(PR) ABKCO Records has set June 23rd for the digital and CD release of the soundtrack album to the motion picture I Love You, Beth Cooper that is destined to be the most highly regarded soundtrack of the summer. The 20th Century Fox film is directed by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone), and will be in theaters everywhere July 10th. The soundtrack album features an eclectic collection of contemporary and classic recordings including music from Gym Class Heroes, The Hives, OK Go, The Perishers, The Kooks, Airbourne as well as KISS, Alice Cooper, Foreigner and Smokey Robinson. The soundtrack's songs play an integral role in the film's narrative, perfectly interwoven throughout to reflect I Love You, Beth Cooper's fun, action and emotion.
Music heard on the ABKCO soundtrack sets off the story, which chronicles the story of a nerdy valedictorian who proclaims his love for the hottest and most popular girl in school Beth Cooper during his graduation speech. Much to his surprise, Beth shows up at his door that very night and decides to show him the best night of his life. "Heroes'" Hayden Panettiere is the high-school hottie and Paul Rust portrays the love-struck dork.
"Forget Me," a new song written especially for the film and performed by Eleni Mandell is the debut single, and one of the soundtrack's highlights. An acoustic version of "Forget Me," performed in the film by Violet Columbus, kicks off the album. ABKCO will release both versions of "Forget Me" to radio and to online retailer iTunes (for a two week exclusive,) on May 26th. The single will be available at all online retailers on June 9th.
The film's score was composed by Christophe Beck who won an Emmy for his work on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Beck has scored numerous films including The Pink Panther, Bring It On, American Wedding, Under the Tuscan Sun, School for Scoundrels, License to Wed, Fred Claus, Charlie Bartlett, Drillbit Taylor and others.
The screenplay for I Love You, Beth Cooper was written and adapted by Larry Doyle from his best selling first novel of the same title. The book won the 2008 Thurber Prize for American Humor. Doyle, a contributor to both Esquire and The New Yorker, has written numerous episodes of The Simpsons and Beavis and Butt-Head. The setting for the film and book is Buffalo Grove (IL) High School, Doyle's alma mater from which he graduated in 1976.
Track notes for ABKCO's original soundtrack album to I Love You, Beth Cooper:
1) Forget Me - Violet Columbus
The 15 year-old singer is seen and heard performing a solo acoustic version of Eleni Mandell's song very early in the film. The two versions of "Forget Me" serve to bookend the soundtrack album and the film.
2) Try It Again - The Hives
Percussive high energy, straight out of Fagersta, Sweden. From the hugely popular band's smash hit Black and White album.
3) Come Out Of The Shade - The Perishers
Just 600 kilometers up the road from Fagersta, is Umeε, where this contemplative group came together. "Come Out Of The Shade" is from their recent Victorious album.
4) Sway - The Kooks
A searing song from the Brighton (England) based quartet's Konk, their most recent album. Recorded at Konk Studio in North London, owned by Ray Davies of The Kinks.
5) Last Kiss (score track) Christophe Beck
6) Catch Me If You Can - Gym Class Heroes
A track from The Quilt, the group's fourth album that was released late last year and broke into the Top 5 on Billboard's rap chart. The song is heard throughout a riotous party scene in the film.
7) Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast Airbourne
The Australian rockers included this song on their current album, Runnin' Wild. It's a familiar song to many Guitar Hero players.
8) A Good Idea At The Time - OK Go
A key track from Oh No, the indie pop band's second album, produced by Tore Johansson in Malmφ, Sweden. It's lyrical subtext underscores the central premise of the film.
9) Beth Cooper Suite (score track) Christophe Beck
10) Beth - KISS
1976 was the year of Larry Doyle graduated from Buffalo Grove H.S. It was also the year of release of Destroyer, the album that included "Beth," the group's highest charting and only certified gold single. The title character of the film, as portrayed by Hayden Panettiere, explains that her "headbanger" parents named her after the song.
11) Cruisin' - Smokey Robinson
One of the Motown icon's biggest solo hits following his departure from The Miracles. It broke into the Top 5 in 1979 and provides the musical underbed for a very sensuous "rite of passage" encounter for one of the film's key supporting characters.
12) Who Knew? (score track) Christophe Beck
13) Feels Like The First Time - Foreigner
A classic track from one of the most popular rock acts of the 70s and 80s, it was their first single and got all the way to #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.
14) School's Out - Alice Cooper
This has been the long-running anthem for the last day of school and the start of summer since its release in 1972. The song reached #1 on the UK singles chart back then and continues as a perennial favorite. The song's theme is central to the film's mise-en-scθne with all of the young cast members joining in.
15) Forget Me - Eleni Mandell
This new song written especially for the film, from the highly acclaimed idiosyncratic LA-based singer/songwriter whose current album, Artificial Fire, has created a sensation.