With the release of the brand new series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, we revisit the immaculate soundtrack of the series, which features tracks by Metric, The Rolling Stones, the Dead Kennedys and more.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is an iconic movie starring Micheal Cera, playing Scott Pilgrim, and his quest to fight seven evil exes in order to date his crush Ramona Flowers, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Although this movie was released in 2010, it’s a cult classic and revered amongst many music fans because of its amazing soundtrack. Some of the popular songs in the soundtrack are “Black Sheep” by Metric, “Under My Thumb” by The Rolling Stones, and “We Are Sex Bob-Omb” which is among the several other tracks created for the film.
Recently, Netflix has released the series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which is a spin on the original movie and comic. In this show, Scott loses his battle against Ramona’s first evil ex, and Ramona sets off to investigate his disappearance.
This show is an expansion of the original Scott Pilgrim universe. It also does a great job of staying true to the indie rock influences of the original soundtrack while also working with the anime influences of the new show. It offers a well balanced look while offering a unique twist on the original comic.
Dissecting Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
The original Scott Pilgrim movie takes place in Toronto, Canada, and follows Scott, a 20 something bassist in his garage band Sex Bob-Omb. The director of the movie, Edgar Wright tries to keep the soundtrack as authentic to the 2010’s indie rock scene. Wright included the song “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” by Broken Social Scene, which was one of the most popular Toronto indie bands at the time of production.
Much of the original soundtrack is raw, grungy, and eclectic, which adds to the general vibe of Scott’s band. They band members often say they probably suck which just adds to the authenticity of the band itself.
Because of the care Wright put into the soundtrack, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” remains a cult classic, with many fans still listening to the song “Black Sheep”. With the movie version, or the Brie Larson version, of the song being added to the soundtrack in 2020 for the 10 year anniversary. In the movie, Brie Larson plays Envy Adams, Scott’s ex, and sings “Black Sheep”. Originally, the band Metric had created the song for their album, but had to drop it, so Wright added it to the movie and it fit seamlessly. The Metric version of the song had been added to the official soundtrack, but not the Brie Larson version. So fans were very happy when the Brie Larson version was released.
The soundtrack of the movie is amazing and is an integral part of the movie, leading to high expectations of the show’s soundtrack.
Dissecting Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023)
Since this series takes on an anime style, much of the soundtrack takes Japanese influences, but the series still includes some songs from the movie. It is composed by Joseph Trapanese and Anamanaguchi, the composer of the video games. The two collaborated on a variety of the songs within the show. The opening song “bloom” by Necry Talky, a Japanese rock band, perfectly plays to the kitschy-ness of the original movie, while also playing to various rock influences, while still delivering the punch within anime opening songs.
Although a majority of anime do not utilize a lot of music within its soundtrack, the composers have worked to create an amazing balance of maintaining the authenticity of the music scene Scott is involved in, and also playing to the style of animation they chose. They do this by including a variety of rock music from various decades, such as “Breathless” by X, “United States of Whatever” by Liam Lynch,and “Police Truck” by Dead Kennedys. They also include background music that are played during fight scenes or character introductions. Overall, it’s fresh and exciting, and a great twist on the original genre.Both versions of the comic series are done beautifully and further extend the legacy of Scott Pilgrim. The music of Scott Pilgrim is a core part of the stories, and both versions have done an amazing job of sticking true to the vision of Bryan Lee O’Malley, the creator of the comics.
As a long time fan of the movie, I can say that the show did not disappoint. Make sure to watch the series on Netflix!
I am a student at University of Houston currently studying Strategic Communications. In my free time, I write for different publications as I am extremely passionate about music. I collect vinyls, go to concerts, and play guitar. Some of my favorite artists include Paramore, Kendrick Lamar, and Lorde. On the weekends I make pottery, sew, and spend time with my dog.
