Search - Elton John, Sting, Wet Wet Wet :: Four Weddings And A Funeral: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Nice collection of songs showing love is all around

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 01/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With a title like Four Weddings and a Funeral, it's no surprise that the majority of tracks here deal with love. It's a mixture of cover songs, previously released songs, oldies, and new songs that really mix well. The theme of the movie, which was later recycled yet revamped in Love Actually, also starring Hugh Grant, is underscored by Scottish popsters Wet Wet Wet, who scored their biggest hit with their cover of the Troggs' "Love Is All Around," which spent 15 weeks on top of the UK charts. It's nice strings one instant, blaring rock guitar the next, but a worthy cover.



Elton John has three songs here, one of them being an old chestnut, "Crocodile Rock." The other two are cover tunes and bookend the movie, his great cover of George Gershwin's "But Not For Me" opening the film. The light strings and leisure arrangements lends the feeling that many might feel: "They're writing songs of love, but not for me." Finally, his cover of the Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love" is played during the photo montage happy ending of the film. It's done with a rocking style reminiscent of his 70's period, and along with the Gershwin track, make these musical highlights of this collection.



Along with "Crocodile Rock," the other song played during the dance scene of Angus and Laura's wedding was that classical disco chestnut, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, which had Simon Callow's character doing an OTT dance to it. Nu Colours' smooth R&B rendition of the Kern/Harbach classic "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" is played during the party of the second marriage.



There are some tunes I didn't catch in the movie, but maybe next time. One was Sting's "The Secret Marriage," originally from his Nothing But The Sun album. In context of the movie, it shows how two of the characters were actually married, of sorts. Swing Out Sister lend their smooth jazz-pop sound on the Delfonics' "La La La (Means I Love You)." And Canadian duo One 2 One, who later became incarnated as Artifical Joy Club, do the bounciest song here, a soulful Stock-Aitken-Waterman-type bubblegum soul number "The Right Time." Another is the light soul of Squeeze's "Loving You Tonight," original on their Some Fantastic Place album.



The final track is dialogue taken from Matthew (John Hannah) during the memorial service of Gareth (Simon Callow) and is a reading of W.H. Auden's "Funeral Blues" with the score accompaniment. After all, this wasn't merely called Four Weddings."