Peter Quill’s first mixtape wasn’t just the original “Guardians of the Galaxy” soundtrack. Heck, it wasn’t just the soul of the movie either. He was quite a character.
The mixtape, passed down to Peter by his dying mother Meredith (Laura Haddock) at the beginning of the film, was full of songs with very specific messages. They were songs that he loved and wanted to share with him. They represented his passion and his dreams. Songs like The Five Stairsteps’ “Ooh Child” and Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” aren’t just retro-pop blockbusters wryly juxtaposed against a futuristic sci-fi backdrop, they’re messages to Peter Quill from a father who loved him. . , that I would not get to see him grow.
Lyrics like, “Ooh, kid, things are gonna get easier,” are recontextualized as delivered from a dying or dead mother to her young son. “When I die and they bury me, I’ll go to the place that’s best,” is very specifically, in the context of the film, a message of comfort to a grieving child.
These aren’t just songs, they’re love notes, and by carrying that love note with him through the vast reaches of space, Peter Quill is taking each of his incredible journeys with his mother right there. Every needle drop is Meredith contributing to the ensemble, along with Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket.