Review
Genre and Mood
The Retrosettes Sister Band’s “You Got The Love” is a cover by a band whose sound is often compared to 1970s folk rock, dreamy in the way the film uses it and heartfelt in the way the song has always been.
Song Summary
This is the version that opens Youth, Paolo Sorrentino’s 2015 film about two old friends, a retired composer played by Michael Caine and a film director played by Harvey Keitel, on holiday at a spa hotel in the Swiss Alps. Little White Lies described the first scene: a chanteuse singing on a spinning podium, dancing figures blurred behind her. The recording opens the soundtrack album, released by Milan in December 2015, and runs three minutes and twenty seconds. The soundtrack credits the performance to The Retrosettes Sister Band and the writing to A. Stephens, A. Harris and D. Rush.
Musical Breakdown
No source describes this recording section by section, so the breakdown stays with what the band and the film’s critics say.
The Voice
The band’s lead singer, Helen, sings and plays piano. Her voice, the band says, has elements of Stevie Nicks, Carole King and Carly Simon, with a sound that is her own.
The Band
Around her the Retrosettes play as a full band, with guitar, bass and drums. Their sound, they say, is often compared to the authentic folk-rock bands of the 1970s; Candi Staton’s original was a soul, disco and gospel track. Which of those the recording leans toward, no source says.
Concepts in Focus
A cover version of this song is joining a long line. Candi Staton recorded it for a documentary about a man trying to lose weight, and it was released as a single on 1 December 1986. In 1991 The Source laid her a cappella over Jamie Principle’s “Your Love” and took it to number four in the UK; in 2009 Florence + the Machine made it a hit again as “You’ve Got the Love”. Compare how Ane Brun – Big In Japan recasts another famous original in a gentler setting.
A soundtrack song placed first in a film sets its tone. Sorrentino’s choice puts a song about love, sung by a hotel band, over the first images of a film in which two men in their seventies reflect on their lives.
Artistic Context
Il Post explained that the band playing covers in the film’s hotel is a real Manchester band with a vintage repertoire. According to the band, Sorrentino saw a simple YouTube clip of them and booked them for the opening scene, which also features Caine and Keitel. They have since renamed themselves The Horse Puppets.
Impact and Reception
Youth competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May 2015, and David Lang’s “Simple Song #3” from it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The band says their version became the film’s title track. Watch the opening, then listen again.
