There’s something that’s just inherently comforting about listening to the Allman brothers. They’re such an easy sound to kick back and play on the radio that one can almost imagine just sitting on the front porch and plucking a few strings while the day rolls on without a care in the world. Maybe that’s part of why they’ve been so popular for so long, or maybe it’s something else. In any case, their music tends to work on many different levels and for many different films. Admittedly they seem to work best with those that are a little more down home and back in the country, but this is largely due to their unique sound and feel.
Here are just a few films that were enhanced by adding the Allman Brothers onto their soundtracks.
5. No One To Run With – The Waterboy
This is a little more of a fast-paced piece that kind of lends itself to a younger crowd, but in The Waterboy it just works. Bobby Boucher starts off as the lovable loser that has no other friends but his momma, but through a great deal of perseverance and a hidden amount of aggression he soon enough becomes a hard-hitting addition to a football team that eventually embraces him as one of their own.
4. Jessica – Field of Dreams
The steady pace of this piece sets the tone for the road trip that Ray takes after an unknown voice keeps sending him messages that he has to piece together and sort out for himself. What ensues is a story that sees him going hither and yon, creating a baseball field by sacrificing a good chunk of his cornfield, and eventually starting to question his own beliefs. In the end however everything pans out and Ray gets a very interesting surprise as a reward for his efforts.
3. End of the Line – The Perfect Storm
This song seems to describe the life of a long shore fisherman perfectly in some ways, which is most likely why it was selected to begin with. It’s kind of a testament to those men that brave the wilds of the open ocean to deliver their catch one way or another. Some might say that risking life and limb is a strange way to make a living, but these men seem to take great pride in it.
2. One Way Out – Dukes of Hazzard
Despite its near death at the box office the new Dukes of Hazzard remake had a very playful nature, and this song is a good match for it. The energy of the film and this track didn’t make people love the film any more than they already did or did not, but the fact that it was put in the soundtrack only raised the respect for the film a little more. Sometimes a film doesn’t have to be a blockbuster to be a perfect match for a song.
1. Midnight Rider – Walking Tall
Admit it, you were expecting Rambling Man, right? Well that’s too easy and the song itself is just way too overused. In this film the song is playing in the opening credits and it perfectly captures the mood and setting without fail. A soldier coming home gets a good look at the town he left and what’s been done to it, and soon comes to realize that home isn’t home anymore.
The easygoing, down home nature of the Allman brothers is a special kind of sound that doesn’t come along that often. Thankfully those in Hollywood seem to recognize this when taking full use of it.
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