Difference between revisions of "Songs mentioned in Inherent Vice"

Revision as of 13:55, 10 July 2025

Songs, Music and Artists in Inherent Vice

This is a playlist to hear the music referenced in Inherent Vice. The songs are organized below by the page on which they are found. Enjoy...

There is a Pynchon Wiki Playlist of Thomas Pynchon's "Inherent Vice" on Spotify if you use that streaming service.

Inherent Vice Playlist

1: Country Joe and the Fish
Look/Listen to Country Joe playing "Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die" or Listen to CJ & the Fish's "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine"
3: "Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles: Listen...
10: "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies Listen...
11: "Runaround Sue" by Dion Listen...
36: Dick Dale: Dick Dale & the Deltones performing "Misirlou"
37: Jimi Hendrix, Earl Bostic, Stan Getz, Lee Allen
37: The Chantays Wikipedia Look & Listen...
37: The Trashmen Wikipedia Listen...
37: Listen... (mentioned in anachronism, as they apparently started out in the 1980s?)
55: "The Great Pretender" by The Platters Listen...
56: "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" The Bonzo Dog Band's cover of Cher's original Listen...
69: "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison Listen...
72: "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys Listen...
75: "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra Listen...
77: "The Crystal Ship" by The Doors Listen...
77: "Blueberry Hill" by Fats Domino Listen...
78: "Little GTO" by Ronny and the Daytonas (not specifically called out, but obliquely referenced in the "golden oldie" by the Boards): Listen... Lyrics...
81: "People Are Strange" by The Doors Listen...
92: Iron Butterfly Wikipedia Listen to "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (1968)
95: Blue Cheer Wikipedia Listen to "Summertime Blues" (1968)
101: The Surfaris "Wipe Out" Listen...
103: The Electric Prunes Listen to "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night"
108: "The Ice Caps Are Melting" by Tiny Tim (This Tiny Tim song is actually called "The Other Side"; Listen...)
121: Pearls Before Swine
124: The Chantays "Pipeline" Listen...
124: "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen Listen...
124: "Bamboo" by Johnny & The Hurricanes Listen...
124: Eddie & the Showmen
124: "Mr. Moto" by the Bel Airs
125: "Thelisa" (1962) The Hollywood Saxons
125: "Western Movies" by The Olympics
125: "Tequila" by The Champs
129: Pink Floyd w/founder Syd Barrett playing "Astronomy Domine"
130: George Formby Look/Listen to Formby playing "Leaning on a Lamp Post"
130: Herman's Hermits Wikipedia Covering Formby's "Leaning on a Lamp Post"
130: Pat Boone Wikipedia
Pat Boone's "Love Letters in the Sand"
131: "Donna Lee" (Miles Davis) Wikipedia Listen...
134: "Here Come the Hodads" by the Marketts Wikipedia Listen...
135: "Eight Miles High" by The Byrds Listen...
146: Frank Zappa Wikipedia
148: "Runaway" by Del Shannon Listen...
153: "Happy Trails" by Roy Rogers Listen...
155: Wild Man Fischer Wikipedia Wild Man Fischer on "Rowan and Martin"
156: "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane Wikipedia Look/Listen
156: "This Guy's in Love with You" by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass Listen
159: Antonio Carlos Jobim
"The Girl from Ipanema"
160: "Desafinado" by Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto, with Charlie Byrd Listen...
160: "It Never Entered My Mind" by Rodgers & Hart (show tune from the musical Higher and Higher) Listen to Chet Baker perform this tune
Peggy Lee sings
160: "Alone Together" by Dietz & Schwartz Listen to Ella Fitzgerald perform this tune
162: "Samba Do Avião" (by Antonio Carlos Jobim) Listen...
165: Tommy James and the Shondells Wikipedia Listen to "Crimson and Clover"
176: Theme from Dark Shadows Watch/Listen to the Dark Shadows opening sequence and theme
193: "Something Happened to Me Yesterday" by the Rolling Stones Listen... Wikipedia
198: Floyd Cramer Wikipedia Floyd Cramer "On the Rebound" (1961)
220: Liberace Wikipedia
220: "Grande valse brillante" by Chopin Wikipedia Look/Listen to Liberace performing Chopin's "Grande Valse Brillante"
221: "There's No Business Like Show Business" sung by Ethel Merman: Listen! 222: Mick Jagger Wikipedia
223: Frank Zappa Wikipedia
224: “One Fine Day” by the Chiffons Listen...
225: Ernest Tubb Wikipedia Look/Listen to Tubb performing "Walkin' the Floor Over You"
225: Jim Reeves Wikipedia Look/Listen to Reeves performing "I Love You Because"
225: Web Pierce Wikipedia Look/Listen to Pierce performing "There Stands the Glass"
227: Merle Haggard "The Wabash Cannonball" Look/Listen to Haggard performing "Mama Tried"
229: Les Paul Wikipedia Look/Listen to Les Paul & Mary Ford performing "How High the Moon"
232: The Monkees Wikipedia
232: Elvis Presley Wikipedia
233: "Wunderbar" by Cole Porter, from "Kiss Me Kate" Look/Listen to this 1958 TV performance with Alfred Drake and Patricia Morison
233: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., "Haunted Heart" by Dietz & Schwartz Look/Listen to Sugar Goth Daddy performing "Haunted Heart"
234: "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis Presley Look/Listen to Elvis sing this in Viva Las Vegas Lyrics...
239: The Rat Pack Wikipedia [Listen to the Rat Pack perform]
239: Marty Robbins Wikipedia Look/Listen to Robbins perform "El Paso"
240: Pat Boone Wikipedia
243: Elvis Presley Wikipedia
244: Dolly Parton Wikipedia
244: Roy Acuff Wikipedia

