The soft dynamics and light texture of only piano notes allows the viewer to immediately assume that Donnie is a curious and adventurous teenager, and that while waking up on a mysterious road can be off-putting, this situation is more amusing than frightening. A simple piano with the accompaniment of a female choral vocal creates a feeling of innocence and wonder for the viewer.
Michael Andrew’s score plays as Donnie wakes up and sees that he has sleepwalked (or rather sleep-rode his bike) to the top of this hill. He has a scenic and panoramic view of his small hometown in Middlesex, Virginia. The opening scene of Donnie Darko begins with the protagonist Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) on the side of the road. The following will analyze the functions provided by the film’s non-diegetic soundtrack of songs: “The Killing Moon” (Echo and the Bunnymen, 1984), “Head Over Heels” (Tears for Fears, 1985), “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (Steve Baker, Carmen Daye), “Under the Milky Way” (The Church, 1988), and “Mad World” (Tears for Fears, 1983). Not to take anything away from Michael Andrews’ original and impressive score, the film’s score will be integrated into the discussion of soundtrack when appropriate. Each of the musical pieces chosen by Kelly and his music editors help to define the film, commentate on the narrative of the film, and ultimately influence the emotional tone of the scene. This example is perhaps exemplified best in Richard Kelly’s freshman effort, Donnie Darko. But when used in a non-diegetic form, replacing or co-existing with a film’s score, a film’s song soundtrack can sometimes create a stronger relationship with the viewer as well as the onscreen action.
Soundtracks are usually used by a filmmaker diegetically, coming from inside the film’s narrative. If utilized properly, popular music used from a different previous context can bring the same amount of artistic and practical worth as originally composed scores. Their artistic weight and contribution to the film are overlooked and not fully appreciated simply because critics sometimes view them as a “short-cut” to creating a film’s music or consider them as just entertainment. Often, the pre-produced songs used in film music, or popularly referred to as the film’s soundtrack, are overshadowed. But for many low-budget, independent or semi-independent projects, epic film scores are not the most advantageous choice. Most people probably think of the original film score when referring to a film’s musical components. One of the very fundamental elements when creating a film is the arrangement of the film music.