"Carol" has been a critical darling and awards-season favorite for months now, and with good reason. Exquisitely shot, beautifully performed by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, and directed with great care, the film finds every department working at the peak of their abilities. And another element that brings the experience together is the music. Carter Burwell‘s score does a great job of riding the emotional waves of the film, but it’s the choice selection of songs that place you directly in the era. The official soundtrack includes songs like "One Mint Julep" by The Clovers, "Easy Living" by Billie Holiday, "You Belong To Me" by Helen Foster & The Rovers, and a few more. But if you want to really immerse yourself in the mood of "Carol," today we have an exclusive treat.
READ MORE: Cannes Review: Todd Haynes’ ‘Carol’ Starring Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara
Todd Haynes has compiled three fantastic playlists of tracks featuring one terrific song from the "Carol" era after another. Each playlist runs over 20 tracks long and is filled with great music from Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Édith Piaf, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Dean Martin, Dinah Washington, Charlie Parker, Anita O’Day, and so much more. Here’s Todd Haynes’ exclusive statement on the three-disc collection he curated.
A WORD ON THE 3-DISC COLLECTION
This was the original mix of songs from the 1952-1953 period depicted in CAROL that myself and my partner Bryan O’Keefe, who did research for the film, put together in early pre-production. We shared the mix with composer Carter Burwell, music supervisor Randy Poster, editor Affonso Conclaves, as well as all my other creative partners: Cate and Rooney and other members of the cast, casting director Laura Rosenthal, Production Designer Judy Becker, DOP Ed Lachman, producer Elizabeth Karlsen, assistant director Jesse Nye, and others I may be forgetting. It includes songs referenced in the novel and script like Billie Holiday’s Easy Living and Jo Stafford’s You Belong to Me (as well as two other far lesser known versions of this song, one by Helen Foster, which is what we ultimately used in the film), in addition to other popular songs from the era (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause, Tenderly, Cry, Side By Side, Lover, Anytime, Mockingbird Hill, When I Fall In Love, Kiss Of Fire and Pretend). It also features songs or covers from popular musicals of the year, like Hans Christian Anderson, An American In Paris and Lilli, and amazing instrumentals from film scores (The Third Man Theme, Chaplin’s theme from Limelight, Percy Faith’s The Song from Moulin Rouge) or choice cuts from jazz maestros of the era (Miles Davis’ It’s Only A Paper Moon, Lester Young’s These Foolish Things, Charlie Parker’s Laura and April In Paris, Dizzy Gillespie’s Night In Tunisia, and George Shearing’s Lullaby of Birdland—one of Patricia Highsmith’s favorite recordings!). Almost all the songs that appear in the film came from this original mix… and even the song I picked very last minute as our background music for our premiere at Cannes: Gene Kelly’s Our Love Is Here To Stay. Enjoy! – Todd Haynes
Below you can check out all three compilations on Spotify. Some songs, noted with **, weren’t available so we’ve included the YouTube embed of the handful of missing tracks, where they were available. So turn up your speakers and settle in. "Carol" is now playing in limited release.
“Carol” Playlist 1
1. “The Sidewalks of New York” — Tiny Grimes** (no stream available)
2. “You Belong To Me” — Helen Foster
3. “In Our Little Den Of Iniquity (From ‘Pal Joey’)” — Harold Lang & Vivienne Segal
4. “Make No Mistakes” — Duke Ellington & His Orchestra** (no stream available)
5. “The Christmas Song” — Nat "King" Cole
6. “All Of Me” — Johnny Ray**
7. “Dream Girl” — Jesse Belvin
8. “I Waited A Little Too Long” — Kay Starr
9. “Lush Life” — Nat "King" Cole
10. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” — Jimmy Boyd
11. “But Not For Me” — Ella Fitzgerald
12. “This Love Of Mine” — Sonny Rollins
13. “Hymne a l’amour” — Édith Piaf
14. “Till I Waltz Again With You” — Teresa Brewer
15. “Prisoner Of Love” — Jesse Belvin**
16. “The Third Man Theme” — Anton Karas
17. “Day Dream” — June Christy
18. “Smoke Rings” — Les Paul & Mary Ford
19. “Willow Weep For Me” — Milt Jackson**
20. “Mansion Over The Hilltop” — Gordon MacRae**
21. “Ruby, My Dear” — Thelonious Monk
22. “Undecided” — The Ames Brothers
23. “Blue Tango” — Leroy Anderson
24. “I’ll Be Around” — Doris Day**
25. “Greensleeves” — Mantovani & His Orchestra
26. “Easy Living” — Billie Holiday
“Carol” Playlist 2
1. “The Song From ‘Moulin Rouge’ (Where Is Your Heart)” — Percy Faith & His Orchestra
2. “Have You Met Miss Jones?” — Benny Goodman
3. “Blues In The Night” — Peggy Lee
4. “Love Is Here To Stay” — Gene Kelly
5. “Tenderly” — Rosemary Clooney
6. “It’s Only A Paper Moon” — Miles Davis & Sonny Rollins
7. “You Belong To Me” — Dean Martin
8. “Cry” — Johnny Ray
9. “Someone To Watch Over Me” — Ella Fitzgerald
10. “My Song” — Jonny Ace
11. “The Glow Worm” — The Mills Brothers
12. “Please Mr. Sun” — Harry Roy & His Orchestra**
13. “I Confess” — Sarah Vaughan**
14. “How High The Moon” — Les Paul & Mary Ford
15. “Xtabay (Lure Of The Unknown Love)” — Yma Sumac
16. “Purple Shades” — Joni James
17. “Side By Side” — Kay Starr
18. “No Two People” — Danny Kaye & Jane Wyman
19. “These Foolish Things” — Lester Young
20. “Kiss Of Fire” — Georgia Gibbs
21. “Perfidia” — Four Aces
22. “How Deep Is The Ocean?” — Dinah Washington
23. “Laura” — Charlie Parker
24. “Good For Nothing” — Marlene Dietrich & Rosemary Clooney
25. “Keep It A Secret” — Jo Stafford
26. “I’ll Be Seeing You” — Liberace
27. “Delicado” — Percy Faith & His Orchestra“Carol” Playlist 3
1. “Terry’s Theme (From ‘Limelight’)” — Charlie Chaplin
2. “Lullaby of Birdland” — George Shearing
3. “Hi-Lilli, Hi-Lo” — Leslie Caron
4. “Blue Moon” — Billie Holiday
5. “Night In Tunisia” — Dizzy Gillespie
6. “The Very Thought Of You” — Doris Day
7. “April In Paris” — Charlie Parker
8. “Lover” — Peggy Lee
9. “Isle Of Innisfree (From ‘The Quiet Man’)” — Bing Crosby
10. “Takes Two To Tango” — Pearl Bailey
11. “If I Should Lose You” — June Christy
12. “But Not For Me” — Ella Fitzgerald
13. “Anytime” — Eddie Fisher
14. “The No Soap, No Hope, No Mouse, No House Blues” — Anita O’Day
15. “Mocking Bird Hill” — Patti Page
16. “Flamingo” — Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
17. “Inchworm (From ‘Hans Christian Andersen’)” — Danny Kaye
18. “Why Don’t You Believe Me” — Joni James
19. “Un Poco Loco” — Bud Powell
20. “Anywhere I Wander” — Julius LaRosa
21. “Forget Me Not” — Vera Lynn**
22. “Polka Dots And Moonbeams” — Lester Young
23. “When I Fall In Love” — Doris Day
24. “High Noon” — Frankie Laine
25. “Pretend” — Nat "King" Cole
26. “You Belong To Me” — Jo Stafford
