The soundtrack to the 1994 motion picture, "The Crow", set a new bar for various artists movie soundtracks, much in the same way that the film itself did for comic book adaptations on the big screen!

"The Crow" soundtrack was quite simply an abundance of awesomeness, with songs recorded mainly by contemporary Alternative Rock acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Rollins Band, Rage Against The Machine, Medicine, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, The Jesus And Mary Chain & The Cure. The inclusion of the latter band is most significant since "The Crow" creator, James O'Barr, had actually included the lyrics of The Cure's 1982 single, "The Hanging Garden" within the pages of the original comic book itself...

When The Cure were first approached to contribute a song to the 1994 film adaptation, the makers requested "The Hanging Garden" for inclusion on the soundtrack just as James O'Barr had incorporated lyrics from "The Hanging Garden" into his comic book. It seemed like a natural marriage of song & film (with the comic book being a literary engagement ring). But The Cure's frontman/lyricist, Robert Smith, had other plans...

It turns out Smith was as big a fan of the comic book as O'Barr was of his music & Smith decided it would be best to serve up an original song specifically for the film. That song would ultimately become "Burn".

The genesis of "Burn's" sound was unmistakably influenced by "The Hanging Garden". Both songs share a similar tribal purcussive rhythm & of course those familiar dangling, jangling guitars. But as Burn begins to blossom into it's own beastly entity the music itself would go on to influence yet another Cure song several years later! That song was of course, "Where The Birds Always Sing", from 2000's "Bloodflowers" album...

Upon hearing that "Bloodflowers" highlight for the first time, longtime Cure fans will instantly recall the melodic guitar solo from "Burn". A song cut from the same mould as the "Dark Era" classic, "The Hanging Garden" which itself would go on to form the basis for a future classic in "Where The Birds Always Sing" (and YES I do wonder whether the "bird connection" was intentional or just a happy coincidence 😂).

Another standout track was Nine Inch Nails' electrifying take on Joy Division's "Dead Souls".

The creator of the original Crow comic book, James O'Barr had long been a fan of the band fronted by the tragic Ian Curtis & had initially wanted Joy Division's music to feature in the film. O'Barr would later say that he got at least 75% of the artists he had wanted for the film's soundtrack. Joy Division may not have been among them, but the strength of Nine Inch Nails' take on "Dead Souls" is such that O'Barr himself would concede that the film Alex Proyas made had the appropriate version of the track...

Joy Division's eerie original version of "Dead Souls" chugged toward a crescendo which never came. And that was the beauty of the composition really! A track consumed by claustrophobia the more it circles the chilling lyric, "THEY KEEP CALLING ME!". "Dead Souls" took on a greater poignancy once Ian Curtis himself became one of the "THEY" he was referring to, following his suicide in 1980...

Nine Inch Nails' version of the song retains the claustrophobia of the original, but is otherwise an altogether more charged affair. Whereas the original was simmering, the cover is scintilating & while Joy Division's version was defined by it's gritty guitar strains, Nine Inch Nails' version is driven, almost purely, by an electronic pulse without losing the soul of Curtis' lyrics in the process!

My personal favourite song from "The Crow" soundtrack was actually the only non-Rock song to appear on the tracklist. That would of course be Jane Siberry's sensitive ballad, "It Can't Rain All The Time". An achingly beautiful song which never fails to tug my heartstrings & there has never been a single occassion when I have not cried to this song. 

As I hear the words... "IT CAN'T RAIN ALL THE TIME...THE SKY WON'T FALL FOREVER...AND THOUGH THE NIGHT SEEMS LONG...YOUR TEARS WON'T FALL, YOUR TEARS WON'T FALL FOREVER!"... I feel a sense of comfort that however much I miss someone I loved who will never return, I will make it through the pain of grieving for that lost love!

"It Can't Rain All The Time" speaks to all forms of love, whether it be that of a friend, a child, a parent, a sibling, a pet or indeed a lover. Alot of people will associate this song with the story of "The Crow", itself a romantic tragedy dealing with the pain of lost love. This is entirely understandable & an accurate association to make but even those who have never seen the film or read the comic will take away the same core message of Jane Siberry's deeply moving song.

"The Crow" remains my favourite Comic Book movie of all-time. That may sound controversial to some considering that the film is a fairly loose adaptation. But the comic book itself is not simply a "Superman" or "Batman" or "Spiderman" type affair following the adventures of a sole protagonist. "The Crow", throughout it's entire comic book series, features many heroes (and heroines!), but unlike the distinctly individual "X-Men" or "Fantastic Four", the protagonists in The Crow all share the same quest & don the same facial make up for the duration of that quest (to exact revenge on those who killed them, "set the wrong things right" & reunite with their loved ones in the afterlife)...

The most popular character of the comic book is arguably Eric Draven & it is he whom the 1994 film adaptation follows from his death, resurrection & journey as the dark angel of vengeance.

"The Crow" is also one of the most moving films ever made & that is not simply because of the real life tragedy which taints the soul of the picture! "The Crow" manages to be more romantic than a lot of "so called" romantic films, without losing sight of the reality of death & that Eric's path of destruction carries an inner torment for his dead man walking who yearns to be at peace with his buried bride to be. And it is a testement to the late great Brandon Lee's lead performance that Eric's pain is felt so severely by audiences. Even if tragedy had not struck the production this film would still be as moving as it continues to be decades after it's release!

Film maker, Alex Proyas', also deserves significant credit for the successful transition of the comic book to the big screen. Poyas' striking visual direction grab viewers eyes from the opening shot of a burning Detroit, Michigan on "Devils Night" (the night before Samhain aka Halloween). And while those who do not like flashy MTV-style visuals will likely bitch about the film's heavy reliance on them or that they date the picture, there are more than enough moments in the film which take the breath away without making use of any real optical effects. Whether it's the flight of The Crow, Eric running/jumping across rooftops or the expert use of framing, Proyas makes it known time & time again of the talent he weilds. Talent he'd once again display in his highly recommended, Gothic-Noir Fantasy a few years later, "Dark City" (1997).

💖 In Memory Of Brandon Lee 💖

"WE WALK THE NARROW PATH BENEATH THE SMOKING SKIES...

SOMETIMES BARELY TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DARKNESS AND LIGHT...

DO WE HAVE FAITH IN WHAT WE BELIEVE?

THE TRUEST TEST IS WHEN WE CANNOT...WHEN WE CANNOT SEE..."