Singing Nuns Are Tons of Fun in the Sister Act Soundtrack

In a season two episode of the NBC action-comedy Chuck, Morgan reveals that in middle school, Chuck’s older sister Ellie was a big fan of the movie Sister Act. While her fondness for the movie seems to have waned – and maybe was never as pronounced as Morgan indicated – I will readily admit that when I was in middle school, it was one of my favorite movies. It’s been nearly 20 years since its release, but listening to the songs from this uplifting Whoopi Goldberg comedy about a lounge singer who revitalizes a reclusive convent while in witness protection is still sure to put a smile on my face.

Lounge Medley - This medley of songs sung by Deloris and the Ronelles is pretty cheesy. The three of them are clearly bored and rushing through it, and the audience is far from enthralled. Heatwave is the most annoying of the songs and the only one we don’t hear again. The other two give us a taste of what we will experience later, and the tepid delivery here stands in stark contrast to the infectious energy of the latter renditions.

The Murder - This instrumental track is a mix of dark percussion and jazzy piano, with blaring brass signaling danger. Occasionally it has a threatening feel to it, but despite the sense you get of a hot pursuit, it’s really more fun and peppy than the title would suggest. Getting Into the Habit is another instrumental track composed by Marc Shaiman. A rather whimsical number, it’s marked by woodwinds and strings, with just a hint of trombone and a jingle of an alarm clock. Toward the halfway point, it becomes very pretty, an indication of the serenity and meaning Deloris is about to find in this unexpected new life hiding out at the convent.

Deloris Is Kidnapped reprises the jazzy piano and brass from The Murder, while wailing electric guitars and swift violins add to the sense of peril. Again, a bit of a dangerous feel, but more fun than alarming. The final instrumental track, Nuns to the Rescue, is lively, reveling in the array of exciting sights and sounds that greet the sisters when they arrive in Reno to rescue Deloris. The longest and most entertaining of the instrumental tracks, it includes a bit of dialogue from Maggie Smith as the stern Mother Superior, who admonishes them to “Try to blend in.” The music accentuates just how absurd that request really is. There’s a definite sense of overstimulation and clashing cultures that comes across, along with the feeling of a chase. My favorite of Shaiman’s compositions.

Rescue Me - This bouncy track is the first on the album that is the original version of a Motown song rather than a new rendition. The 1965 Fontella Bass hit accompanies the scene of Deloris doing menial chores around the convent to keep her out of trouble. It’s very fitting for the scene, considering how miserable she is at this point, and it also helps to emphasize the type of music that is so prevalent throughout the movie. Other classic Motown hits featured throughout the soundtrack include Etta James’ Roll With Me Henry and Gravy, a 1960s hit by Dee Dee Sharp that amusingly accompanies the sisters’ covert outing at a bar.

Just a Touch of Love - This is a more modern song that accompanies the sisters getting out into the neighborhood and actively helping the impoverished residents. On the long and repetitive side with electronic sound effects and growly vocals giving it an 80s vibe. I like the message, though I’m not crazy about it from a musical standpoint. I prefer the end-credits song, If My Sister’s in Trouble, an upbeat song about standing up for your friends that seems very fitting for the spirit of community that pervades the convent, especially after Deloris’s arrival.

Hail Holy Queen - The first performance by Deloris as Sister Mary Clarence, this is an enthusiastic reworking of a time-honored Catholic hymn. At first, it’s very sedate and churchy, with layers of harmony and a generally somber feel to it. After the first recitation, however, the tempo picks up as the sisters start clapping and adding all sorts of unusual flourishes as the piano takes on a rock-and-roll flavor. The voices of Kathy Najimy as boisterous Sister Mary Patrick and Wendy Makkena as coming-out-of-her-shell Sister Mary Robert particularly stand out in this lively number.

My Guy (My God) - For this second major anthem under Deloris’s direction, instead of jazzing up a traditional hymn, she arranges a Motown hit to sound reverent, tweaking a word here and there and giving several different sisters a chance to shine with solo lines. A great showcase for the sisters’ individual personalities. It’s cute and light-hearted, and at the same time, it really does work as a hymn.

I Will Follow Him - This one works even better. The grand finale of the movie, it’s similar in format to Hail Holy Queen, with the first part sounding like a traditional anthem and the second part arranged more like a Motown hit. It feels heartfelt and exuberant, and the grandiose proclamations actually seem better suited to a song about God than about a regular guy. The simple change of the phrase “touched my hand” to “touched my heart” makes the song at once sound weightier, and the talk of deep oceans and high mountains puts me in mind of Climb Ev’ry Mountain, from my other favorite movie involving nuns.

Shout - This end-credits song is just for the fun of it, bringing Deloris, her fellow lounge singers and the sisters together for a lively group number. It’s similar in theme to the other songs they perform, but this time they don’t seem to be trying to turn it into a hymn. They just seem to be having a great time playing around with their voices; it seems like a practice session helping them to learn how to open up. While I prefer the performances that are actually a part of the movie, this one is enjoyable as well.

Every once in a while, I’ll catch a movie in the theater that simply knocks my socks off. Sister Act was one such movie. I didn’t know all that much about it going in, and I found myself both moved and in gales of laughter. The movie also opened me up to the possibilities inherent in songs being given new life beyond their original purpose. Is it any wonder I love the soundtrack?