The most underrated soundtrack of the early 2000s

When someone brings up Orange County, California — many beach-based, rich-kid tropes are evoked and summoned to life to the tune of Phantom Planet’s “California.” B-roll instantly flashes through your mind spanning the wealthy hills of Malibu dipping straight off into Pacific-bliss all whilst torn and tormented with the arguably one of the more important questions all of us 30-somethings asked ourselves at one point in our life: team Ryan or team Seth? 

Now, I myself; a Seth guy, through and through. But, for the purposes of this article, that is neither here nor there. While most teens of the early 2000s were flocking like popped-collar polo-wearing, froste-tipped seagulls to their nearest American Eagle to cop the latest volume of hits of “The OC” — there were a select few of us in the punk/nerd crowd who knew of “Orange County” as the 2002 box office flop starring Tom Hanks’ lookalike offspring (foreshadowing here) and newcomer, Jack Black. 

Although the movie may have crashed and burned commercially with a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes and a draw of only 43.3 million at the box office, there is no soundtrack that better exemplifies 2002 than this master-timepiece that the film fittingly and angstily encapsulated with precision. For the love of MTV — who else is brave enough to throw Social Distortion, The Offspring, Cake, BRIAN WILSON, Pete Yorn, Crazy Town, Lit and Sugarbomb all on the same compact disc and call it a day? Columbia, that’s who. The compilation came out a week before Christmas in 2001 and peaked at #6 on the Billboard Top Soundtracks that year. 

The Offspring — natives to the OC even contributed an original composition that undoubtedly could’ve complimented any of their albums, “Defy You.” Although the arrangement of the tracks was originally heavily criticized by like… one guy on the interweb with a platform (who shall go unnamed) — I have an offering. As both a failed musician and great appreciator of diversity in both sound and soundtrack, the target market at the time consisted of 14 year-olds who dreamt of living in Cali, attending high school on the cliffs of the Pacific and bumming drugs off of their brother, Jack Black. All things considered, Columbia — as the kids say — understood the assignment, and above and beyond this, it slaps if I do say so my 36-year-old self. 

This soundtrack had the ability to swing any hardcore Gen Z Swiftie off their roof and directly into a Hawaiian shirt screaming Brian Wilson’s praises as they sink the bottom of their neighborhood pool in a fit of rage that they missed the true harmony years that Beach Boy had to offer all of us. “Lay Down Burden” and “Love and Mercy” both made the album and set the tone for 22 years of depression in all of our futures. That man could write a sad song, what can I say? 

Pete Yorn is the ever-needed complimentary color to, perhaps, Crazy Town’s only soundtrack feature. This may or may not be true, but I don’t think any of us care enough to find out. Having spoken with Pete about 6 years ago, I can confirm it was his life’s goal to be featured on a major motion soundtrack with those butterfly sugar babies. On a different note, that track’s hook was oddly similar to the RHCP track “Pretty Little Ditty” and by oddly similar, I mean a direct copyright infringement. But, (puts my Kermit mask on) that’s none of my business, and who am I to call out Crazy Town for breaking the law? 

All around — this CD needs to be in your tape deck — what’s that? P—people don’t talk like this anymore? Ah, okay, I see — got it. Well, if you don’t predate the album, go Twitchstream it or something and thank me later, you little punks. And if you do predate the album, go pop this in the disc changer of your 1999 Ford Explorer and hang loose, as we used to say.