Reality Bites (soundtrack)

RCA Records met with the film's music supervisor Karyn Rachtman, and Stiller, three weeks into filming, to discuss the soundtrack album.^[1] They finalized a deal and the label opened its roster to the director, who picked only one band: Me Phi Me. Lisa Loeb, a mutual friend of Hawke, had performed one song "Stay (I Missed You)" which marked the start of her career.^[2] Loeb initially recorded the song in the early 1990s to sell it to Daryl Hall, for a project he was seeking music for. However, she decided to use the song herself.^[3] Eventually, she gave the tape to Hawke, who in turn gave it to Stiller and had agreed to use the song.^[4] Though the song was initially titled "Stay", it later included the title "I Miss You" in the soundtrack to avoid confusion with other rock songs under the same title.^[5][6]

The film's soundtrack includes songs by World Party, Squeeze, the Knack (a remixed version of "My Sharona" featured prominently in one scene from the film), Juliana Hatfield, Social Distortion, Big Mountain ("Baby I Love Your Way") and two contributions from Crowded House ("Locked Out" and "Something So Strong"). It also includes "Conjunction Junction" from Schoolhouse Rock!, another song brought into the foreground of a film full of pop culture references. Besides acting, Ethan Hawke also performed two songs in the film.^[7][8]

Reality Bites soundtrack was released on February 8, 1994, featuring 15 tracks.^[9] RCA Records aggressively marketed the album and had five tracks on rotation on radio and MTV.^[1] The video for Crowded House's "Locked Out" was updated to include footage from the film. In addition, the video for "Spin the Bottle" by the Juliana Hatfield Three was directed by Stiller and featured clips from the film as well.^[1] Ethan Hawke directed the music video for "Stay" in a rare one-take video on film, a continuous steadicam shot operated by Robin Buerki.^[10] As a part of the film's 10th anniversary, RCA released another soundtrack featuring six additional tracks that were not included in the original release.^[11]

The soundtrack sold 1.2 million units upon initial release and reached #13 on the Billboard 200.^[12] The album also earned a No. 1 single with Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)"; Loeb thereby became the first artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts even before she was signed by major record labels.^[13] The soundtrack peaked at number 2 in Australia and was certified platinum.^[14]

Reality Bites has been ranked at number 80 on one of the greatest soundtracks of all time by Rolling Stone.^[15] It has been regarded as one of the best soundtracks that came during the 1990s.^[16] Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that "the soundtrack to Reality Bites presents the finest of the decade's mainstream alternative pop artists".^[17]