So, I sat down to watch “This Is 40” a while back. Wasn’t really expecting much, just another comedy, you know? But the thing that really grabbed me, almost right away, was the music. It wasn’t just background noise; it felt like part of the whole thing, part of the characters’ lives.
After the movie finished, I found myself humming a few bits. That doesn’t happen often. Usually, the music just washes over me. This time, I felt I needed to actually find this soundtrack. So, the next day, I started digging around. Wasn’t super straightforward at first, trying to remember specific scenes and the songs playing.
Eventually, I got my hands on the tracklist, digitally of course. I put it on while I was working around the house. And man, it just clicked. It wasn’t one specific genre, it was all over the place, kinda like life itself when you hit that age, I guess. You’ve got your old favorites mixed in with some newer stuff you’ve picked up.
Digging Into the Tracks
I started really listening, not just having it on. That Fiona Apple track, “Dull Tool,” that one hit hard. It just had this raw energy that fit the movie’s vibe, that feeling of frustration and things not being perfect. Then there was the older stuff mixed in.
- Paul Simon’s “Rewrite” – Classic Simon, thoughtful, kinda looking back.
- Graham Parker & The Rumour showing up – felt authentic, like something the characters would genuinely listen to.
- Even Norah Jones was in there, a bit smoother.
It wasn’t just a collection of hits thrown together. I felt like someone actually thought about how these songs fit together, how they told a bit of the story themselves. There was this mix of rock, some folkier stuff, indie sounds. Ryan Adams, The Avett Brothers… it was a solid lineup.
I spent a good week or two just letting it play. Some days it was background music while I was tinkering with stuff in the garage. Other days, I’d really tune into a specific song. That track by Yoko Ono, “Yes, I’m Your Angel,” was kind of unexpected, but it worked in the context of everything else.
How It Stuck With Me
What I really appreciated, looking back, is how real it felt. It wasn’t overly polished or trying too hard to be cool. It sounded like a mixtape someone might actually make. Full of stuff they genuinely loved, reflecting different moods and times in their life. It had that slightly messy, lived-in feel, just like the movie.
It’s one of those soundtracks that I actually return to. Not all the time, but when I’m in a certain mood. It captures that feeling of being grown-up but still figuring things out, still holding onto the music that shaped you while finding new things too. It’s just a damn good listen, plain and simple. No fancy analysis needed, it just works.
