Taglines: They shocked us. They outraged us. They didn’t do anything wrong. They just did it first.
Heart Beat explores the love triangle of real-life characters Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, and Carolyn Cassady in the late 1950s and the 1960s. It chronicles Jack Kerouac writing his seminal novel On the Road, and its effect on their lives.
Heart Beat is a 1980 American drama film written and directed by John Byrum, based on the autobiography by Carolyn Cassady. The film is about seminal figures in the Beat Generation. The character of Ira, played by Ray Sharkey, is based on Allen Ginsberg. The film stars Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek and John Heard. The movie received generally mixed reviews, although the soundtrack was met with critical acclaim, as well as being a large box office success.
Musical score and soundtrack
The score was composed by Jack Nitzsche and included the song “I Love Her Too” co-written by Buffy Sainte-Marie and sung by Aaron Neville and the soundtrack prominently featured saxophonist Art Pepper and other West Coast jazz musicians with the soundtrack album released on the Capitol label.
Track listing
All compositions by Jack Nitzsche except as indicated
“On the Road” – 3:16
“Carolyn’s Theme” – 1:53
“Adagio for Strings” – 1:58
“Three Americans” – 1:19
“Jack’s Theme” – 1:39
“The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise” (Ernest Seitz, Gene Lockhart) – 2:10
“I Love Her Too” (Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, John Byrum) – 3:50
“Carolyn” – 3:18
“Jam” – 2:28
“Neal’s Theme” – 1:55
“901” – 3:01
“Heart Beat” – 1:42
Heart Beat (1980)
Directed by: John Byrum
Starring: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, John Heard, Ray Sharkey, Margaret Fairchild, Mary Margaret Amato, Marcia Nasatir, Stephen Davies
Screenplay by: John Byrum
Production Design by: Jack Fisk
Cinematography by: László Kovács
Film Editing by: Eric Jenkins
Costume Design by: Patricia Norris
Set Decoration by: Thomas L. Roysden
Music by: Jack Nitzsche
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: April 25, 1980
Views: 161
