Billy Elliot

1	Cosmic Dancer / T. Rex 4:28
2	Boys Play Football / Jamie Bell 4:24
3	Bang a Gong (Get It On) / T. Rex 4:24
4	Mother's Letter / Jamie Bell 0:39
5	I Believe / Stephen Gately 3:27
6	Town Called Malice / The Jam 2:53
7	The Sun Will Come Out / Julie Walters 0:50
8	I Love to Boogie / T. Rex 2:11
9	Burning Up / Eagle-Eye Cherry 4:14
10	Royal Ballet School / Julie Walters 1:11
11	London Calling / The Clash 3:20
12	Children of the Revolution / T. Rex 4:44
13	Audition Panel / Barbara Leigh Hunt 0:33
14	Shout to the Top! / The Style Council 4:14
15	Walls Come Tumbling Down! / The Style Council 3:21
16	Ride a White Swan / T. Rex 2:14
17	Cosmic Dancer (Reprise) / T. Rex 4:27

Barnes & Noble

The life of 11-year-old Billy Elliot, a coal miner's son in Northern England, changes forever the day he stumbles into a ballet class and realizes his dream is to dance. Set during the turbulent miners' strike of 1984, the critically acclaimed film features a soundtrack loaded with gems of the era, mostly from British and Irish artists -- the only non-Brit in the bunch is singer-songwriter Eagle-Eye Cherry, who contributes the catchy rocker "Burning Up." The album treats us to no fewer than five songs from '70s glam-rock giants T-Rex, including the hits "Get It On" and "Children of the Revolution" and the very fitting "Cosmic Dancer." Amid bits of dialogue from the film are such Brit punk perennials as the Jam (with the exuberant "A Town Called Malice") and the Clash (the angry, anthemic "London Calling"). Interestingly, the Jam's lead singer Paul Weller makes another appearance with his subsequent band, the more R&B, jazz, and soul-oriented Style Council, who offer up two songs, "Shout to the Top" and the U.K. Top 10 hit "Walls Come Tumbling Down." Here's a soundtrack that nails down the film's setting and makes for an inspiring listen to boot. Ayelet Prizant

All Music Guide

Like any soundtrack with aspirations of being hip, the soundtrack to the heart-warming Brit comedy-drama Billy Elliot is peppered with dialogue from the film -- a tactic that was entertaining in 1993, when Reservoir Dogs popularized it, but it had lost its charm by 2000. But, if you can ignore that dialogue and concentrate on the music, you have a real nice disc of British pop. There are a couple of stragglers here -- Stephen Gately, Eagle-Eye Cherry, and the Clash have a song a piece -- but for the most part, this is devoted to two great British pop stars, Marc Bolan and Paul Weller. It's a pair that doesn't seem to work well together on paper -- the Slider and the Modfather share a fondness for Northern soul and nice clothes, but their boogie and sophisti-pop appear to be polar opposites -- but it all works well here, since they're both terrific singles artists. Weller is represented by the Jam's "Town Called Malice" and two from the Style Council, "Shout to the Top" and "Walls Come Tumbling Down." It's a classic paired with two period pieces, and he comes off well all the same. Still, Marc Bolan and T Rex are where the heart of the soundtrack lie, and there's a great selection of tunes from him, including not just the omnipresent "Get It On" and "Cosmic Dancer," but the non-LP singles "I Love to Boogie," "Children of the Revolution," and the wonderful "Ride a White Swan." These great songs, when paired with Weller and "London Calling," make the soundtrack to Billy Elliot more infectious than the film itself. Stephen Thomas Erlewine