Apparently, it is a civic duty for all hetero females to fawn over Ryan Gosling because he’s so damn dreamy. I had never fully understood everyone’s obsession with this man until recently, but after seeing Drive, I finally understood what all the fuss is about (I may or may not have a bad-boy complex.) Two factors solidified it for me: something to do with the character he plays and the other was the choice in music the director/composer put together for the film. It’s that easy, apparently — good music, plus attractive man equals unexpected crush. Cliff Martinez composed a bulk of great tracks for the score, hearkening back to cheesy ’80s action and romance films, but one song in particular that was not composed by Martinez stands out the most: “Under Your Spell” by synthpopers Desire.
The scene in which this song is played is pretty intense, given how physically, nothing is actually happening at this particular moment in the film (think people staring at each other), but the unspoken drama rippling beneath the cool exteriors was nerve racking. “Under Your Spell” served as a musical accompaniment during this moment, throbbing through the walls of Gosling’s character’s apartment as a crushing reminder of the welcome home party taking place next door. I don’t want to be guilty of giving away spoilers, so I’ll just stop there. You’ll have to see it for yourself, because it was mesmerizing to hear this song while the film’s characters were at a crossroads. I had to make a mental note to myself to do some Internet sleuthing for the source of the track when I got home. I found the creators of this gem, and now I can’t get Desire out of my head, iTunes library, iPod, Spotify account, etc.
Desire is comprised of vocalist Meghan Louise, Johnny Jewel (also a member of the Chromatics and Glass Candy), and drummer Nat Walker. Their 2009 album, II, contains “Under Your Spell” in addition to seven other tracks in both English and French. I also recommend listening to “Don’t Call” and ”If I Can’t Hold You.” See Drive if you haven’t already, and prepare yourself for one of the best scenes and musical scores in recent cinematic history.
For more information on Desire:
