Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar has culled 29 songs from his films over the years into a double CD, ‘B.S.O. Almodóvar’ (EMI Spain). The set includes songs from all Almodóvar’s films.
“The music in my movies is never background music”, says Almodóvar. “The songs are an active part, a dramatic entity as important as the dialog.” Many Spaniards have ‘discovered’ artists through Almodóvar movies — examples being Mexican ranchera singer Chavela Vargas or the late New York-based Cuban boogaloo singer La Lupe.
Vargas was a self-confessed alcoholic forgotten for 50 years in the midst of Mexico until Almodóvar included her heart-rending ‘El ultimo trago’ (The last swig) in ‘La Flor De Mi Secreto’ (The Flower Of My Secret). La Lupe was already deceased when the wild ‘santera’ (Cuban voodoo) singer’s ‘Puro Teatro’ became part of the soundtrack of the delirious ‘Women On The Edge Of A Nervous Breakdown’.
“This record is part of my film library and my biography,” he says. “I am always listening to music, my musician friends keep me up to date and I buy everything I can.” Almodóvar reveals that his nephew prepares CDs of “down tempo or good techno” for him to work to.
“Music will never end. I lack films for all the great songs I want to include. The songs in my films are an essential part of the script,” he says.
The double CD, presented at Madrid’s Reina Sofia art museum which houses Picasso’s ‘Guernica’, among other treasures, includes songs by Brazil’s Caetano Veloso (‘Cucurrucucú Paloma’ from the film Kika), Chavela Vargas (also ‘Luz de Luna’ from Kika), Maysa Mataraso (‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’ from The Law Of Desire), Italy’s Mina (‘Espérame En El Cielo’ from Matador), Olga Guillot (‘Soy Lo Prohibido’ from Trailer Para Amantes de lo Prohibido), Xavier Cugat (‘La Cumparsita’ from Kika), Luz Casal (‘Piensa En Mí’ from Tejanos Lejanos (High Heels)), Eartha Kitt (‘Where Is My Man?’ from Trailer para amantes… ) and Estrella Morente (‘Volver’ from Volver).
It also includes a song from a little-known (outside Spain) period of the film-maker’s life as a cross-dressing punk-influenced singer in early 80s Madrid – Almodóvar & McNamara (‘Gran Ganga’ from Labyrinth of Passions).
The double CD was released in Spain on Dec. 4, and EMI Spain Catalog project manager Javier Pinto says a worldwide release will follow in the first quarter of 2008. “There are many songs and many labels involved, and we only got permission for a Spain release,” he says. “But now we’re negotiating for the rest of the world. It’s just a question of time.”
Almodóvar won an Oscar in 2000 for best non-English language film ‘Todo Sobre Mi Madre’ (All About My Mother), and an Oscar in 2003 for best original script for ‘Hable Con Ella’ (Talk To Her).
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