Meet Me @ The Altar, one of the most exciting bands to signal the comeback of pop-punk, are getting nostalgic — even more than usual, that is. After frontperson Edith tweeted that she wishes she had been in the fictional Freaky Friday band Pink Slip, a torrent of people have expressed their enthusiasm...and now MM@TA might actually record 'Take Me Away'.
The whole scenario got us thinking: just how many fictional songs from films and series would we like to be released? And who would we like to perform it?
Here is our list:
'Take Me Away' - Pink Slip (Freaky Friday)
Dream recording artist: Meet Me @ The Altar
With 62 Retweets and over 100 Likes so far, it looks like this one may actually become a reality. The garage rock band performs pretty much the entire hit 'Take Me Away' in the scene in which Anna's (Linday Lohan) mum Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) pulls the plug on their practice session. Written for the 2003 remake, it's a genuinely good pop-rock song that is of its low-rise, guitar-positive era. Bring on the pop-punk version!
'Heal Me I'm Heartsick' - No Vacancy (School of Rock)
Dream recording artist: American Football
If just any old band covered this low-key-Coldplay-style tune by the antagonist poser band No Vacancy in School of Rock, it might sound just like it does in the film...I'd love hear a moody Midwest emo version by American Football, complete with trumpet action. (Karl Blakesley)
'Can You Dance Like A Hippogriff' - The Weird Sisters (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Dream recording artist: Muse
Though The Weird Sisters were played by Jarvis Cocker and Radiohead-backing band in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, this pseudo-rock song (really just a hit that might go on a Party Mix CD) didn't get much air-time in the 2 hour 37 minute film from 2005. Maybe it deserves some more. Can't you imagine Muse releasing this in a semi-serious way..?
'Ultraviolet' - Stiff Dylans (Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging)
Dream recording artist: The Vaccines
Based on the Louise Rennison books about a teenager living by the sea, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging got its film adaptation in 2008, just as the golden age of indie still burned brightly. Written and performed by real band Stiff Dylans, this indie bubbler has over 11 million streams on Spotify...but would sound pretty epic updated for a new age of indie should The Vaccines tamper with it.
'Mind Bender' - Stillwater (Almost Famous)
Dream recording artist: Soccer Mommy
Consider how legitimately '70s this fictional Stillwater single 'Mind Bender' sounds and marvel at the work of Heart member Nancy Wilson, who wrote the music for the fictional band. The rock'n'roll melancholy of it all might sound quite luscious in the hands of someone like Soccer Mommy. The film's representation of music journalism is another matter altogether...
'Black Sheep' - The Clash at Demonhead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World)
Dream recording artist: Wolf Alice
'The Clap' - Infant Sorrow (Get Him To The Greek)
Dream recording artist: IDLES
'Guilty as Charged' - Dewey Cox (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story)
Dream recording artist: Sam Fender
John C Reilly plays a Johnny Cash-esque figure in this brilliant Walk The Line parody. Guilty As Charged has a cinematic, old-school-Hollywood-Western feel to it. Based on the sounds from his last album Seventeen Going Under, we could totally see Sam Fender nail a great version of this one. (Karl Blakesley)
'Drive It Like You Stole It' - Sing Street (Sing Street)
Dream recording artist: The Vamps
A high-key chart-topping possibility. Though the movie is all about a band wanting to hit the bigtime in rock in London, and there's a guitar solo-lite towards its close, this is really just a big, fat pop song waiting for The Vamps to give it some love.
'Why You Wanna Break My Heart' - Crucial Taunt (Wayne's World)
Dream recording artist: Phoebe Bridgers
Power-pop got its inclusion in the music-worshipping 1993 movie Wayne's World thanks to the actually-pretty-good vocals provided by actress Tia Carrere. The film's love interest fronted the band Crucial Taunt, who perform at local rock bar Gasworks. 'Why You Wanna Break My Heart' is the best of these fictional outings, and should get a sad-girl/power-pop crossover re-release from someone like Phoebe Bridgers.
'Through The Trees' - Low Shoulder (Jennifer's Body)
Dream recording artist: Sea Girls
“Do you know how hard it is to make it as an indie band these days?” Adam Brody, playing Low Shoulder frontman Nikolai, asks Jennifer (Megan Fox) at the beginning of a monologue that will end in her sacrifice to the devil. Fast-forward thirteen years and things are even harder and money even scarcer, but the song this fictional band play at Devil's Kettle is still something that might at least get you playing regular gigs in mid-size venues. 'Through The Trees' deserves an on-stage cover by Sea Girls.
'PoP! Goes My Heart' - PoP! (Music and Lyrics)
Dream recording artist: Walt Disco
Really just a skewering of all '80s pop fodder, Music & Lyrics accidentally produced an absolute belter in 'PoP! Goes My Heart', complete with delightful music video that manages to lampoon nearly every '80s music video trope you can think of. Several other songs in this movie are equally great, 'Buddha's Delight' and 'Way Back Into Love' chief among them.
'Garbage Truck' - Sex Bob-Omb (Scott Pligrim vs. the World)
Dream recording artist: FIDLAR
Basically inspired by The Whites Stripes/Buzzcocks, Scott Pilgrim's band Sex Bob-Omb recorded catchy and snappy garage rock/punk songs made up of fuzzy guitars and creating an absolute racket live. We could definitely see someone like FIDLAR performing these songs, especially 'Garbage Truck'. (Matthew McLister)
'I'm a Hex Girl' - Hex Girls (Scooby Doo)
Dream recording artist: L.A. Witch
A band that not only seasoned the early music tastes of children all over the world, rock trio Hex Girls were (as recent TikTok's have patently shown) part of a great many peoples' sexual awakenings. 'I'm a Hex Girl', perhaps their most famous outing, is catchy and sweet, but it could use a cover by a band with a little more of the hard edge that the cartoon band's outfits imply...enter L.A. Witch, who could add some serious dustbowl sex appeal here.
