Wonder Boys [Soundtrack]

Wonder Boys [Soundtrack]

1	Things Have Changed / Bob Dylan 5:10
2	A Child's Claim to Fame / Buffalo Springfield 2:12
3	No Regrets / Tom Rush 3:52
4	Old Man / Neil Young 3:23
5	Shooting Star / Bob Dylan 3:09
6	Reason to Believe / Tim Hardin 2:00
7	Need Your Love So Bad / Little Willie John 2:17
8	Not Dark Yet / Bob Dylan 6:30
9	Slip Away / Clarence Carter 2:32
10	Waiting for the Miracle / Leonard Cohen 7:43
11	Buckets of Rain / Bob Dylan 3:23
12	Watching the Wheels / John Lennon 3:32
13	Philosopher's Stone / Van Morrison 6:03

Barnes & Noble

Director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) pulled off quite a coup for the soundtrack to Wonder Boys: He convinced Bob Dylan to write a song for the film (one that ended up winning Dylan a Golden Globe Award). "Things Have Changed" could be an outtake from Dylan's superb 1997 album Time Out of Mind; it's a dark and deep acoustic shuffle about "a worried man with a worried mind" -- in this case, the film's lead character, Grady Tripp. Tripp's a college professor whose worries begin with writer's block, the pregnancy of a colleague, and the whereabouts of one of Marilyn Monroe's jackets -- and grow more complicated from there. Although "Things Have Changed" is the only previously unreleased song here, by focusing on male singer-songwriters with roots in the '60s, Wonder Boys provides a remarkably coherent nostalgia trip. Neil Young's "Old Man," Clarence Carter's "Slip Away," and John Lennon's "Watching the Wheels" may be all-too-familiar, but Tom Rush's "No Regrets," Buffalo Springfield's "A Child's Claim to Fame," and Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe" offer nice surprises, as does Little Willie John's soulful "Need Your Love So Bad," the sole song from the '50s. Three other Dylan tracks appear, one from each of the last three decades ("Buckets of Rain," "Shooting Star," "Not Dark Yet"), as do recent songs from Leonard Cohen and Van Morrison. When their voices are heard side by side, it's clear how age has brought Dylan, Cohen, and Morrison a similar bluesy and wonderful gruffness. Wonder Boys is the film's title, but it could just as easily refer to the artists on this soundtrack. Steve Klinge

All Music Guide

Bob Dylan dominates the soundtrack to Curtis Hanson's Wonder Boys soundtrack with four songs: two latter-day selections ("Not Dark Yet," "Shooting Star"), 1974's "Buckets of Rain," and the brand-new "Things Have Changed." On the latter, Dylan is nearly as resigned as he was on Time Out of Mind, yet the song never sounds down-and-out -- it sounds hopeful, thanks to a fairly bouncy rhythm and one of the catchiest melodies the musician has written in some time. It's a fine song, certainly worthy of being the first new Dylan song since the acclaimed Time Out of Mind, and it sets the tone for the rest of the soundtrack, which is basically a collection of highlights from '70s singer/songwriters. In addition to Dylan, there's Tom Rush, Tim Hardin, Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, Van Morrison, and Richie Furay via Buffalo Springfield. Not all of their songs were written during the '70s, but they all share the literate, melodic bent of Dylan and "Things Have Changed." Clarence Carter's "Slip Away" and Little Willie John's "Need Your Love So Bad" may seem a little incongruous, but they're not really, since most fans of this kind of confessional songwriting also have a soft spot for soul and R&B. The Wonder Boys soundtrack may not capture the amiable, sweetly aimless spirit of life on a college campus the way the film does, but it comes pretty damn close -- so close, that it's hard to see anyone who has fully embraced collegiate life, whether they're a professor or a student, not finding a lot to not just enjoy, but love, here. Stephen Thomas Erlewine