One of the best modern rock soundtracks of the spring 1999 season is filled with great tracks by hip new artists, and some unexpected covers. The story of two sisters trying to get a date for the high school prom, 10 Things I Hate About You is an updated version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. The sisters' father is way too overprotective and won't let the younger sibling date unless the eldest gets a date first. Featuring teen stars such as Larisa Oleynik, Julia Stiles, Andrew Keegan, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the movie was pretty good and was considered a box office success.
Letters to Cleo is featured in the movie and on this soundtrack collection as one of the character's favorite bands. They do a great job covering
Cheap Trick's 1979 hit "I Want You to Want Me" and
Nick Lowe's "Cruel to Be Kind," keying off of the original artist's style and throwing in a little bit of their own. Other tracks featured in the film include
Semisonic's "FNT,"
Save Ferris' "I Know,"
Sister Hazel's "Your Winter,"
Jessica Riddle's "Even Angels Fall,"
Leroy's "New World,"
Ta-Gana's "Saturday Night,"
Brick's "Dazz,"
Joan Armatrading's "The Weakness in Me,"
the Cardigans' "War," and
Madness' "Wings of a Dove." As good as they are, the best track is
George Clinton's immortal "Atomic Dog," heard during one of the film's funniest scenes. A '70s funk-lovin' lead character, stopped at a red light, wins a car-stereo volume duel with a carload of '90s Valley girls blasting
Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" in the next lane. The album closes with the instrumental theme "One More Thing," composed by
Richard Gibbs in a pop-classical style; it does a nice job working the same groove as the rest of the soundtrack. ~ S. Peeples