Happy Rex Manning Day! How 'Empire Records' (1995) changed my brain composition and made me cool

By Julia Norkus

April 8 is here again, meaning it’s finally time to celebrate everyone’s favorite holiday–Rex Manning Day. 

If you’re asking yourself what that even means, then you obviously have never experienced the genius that is Empire Records (1995). 

The film, directed by Allan Moyle, is set over the course of one whole day in the lives of the employees at Empire Records. That one day is Rex Manning Day, a day where everyone’s favorite musical has-been stops in to sign some records and is continuously reminded by patrons that he’s washed up. 

Not only that, but there are relationships between each of the characters that make the film complex. If you’ve ever worked in retail or the service industry, it beautifully encapsulates the interactions and bonds you form with your coworkers—especially under pressure. 

At the ripe age of 15, I happened on the film. I was laying on my living room floor in mid-January, recently dumped by a high school boyfriend. I was looking around for something, anything, that might pull me out of my funk. Once I saw something that was about a record store my heart perked up. Maybe it changed my life’s trajectory, or proved even more to me that I wanted to work in music. Regardless, after that day, I had “This is the Day” by The The on a loop. I was hooked on the soundtrack and would even watch videos of the scene where Gina (played by Renee Zellweger) performs with Birko (played by Coyote Shivers) on the roof of the store, a version of the song that doesn’t exist anywhere other than in the film. I became obsessed, and remain obsessed, with the joy of such a place, with people who may be punks, but continuously fight for what they love most.

With that in mind, the soundtrack to a movie about records can’t be bad, because why would I want to watch a movie about a record store with bad taste? So to convince even further that on this fine holiday you should watch Empire Records, below are some of my favorite and particularly life-changing tracks from the movie.

“The Honeymoon is Over” by The Cruel Sea

There’s an art to curating a soundtrack, but even more of an art is selecting an opener. “The Honeymoon is Over” plays as we enter the world of the Delaware-based record store, with all of its chaos and excitement. “Oh there ain’t no fun no more / I don’t know what to say / The honeymoon is over baby / It’s never gonna be that way again” may not be entirely applicable to the plot, but it foreshadows the idea that days of peace are gone.

“Seems” by Queen Sarah Saturday

“Mark, listening to this crap will make you sterile”—sure, AJ might be right, but I can’t deny it’s another great track to introduce the audience to this cast of characters. We see the intricate dynamics of the employees leading up to this song, like the complicated friendship between Gina and Corey (played by Liv Tyler) and openers Mark (played by Ethan Embry)  and AJ (played by Johnny Whitworth), plus, the notable Rex Manning Day that sets everyone on edge, or, in a state of lovelorn delusion for the washed up poser coming into town. It’s the song that plays while the gang is opening up, all singing and dancing while doing their daily duties, and Renee Zellweger singing into a feather duster. “Nothing left to sing about this time / It’s over now / The word is out / It hit the polls / Claimed a place among the rest / Of today’s new things and last night’s shows / The have-you-heards and the did-you-knows.”

“Bright as Yellow” by The Innocence Mission

“And you live life with arms reached out / Eye to eye when speaking / Enter room with great joy, shouts / Happy to be meeting”—often the songs underscore the scenes, where you don’t even realize what track is playing until you hear a line you recognize. Much like the feeling of perusing the racks at a thrift store or wandering about an outdoor market, ever so gently, music breaks through the conversations and the crowds. It’s a clever way to situate the audience within the record store alongside the characters. 

“Free” by The Martini’s 

For no other reason than my need to live vicariously through Deb (played by Robin Tunney) as she shaves her head before clocking in, I need to talk about “Free”. Something about the coming-of-age, main character, insert-teenage-movie-buzzword-here energy this scene exudes as Debra stomps her way into the store and starts chopping her hair off feels, well, freeing. And I think I envy that, the ability to not care what others may think and just let go of the thing holding us back, much like the lyrics, “Who are you to tell me it’ll always be this way / I close my eyes and I turn around / And I leave it all behind.” Anyways, thank you Deborah. 

“Sugarhigh” by Coyote Shivers

Shivers’ character Birko has the lowest stakes in these weaving storylines. All we really get is his vague relationship with Deb and the fact that he most notably is a blunt asshole to anyone he doesn’t like–which is everyone. At the end of the movie, Birko and Gina stand on the roof of Empire, performing the song “Sugarhigh,” which is arguably a better version than the original because of Zellweger’s vocals. Either way, the scene that is built around this performance shows a kind of community that reminded me of block parties I attended as a kid, or school functions with my friends and family. It provides a sense of nostalgia for connection that has felt lost on me over the last few years and I hope I get to experience this feeling again sometime soon. 

“This is the Day” by The The

Anyone that knows me knows I will never shut up about this song. The twinkly opening, the use of some kind of bagpipe, plus the lyrical genius from start to finish make this song a top ten tune for me. “This is the day / your life will surely change / This is the day / Your life will surely change”; listening to those lines every day, multiple times a day, when I was a sad high schooler with a strong disdain for chemistry and precalculus felt like a reminder of the better days to come Not only that, but as the closing song for Empire Records, the entire staff is on the roof dancing together to this song. Call me a softy, but the glow of the sign, the dancing, the song…everything fits together in a way that feels so light and beautiful that I can’t help but cheer on Empire Records, the little store that could. “This is the Day” is the song that gets me through it all and maybe I’ll find myself dancing on a roof with the people I love some time soon.