Singles Turns 20

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Cameron Crowe classic Singles. Why is this film important you ask? Well let's see, the fact that it was based in Seattle during the height of the Grunge scene, and the fact that the soundtrack alone showcased a plethora of well known Seattle based artist's who help shaped not only the Grunge genre, but the Seattle rock scene alone should be enough. Yes we all know Cameron Crowe was well known for such classics as Say Anything and Almost Famous to name a few. But Singles was that film that featured many famous landmarks such as Gasworks Park, Capitol Hill district and even the final resting place of the original Seattle rock star Jimi Hendrix, and gave the vibe that Seattle was (and still is) a great place. 

But enough on the film, what really made Singles so great was the awesome soundtrack that accompanied it. With bands such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden (which members of both bands make cameos) Alice in Chains, and even bands that weren't from Seattle such as Screaming Tree's (Ellensburg, WA) and Smashing Pumpkins (Chicago, IL which can be compared to Seattle in some aspects). The film was completed in early 1991 but not released till late 1992  thanks to Warner Bros. not sure how to market the film. But after the Grunge scene exploded, the studio finally caved in. Though not successful, Singles has become somewhat of a cult classic amongst the Gen X scene. 

Another interesting tidbit, Warner Bros. Tried to turn Singles into a TV show on NBC. However Cameron Crowe hated the idea and wanted nothing to do with it leaving the studio to go ahead with it but change the elements. That became the basis for the hit sitcom Friends.

I'll be honest, I actually never had seen Singles until a few months ago. I had owned it on DVD and it sat on my shelf for over 3 years. I finally decided to have double feature night while editing photos and watch Singles and another one of my favorites the Christian Slater classic, Pump Up The Volume. I can clearly say it is now one of my favorite films, and why I waited so long to actually see it still puzzles me to this day.

But the fact remains, if it wasn'f for films like Singles, we wouldn't have films like Reality Bites or even later films like that of Garden State. And you can thank the music for making this film as kick ass as it is.