Whoops... I've just uncovered a forum software bug! This post is actually corrupted, as the quotes are evidently Brother Patrick's, but the replies you see below the quotes are not his - they are written by me! I don't know how this managed to happen, but to make it clear to everyone, I'm editing the post to clarify who said what! -- PhillipThis order really works for me. Maybe someone else could try it too. It places the all too short symphonic/guitar pieces together followed by the Country & Western Songs. The last tracks play out over the credits. I added "The Wings" for the third time because, well, it just needed to be there.
Phillip: Outside of Emmylou's song, I wasn't really thrilled with any of the C&W songs on the soundtrack. Others seem to get a lot out of Rufus Wainwright & Mary McBride's songs but I personally found them kind of jarring. I am lukewarm about Willie Nelson personally - I think he's a bit too... I don't know... informal. I liked Steve Earle's song - the fastest rendition of that song I've ever heard -and- his voice and accent makes his performance a believable story about a teenage delinquent. But it doesn't fit the overall theme of the film at all.
I have one MAJOR problem with the lyrics of ONE song "I Will Never Let You Go". The second verse starts "Even though this wasn't meant to be".
Phillip:In the context of the movie, that was Ennis' belief, based on the oppression he saw all his life. I understand just how important lyrics are when trying to convey the feeling of the film. Trust me I know because I sifted through hundreds of songs to try and build Brokeback Mountain Radio. It's rough when you think you've found a great song and just one verse throws it out the window because it doesn't fit. Ultimately, I had to compromise on several songs that don't exactly fit, but come close enough and are usually not jarring enough to throw the mood.
As far as instrumental pieces go, we have little to work with from Santaolalla's score, which was way too short on the CD. It is amazingly hard to find good ambient slide guitar music that fits. The thing that saved my cookies was finding a few desert-inspired albums which evoke the western feeling. There are tons of basic acoustic guitar albums out there, but they don't speak to Brokeback Mountain at all. I will always be out there looking, but we need a music expert in here who can help pin down tracks that work even more.