‘Hooked on a Feeling’ Was Almost Used in the Opening ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Scene
Guardians of the Galaxy had several iconic music moments — the opening credits with Peter Quill among them. This character, portrayed by Chris Pratt, appeared dancing and singing to “Come and Get Your Love.” According to the director, though, another 1970s hit was almost used in its place.
The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ ‘Awesome Mix’ features hits of the 1970s
The Guardians of the Galaxy are a bunch of a-holes with a passion for music. Thanks to Peter Quill’s mom and her “awesome mix,” this Marvel feature film is filled with hit songs from the 1970s.
When it came to picking the music for this production, director James Gunn explained that he had a list of about 500 songs that could work.
“When I’m going through, and I’m writing the script, I put the songs into the script where they seem to fit,” Gunn said during an interview with Honey and Lime. “Sometimes I don’t have a song that seems right on that list, and so I have to go out and search, and listen to a bunch of stuff, and see what I like.”
The ‘Come and Get Your Love’ opening scene from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ almost featured a different song
When Marvel fans were introduced to Peter Quill, this character was in search of his latest treasure. He jammed out to “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone, dancing and singing his way through the opening sequence.
“The opening credits scene was originally designed around ‘Hooked on a Feeling,’ but when I discovered ‘Come and Get Your Love’ — a song I only vaguely knew — I thought it was the better fit,” Gunn said during an interview with Vulture.
This Redbone original was initially released in 1973, which makes sense considering Peter Quill’s mother included it on her “awesome mix.” Since then, this song became a well-known Marvel hit.
This scene was even included in the blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, where Peter Quill appeared singing a capella. (The music was only playing in his headphones, after all. To War Machine and Nebula, he just looked like an idiot.) “Hooked on a Feeling” was used in a different part of Marvel’s franchise.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ also featured songs ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ and ‘Ooh-Ooh Child’
Other songs became important storytelling moments for Guardians of the Galaxy. Peter Quill challenged Ronan to a dance battle with the song “Ooh-Ooh Child.” Ego used “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass to justify his relationship (and subsequent killing) of Meredith Quill.
Of course, each song was an intentional choice of the director and Marvel music team. Even “Hooked on a Feeling” during the prison breakout scene was
“The songs are a bit more ironic in those instances, but could also be seen as the underlying positivity of Meredith Quill that gets Peter through these situations,” Gunn said during the same interview.
