Gran Torino - The Song

I should have mentioned also that the best song from a movie in 2008, at least the best one I remember (and, frankly, one of the few I remember at all) is the theme from "Gran Torino." It's slow with a jazz feel, and it nicely captures and amplifies the emotion that the movie elicits. It's played over the closing credits (which, in an unusual and lovely choice, are played across an uninterrupted shot--at least five minutes--of a road running by a lake).

The song is written by Clint Eastwood and his son, Kyle, and in the picture, Eastwood sings the first verse, with the balance finished by the splendid pop-jazz vocalist Jamie Cullum. The recorded version (downloadable here for only 79 cents--Amazon) is sung only by Cullum, but I hope the Eastwood version eventually sees the light of day.

I also hope this recording receives some recognition, because it's a very good one; certainly worlds better than some of the disposable "music" that's been recognized with Academy Awards in the recent past.