One of the many things that makes the Guardians of the Galaxy movies standout among the pack of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the franchise's use of music. Pop music, specifically pop music from the 1970s, is a key part of the aesthetic of the two films we've seen. The soundtracks have been a unique collection of songs the audience will recognize, likely with a few pieces thrown in that will be new to most. Fans of the franchise are certainly looking forward to the musical choices in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as much as anything in the movie, but we don't need to wait quite that long, as James Gunn has provided us an extensive new playlist now.
Titled Meredith Quill's Complete Awesome Mix, James Gunn dropped the new playlist on his Spotify account, which is available for everybody to check out. In an Instagram post, the writer/director explained that the playlist is made up of a collection of songs that Peter Quill's mother loved most. Some of them are songs that Gunn had considered putting in previous films, but they didn't work out for one reason or another. According to Gunn...
Today I added Meredith Quill’s Complete Awesome Mix to my Spotify account for you to enjoy. This is part of the list of songs Meredith Quill loved that I chose the songs for the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol’s 1 and 2 soundtracks from. Some of these songs almost made it into the movie (She’s Gone) and others I always wanted to use but could never find the right place for them. Whatever the case, I never intended on sharing these songs, as I might use them in future movies. But I think the need for all of us to have some joyousness in these difficult times outweighs all that.
There are a total of 64 songs that make up the complete playlist, which is enough to make about four more Guardians of the Galaxy movies if one were so inclined. It's got everything from Hall & Oates to David Bowie to Elton John to ELO, so if the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks have been your jam previously, there is a lot to enjoy here. Again, there are a lot of songs everybody will likely know, combined with several that might be new to you depending on your level of exposure to '70s pop in the past.
Gunn mention's the Hall & Oates tune "She's Gone" as one that nearly made it into a previous film. The playlist also includes Ace Frehley's "New York Groove," which we know was used in a scene that was eventually cut from Avengers: Endgame.
And buried in here we might even have a preview of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. James Gunn has spoken previously about the way that he provides a soundtrack with his scripts and while we know a draft of the next Guardians movie has been written, it doesn't appear the script is complete. Gunn even says he can't be sure these songs won't appear in a future movie. Having said that, my guess is that any music he's currently planning on using in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 probably isn't here.
There's a lot of fun and joy to be found in this music, which is why James Gunn decided to give it to us. We could all use some of that right now. So, enjoy Meredith Quill's Awesome Mix. Combine it with the soundtracks for the first two movies, and that should be able to get you through a day of isolation feeling a little less isolated.
