Music
Store

One major song missing from the US version is Billy Mack's 'Christmas Is All Around'. How they missed this one, I'm sure I'll never figure out, but it is a major part of the entire movie. On top of it, it's a great song, really fun to sing and dance around to, to get you in the holiday spirit!

A couple of other songs worthy of mentioning before you purchase the US version and realize you made a mistake: Otis Reddings 'White Christmas' (I've never heard this song sung quite like Otis does it, he updates a very classic song), Gabrielle's 'Sometimes' (soulful song, has alot of meaning), and two of Craig Armstrong's instrumental's 'PM's Love Theme' and 'Portugese Love Theme' (these two songs will remind you all over again of the feelings you felt while watching the movie on the big screen- hopefulness, happiness, and of course, love).

Now that I mentioned all but one of the songs that were forgotten on the US version, I'll tell you about the the final one. It is an overplayed Mariah Carey Christmas song (I think she's the artist, I'm not a fan), sung by Olivia Olsen, 'All I Want For Chirstmas'. The only thing that saves this song for me is that it is sung by Olivia Olsen, who is a very young girl with an amazing singing talent. That is the only reason I appreciate the song being included on the CD.

I also want to mention that even though the UK version is more expensive, if you go directly to Amazon.co.uk and order it from them, it's cheaper (I paid $19.04 total including shipping), and it is delivered in one week instead of two to three weeks on Amazon.com.

To sum it all up, I love the soundtrack as much as I did the movie, it's upbeat, will get you singing and dancing, and hopefully into the holiday spirit!!!

** I am editing my review slightly because I did not realize, as most wouldn't until they actually purchased the US version or read a couple of the helpful reviews left by others, that Billy Mack and Olivia Olsen's songs were included on the soundtrack. I do, however, still think that the UK version is the most complete ensamble because it does include those extra few songs I mentioned above.


Beautiful & unique eclectic mix   November 13, 2003
 75 out of 80 found this review helpful

The soundtrack of "Love Actually" is extremely beautiful, uplifting and fun. The film itself is so rich and strange it's hard to pick out favorite moments. But the three onscreen musical performances certainly translate well from screen to CD, and serve the film as the glue that hold the various love stories together.

The first song performed in the film is crazy Bill Nighy's hilarious crusty version of "Love is All Around", the second is Lyndon David Hall's uplifting and soulful rendition of John Lennon's classic "All You Need is Love", and the third is 11 year old Olivia Olson who bursts from the screen at the end of the film--in a "Star Is Born" moment--singing like an angel. (She belts out Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas")

I like the longer remixes on the CD of all three, although the live filmed performances of Bill, Lyndon and Olivia all have a raw, funny, joyful and soulful beauty.

This CD is bursting with the same emotion we get from the film--an absolute love of life. One of my favorite cuts is Eva Cassidy's gut-wrenchingly beautiful version of Christine McVie's "Songbird". (Cassidy died of breast cancer at a young age and the joy and sorrow in her voice is hauntingly beautiful.) Another is Joni Mitchell's incredible smokey-voiced version of a song she wrote as a young girl, now filled with layers of profound meaning sung by her beautifully deep, smokey voice as an adult.

Check it out for Brian Wilson's best song, the exquisite sadness and joy in Eva Cassidy's beautiful voice, and especially to experience the discovery of little Olivia Olson who may well launch from this film into mega-stardom.

My rating on this CD: 5 STARS


Complete List of Songs for "Love Actually"   September 9, 2004
 43 out of 43 found this review helpful

Right then. If you're like me, you hate when soundtracks come out missing your favorite songs. Of course, it's next to impossible to include all the songs in a movie on a soundtrack but you hope for the best. "Love Actually" comes close. But for you ... uh ... Soundtrackaphiles like me, you can't sleep till you HAVE IT ALL! So here is a complete list of the tracks in Love Actually in the order they appear (hopefully). I'm missing a few untitled instrumental pieces used by Craig Armstrong (brilliant!).

