Music in movies

[alexa3020]

I was watching the Joker on the weekend. At the end of the movie, the joker has just been arrested and is driving through a burning Gotham city, with rioting etc. All with White Room by Cream playing in the background.

This is such a great combination of music and film - Almost to the point where I almost like the song more than I did before.

There are countless examples of this in cinema, & I thought it would be good to start a thread of examples where the movie elevates a song to a new level. 

 

[ezbass]

Whether one likes the film or not, the combination of songs and footage in Top Gun is an exercise in clever matching, Danger Zone and Playing With The Boys being prime examples.

[chris_b]

Like casting the right actor for the part, there is a whole industry for selecting and placing the right piece of music into films.

[WinterMute]

End of season 1 of Sons of Anarchy, the funeral scene with John the Revelator playing, bloody excellent choice. I had no idea it was Curtis Stigers till a while afterwards, who knew he was really quite good?

 

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by WinterMute
found the clip

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Great thread. Not much joy to be had from this clip, but the music fits brilliantly....

 

 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Here's another one that springs to mind. The film actually opens with "Waiting For The Miracle" by Leonard Cohen which you can just hear the end of in this clip. Then there is this scene which is the introduction to the carnage that follows throughout the movie played to L7's 'Sh!tlist". Just brilliant.

 

 

[SumOne]

 

Good times!

[WAYNESWORLD]

For me it’s the American Graffiti sound track just so many songs hitting the emotion of the time spot on

[lowdown]

I know Dylan wrote this tune specifically for the scene/soundtrack in the film, but it wasn't released as a single until a couple of months after the film release.

Not my favourite version, I prefer the Eric Clapton, Dave Sanborn and Randy Crawford's version used on the Lethal Weapon 2 film score/soundtrack.. But it certainly hits the spot.

 

 

 

 

[chris_b]

Ry Cooder's soundtrack for Paris, Texas was pretty special.

 

Anything John Williams wrote.

 

Alabama 3's Sopranos theme song.

 

Jesse Winchester's Step By Step from the Wire. . . and Down In the Hole, Walk On Gilded Splinters etc.

 

[adamg67]

The whole of the Withnail & I soundtrack is like that IMO.

[alexa3020]

2 hours ago, SumOne said:

 

Good times!

Nice! Wasn’t aware that portishead covered that track.

Her vocal delivery reminded me of every dream home a heartache by Roxy music, which has been used well in the gentleman & mindhunter

https://youtu.be/88Z8Bmf5p9I

[lowdown]

23 hours ago, ezbass said:

Whether one likes the film or not, the combination of songs and footage in Top Gun is an exercise in clever matching, Danger Zone and Playing With The Boys being prime examples.

 

Plus...You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' , it got another lease of life after 'Top Gun'. Especially when it appeared again during the memorable end scene.

 

 

 

[TheGreek]

Blues Brothers gave all those near forgotten R&B tracks a new life...

[wateroftyne]

If we’re talking songs retrofitted to the film, rather than recorded specifically for… 

 

Don’t Stop Believin’ - Sopranos

 

Perfect Day - Trainspotting

 

The End - Apocalypse Now

 

 

[uk_lefty]

6 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Here's another one that springs to mind. The film actually opens with "Waiting For The Miracle" by Leonard Cohen which you can just hear the end of in this clip. Then there is this scene which is the introduction to the carnage that follows throughout the movie played to L7's 'Sh!tlist". Just brilliant.

 

 

I loved this film when I first saw it, then went out and bought tons of Leonard Cohen. 

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[alexa3020]

5 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

Tarantino has some classic spots- Little Green Bag and Stuck In The Middle With You in Reservoir Dogs were great, and You Never Can Tell in Pulp Fiction, too.

Loads of blaxploitation stuff as well- Shaft, Super Fly, etc.

It was only a matter of time till Tarantino was mentioned. I’m a massive fan.  I’ve seen him interviewed and he essentially storyboards his movies with music really early in the process - I think even before the script.

speaking of Tarantino, he features in this brilliant scene - he didn’t direct this one though.

 

[ubit]

Our best friend is Shazam. We discovered so many great songs from movies and tv shows. There was a show on a few years ago called Hemlock grove. The music in that was superb. Series 1 and 2 were great but it kind of lost it's way in the final season.

 

HG was where we discovered this fantastic band

 

 

[SteveXFR]

Freebird has probably been used in dozens of films and understandably so. This use of the song, in my opinion is brilliant, I couldn't think of a better match for the scene. One of my favourite films as well. The acting isn't great, the plot is ropey but it's just a really horror entertaining film.

 

Judgement Night probably has the greatest heavy metal soundtrack ever recorded for a film. Shame the film was terrible though.

[steantval]

6 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

Freebird has probably been used in dozens of films and understandably so. This use of the song, in my opinion is brilliant, I couldn't think of a better match for the scene. One of my favourite films as well. The acting isn't great, the plot is ropey but it's just a really horror entertaining film.

 

Judgement Night probably has the greatest heavy metal soundtrack ever recorded for a film. Shame the film was terrible though.

That film has some fantastic music tracks all the way through it.

[steantval]

Iron Butterfly track to the end scene in Manhunter.

 

 

[SteveXFR]

A brilliant song in an absolutely brilliant film. Burn by The Cure in The Crow.

 

 

[lowdown]

I think Martin Scorsese knew what he was doing with this one...

 

 

[tegs07]

Paris, Texas. Pretty much the whole way through https://youtu.be/Sd2EzQsZteA