It was 1997 when I first came across Jeffrey Eugenides’s novel The Virgin Suicides. I was in my public library browsing through the many sacks when the book’s title made me stop walking. I took it out of the row and was intrigued. I did not want to read the back of the book. Instead, I decided to check it out and take it home. I went to my favorite reading spot at home and opened the first page. I was totally engulfed by the words because I felt like it was a Southern Gothic novel set for teenage girls. I read the whole book in one sitting because it felt like those words on the pages were similar to what I thought I was going through as a pre-teen. Middle school was rough for me because I felt like a loner.

My best friend was books because with books, I could escape and live many lives through someone else’s pages. Jeffery Eugenides captured all of my pre-teen emotions fully in this book. I read the book thrice that year until I finally convinced myself to buy my copy.

It was not until the year 2000 that I was walking by a store and saw the movie post for the movie:

I was surprised that there was a movie made from it. I wonder if the film would capture all of my teenage emotions. Did the movie capture all of the gothic spookiness I felt between the words from the book?

I was able to track down the movie on cable a couple of years later on the Sundance channel. I absolutely loved this movie. It captured many emotions I felt the first time I read the book.

But what stayed with me for a very long time was the soundtrack:

The Air (the score version) and the movie soundtrack stuck with me for the longest time. For most of my teenage years, I had to rebuy both versions of the soundtrack because I played it so much that I made a clear hole out of the CDs. The movie soundtrack introduced me to such artists as Todd Rundgren and 10cc.

And yes, this scene made me fall in adoration for Trip Fontaine:

Even to this day, this movie’s soundtrack and score play in constant rotation in my playlist. Because it captures the eternal feelings of all of my teenage emotions and has a good set of songs!

What movie soundtrack(s) was the soundtrack to your teenage years?

Comment below!!!

Source: Wikipedia. Youtube