Juno Soundtrack

The Juno soundtrack is the number one album that contains the music from the film that took the world by storm. The surprisingly sweet and funny story of Juno won hearts in the movie theaters, and the carefully selected soundtrack had a central role in tugging on those heart strings.

The Story Behind the Juno Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Juno was initially intended to be a much different thing as it was originally conceived. The movie’s director, Jason Reitman, had pictured the character of Juno as being into glam rock bands, and although this reference does come up a few times in the movie, he decided it wasn't quite right as the main musical interest for Juno. He scrambled to find the right sound, but it was Ellen Page, the actress who played the character Juno, who came up with the winning idea. When asked what music Page believed Juno would listen to, she said The Moldy Peaches. Reitman and Diablo Cody settled on The Moldy Peaches, along with the solo music of Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches, as the driving force behind the soundtrack.

It was Dawson who took some convincing to come on board to the project. Cody and Reitman initially wanted The Moldy Peaches song Anyone Else But You to be the only song by the band they used in the film, but when approached about it, Dawson refused to agree to the project unless she got to check out the script first. She approved, and sent Reitman more music than he asked for – all of which he loved. Anyone Else But You, the song sung at the end of the movie by the two main characters as the kind of de facto theme of the movie, as well as other Moldy Peaches and Kimya Dawson songs found their way into the movie as well.

Juno Soundtrack Track Listing

The track listing of the Juno soundtrack is as follows:

• Barry Louis Polisar – All I Want Is You
• Kimya Dawson – My Rollercoaster
• The Kinks – A Well Respected Man
• Buddy Holly – Umm, Oh Yeah Dearest
• Mateo Masino – Up The Spout
• Kimya Dawson – Tire Swing
• Belle and Sebastian – Piazza New York Catcher
• Kimya Dawson – Loose Lips
• Sonic Youth – Superstar
• Belle and Sebastian – Expectations
• Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes
• Kimya Dawson – So Nice So Smart
• Kimya Dawson and Antsy Pants – Tree Hugger
• The Velvet Underground – I’m Sticking With You
• The Moldy Peaches – Anyone Else But You
• Antsy Pants – Vampires
• Ellen Page and Michael Cera – Anyone Else But You

There were various other songs in the movie that didn’t make the soundtrack, including additional tracks by Kimya Dawson and Belle and Sebastian and songs by Astrud Gilberto and English duo The Boy Least Likely To.

Success of the Juno Soundtrack

The film Juno took a little while to gather its pace. A slow buzz built around it, and as media attention piled up, more and more people took to the theater to check out what might just have easily ended up being a limited release indie film. Instead, the film went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and audiences and critics were no less enthusiastic about the soundtrack.

The Moldy Peaches were over by the time Juno came out – they had been for some time. They had enjoyed a successful career at the indie level in the early 2000s, but made very little splash in the mainstream. The success of the Juno soundtrack suggests that the reason they didn’t become a huge hit with the masses is that not many people got to hear them. The soundtrack, driven by their song, climbed all the way to the top of the charts in the US. As of February 2008, it had sold 500,000 copies, making it a certified gold record. In the first week alone, it sold 65,000 copies, a tremendous showing for a soundtrack, which tend to sell steadily rather than quickly.

Download the Juno Soundtrack

You can download the Juno soundtrack by visiting Amazon.com.