Singles is the original soundtrackalbum to the film Singles, primarily focused on the ascendant Seattlegrunge scene of the early 1990s. It also features contributions from Minneapolis's Paul Westerberg, Chicago's The Smashing Pumpkins, and past Seattle rockers Jimi Hendrix and The Lovemongers. It was released on June 30, 1992. The album has been certified two times platinum by the RIAA in the United States. The soundtrack was reissued in a 2×CD and 2×LP edition on May 19, 2017, coincidentally one day following Chris Cornell's death, although the release date had been announced in January. The reissued soundtrack features a new mastering and a bonus disc of previously unreleased material, including previously rare Chris Cornell recordings. The reissue includes 18 bonus tracks in addition to the original 13-song soundtrack, and also new liner notes and track-by-track descriptions by Cameron Crowe, demos, instrumentals, and live recordings from the likes of Paul Westerberg, Alice in Chains and Mudhoney. Also included is “Touch Me I’m Dick” by Matt Dillon’s fictional band in the film, Citizen Dick, featuring Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. It marks the first commercial release of “Touch Me I’m Dick” as part of the soundtrack. Other songs used in the movie but not included in either edition of its soundtrack are: "Three Days" by Jane's Addiction, "Little Girl" by Muddy Waters, "Dig For Fire" by The Pixies, "Radio Song" by R.E.M., "Blue Train" by John Coltrane, "Family Affair" by Sly & The Family Stone, "She Sells Sanctuary" by The Cult, and "Jinx" by Tad.
Overview
The soundtrack is considered to have helped open the door to the explosive popularity of Seattle grunge in the early 1990s. According to Steve Huey of AllMusic, "Singles helped crystallize the idea of the 'Seattle scene' in the mainstream public's mind, and it was also one of the first big-selling '90s movie soundtracks to feature largely new work from contemporary artists...it's a milestone in the breakthrough of alternative rock into mainstream popular culture, neatly and effectively packaging the Seattle phenomenon for the wider national consciousness." In April 2019, the album was ranked No. 19 on Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Grunge Albums" list.
