Sky High’s Soundtrack Accidentally Got Me Hooked on New Wave

By Erin Christie

My introduction to one of the greatest love songs of all time — Modern English’s “I Melt With You” — was not through the British new wave band themselves, but instead, through the Grammy-nominated pop-punk band, Bowling For Soup, who covered it for the soundtrack of Disney’s 2005 classic, Sky High. It wasn’t until years later, when I began getting into new wave, that I realized (embarrassingly enough) that Bowling For Soup’s version wasn’t the original, and that my memory of the track was a total sham. Regardless, the realization got me thinking… in what universe would British alt bands exist in the same dialogue as Disney channel? And what inspired Sky High’s creative team to pursue the direction they did when crafting the film’s soundtrack, when, typically, Disney soundtracks might contain music written exclusively for the film in question, more contemporary songs, or tracks performed by stars-turned-musicians from the Disney universe?

Sky High’s entire soundtrack, amazingly enough, consists of classic songs from the late ’70s and ’80s, tackled by contemporary bands of the mid-aughties (such as They Might Be Giants and Elefant). Ginger Sling’s version of The Go-Go’s “Can’t Stop the World,” for example, plays as the main cast is first introduced to their new school. In another scene, Will hosts a party against his parents’ permission, and ‘Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry” (covered by Vitamin C) paints the landscape. Sure, some of the covers may sound exactly as you might expect them to— like a slightly watered-down Disney version of a standout 1980s hit — but, at least by my standards, they’re notable just the same. Despite slight stylistic differences, they retain the essence of the originals (via instrumentation), and carry the same sort of moodiness/angst they’re meant to. Even with consideration that ‘80s synth and Disney don’t necessarily mesh, it still somehow works.

At the same time, it somehow makes sense that Sky High would have a killer soundtrack, as it’s arguably one of the more iconic Disney Channel original movies. It’s plot combines themes of self-acceptance with battles against conformity, familial pressures, bullying, romantic qualms, and much more, making it the perfect feel-good family flick, not to mention the fact that everything is set against a backdrop where superpowers are commonplace. So, of course the film’s team wanted to do it justice, sonically. 

Additionally, Sky High’s soundtrack producer and music supervisor, Lisa Brown-Leopold, is also credited as having worked on the soundtracks for films such as Freaky Friday, White Chicks (surprising!), Ice Princess, Just My Luck, and a handful of others, each containing relatively decent soundtrack material (even if you just consider the fact that British pop-rock group, McFly, performed a decent portion of Just My Luck’s). That said, it makes sense that, under her guidance, Sky High’s soundtrack would stand out, too.

In an early interview with a tiny blog called Women Is, Brown-Leopold noted that, in her role as soundtrack producer, it was most important to her to “carry out a director’s visions.” “You’re always asking, ‘What does the director want the audience to feel?” “When I hear music,” she continued, “I can visualize the story lines and themes. I’m really conscious of how it makes me feel.” Regarding her work on the soundtrack for Sky High, she likely channeled these exact motivations. Hence, it makes sense that she made the choices she did in the context of the film, such as including DEVO’s “Through Being Cool” — with lines such as “Going to bang some heads/Going to beat some butts” — to play over a montage sequence where the sidekicks learn some new tricks and accept their new identities; or using The Smith’s “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” during a scene where Will mopes over not having his powers; or choosing Spandau Ballet’s love-lorn ballad “True” to play over any time Will gets lost in Gwen’s illuminating presence.

Leopold wasn’t the only Disney soundtrack producer with a knack for ‘70s hits during her time, though, and Sky High wasn’t the only film from this era to feature this kind of soundtracking. Another Disney classic, Lindsay Lohan’s Herbie: Fully Loaded, took a similar direction, featuring The Moony Suzuki (who inspired Julian Casablancas and co. to begin The Strokes) covering Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” and Rooney (the band fronted by Robert Schwartzman, director, actor — notably, as Michael in the Princess Diaries series — and brother of Jason Schwartzman of Coconut Records) taking on T. Rex’s “Metal Guru.” 

The funny thing is, what I remember of both 2005 films is that they’re both entertaining, fairly well-written, and have heartwarming, compelling thematic material. The fact that they both have soundtracks composed of classics-turned-covers is a total added bonus, and perhaps a large part of the positive associations I have with them years later, especially as a current fan of the songs they featured. 

With Sky High specifically, aside from having an excellent backbone, music soundtracking was definitely a key feature in cementing its legendary status. I would consider it one of the greats, not even for a Disney movie, but as an adolescent staple for kids growing up in the ‘00s. Undoubtedly, the sort of content we consume as kids leaves a mark on us, whether as something we can look back on fondly, or with complete and utter shame and embarrassment. In the case of growing up on Disney, though definitely kind of hilarious in general, one piece I am glad to take away from that time in my younger years is coming across content such as Sky High.

If not simply to reminisce on simpler times, I suggest giving it a re-watch and paying attention to each new soundtrack inclusion that plays. For young’ns tuning into the Disney Channel to catch an Original Movie every odd week circa 2005, those very covers you’d hear upon rewatching could’ve been their sonic introduction to bands such as Talking Heads, Tears For Fears, and The Cars. Subconsciously, this was the case for me.

SKY HIGH SOUNDTRACK TRACKLIST

1. Modern English’s “I Melt with You” (performed by Bowling For Soup)

2. DEVO’s “Through Being Cool” (performed by They Might Be Giants)

3. The Beat’s “Save It For Later” (performed by Flashlight Brown)

4. Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (performed by Christian Burns)

5. The Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another” (performed by Steven Strait)

6. Thompson Twins’ “Lies” (performed by The Click Five)

7. ‘Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry” (performed by Vitamin C) 

8. The Smith’s “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” (performed by Elefant)

9. Spandau Ballet’s “True” (performed by Cary Brothers)

10. The Cars’ “Just What I Needed” (performed by Caleigh Peters)

11. The Go-Go’s “Can’t Stop the World” (performed by Ginger Sling)

12. Talking Heads’ “And She Was” (performed by Keaton Simons)

13. The Beat’s “Twist and Crawl” (performed by Skindred)