ILLEGALLY BLONDE

In the 2017 spy thriller Atomic Blonde, Charlize Theron stars as an MI6 agent who is dispatched to Berlin to investigate the death of a colleague. David Leitch’s film is set in the turbulent year of 1989 and deploys a range of 1980s music in the soundtrack. The double album has been re-issued several times including—if you’re quick—a gorgeous radioactive pink vinyl version from Mondo Music.

The set opens with an irresistible David Bowie track borrowed from the 1982 horror film Cat People. The Bowie/Giorgio Moroder penned "Cat People (Putting Out The Fire)" is, some would assert, better than the movie that originally featured it. In this setting its brooding synths and ominous vocals fit the mood perfectly. When Bowie kicks up an octave an instinctive surge of adrenaline thrills the listener just like an action-movie stunt.

Nena’s 1983 hit "99 Luftballoons" is another canny choice, effortlessly evoking an 80s European synth-pop vibe. "The Politics of Dancing" (Re-Flex, 1983) and "Der Kommissar" by After The Fire (1982) catch the same zeitgeist, while Siouxsie And The Banshees "Cities In Dust" adds a moody interlude. A lesser known song in an adjoining sector is Peter Schilling’s 1983 single "Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst)", something of a forgotten synth-pop gem. A discovery for this listener was "Voices Carry", the title track from ’Til Tuesday’s 1985 album. Lead singer Aimee Mann delivers a strong single I’d somehow missed.

American guitarist turned soundtrack composer Tyler Bates has written scores for Guardians of the Galaxy and John Wick as well as produced shock goth rocker Marilyn Manson. He contributes several bridging instrumental pieces here, as well as teaming up with M. Manson on "Stigmata", the heaviest track here by a margin as substantial as the Berlin Wall.

One of the most enjoyable things about the Atomic Blonde soundtrack is how well the 80s tracks are woven together with complimentary contemporary pieces, giving both variety and consistency to a very satisfying Original Sound Track. When you add in George Michael ("Father Figure") and the Flock Of Seagulls hit "I Ran (So Far Away)" you really have a winner. But there’s even more! The musical peak comes late on side four of the record with the unforgettable "London Calling" by The Clash. It’s a perfect climax, following which Tyler Bates’ final instrumental covers the credits. In the film, the last song is the hit Bowie/Queen collaboration "Under Pressure" but this is not on the record. Perhaps the licensing fee was an insurmountable barrier.

The Atomic Blonde OST is a fine example of a carefully curated playlist from a specific era (the 80s) augmented with new instrumental material and a couple of re-recorded covers. It’s a winning formula and, on vivid neon pink vinyl, both eye- and ear-catching.

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Trabant Footnote

The most frequently appearing car in the film, and indeed in (the former) East Germany, was the locally made Trabant. This much derided auto was small, unreliable and ugly, yet is now viewed with nostalgia. The writer bought the model Trabi in the photo from a stall just inside the Brandenburg Gate in 1993.

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© Bruce Jenkins—October 2022