247: "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" by Tiny Tim Wikipedia Look/Listen to Tiny Tim performing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" Lyrics...
249: Roza Eskenazi
249: Bessie Smith, Listen...
271: "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley Listen... Lyrics...
276: Vivaldi Wikipedia
278: "That's Amore" by Dean Martin Look/Listen to Martin singing this tune Lyrics...
289: Bonzo Dog Band Look/Listen to the Doo Dahs perform "Death Cab for Cutie" in the Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour
299: "Interstellar Overdrive" by Pink Floyd Look/Listen to the Floyd perform "Interstellar Overdrive" (with Syd Barrett)
300: "Tears on My Pillow" by Little Anthony & The Imperials Listen... Lyrics...
318: Mike Curb's score from The Big Bounce (1969). Listen to "When Somebody Cares for You" from The Big Bounce.
330: "Elusive Butterfly" by Bob Lind Wikipedia Listen... Lyrics...
331: Glen Campbell Wikipedia Listen...
332: "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by Ohio Express (covered by Herb Alpert) Listen... Lyrics...
338: Rocio Durcal Wikipedia
352: Theme from Hawaii Five-O Listen...
356: "Something in the Air" by Thunderclap Newman Listen... Lyrics... Wikipedia
360: "We Should Be Together" sung by Shirley Temple and George Murphey Look/Listen...
363: Dick Dale Wikipedia
364: "Help Me Rhonda" by the Beach Boys Look/Listen to a 1965 Beach Boys performance of this tune Lyrics...
365: "Volare" Listen to Dean Martin sing this Lyrics...
365: "Java Jive" Listen to the Ink Spots sing their hit version of this tune Lyrics...
368: "Super Market" by Fapardokly Wikipedia Listen... Lyrics...
368: Elephant's Memory Wikipedia Listen to them perform "Mongoose" (1970)
368: "Stranger in Love" covered by The Spaniels Wikipedia Listen to the Spaniels sing "Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight"
368: "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys Listen to the Beach Boys perform this, with Brian Wilson on lead vocal Lyrics...

Other Resources

• Boston Globe article by Mark Feeney on Pynchon's use of music in Inherent Vice
• Pynchon's Amazon.com Playlist