When a Soundtrack Brings a Film to Life: Aimee Mann and ‘Magnolia’ (1999)
By Jordan DelFiugo
Few film soundtracks have shaped a narrative as profoundly as Aimee Mann’s music does in Magnolia (1999). The Paul Thomas Anderson film, which was released 25 years ago last month, follows a typical day in the lives of nine vastly different individuals living in Los Angeles. Their stories are filled with beautifully strange, unexpected connections, with Mann’s songs weaving them together at their emotional core. Her music influences the story, rather than simply accompanying it, guiding its characters and tone. As Anderson himself writes in the liner notes of the Magnolia soundtrack, “You can look at the movie as the perfect memento to remember the songs that Aimee has made.”
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Mann’s influence is felt early on in the film, with her cover of Harry Nilsson’s song “One” playing during the opening credits. The song is catchy and simple, but it poignantly captures the feeling of loneliness, setting the scene for the film’s major themes surrounding human connection and loss.
Over the course of Magnolia’s three hour runtime, Anderson conducts fascinating character studies of each complex member of the ensemble, aided by a cast that features Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, and Philip Seymour Hoffman among other outstanding talents. However, even with Magnolia’s stacked cast of characters, there is one who manages to stand out among the rest: Claudia Gator.
Claudia is a troubled young woman, portrayed with an almost manic charm by Melora Walters. Growing up, Claudia was abused by her father, the charismatic host of a children’s game show who is dying of cancer in the present day. She is haunted by her childhood, and as an adult she struggles to cope with her trauma through substance abuse. Claudia’s story is the heart of the film, with Anderson writing that “all stories for the movie were written branching off of Claudia.”
Claudia’s character is directly inspired by Mann’s music, with a large part of her storyline revolving around her budding romance with goofy yet endearing police officer, Jim (John C. Reilly). When Claudia and Jim first meet, he is responding to a noise complaint at Claudia’s apartment because she is blasting Mann’s song “Momentum” during a bender. Claudia is an extremely self destructive individual and “Momentum” is the perfect companion to her chaos.
The almost nihilistic lyric “I can’t admit that maybe the past was bad, and so for the sake of momentum, I’m condemning the future to death so it can match the past” is played over a scattered, jazzy beat, illustrating Claudia’s denial and showing just how trapped she is in this cycle of addiction and self harm.
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Claudia’s self loathing frequently manifests in attempts to push Jim away. In one particularly emotional scene, Claudia poses him a question: “Now that I’ve met you, would you object to never seeing each other again?” This line of dialogue is borrowed straight from Mann’s “Deathly,” a song that explores the fear that comes with opening up to someone new when you have an avoidant attachment style. The song’s narrator describes themselves as “a problem for you to solve” and begs their love interest to leave them alone, stating that even just one act of kindness could be “deathly” to someone with such a tarnished self perception.
Mann’s song “Save Me,” one of two songs she wrote for the film, was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2000 Academy Awards. This song plays at the end of the film, in the background of a speech Jim delivers to Claudia promising he will not give up on their relationship, despite its complications. He says, “You’re a good person. You’re a good and beautiful person and I won’t let you walk out on me [...] I won’t let you say those things – those things about how stupid you are and this and that. I won’t stand for that. You want to be with me… then be with me. You see?”
Like “Deathly” Mann’s soft guitar ballad “Save Me” explores the loneliness that comes with feeling unworthy of love. It perfectly encapsulates Claudia’s feelings towards Jim, and ties into the film's larger themes of reconciliation and forgiveness, even in the face of shame, trauma, and anger.
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The song that truly ties all of the film’s different storylines together is “Wise Up” which plays during a fourth-wall breaking, musical sequence where each character sings a line that relates to their present situation that seemingly comes out of nowhere. The absurdity and sheer randomness of the scene is almost comedic, but the song is so vulnerable and so deeply connected to each character’s unique storyline that it makes for a powerful, pivotal moment in the film.
The song means something completely different to each character. For Jim, it's a pep talk about correcting his often foolish behavior on the police force. For Claudia, it's an expression of her internal battle with addiction. For Claudia’s father, it's an acknowledgement that even if his cancer was magically cured, he will never be able to cure the sickness within or undo the pain he’s inflicted onto Claudia.
Ultimately, Mann’s songwriting allows Magnolia to transcend traditional storytelling, using music to illuminate its characters’ internal struggles and suppressed desires. Her songs bring the film to life, reinforcing its raw exploration of human nature, love, and redemption.
