James Gunn has a thing for 70s pop. It’s not just a hobby; it’s basically the DNA of his filmmaking. When the first film dropped, everyone went nuts for "Hooked on a Feeling," but honestly? The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 album, officially titled Awesome Mix Vol. 2, is a much more sophisticated piece of storytelling. It isn't just a collection of old hits meant to sell records. It is a literal script element.
Think about Peter Quill. His mom, Meredith, didn't just give him a tape; she gave him a personality. In the sequel, the music shifts from the upbeat "let's go on an adventure" vibe of the first movie to something way more internal and, frankly, kind of heavy. You've got tracks that deal with abandonment, fatherhood, and the realization that your heroes might actually be losers. It’s brilliant.
The Secret Language of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Album
Most people think "Mr. Blue Sky" is just a fun way to open a movie. It’s a great song by ELO, sure. But look at what’s happening on screen. Baby Groot is dancing while the rest of the team is literally dying in the background fighting an interdimensional space octopus. The music creates this bubble of joy that ignores the chaos. That’s the movie in a nutshell.
Gunn actually wrote these songs into the script before they even started filming. Usually, directors pick songs in post-production because licensing is a nightmare. Not here. If the song didn't clear, the scene didn't work. For example, getting "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac was non-negotiable. That bass line? It’s the heartbeat of the final showdown between Peter and Ego. It represents the "chain" of the chosen family.
Why "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" is the Most Important Track
If you haven't listened to the lyrics of Looking Glass’s "Brandy" lately, do it. It’s a song about a sailor who loves a woman but loves the sea more. It’s catchy. It’s a bar favorite. But in the context of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 album, it becomes a terrifying metaphor for narcissism.
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Ego, Peter's celestial father, uses the song to justify his genocidal "Expansion." He tells Peter that he is the sailor and the universe is the sea. It’s a genius move by the writers. They took a soft-rock staple and turned it into a villain's manifesto. You’ll never hear it the same way again. Seriously. It’s kind of creepy how well it fits.
Digging Into the Deep Cuts
The first album had the big, recognizable hits. This one? It goes a bit deeper. You have "Lake Shore Drive" by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah. Unless you’re from Chicago or a huge 70s nerd, you probably hadn't heard that in decades. It’s a breezy, piano-driven track that masks the tension of the Guardians arriving at Ego’s planet.
Then there’s "Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang" by Silver. It’s incredibly obscure. Gunn found it and realized it was the perfect "everything is going wrong" song for the Sovereign fleet battle. It’s high-energy, weirdly specific, and fits the retro-future aesthetic perfectly.
- Fox on the Run: Used in the trailer but didn't make the final film cut (though it's on the soundtrack).
- Father and Son: Cat Stevens provides the emotional knockout punch at the end. It’s a literal conversation between generations.
- Surrender: Cheap Trick brings that classic power-pop energy for the credits.
The Visual Impact of Sound
Soundtracks usually sit in the background. They fill the silence. But the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 album interacts with the light and the color. When "Bring It On Home To Me" by Sam Cooke plays, the lighting on Ego’s planet shifts to these warm, inviting oranges and pinks. It’s a trap, obviously. The music is the bait.
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And we have to talk about "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell. Rocket is taking out Ravagers in the woods, setting traps, being a total menace, and this gentle, psych-country song is playing. The juxtaposition is what makes it "Guardians." It’s that contrast between extreme violence and extreme sentimentality.
Real-World Impact and the "Awesome Mix" Phenomenon
The album was a massive commercial success. It hit number one on the Billboard 200. People weren't just buying it for the nostalgia; they were buying it because it felt like a curated gift. In an era of infinite Spotify playlists, having a 14-track curated journey felt special.
It also revitalized the careers of some of these artists. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours saw a huge bump in streaming. ELO became cool to a whole new generation of kids who weren't even born when Out of the Blue was released. It proved that a soundtrack could be a cultural force again, much like Pulp Fiction or The Graduate were in their respective eras.
The Original Tracks
It wasn't all just oldies. "Guardians Inferno" is a disco original featuring David Hasselhoff. It’s ridiculous. It’s campy. It’s 1970s kitsch cranked up to eleven. But it works because it acknowledges the absurdity of the whole franchise. You have a talking raccoon and a tree; you might as well have a disco track with The Hoff.
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Actionable Takeaways for Music Nerds and Fans
If you want to truly appreciate what James Gunn did here, don't just put it on shuffle. That ruins the point. The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 album is built as a narrative arc.
- Listen in order: The sequence from "Mr. Blue Sky" to "Father and Son" mimics Peter’s emotional journey from childhood ignorance to adult grief.
- Read the lyrics to "The Chain": Watch the final battle again while focusing on the lyrics "Never break the chain." It’s not about Peter’s powers; it’s about his friends.
- Check out the "Zune" transition: Remember that at the end of the movie, Peter gets a Zune with 300 songs. This signaled a shift away from just Meredith's tapes, which allowed Vol. 3 to explore the 90s and 2000s.
- Explore the B-Sides: Look up the songs Gunn considered but didn't use, like "She’s Gone" by Daryl Hall & John Oates. It gives you a sense of the "vibe" he was aiming for.
The legacy of this album isn't just the sales numbers. It’s the fact that it made the audience feel something through a medium that usually feels like an afterthought in blockbuster cinema. It’s a masterpiece of curation. If you're looking to build your own "Awesome Mix," start by finding songs that tell your story, not just songs that sound good. That is the true lesson of Peter Quill’s walkman.
To get the most out of your next rewatch, pay attention to the lyrics during the dialogue-heavy scenes. You'll notice the music often answers the questions the characters are asking. It’s a dialogue between the past and the present that hasn't been matched in the MCU since.