Episode 78: Heartbreak Radio on the “Chungking Express” Soundtrack (1994)

Episode 78

21st March 2019

Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai has long been known for how he integrates pop songs into his films and soundtracks. Chungking Express, Wong’s breakout international hit, was no exception as he worked  in everything from ’60s folk pop to ’70s reggae to ’90s alternative in the mix, alongside an original score by longtime composer partners Roel Garcia and Frankie Chan. To discuss the melding of sound, image and story in Wong’s fanciful tale of two cops and the women who (may or may not) love them, we brought in the hosts of Heartbreak Radio, Lady Imix and DJ Phatrick.

Episode notes

The Album: Chungking Express Soundtrack (1994)
Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai has long been known for how he integrates pop songs into his films and soundtracks. Chungking Express, Wong’s breakout international hit, was no exception as he worked  in everything from ’60s folk pop to ’70s reggae to ’90s alternative in the mix, alongside an original score by longtime composer partners Roel Garcia and Frankie Chan. To discuss the melding of sound, image and story in Wong’s fanciful tale of two cops and the women who (may or may not) love them, we brought in the hosts of Heartbreak Radio, Lady Imix and DJ Phatrick.
Heartbreak Radio which began as an internet show devoted to the sounds of “beautiful sadness” and now it broadcasts every two weeks on KQBH LP, 101.5 FM, a micro-transmitter station out of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. Imix (aka Sol) and Phatrick (aka Patrick) are now old hands at the sounds of love and longing and it was obvious why they’d want to muse on the music of Chungking Express. Together we talked about how Wong Kar Wai’s movies use pop, how the right song can enhance a character and whether or not Oliver is bugging out when he says that he can’t stand to hear “California Dreamin'” anymore.
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More on Lady Imix and DJ Phatrick

More on the music of Chungking Express

Show Tracklisting (all songs from the soundtrack of Chungking Express unless indicated otherwise):

  • Fornication in Space
  • Things in Life
  • Heartbreak Interlude
  • Flying Pickets: Only You
  • Los Indios Tabajara: Always in My Heart
  • Nat King Cole: Quizas, Quizas, Quizas
  • What A Difference A Day Makes
  • Urge Overkill: Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon
  • California Dreamin’
  • Lee Moses: California Dreamin’
  • Fornication in Space
  • Things in Life
  • Dreams
  • What A Difference A Day Makes
  • Dreams

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In this episode...

Guests

  • Lady Imix
  • DJ Phatrick

About the show

Hosted by Oliver Wang and Morgan Rhodes, every episode of Heat Rocks invites a special guest to talk about a heat rock – a hot album, a scorching record. These are in-depth conversations about the albums that shape our lives.

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