Best use of songs in film II

Jun 27

Posted by

I was thinking about a post that Susan put up a year or two ago about the best use of a song in movies or TV. When I looked it up I realized that post was published more than four years ago. Anyhow, YouTube has more videos in 2009 than it had in 2005 (in fact there was no YouTube when Susan published that post…) so I figured we should try it again. But this time you should include a link to the scenes you want add to the list.

As my first entry I give you “Tiny Dancer” from Almost Famous. I doubt anyone will top this one but do your best:

NOTE: Just add links to YouTube or other videos. Only admins can embed videos.

Advertisement

Posted on June 27, 2009, in Pop Culture. Bookmark the permalink. 106 Comments.

  1. Dan | June 27, 2009 at 8:01 pm

    I’m guessing musicals are disqualified?

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye7PIyIcCro&hl=en&fs=1&

  4. Steven B | June 27, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    The Elephant Love Medley in Moulin Rouge:

  5. Geoff J | June 27, 2009 at 9:10 pm

    Nice. We’re off to a good start. I hadn’t seen any of those three but I like them all.

  6. MCQ | June 27, 2009 at 10:25 pm

    Those are all great (except Dan’s which is weird), but my feeling is that the best is probably Almost Famous, and if not that particular scene, then it would be one in another Cameron Crowe movie. He has an amazing musical sense in every movie he has made.

  7. Matt Thurston | June 27, 2009 at 10:29 pm

    “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel in Say Anything.

    “Just Like Honey” by Jesus & Mary Chain in Lost in Translation.

    “Mad World” by TFF/Gary Jules in Donnie Darko.

    “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkle in The Graduate.

    “Wish You Were Here” by Thompson Twins in Sixteen Candles.

    “The Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson in Platoon.

    “What a Wonderful World This Would Be” by Sam Cooke in Witness.

    “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong in Good Morning Viet Nam

    “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor in Running on Empty.

    “Wicked Game” by Chris Issak in Wild at Heart.

    “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” by Urge Overkill in Pulp Fiction.

    “Everybody Knows” by Leonard Cohen, either in Pump Up the Volume or Exotica.

    “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop in Trainspotting.

    “Where is My Mind” by The Pixies in Fight Club.

    “Melt With You” by Modern English in Valley Girl.

    “Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta” by The Geto Boys in Office Space.

  8. mike d. | June 27, 2009 at 10:47 pm

    I really liked the Aimee Mann song in Magnolia.

    Another I would add in is T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer” in the opening scene of Billy Elliot.

  9. Matt Thurston | June 27, 2009 at 10:49 pm

    “Somebody’s Baby” by Jackson Browne in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

    “It Had To Be You” by Harry Connick Jr. in When Harry Met Sally.

    “Unchained Melody” from Ghost.

    “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus in The Hunger.

    “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos in Goodfellas.

    So so many. I like Tiny Dancer in Almost Famous too, but best ever? No way.

  10. Steve Evans | June 27, 2009 at 10:53 pm

    Another vote for Magnolia.

    Some of the Tom Waits songs in Down By Law are pretty great.

  12. Steven B | June 27, 2009 at 11:00 pm

    Oh, what the heck. Here’s another fun one from Moulin Rouge: Like a Virgin (very memorable sequence).

  13. Matt Thurston | June 27, 2009 at 11:03 pm

    Forgot one of the best…

    “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield and “Sister Christian” by Night Ranger, back to back in Boogie Nights.

  14. Geoff J | June 27, 2009 at 11:07 pm

    Sorry Matt — any suggestions without accompanying links are DQ’d in this discussion. The whole point here is to use the power of the interwebs to share the actual clips so we can all enjoy them right here and now…

  15. MCQ | June 27, 2009 at 11:09 pm

    And BTW, Matt, just listing every song from every movie you can think of is not helpful. The point is to nominate the good ones.

    I do agree with your office space nomination however.

    I also have to add that I hate Moulin Rouge with all my heart. It makes me physically ill.

  16. Geoff J | June 27, 2009 at 11:29 pm

    Here you go Matt — I’ll help you out with one of your suggestions:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PUFJmsCZLE&hl=en&fs=1&

    That’s what we are looking for in this thread. (And that is a good one BTW)

  17. Brock | June 27, 2009 at 11:48 pm

    John Hughes was brilliant at this. This is my favorite: Please, please, please let me get what I want by the Smiths (I think this is actually the Dream Academy covering them) in Ferris Bueller’s Day off. There are a couple of other fun ones in that movie as well.

