Less than Zero (soundtrack)

1987 soundtrack album by various artists

Less Than Zero: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Soundtrack album by

various artists

Released| November 6, 1987
Recorded| 1987
Genre|

* Rock
* pop rock
* hip hop
* R&B
* heavy metal

Length| 41:28
Label|

* Def Jam
* Columbia

Producer|

* Chuck D
* Eric "Vietnam" Sadler
* Frederick Gordon
* Hank Shocklee
* Rick Rubin
* Russell Simmons
* Vincent Bell
* Aerosmith (co.)

Singles from  Less Than Zero

1. "Rock and Roll All Nite"
Released: October 12, 1987
2. "Hazy Shade of Winter"
Released: November 1987
3. "Going Back to Cali"
Released: January 27, 1988

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
Robert Christgau| B+[2]
New Musical Express| 8/10[3]

Less Than Zero is the soundtrack album to Marek Kanievska's 1987 drama film Less Than Zero. It was released on November 6, 1987, through Def Jam/Columbia Records, and consisted of a variety of music genres, including hard rock, pop rock, hip hop, heavy metal and contemporary R&B, with most of the album being produced by Rick Rubin. The soundtrack found success, peaking at 31 on the Billboard 200 and 22 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on February 8, 1988.

Four singles made it to the Billboard charts. The Black Flames cover of "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)" and Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" were minor hits on the R&B charts, while LL Cool J's "Going Back to Cali" and The Bangles cover of "A Hazy Shade of Winter" reached Nos. 31 and 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" (performed by Aerosmith)|

* Huey "Piano" Smith
* Johnny Vincent

* Rick Rubin
* Aerosmith (co.)

| 2:56
2.| "Life Fades Away" (performed by Roy Orbison)|

* Glenn Danzig
* Roy Orbison

| Rick Rubin| 3:42
3.| "Rock and Roll All Nite" (performed by Poison)|

* Paul Stanley
* Gene Simmons

| Rick Rubin| 3:37
4.| "Going Back to Cali" (performed by LL Cool J)|

* James Todd Smith
* Rick Rubin

| Rick Rubin| 4:10
5.| "You and Me (Less Than Zero)" (performed by  Glenn Danzig & the Power and Fury Orchestra)|

* Danzig
* Rubin

| Rick Rubin| 3:36
6.| "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (performed by Slayer)| Doug Ingle| Rick Rubin| 3:19
7.| "Bring the Noise" (performed by Public Enemy)|

* Carlton Ridenhour
* James Henry Boxlee III
* Eric Sadler

* Carl Ryder
* Hank Shocklee
* Eric "Vietnam" Sadler

| 3:45
8.| "Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)" (performed by the Black Flames)| Eugene Record|

* Russell Simmons
* Vincent Bell

| 3:06
9.| "She's Lost You" (performed by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts)| Peter Gage| Rick Rubin| 2:58
10.| "How to Love Again" (performed by Oran "Juice" Jones and Alyson Williams)|

* Frederick Paul Gordon
* Vincent F. Bell

* Frederick Gordon
* Vincent Bell

| 4:42
11.| "Hazy Shade of Winter" (performed by The Bangles)| Paul Simon| Rick Rubin| 2:47
Total length:| 41:28

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1988)  | Peak
position

|

US Billboard 200[4] | 31
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[5] | 22

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United States (RIAA)[6] | Gold  | 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Less Than Zero - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: Album: Less Than Zero". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
3. ^ Owen, Frank (12 December 1987). "Turned Out Fine Again". New Musical Express. p. 35.
4. ^ "Album / Soundtrack / Less Than Zero". Billboard Database. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
5. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. March 19, 1988. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
6. ^ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Less Than Zero". Recording Industry Association of America.

## External links

[edit]

* Less Than Zero (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) at Discogs (list of releases)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

*[co.]: co-producer(s)
*[No.]: Number