We’ve been looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for a very long time, and for several reasons. The first, of course, is to see the end of the journey for this iteration of the Guardians. Writer-director James Gunn has promised a tear-jerker of a finale. Rocket’s going to break our hearts, gosh darning. But moreover, we want to hear the third volume of needle drops to score the action and drama. And now the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 soundtrack is finally here and our ears are ready. James Gunn revealed the official mixtape, which includes all the music from all the films and the Christmas special.
Interesting to note, the Vol. 3 tracks include a mix of both the ’70s music we got in the first two volumes, plus a smattering of ’80s and ’90s hits. What can this mean?!?!
Only a James Gunn mix would start with Radiohead’s “Creep (Acoustic)” and go straight into Heart’s “Crazy On You.” Other fun standouts include Spacehog’s “In the Meantime,” The Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize??” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys. Vol. 3 has a really fascinating soundtrack, because you have Rainbow and Earth, Wind & Fire, but also stuff like Faith No More and X. Perhaps Peter Quill is diversifying his musical tastes this time around. Even Florence + The Machine makes an appearance. And judging by Florence Welch’s response to the musical cue in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 soundtrack, we’ll all be sobbing soon.
We truly can’t wait to see how Gunn incorporates each of these tracks into the action. Between these movies and The Suicide Squad, Gunn might be in the pantheon of Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright as purveyors of merging great existing music with movie action.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (and its soundtrack) is now in theaters.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
Originally published on April 3, 2023.
