Musical Minions

Yes, we’re behind the times at our house. The new Minions movie is out, and we’ve only just watched Despicable Me.  It’s amazing what you can miss when you’re not taking young kids to the movies. The last children’s movie craze we got in on was Shrek, probably because much of the humor was geared to adults. 

Only after watching the Shrek DVD several times could I catch all the witty song lyrics.  I told myself I bought it to show over the Christmas holidays that year to entertain my out of town guests, but they didn’t seem to enjoy it quite as much as I did. Could that be why my 80-year-old aunt snored gently through it? No matter. Do you remember the dancing scenes at the end? That memory alone almost makes me want to watch it again. It’s always the music that gets me.

Though Despicable Me didn’t seem quite as witty as Shrek, we still got a kick out of it.  As a bit of a word nerd, I wondered whether the kids realized that minion was a word long before these funny little characters hit the scene. For the foreseeable future, folks may picture a minion as an acrobatic yellow creature instead of “someone who is not powerful or important and who obeys the orders of a powerful leader or boss.” I wonder how long it will take for the latest popular definition to make it into Webster’s. 

For me, the minion movies hold the same musical appeal that Shrek does. Isn’t it interesting that these movies seem to always include a few songs from yesteryear?  I laughed aloud when I heard Boogie Fever and You Should Be Dancing. And, I’m thinking I may have to run up to Redbox to rent Despicable Me 2.  That soundtrack offers Y.M.C.A from 1978, Mungo Jerry’s In the Summertime from 1970 and a bit of Bob Marley.

Hmmm. I wonder whether the music selection is carefully chosen to keep both parents and grandparents engaged as they accompany the little ones to the movies.  That thought prompted me to google the soundtrack of the new Minions movie.  I can’t prove there’s a sinister plot to snare the adult audience, but the song list sure seems to support that theory.  It’s the soundtrack we baby boomers know and love from our younger days, and that means our kids grew up surrounded by the same sounds. I’m betting most folks will recognize these songs:

• Got to Get You Into My Life
• I’m a Man
• 19^th Nervous Breakdown
• Purple Haze
• Happy Together
• You Really Got Me

Your trivia quiz for the day is to recall who performed the songs way back when. And, if those song titles made you smile, you’ll want to check out the full list which also includes some television theme songs.  I’m beginning to understand why Minions is now the second-biggest animated opening film of all time, surpassing Toy Story 3. Shrek the Third, the only Shrek movie I didn’t see, still holds the top spot.

I may have found the ticket out of the summer TV doldrums. Before we start binge watching House of Cards and Homeland, I think I’ll rent Shrek the Third and Despicable Me 2.  Heck, we could even hit a movie theater to see Minions on the big screen. Stranger things have happened.