Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

NEWSLETTER
Sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter!

Music from second album proves to be groovy, baby

Get your mojo ready. Austin Powers is back with one more thing – another soundtrack. <i.More Music from the Motion Picture Austin Powers, the Spy Who Shagged Me has it all. There’s music to groove to, music to cruise to and, of course, music to shag to.

The album opens up with a bit called Austin Meets Felicity. It’s an entertaining dialogue that takes place between the two when they first meet. Austin says Those pants are skintight. How do you get into those things? and then Felicity wittily replies, You can start by buying me a drink.

Lords of Acid’s Am I Sexy? immediately follows the conversation. A throaty female voice with a British accent asks Am I sexy for you baby? while driving drum beats and synthesizers swirl in the background. A few more bars of instrumentals follow, and then a cherubic voices says un, deux, trois, quatre before a melange of horns takes over. The bizarre song only could fit in on an Austin Powers‘ soundtrack.

Between the second and third songs, Austin fires up the time machine and the soundtrack goes back to the smooth tunes of the 1970s. The Monkees lead the way with I’m a Believer. Then Steppenwolf floods the airways with Magic Carpet Ride, the perfect tune to swing to. The time warp continues with American Woman by The Guess Who. Although Lenny Kravitz’s version of the classic hit is featured on the first Austin Powers’ soundtrack, there’s nothing like the original. And while Kravitz comes close to rivaling The Guess Who with his rendition, a taste of the rock-driven sound of the 1970s band always is appreciated.

After the trio of cherished tunes, the soundtrack manages to stay afloat with a power-driven song by The Bangles. It’s not the typical Eternal Flame or Manic Monday that characterizes the Bangles. On Get the Girl, strong percussion and a light shake of the tambourine smartly take the spotlight over the sweet sounds of the women vocalists.

The seventh track takes the wordy catchy to a new level. On Bachelor Pad, a simple bah, bah, bah, b-bu-ba-bah sticks to your brain like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth. Electric chords and percussion provide the backdrop to the words. It’s straight from the London disco scene.

Even Marvin Gaye makes an appearance. With the sensual hit Let’s Get It On, even people with less mojo than Austin won’t be able to resist the power of the tune. The slow jam with Gaye’s luscious vocals hits the apex of sexuality. The song is sex on an album.

On Crash! the Propellerheads combine strings, scratching, drums and horns for an unusual sound. It’s purely instrumental with a sound that slightly resembles a human voice saying oh. The odd song may be worth skipping, mainly because the next track is The Zombies Time of the Season. With the memorable lyrics, What’s your name? Who’s your daddy? the song is another that could induce shagging.

They Might Be Giants perform Dr. Evil, the song that pays homage to the sinister character. In comparison to all the other shagalicious tracks on the album, this song seems almost dark. Listen carefully to the lyrics for a good laugh. George S. Clinton deserves the credit for the music that plays as the credits roll. Clinton’s The Austing Powers Shagaphonic Medley claims one of the final spots on the album.

You might turn off the album after Time of the Season, but you definitely will want to get to the final song. It’s a high-energy version of Madonna’s Beautiful Stranger. It’s still the illustrious Madonna performing a groovy hit, but there’s a bit of a techno beat mixed in. Although many songs try to move from good song to dance hit, Beautiful Stranger is just the song to pull it off. It was a dance tune to begin with. Now you just have to dance a little bit faster.

Every bit of the soundtrack screams Austin Powers. You can picture him getting his groove on as his hairy chest pumps and his man-symbol necklace jingles around. There’s something for everyone, and it’s a soundtrack meant for everyone.

More to Discover
Donate to The GW Hatchet