Its true to say as well that the vast number of cover versions and the numerous one-hit wonders it spawned might well make this soundtrack disposable, but it captures an essence about this part of the 90s and indeed the happy-go-lucky nature of the film. There are one or two omissions from the official soundtrack I find slightly regrettable, most notably Nick Cave’s brilliant ‘Red Right Hand’, and the timeless/annoying (depending on your perspective) Crash Test Dummies hit ‘Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm’, which appeared to be dropped in favour of their cover of XTC’s ‘The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead’.
There are songs I struggle to remember actually hearing in the movie – its been a long time since I watched it – so the soundtrack also features stuff such as a cover of ‘The Hurdy Gurdy Man’ at the B Surfers, who’s messed-up take on the song produced an even more out-there video, and contributions from comedy metallers Green Jelly, one-time Britpop darlings Echobelly, and alt-rockers The Lupins and The Sons (feat. There’s also a joyous cover of the Smokey Robinson-penned ‘Get Ready’ by The Proclaimers, the bounce of Deadeye Dick’s flash-in-the-pan hit ‘New Age Girl’ and the summery pop-rock of The Primitive’s ‘Crash (’95 mix) – the remix signifying additional guitars that made this particular version of the song, originally recorded in 1988, the standout version. Off the back of that, I checked out the Gigolo Aunts’ ‘Where I Find My Heaven’, whose video took various clips from the film, and in which their singer Dave Gibbs looks a lot like Jim Carrey’s character Lloyd Christmas. I began to realise that the Dumb and Dumber OST (RCA, 1994) appeared to be aging remarkably well.
It floated around for a few days until I finally decided to check it out on YouTube. Just recently, the Pete Droge song ‘If You Don’t Love Me (I’ll Kill Myself)’ entered my head for no apparent reason other than recall. Yet somehow, the soundtrack to the 1994 comedy movie ‘ Dumb & Dumber’ is remarkably resilient. A mishmash of alternative rock and mainstream pop, some of which is tinged with the dreaded ‘N’ word – novelty – ought to disappear into bargain bins and forgotten consciousnesses everywhere. I know soundtracks don’t get recognition unless they’re absolutely bombastic and nominated for an Oscar. Maybe its because this film was a part of my growing up that I hold it in high regard. So this is the first time I’ve actually selected a film’s soundtrack for inclusion in this series.
I should note before going any further that normally, my underrated feature usually only includes specific songs or albums that I feel warrant further recognition – a full list follows at the bottom of this feature.