Building a Story from a Soundtrack
A jukebox musical is a popular subgenre of musical film whose defining feature is its score, which is comprised entirely of previously released popular songs rather than original compositions written specifically for the narrative. The story is constructed to accommodate these well-known hits, often from a single, iconic artist or band, or from a specific musical era. The primary appeal of the genre lies in the powerful sense of nostalgia and the built-in enjoyment of a beloved soundtrack, inviting audiences to sing along with songs they already know and love.
Two Primary Forms
Jukebox musicals typically fall into one of two narrative categories:
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The Musical Biopic: This is the most popular form, where the film tells the life story of the musician or band whose music is being featured. In this structure, the musical performances are usually diegetic, meaning the characters are shown performing the songs as part of their story (e.g., in concerts, recording studios). Examples include Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) about Queen and Rocketman (2019) about Elton John.
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The Original Story: This form creates a completely fictional narrative and weaves the pre-existing songs into the plot, where they are sung by the characters to express emotion or advance the story. The success of this approach depends heavily on how cleverly the story can justify the use of the song lyrics. The most famous example is Mamma Mia! (2008), which builds a romantic comedy plot around the songs of ABBA.
Strengths and Criticisms
The greatest strength of the jukebox musical is its pre-sold appeal. The hit songs provide a powerful marketing hook and a guaranteed level of audience engagement. The challenge and common criticism of the genre, particularly for the original story format, is that the plot can often feel contrived or superficial—a flimsy ‘clothesline’ on which to hang a collection of famous songs. The need to incorporate specific, well-known lyrics can lead to awkward or forced narrative turns. However, when done well, the re-contextualization of a familiar song can create moments of surprising emotional power.
Landmark Jukebox Musicals
- Singin’ in the Rain (1952): An early and masterful example, which repurposed a catalogue of songs from the early sound era into a new, iconic story.
- Moulin Rouge! (2001): Baz Luhrmann’s film reinvented the modern movie musical by using an eclectic mix of anachronistic pop songs to tell its tragic love story.
- Across the Universe (2007): A visually inventive film that uses the music of The Beatles to tell a story of love and social upheaval in the 1960s.