DUKES OF HAZZARD [2005]

Just the good ol' boys
Never meaning no harm
Beats all you ever saw, been in trouble with the law
Since the day they was born
Straightenin' the curves
Flattenin' the hills
Someday the mountain might get 'em
But the law never will
Making their way, the only way they know how
That's just a little bit more than the law will allow 

In 1977, Warner Brothers approached Gy Waldron about adapting his 1975 film Moonrunners to the small screen.  The show went into production in 1978 with several characters from the movie also appearing in the show, including actor Ben Jones reprising his role as "Cooter".  The concept of Waylon Jennings as an off-screen narrator was also carried over to the show The Dukes Of Hazzard, which premiered in 1979.  Waylon wrote and performed the show's theme song as well as providing narration and asides.  The show ran for seven seasons.

Nearly thirty years later, Warner Brothers placed the film property of the TV show in the hands of the leader of the Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe, Jay Chandrasekhar, an experienced director with three films and nearly a dozen television episodes under his belt at the time.  The producer of Moonrunners, Bob Clark, sued the studio, claiming he had only sold them the television rights and not the movie rights.  That lawsuit was settled for a reported nearly $20 million which prompted original scribe Gy Waldron to file a similar lawsuit.  Cameos were offered to principal actors from the TV series, all of whom declined the offers due to their stated negative opinions of the movie's script which was aimed squarely at young men with its drug humor, sexual content and gratuitous nudity - all Broken Lizard hallmarks.  The movie, which featured appearance from the entire Lizard troupe, was edited and some scenes reshot to secure a PG-13 rating with the Unrated version eventually released on home video.  While The Dukes Of Hazzard made several Worst Movies of 2005 lists, it was also a modest box office success.  As HERC is not a fan of either of the movie's leads, the only things he had to look forward to were Texas born and bred Jessica Simpson (who actually looked too emaciated and had spoken lines, so she was disappointing) and a Southern Rock soundtrack (which did not disappoint).

Nic Harcourt served as music supervisor for the film and chose not only Classic Rock tracks usually lumped in with Southern Rock like "Black Betty" and "Mississippi Queen" but also lesser known tracks by Tony Joe White and The Charlies Daniels Band.  He also stirred in the usual suspects (Skynyrd, Allmans, Vaughans) with Hard Rock staples from the rarely licensed AC/DC ("If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and "Shoot To Thrill" are both used memorably in the film) along with some country and blues tunes to make an effective, flowing soundtrack that actually stands on its own. 

Of the nearly 30 songs heard in the film, 12 of them appeared on the officially released soundtrack album - 13 if you count Ms. Simpson's Jam & Lewis produced, heavy breathing remake of "These Boots Are Made For Walking" which HERC does not, although the video for the song could serve as an instructional video for aspiring bikini-clad car washers wanting to maximize their tips.  HERC rounded up what he could from Spotify and added a few ringers, including Waylon's original performance of the theme, to make the 40 track playlist featured below.  Give him a "Yee Haw!" or suggest further additions in the Comments.