Richard Reed Parry / Little Scream - "Live That Way Forever"

One of the best films of 2023, The Iron Claw, features a soundtrack from Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry and now one of the most prominent tracks gets its own release.

The Iron Claw is the epic (mostly) true story of the Von Erich wrestling family that rose to prominence in the 1980s before tragedy struck them again, and again, and again, and again. It's an incredible film that highlights the Von Erich brothers as they chase their father's legacy and ultimately their own through the Texas and, eventual, nation-wide wrestling circuit, dreaming of becoming the sport's biggest stars. Through amazing performances from the likes of Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Maura Tierney, we're shown the intimate storylines that plagued this family and tragic events followed them like a curse. Throughout the film, Richard Reed Parry's score plays a haunting role as it offers devastating foreshadowing of what would befall the family. In fact, as horrifying as the events in the film are, what's most remarkable is that even more unbelievable events happened to the family (including the death of a brother who wasn't even mentioned in the film) and if you're unaware of it, this all will seem too impossible to be real. One particular tragedy revolves around the story of brother Mike Von Erich who is one of the youngest members of the family and one who lacks the bulk and strength of his brothers. He has hopes of breaking into music, a dream that is dashed by his parents, and his band plays a college party one night where they unleash their American triumph "Live That Way Forever." It's got the sort of athematic-feel of the classic Arcade Fire sound of hopes and dreams, not to mention some Springsteen-vibes as well, and comes to life, in-full, at the film's end. "I wanna live that way forever," the character Mike sings during his band's performance, a little ragged and amateurish, but through that, it's a heartbreaking realization that he's recalling the glory days of growing up with his brothers and the magic they'd create together. Writing a song as a character of a film seems like a challenge and writing one as a non-fictional character seems even tougher, but the sentiment and emotions that pour out of this track are enough to reduce you to your basic feelings of your greatest dreams.