Credit: Marvel StudiosJames Gunn has revealed a shocking new fact regarding the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.
Related: James Gunn’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Proves It’s Not All Said and Done For the MCU
Replying to a fan on Twitter, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) director Gunn revealed that the playlist the intergalactic heroes listen to did have some deleted tracks.
The soundtrack to the Guardians movies are as integral as the characters themselves, and have become a signature part of the characters’ appearances in the MCU. Curated by director Gunn himself — who has overseen all three Guardians movies for Marvel Studios, under the leadership of head Kevin Feige — the soundtracks feature innocuous pop, rock and alt classics that juxtapose with the futuristic sci-fi action seen on screen.
The first Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) established that Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) was getting his love of vintage tunes from his mom, who had left him some cassettes with mix tapes on for him.
After Quill’s defacto father, Yondu (Michael Rooker) dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), he leaves him a true relic: a Microsoft Zune player, loaded with tracks and giving Quill and the Guardians plenty more songs to do their thing to.
But Gunn’s recent revelation changes the way we’ll look at that Zune forever. It might be loaded with 300 songs, but it could have had very different ones…
Charlie Ashby, @CMWAshby on Twitter, asked:
Hey . @JamesGunn quick question about the Zune!
Are all the songs on there the same as when found by the Ravagers, or have Peter or Rocket added to it since?
Either way, loved the soundtrack and the movie. Thank YOU for these almost 10 years with the #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy ❤️
A fair question — Gunn replied:
No additions from after Yondu. But Yondu deleted songs he didn’t like to create a cooler playlist for Peter.
No additions from after Yondu. But Yondu deleted songs he didn’t like to create a cooler playlist for Peter.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 11, 2023
So Yondu had a say in exactly which tracks ended up making their way all the way to Peter. And to be fair, he had decent taste, as the songs we’ve heard since have been great additions to the soundtracks of the movies they’ve appeared in (here’s looking at you, ‘Dog Days Are Over’, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)).
Related: Marvel Villain Gives More Background on Major Twist in New Movie
But what’s an example of a song that didn’t make the cut? Gunn might have been tongue in cheek here, referencing writer and producer Gail Simone, but it was a pretty iconic track too that first got the cut.
Gunn tweeted:
@GailSimone’s favorite song, We Built This City on Rock and Roll.
@GailSimone’s favorite song, We Built This City on Rock and Roll.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 11, 2023
So there we have it – it’ll make you think about that Zune and the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack in a whole different way, knowing it was tailored just for Peter by a treasured space pirate.
Did you enjoy the Guardians soundtrack? Tell us in the comments below.