An Education (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

In keeping with the plot’s 1961 British backdrop, the music here echoes the jazz-based tastes of protagonist Jenny, a studious teenager who adores all things French (hence the apt selections by Juliette Gréco and Madeleine Peyroux). Contemporary chanteuse Beth Rowley opens with the smoky “You’ve Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger,” a lovely song she co-wrote for the film that sounds so authentically antiquated it could/should have been nominated for Best Original Song. Vince Guaraldi Trio’s piano rendition of “Since I Fell For You” is a welcome instrumental, and the fact that they chose the live version of Ray Charles’ “Tell the Truth” proves that the architects of this soundtrack are smart people with good taste. Similarly, “Comin’ Home Baby” by Mel Tormé and “Teen Scene” by The Hunters truly exemplify what mainstream British kids were listening to in the early ‘60s. Of course no retro Brit-flick’s soundtrack would be complete without Duffy, whose “Smoke Without Fire” fits here like a perfectly tailored three-button suit from Savile Row.