough to have one. Though distance and time may separate us, the memories we share live forever and music is often the way that we are best able to remember.

None of the songs on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack are original to the movie. Despite the fact that these songs are all fifty to sixty years old, the soundtrack went straight to the top of the record charts thus becoming the very first movie soundtrack to reach No.1 using all previously-released tunes. There are many excellent tracks on this soundtrack but there are two that stand out beyond the rest. First of all we have “Hooked on a Feeling”. This song was originally released by singer B.J. Thomas. However, it was covered by a man named Jonathan King in England *(who also had a role in the story of the song “Who Let the Dogs Out” by the Baha Men that you can read here). Jonathan King’s cover of “Hooked on a Feeling” was, in turn, covered by a Swedish Pop group named Blue Swede. It is the Blue Swede version that ended up on Peter Quill’s mixtape. It is also the only song on the soundtrack that is name-dropped during the movie. The scene in which that happens is when the five “Guardians” are captured and sent to prison and Quill notices that a prison guard is using his Walkman and listening to his mixtape. This scene plays prominently in the theatrical trailer that was released. As such, sales of Blue Swede’s version of “Hooked on a Feeling” soared, decades after first having been released in the early 1970s. Of course, the feeling that Peter Quill is hooked on is his mother’s love. 

This feeling is also made clear in a second song called “Come and Get Your Love” by a band known as Redbone. Redbone was a band from the US that was made up of all Indigenous and/or Mexican musicians. Redbone was one of the most prominent and successful Indigenous bands of the 1960s and 70s. They used their platform to promote Indigenous culture and to address political issues of the day, including the famous sit-in at Wounded Knee. The song “Come and Get Your Love” was their highest charting hit, making it all the way to No. 5. The song has a funky soul vibe to it that was made possible by the skill of two brothers named Lolly and Peter Vegas. No less an authority than Jimi Hendrix stated that Lolly Vegas was his favourite bass player in the world. In any case, “Come and Get Your Love” plays over the opening credits of Guardians of the Galaxy. This scene happens after young Peter Quill has been abducted. It is our introduction to the adult version of Peter. The way in which this scene unfolds is often humorous and features slick dancing from Chris Pratt, all on an alien, otherworldly landscape. Right from the opening moments of the movie we are given a reminder that this is an Earth-related story that just happens to be taking place at various spots across the galaxy. We are also given a sneak peak at how interwoven music is to Peter Quill’s outlook on life and his view of his own identity as a human. At the end of the day, either “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede or “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone could have been the song chosen for this post to represent the movie. But I opted for Redbone because the song has a high funk factor (which I like), the scene in which it is played is funny and because “Hooked on a Feeling” will be seen in the trailer anyway so why not feature something else along the way? 

As fluffy as I found Guardians of the Galaxy to be, I will give it props for how well it integrated music into the fabric of the story the film is attempting to tell. It is the most redeeming element of an otherwise light and forgettable film. In many ways, Guardians of the Galaxy reminds me of another movie about extraterrestrial life and family and music and communication called Arrival starring Amy Adams, that was as serious and profoundly moving as Guardians of the Galaxy was light and airy. *(you can read about Arrival here). Regardless of where you find yourself in this world of ours, music plays an important role in helping us define who we are and what we value in life. In Guardians of the Galaxy, that connection is explored and reinforced in the form of a mixtape from mother to son. The soundtrack of their relationship was one of love and family and of a feeling of self worth that eventually allowed Peter Quill to save the galaxy. We all have our personal soundtracks that tell the stories of our own lives. I would be curious to know what some of your soundtrack songs would be. If you wish to divulge such personal stories, I would be happy to hear about them in the comments box below. For now, I will wish you all a great, safe and happy rest of your day. Thanks for reading my words. I appreciate your presence on this blog. Take care. Bye for now. 

The link to the video for the trailer to the movie Guardians of the Galaxy can be found here.

The link to the video for the song “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone (as used in the film Guardians of the Galaxy) can be found here. ***The lyrics version is here.

The link to the official website for the band Blue Swede can be found here.

The link to the official website for the band Redbone can be found here.

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