Wilco Classic Gets Reworked for Judd Apatow’s ‘This Is 40’

Wilco fans who plan on seeing Judd Apatow’s new movie This Is 40 when it opens this Christmas will want to wait for the end credits to roll — or risk missing a nifty new version of the band’s classic “I Got You (At the End of the Century).”

The 1996 song, a crowd favorite at Wilco concerts, particularly around the year 2000, was rerecorded especially for the film, which stars Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann and is being billed as the “sort-of-sequel” to the 2007 box office smash Knocked Up. Curiously, though, Apatow’s inspiration to use something from the band’s repertoire came by way of another of his films.

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“In Funny People, Seth Rogen’s character is a big fan of Wilco’s so we used some of their music in the film,” Apatow tells The Hollywood Reporter. “While I was writing this film, I came across an acoustic version of ‘I Got You’ on YouTube which was performed by [singer] Jeff Tweedy and [late guitarist] Jay Bennett on a TV show with more of a bluegrass or country feel.  I loved it and asked my music supervisor Jonathan Karp to ask them if they would be up for recording a new version in that style. Luckily they said yes.”

Apatow adds that he got to know Tweedy and Wilco manager Tony Margherita in the process and describes them as “great people.” He’s also seen his share of Wilco shows. “It’s always a mind blowing experience,” he says. “The band is both really tight and completely free at the same time. I find the integrity of their work to be very inspirational.”

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As for how the song, reworked as a slower number rather than the boot-stomper from the double album Being There, complements the story of a couple reaching a crossroads? Without giving too much away, it serves as a pleasant bookend. “It’s happy and about togetherness,” Apatow explains. “There is a lot of fighting in the movie, in addition to the comedy, so I felt it was important to leave people with this particular thought: ‘I got you and that’s all I need.’”

This is 40 opens on Dec. 21. According to Amazon, the movie’s soundtrack will be available via Capitol Records on Dec. 11. 

Twitter: @shirleyhalperin