First ... in the trailer (and this always bugs me when they don't use the trailer songs in the film) are the following:
1. I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
2. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
3. (untitled Craig Armstrong music)
4. This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - Natalie Cole

The soundtrack itself:
1. Christmas is All Around - Billy Mack
2. All You Need is Love - Lynden David Hall
3. Take Me As I Am - Wyclef Jean
4. Bye Bye Baby - Bay City Rollers
5. Puppy Love - S. Club Juniors
6. Sweetest Goodbye - Maroon 5
7. Glasgow Love Theme - Craig Armstrong
8. All I Want For Christmas - Tessa Niles
9. I'll See It Through - Texas
10. River - Joni Mitchell
11. Jump - The Pointer Sisters
12. Here With Me - Dido
13. Rose - James Horner "from Titanic Soundtrack"
14. The Trouble With Love - Kelly Clarkson
15. Like I Love You - Justin Timberlake
16. Turn Me On - Norah Jones
17. Songbird - Eva Cassidy
18. All Alone On Christmas - Darlene Love
19. Smooth - Santana/Rob Thomas
20. Wherever You Will Go - The Calling
21. Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
22. White Christmas - Otis Redding
23. ("Jump" reprise)
24. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Olivia Olson
25. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
26. The Trouble With Love (reprise for credits)
27. Too Lost In You - Sugababes (credits).

There you go. Hope that helps. A few more things. Craig Armstrong uses mainly three pieces of music: 1. Glasgow Love Theme, 2. PM Love Theme and 3. Portuguese Love Theme ... these are used interchangeably throughout the film. You can find them online if you look hard.

One more thing for you extremists: On the DVD Audio Commentary, Richard Curtis says he, in place of "God Only Knows" was going to use "The Loving" by XTC but didn't. So if you want, find that song too.

Happy listening!


Brilliant for one reason: Mine's English!   April 25, 2004
 42 out of 46 found this review helpful

I have been reading reviews of this CD being a disappointment becuase the US version is missing some tracks from the UK version, or a few have been altered. For example, Maroon 5 is no longer a full cut of Sweetest Goodbye, but now it's a joining of two songs, and this US version has the original Pointer Sisters version of Jump, unlike the UK version which has the new Girls Aloud edition. Both are great, but I feel I should just warn some unsuspecting others. Another difference which is effective on both additions is the Lynden David Hall version of 'All You Need Is Love'. This is a disappointingly dull song with an appaling beat, that doesn't compare to the version in the film and its trailer.
Despite the US version's flaws, Love Actually is an excellent CD soundtrack that hands a lot more respectful reputation to the brilliant film. Unlike the US version, the UK soundtrack has two more of the instrumentals. In addition the UK gets the beautiful PM's and Portuguese Love Themes. It also gets the same treatment as the US soundtrack, but in different track order. The UK soundtrack has got the instrumentals last on the CD, whereas the three Christmas songs not displayed on the Amazon.com page are placed in different areas of the CD, and so are more smoothly spaced out.
Those three are all excellent covers. Otis Redding does a surprisingly good rendition of 'White Christmas', Billy Mack's 'Love Is All Around' is hilarious, but lacks the backing vocals of the Motown singers featured at the start of the film, and Olivia Olson's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' is fantastic. The second best song on the CD, just behind Kelly Clarkson's 'Trouble With Love', but definitely the best cover. She has just such an incredible voice for such a young age, and at times can just make you not care about the other tracks! IT'S BRILLIANT!!!
My song preferences rank like this:
1. Kelly Clarkson - Trouble With Love Is
2. Olivia Olson - All I Want For Christmas Is You
3. Beach Boys - God Only Knows
4. Billy Mack - Christmas Is All Around
5. The Calling - Wherever You Will Go
6. Girls Aloud - Jump (For My Love)
7. Maroon 5 - Sweetest Goodbye
8. Otis Redding - White Christmas
9. Dido - Here With Me
10. Norah Jones - Turn Me On
11. Sugababes - Too Lost In You
12. Lynden David Hall - All You Need Is Love
13. Gabrielle - Sometimes
14. Eva Cassidy - Songbird
15. Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
16. Texas - I'll See It Through
17. Wyclef Jean - Take Me As I Am

My instrumental preferences rank like this:
1. PM's
2. Glasgow's
3. Portuguese