"Two Princes" Watch: Chapter 1 (Inspired by the "On The Line" episode)

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Inspired by the discussion in Episode 36, I felt it was my duty to begin a count of all of the film appearances of the classic tune "Two Princes" by the Spin Doctors. Rather than just list them off though, I think we should talk about them one by one, and explain it's significance (OK, that might be stretching it...) to the film it pops up in. When we're done, we can publish our findings, forever to be used in film theory classes until the end of time. I'll start.

 

Most recently, I heard it pop up in the film "Love and Other Drugs", a film that I wouldn't have bothered with except that it was the first film that I ever got to work on. If you've seen it, I can be seen about 6 times for a total of 1.4 seconds in the training montage. Yes, it was my first film AND my first montage. Check and check!

 

Anyway, this film is a period piece, taking place in the 90's and GOD DAMN if they don't let you know it right away by cranking up that magical tune when the title card hits. Jake Gyllenhaal, soon to be a Viagra Salesman, begins the film working at an electronics store, where "Two Princes" is blasting over the speakers.

 

Having been a teenager in 1993, I can tell you that the Spin Doctors were DONE by about 1994. You sure as hell weren't popping in "Pocket Full of Kryptonite" to move high-end stereo equipment in 1996. It would be like that scene in "Boogie Nights" where Buck is going through his country phase. This film, as well as many others, suffers from poor soundtrack decisions that were probably made by people that didn't listen to popular music of the time period DURING that time period. There's another Gyllenhaal flick that pops to mind, "Jarhead", which features a scene where Marines, during Christmas of 1990, are singing along to Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P.", which wasn't released for close to another year. That was actually written into the film, which makes it even more of an obvious mistake. There's also a Nirvana song off of "Nevermind", but it's not a part of the story itself.

 

Anyway, yeah, "Love and Other Drugs". My choice to kick off the "Two Princes" thread.

 

1) Love and Other Drugs

[Shannon 2953]

2) Pooh's Heffalump Movie

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCtAt9gpjio

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

The more examples that are cited in this thread, the closer my soul will get to dying.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

I can't (well, maybe I can) believe that Disney would stoop to using "Two Princes" in a film for one of their flagship characters! I mean, I could totally see it being used in of their shitty live-action kiddie flicks, like "Max Keeble's Big Move" or something, but not Pooh! Oh, and another one I just thought of...

 

 

3) So I Married an Axe Murder

 

 

It was one of about a dozen songs in the film, and the only one that WASN'T "There She Goes" by The La's, which plays about 11 times.

[JustinStolle 6]

From their credits listed on IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1488404/), the song was in several TV shows, but also in the movie,

 

4) Jeff, Who Lives at Home

 

The song is playing on the stereo in Pat's (Ed Helms) Porsche.

 

The context of the scene is that Pat impulsively purchases a brand new luxury sports car without his wife's permission, angering her when she finds out about it over breakfast. Later, after a lunch involving alcohol, Pat takes his apprehensive brother Jeff for a ride to show off how cool the car is. "Two Princes" is playing on the stereo as he turns up the volume and praises the sound system. He generally behaves like a tool as he speeds up despite Jeff's protests, drives dangerously nearly causing multiple accidents, and finally crashes the car head-on into a large tree.

 

The song reinforces the characterization of Pat as a middle-aged man desperate to inject energy and excitement into his life--perhaps trying to recapture his youth--though others around him don't care to follow along.

[JustinL 216]

This is a little self-indulgent because Alkaline Trio is my favorite-est band in the whole wide world, but lead singer Matt Skiba coincidentally just did an interview for the AV Club's "Hatesong" column about why he despises "Two Princes."

 

http://www.avclub.co...s-two-pr,96057/

[seanotron 2307]

3) So I Married an Axe Murder

 

 

It was one of about a dozen songs in the film, and the only one that WASN'T "There She Goes" by The La's, which plays about 11 times.

 

I actually owned that soundtrack and it was a kind of time capsule of early 90s hits. Big Audio Dynamite, Suede, Toad the Wet Sprocket. And I think it might mark the very first appearance of Two Princes on a movie soundtrack, though I could be wrong.

 

It's not a movie, but I remember an episode of The Sarah Silverman Program where Steve Agee finds Brian Posehn's iPod, and to his horror the only song on it is 'Two Princes'.

[BagguhMcGuirk 104]

Watching Brian Posehn skip around town with a big smile jamming out to "Two Princes" is something you have to check out if you haven't seen it.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Watching Brian Posehn skip around town with a big smile jamming out to "Two Princes" is something you have to check out if you haven't seen it.

YES! I just remembered that. They get on him about not being metal, and he's like, dude, if he listened metal ALL the time he'd go fucking crazy.