Dazed and Confused

Dazed and Confused is a film that follows a plethora of characters on the last day of school before summer vacation. Although lacking in tangible plot, it makes a bold attempt to encompass and present the zeitgeist of the 1970s. In my opinion it is as if Dazed and Confused was produced in hopes of making those viewers who lived through the 1970s feel a sense of nostalgia. The film’s trajectory, harnessing of zeitgeist, and soundtrack are all very similar to George Lucas’s American Graffiti—a film that also successfully rooted in nostalgia. Dazed and Confused was released in 1993 and, like American Graffiti, was able to look over its shoulder to determine what music stood the test of time. The film attempts to epitomize what it meant for someone to grow up in the 1970s. Its success depends on its ability to recreate the spirit present in that era. In this paper I will talk about how the use of the popular soundtrack functions with the overall narrative, show ways in which characters actually interact with the music, how the soundtrack functions in a specific scene, explain my personal relationship to the soundtrack, and touch briefly on how the meaning of the film has changed over the course of time.

The film elects to use a soundtrack comprised of only popular music from the 1970s. Frith writes, “The sociologist of contemporary popular music is faced with a body of songs, records, stars and styles which exists because of a series of decisions, made by both producers and consumers, about what is a successful sound” (Frith, 134). I reference this quote because it is important to note that this film was released in 1993. The people who are responsible for choosing the soundtrack have the luxury of knowing what music is able to ...

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...bility to depict rites of passage and coming-of-age scenarios. Frith writes, “…youth music is socially important not because it reflects youth experience (authentically or not), but because it defines for us what ‘youthfulness’ is” (Frith, 143). The soundtrack is still effective because it not only captures the spirit of the times, but also because it captures the concept of youthfulness. The film uses songs that it knows to be classic hits, songs with which the public is still very familiar, even thirty-four years later. It is able to do this with the music that transcends generations and with the plotline to which many people can relate.

Works Cited:

Frith, Simon. "Towards an aesthetic of popular music." Music and Society. 133-49. Electronic Resource.

Gorbman, Claudia. Unheard Melodies: Narrative Film Music. London: BFI Pub., 1987. Electronic Resource.