Just like Marvel did with the two hit soundtracks to their Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Steven Spielberg has looked to the past for his upcoming Ready Player One film.

The collection, which is being released digitally on Friday, contains tracks from the '70s and '80s, including songs by Twisted Sister and Bruce Springsteen.

The track listing, which you can see below, was first reported by Billboard. Twisted Sister contributed their anthemic "We're Not Gonna Take It"; the soundtrack also includes songs by Prince (“I Wanna Be Your Lover”), Blondie (“One Way or Another”) and the Bee Gees (“Stayin' Alive”). Springsteen's "Stand on It," the B-side to "Glory Days," is the only cut that hadn't been an A-side, although it did receive more exposure in the 1986 movie Ruthless People.

Set in 2045, Ready Player One is based on Ernest Cline's 2011 science-fiction novel about a teenager (Tye Sheridan) who tries to gain control of OASIS, a virtual-reality universe, and prevent its takeover by a large corporation. As screenplay co-writer Zak Penn told Billboard, the book is littered with pop-culture references, and Spielberg drew upon that approach in the movie.

"There are 500 songs in the book, so it pretty much covers everything,” Penn said. “The book really leans heavily on ‘80s trivia because the contest is all about the ‘80s, but when you have to build OASIS, not everything is going to be an ‘80s reference."

To create the soundtracks, the two writers and some of the cast members submitted Spotify playlists to Spielberg, who made the final decision. "Stand on It" and the Temptations' "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" -- the latter a particular favorite of Spielberg's -- were hand-picked by the director.

Various Artists, 'Ready Player One' Soundtrack Track Listing
Prince, “I Wanna Be Your Lover”
Tears for Fears, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”
The Temptations, “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)”
Bruce Springsteen, “Stand on It”
Blondie, “One Way or Another”
Earth, Wind & Fire, “Can't Hide Love”
New Order, “Blue Monday”
Bee Gees, “Stayin' Alive”
Twisted Sister, “We're Not Gonna Take It”
Hall & Oates, “You Make My Dreams”
Bryan Nguyen feat. Merethe Soltvedt, “Pure Imagination”

 

 

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