On the album, Dave Grusin’s classy and jazzy – even if quite generic – score is represented almost as interludes for the actual songs. Were you to listen to the soundtrack without seeing the movie first, the impression of the music would probably be even more effective than within the dank context of the film. Paired with Simon & Garfunkel’s songs, Grusin’s score unmistakably represents the facade, with the duo’s work acting as the inner workings of the movie’s protagonist. Paul Simon’s lyrics – take April Come She Will for example – have a flair that is brimming with classic romanticism and therefore seems an unlikely match for a movie that met its match with particularly with the youngsters of the time, but at the same time it without a doubt represents the twisted, hopeless mind of Ben Braddock.
The Graduate soundtrack is a classic for a good reason. In a time where soundtracks compiled of pre-existing songs were not yet a given, it compiled old and new with a masterful touch. It reeks of the old times while offering a clear-headed vision of a new era. The soundtrack offers a whole new dimension to the movie when examined on its own, and it is one of the rare occasions when the ambitiousness of the musical choices corresponds with the realization.
Track list:
2. The Singleman Party Foxtrot *
4. Sunporch Cha-Cha-Cha *
5. Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Interlude)
6. On the Strip *
8. The Folks *
10. A Great Effect *
11. The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine
12. Whew *
13. Mrs. Robinson
14. The Sound of Silence
* Original score by Dave Grusin.