Credit: Marvel StudiosGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) director James Gunn took to Twitter to officially reveal “Awesome Mix Vol. 3” before the movie’s release.
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Moreso than any other property in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies heavily rely on their soundtracks. Based on a cassette tape Peter Quill/Starlord kept after Yondu kidnaped him, each “Awesome Mix” has served as a great way to build up anticipation for the movie while previewing the film’s tone.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) still has Quill, played by Chris Pratt, recovering from the death of Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana, even though another version of her has entered their universe. Despite this, the Guardians, now made up of Dave Bautista’s Drax, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel’s Groot, Karen Gillan’s Nebula, Pom Klementieff’s Mantis, Sean Gunn’s Kraglin Obfonteri, and Maria Bakalova’s Cosmo the Spacedog, have to battle the High Evolutionary and Adam Warlock, played by Chukwudi Iwuji and Will Poulter respectively.
The third movie takes on a sadder tone, with Quill still mourning Gamora and Rocket having to come face to face with his abusive creator, the High Evolutionary. And the new “Awesome Mix Vol. 3” definitely reflects that.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s Awesome Mix Vol. 3 Features Multiple Decades
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Director James Gunn took to Twitter to announce that “Awesome Mix Vol. 3” was live on Spotify, sharing the cover for the album. And looking at the tracklist, this one hits differently than the previous two.
First, the songs now spend multiple decades instead of just being a mash-up of classic 80s jams. This is because Quill now has a Zune instead of a Walkman since it was gifted to him by the late Yondu at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). Therefore, we’re seeing a lot of songs past the 80s, including “No Sleep Til Brooklyn” by The Beastie Boys and “Creep” by Radiohead.
And speaking of Radiohead, the songs are a lot more melancholy overall, reflecting the tone for Quill’s and Rocket’s journeys in the movie. “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machines and “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” by Alice Cooper are great songs, but they don’t have the same upbeat energy and tone as “Hooked On A Feeling” by Blue Swede.
The #GotGVol3 soundtrack is now live. Listen to the music before seeing the film in theaters on May 5. #GuardiansoftheGalaxyVol3 https://t.co/mQcySprLbx pic.twitter.com/ojvjDG8Y9A
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 3, 2023
That said, every song on the soundtrack is fantastic and worth a listen, especially if you want to get a feeling for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Gunn shared the whole playlist on Spotify and every song ever featured in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. If you don’t have Spotify, don’t worry! Gunn also shared an Apple Music playlist.
Here’s the full tracklist for “Awesome Mix Vol. 3:”
“Creep” (Acoustic Version) – Performed by Radiohead
“Crazy On You” – Performed by Heart
“Since You Been Gone” – Performed by Rainbow
“In the Meantime” – Performed by Spacehog
“Reasons” – Performed by Earth, Wind and Fire
“Do You Realize??” – Performed by The Flaming Lips
“We Care a Lot” – Performed by Faith No More
“Koinu no Carnival” (From “Minute Waltz”) – Performed by EHAMIC
“I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” – Performed by Alice Cooper
“San Francisco” – Performed by The Mowgli’s
“Poor Girl” – Performed by X
“This Is the Day” – Performed by The The
“No Sleep Till Brooklyn” – Performed by Beastie Boys
“Dog Days Are Over” – Performed by Florence + The Machine
“Badlands” – Performed by Bruce Springsteen
“I Will Dare” – Performed by The Replacements
“Come and Get Your Love” – Performed by Redbone
Which song on Awesome Mix Vol. 3 is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.