Bros stars Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane, plus director Nicholas Stoller, talk us through some of the key songs featured in their hilarious queer romcom – from Mariah Carey to Patrick Swayze.
Mariah Carey – ‘Heartbreaker / “If You Should Ever Be Lonely” (Junior’s Heartbreaker Hard Mix)’
When is it played? Bobby and Aaron meet in the club
Billy Eichner: “I’m a big Mariah Carey fan and I’ve always loved this remix even though it’s a bit obscure. I think it’s usually pretty hard to clear [the rights for] a Mariah song but luckily for me, Mariah has done [Eichner’s comedy gameshow] Billy On The Street and I did her Christmas special, so she’s a friend of mine. It initially started with me texting Mariah to say ‘I need a great club song’ before agents and stuff took over. She loves her LGBTQ fans a lot so I think she also wanted to clear it for that reason.”
Joan Armatrading – ‘Love And Affection’
When is it played? Bobby and Aaron get it on after a day at the beach
BE: “During the summer of 2020, when we were in lockdown, I rented a house in Palm Springs in California. I would just sort of lay by the pool by myself and play music. One day this song came on Spotify and I hadn’t heard it in years and I just thought, ‘Oh my god, this is the song for that scene!’ She’s a queer artist and the lyrics are so perfect for what these guys are going through [in the film]. It’s such a gorgeous song: the orchestration is really simple and beautiful.”
Nicholas Stoller: “Billy and I love the romcoms of the ’90s – you know, the Nora Ephron ones – but we also love the Robert Redford [romantic movies] of the ’70s. And I think using a Joan Armatrading song kind of nods to that era a bit.”
Orville Peck – ‘Turn To Hate’
When is it played? Aaron makes chocolates to celebrate the opening of Bobby’s museum
BE: “The idea to use this song came from Nick [Stoller]. Orville is great and this song comes in a more emotional, moody part of the film where our characters aren’t dating. It’s a poignant song, but it’s got some drive to it. And he’s Canadian right?”
Luke Macfarlane: “Yeah, he’s Canadian like me. He actually came to our premiere and I had a really long conversation with him while he was wearing the mask. I adored him, he was so sweet.”
Kevin Aviance – ‘Alive (Millennium Funk Mix)’
When is it played? At the museum’s opening night party
BE: “When I was first coming out as a gay man and going out in New York City, Kevin Aviance was this iconic underground club performer who would come on very late at night in all these outrageous, fabulous, very creative outfits. He was amazing, but someone who mainstream popular culture would probably have ignored [at the time] because he was so confidently, boldly queer and a queer person of colour. But I was so happy because a month before Bros came out, his song ‘Cunty’ was sampled on Beyoncé’s new album. So he’s kind of having this career resurgence now and it’s really moving to see.”
Patrick Swayze – ‘She’s Like The Wind’
When is it played? Bobby sings in the shower and Aaron overhears
NS: “Billy thought it would be really funny for him to be singing that song, and [that scene] always gets a laugh. Even the shot of his iPhone with the [Dirty Dancing album] artwork gets a laugh.”
BE: “I’ve always loved this song and it’s a nod to a romantic movie I grew up loving. You know, I saw Dirty Dancing twice in the movie theatre! It’s a song that people from my generation love but kind of forget, so I thought it would surprise people but also feel comforting and nostalgic at the same time.”
Eartha Kitt – ‘Santa Baby’
When is it played? At the Christmas party that turns into an orgy
NS: “Originally we had Miss Piggy singing ‘Santa Baby’ in this scene, but surprisingly, Disney did not approve Miss Piggy singing in an orgy scene. But there are a zillion versions of this song so we picked the Eartha Kitt one instead. It just seemed like the right kind of tone for the scene, because we wanted to make it silly and funny, you know?”
LM: “It’s a sexy song, but in a way that’s like ‘ooh, this might be a little too sexy’. Like, it’s almost a bit put on.”
Kylie Minogue – ‘Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)’
When is it played? Everyone hits the dance floor at the museum opening
BE: “Kylie‘s version of this song [which was originally by Rozalla] was a bonus track on her Christmas album a few years ago. I love the way she turns part of the song into a ballad before it becomes a dance song: it’s really beautiful and poignant. For that scene I wanted something that started slow and then really built, so it was perfect. I think in the States, Kylie is more of a gay icon exclusively, but I love her so much. Her songbook is incredible.”
‘Bros’ is in cinemas now
The post ‘Bros’ soundtrack: Billy Eichner picks seven tunes from his feelgood queer romcom appeared first on NME.
