''Singles'' is the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

of the 1992 film ''

Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

'', released on June 30, 1992, almost three months before the film. It is primarily focused on the ascendant

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

scene of the early 1990s, but also features contributions from past Seattle artists

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and

The Lovemongers Heart is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1967 in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, as The Army. Two years later they changed their name to Hocus Pocus. The year following they changed their name to White Heart, and eventually ...

(

Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

and Nancy Wilson, the latter of whom was the wife of the film's director Cameron Crowe at the time), Chicago's

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...

, and the first solo material from Minneapolis' Paul Westerberg after the breakup of The Replacements. The album has been certified two times platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, indicating sales of at least two million copies in the United States. In April 2019, it was ranked No. 19 on

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

's "50 Greatest Grunge Albums" list. A Deluxe Edition of the album featuring a bonus disc with 18 additional tracks was released on May 19, 2017, one day after the death of

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamo ...

frontman Chris Cornell, whose music is featured prominently on the soundtrack and who has a cameo in the film; this was only a coincidence, as the album's release date had been announced in January. Songs used in the movie, but not included on either edition of the soundtrack, are: " Three Days" by

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from t ...

, "Little Girl" by

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, "

Dig for Fire "Dig for Fire" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies. The song appeared on their 1990 album '' Bossanova'', and was released as a single in October 1990. The song reached number 11 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart and number ...

" by the Pixies, "

Radio Song Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

" by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

, " Blue Train" by John Coltrane, "

Family Affair ''Family Affair'' is an American sitcom starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis (Keith) as he attempte ...

" by Sly & The Family Stone, "

She Sells Sanctuary "She Sells Sanctuary" is a song by British rock band the Cult. It is from their second studio album, ''Love'' (1985), and was released as a single on 13 May 1985, peaking at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart in July of the same year. In July 20 ...

" by The Cult, and " Jinx" by Tad.

Impact

The soundtrack is considered to have helped open the door to the explosive popularity of Seattle

in the early 1990s. According to Steve Huey of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, "''Singles'' helped crystallize the idea of the 'Seattle scene' in the mainstream public's mind, and it was also one of the first big-selling '90s movie soundtracks (it went platinum and reached the Top Ten) to feature largely new work from contemporary artists ... it's a milestone in the breakthrough of alternative rock into mainstream popular culture, neatly and effectively packaging the Seattle phenomenon for the wider national consciousness."

Deluxe Edition

On May 19, 2017, a remastered Deluxe Edition of the album was released to commemorate the original album's 25th anniversary. In addition to the original 13-song soundtrack on either one CD or two LPs, this release included new liner notes and track-by-track descriptions by Cameron Crowe and a bonus CD consisting of 18 additional tracks. The bonus material included a track each from Truly and Blood Circus, live tracks by Alice in Chains and

that were recorded during their performances in the film, and demos and instrumentals by

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Orig ...

, Paul Westerberg, Chris Cornell, and members of

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

. Of these tracks, seven were previously-unreleased, and five had never been released on CD. Also included is " Touch Me I'm Dick" by

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...

’s fictional band in the film, Citizen Dick, which was recorded by

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

, Stone Gossard, and Jeff Ament.

Track listing

* In addition to later recording "Spoon Man" with

(as " Spoonman") and "Flutter Girl" on his debut solo album, Chris Cornell reused the lyrics of the first two verses and bridge of "Ferry Boat #3" in the song "The Curse" on Audioslave's 2005 album '' Out of Exile''.

Certifications

References

External links

Soundtrack Credits
on IMDb {{DEFAULTSORT:Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 1992 soundtrack albums Grunge soundtracks Alternative rock soundtracks Epic Records soundtracks Romance film soundtracks Comedy film soundtracks