The 1998 Pleasantville soundtrack CD is a terrific late-'90s film soundtrack, and it's actually quite unusual because it combines 1950s/early-'60s recordings with contemporary alternative music and Randy Newman's original score.

🎵 Track listing

Across the Universe – Fiona Apple

Dream Girl – Robert & Johnny

Be-Bop-A-Lula – Gene Vincent

Lawdy Miss Clawdy – Larry Williams

Sixty Minute Man – Billy Ward & The Dominoes

Take Five – The Dave Brubeck Quartet

At Last – Etta James

(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear – Elvis Presley

Rave On – Buddy Holly & The Crickets

Please Send Me Someone to Love – Fiona Apple

So What – Miles Davis

Suite from Pleasantville – Randy Newman

🎸 What's so good about it?

The soundtrack cleverly mirrors the film itself. The story starts in a seemingly perfect black-and-white 1950s television world, so the early rock'n'roll, doo-wop and jazz tracks establish that period beautifully.

Then there's Fiona Apple's extraordinary cover of “Across the Universe.” It's probably the most memorable contemporary recording on the album and gives the soundtrack a much more modern, melancholy dimension.

“Take Five” and Miles Davis's “So What” are also inspired choices. They aren't simply period decoration—they help give the soundtrack a genuine sense of musical sophistication.

And then you get Randy Newman's eight-minute “Suite from Pleasantville”, which brings together themes from his score. Newman's music is actually an important part of the film's emotional transformation from comedy into something considerably deeper.

🎬 An important distinction

There are actually two different 1998 Pleasantville CDs:

Epic – Pleasantville: Music from the Motion Picture

12 tracks / 47:36 — the one with Fiona Apple, Etta James, Elvis, Miles Davis, etc. This is the song soundtrack.

Varèse Sarabande – Pleasantville (Original Motion Picture Score)

17 tracks / about 31 minutes — Randy Newman's instrumental score only.

So if you're looking at the Epic 492594-2 CD, you've got the more varied and arguably more enjoyable soundtrack.

⭐ My rating

★★★★★ 5/5

This is one to definitely keep in a CD collection. It's an unusually well-curated soundtrack: classic rock'n'roll + soul + jazz + Fiona Apple + Randy Newman, all tied together by the film's concept.

Best tracks:

🥇 Across the Universe – Fiona Apple

🥈 At Last – Etta James

🥉 Take Five – Dave Brubeck Quartet

🎸 Be-Bop-A-Lula – Gene Vincent

🎹 Suite from Pleasantville – Randy Newman

For a 1998 soundtrack CD, it has aged remarkably well.