  19. Rose Tyler | June 28, 2009 at 12:39 am

    Not sure if counts since it was a trailer for the movie and not the actual film but MIA’s Paper Planes in the Pineapple Expres trailor was genius and it put a very deserving artist on the map.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQqUyBN4g8M&hl=en&fs=1&

  21. Rose Tyler | June 28, 2009 at 12:51 am

    I have one that might top Tiny Dancer, Moon River in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. If I only knew how to post videos from my phone. Darn you smart phones that keep me from using an actual computer!

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOByH_iOn88&hl=en&fs=1&

  22. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 12:56 am

    I don’t think that song was in Pineapple Express. But that brings up a whole other category: Great Songs in Movie Trailers that weren’t in the film. The best in that category is the Elbow song that was used in the Burn After Reading Trailer:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjOYpN0Pew&hl=en&fs=1&

  23. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 1:16 am

    Here’s one from Crash I can’t embed:

  24. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 1:20 am

    Wow, Rose. I forgot about that one. That’s hard to top. How can you beat Audrey Hepburn?

  27. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 2:44 am

    I don’t dare post it, but Brian Ferry’s “Slave to Love” in 9 1/2 Weeks is great too.

  28. John C. | June 28, 2009 at 7:04 am

    Speaking of Notting Hill, I just love this scene, but the music is good, too.

  29. John C. | June 28, 2009 at 7:07 am

    Finally, mediocre movie, but this internet trailer had a darn fine song:

  30. Brian V | June 28, 2009 at 7:37 am

    “And Then He Kissed Me” by The Crystals in Goodfellas. It doesn’t hurt that the accompanying shot is a technical and aesthetic marvel as well.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWYe-Ef3u5M&hl=en&fs=1&

  31. Brian V | June 28, 2009 at 7:59 am

    As for that Magnolia scene, I love the song but I hate the way it’s used in the movie. Way too clever and ultimately destructive to the cinematic experience since it completely pulls you out of the movie.

  32. Susan M | June 28, 2009 at 8:03 am

    There’s a great scene in After Hours that features a Peggy Lee song called “Is That All There Is to a Fire” but it’s not on youtube.

  33. gabby | June 28, 2009 at 8:39 am

    Oh my gosh. This Woman’s Work. That clip can make me cry like nothing else.

  34. BTD Greg | June 28, 2009 at 9:26 am

    “Just Like Honey” by Jesus & Mary Chain in Lost in Translation.

    This is a good one, but from Lost In Translation, I would nominate Bill Murray’s karaoke rendition of “More Than This.” That was brilliant in context.

  35. Rose Tyler | June 28, 2009 at 9:42 am

    Good songs in good trailors for even better movies, Mr. Blue Sky in the trailor for Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GiLxkDK8sI&hl=en&fs=1&

  36. Susan M | June 28, 2009 at 9:45 am

    This isn’t a pop song but the use of music in this scene is great. Soundtrack by Peter Gabriel. One of my favorite movies, Birdy.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYUGIEzyWCk&hl=en&fs=1&

  37. Supergenius | June 28, 2009 at 9:46 am

    The Smashing Pumpkins song from the Watchmen trailer, “The beginning is the end is the beginning”:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3orQKBxiEg&hl=en&fs=1&

  38. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 10:38 am

    Here’s a great song that was actually in the movie:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTKPAyoJwNA&hl=en&fs=1&

  39. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 11:20 am

    It would be interesting to know which songs have been used the most. That song from the Crystals in the clip from Goodfellas is a song that I swear has been used a million times.

  40. Dan | June 28, 2009 at 11:43 am

    Supergenius,

    I must say that the Smashing Pumpkins song is fantastic with that trailer. It seems sometimes that trailers have a better use of music than the movies do.

    But I have two that I want to share.

    That’s from The Terminator, a song called “You’ve Got Me Running”….visceral man, just visceral.

    and from Kill Bill Vol 1. “Battle Without Honor” and the introduction of the Crazy 88s

  41. Dan | June 28, 2009 at 11:57 am

    from musicals,

    “America” from West Side Story. Brilliant.

  42. Dan | June 28, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    MCQ

    #6,

    I actually didn’t put that in there. I merely asked the question. Someone with higher powers than I placed it in. Ironic, actually, because I did sing that at a karaoke party we had once… :)

  43. Dan | June 28, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    Brian,

    #30,

    A while back, Andrew Sullivan linked to single-track shots like that one from Good Fellas. Fantastic stuff. I don’t know if you’ve seen Children of Men, but it has probably the best single-track shot ever made. Sorry, slight tangent there.

  44. Jack | June 28, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    I like this from “High Noon”:

    The link shows the opening only — but the song is used as a recurring theme throughout the movie.

  45. John C. | June 28, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    Um, could someone release the vids on my last two posts. Thanks.

  46. John C. | June 28, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    Also, I much prefer the use of “save me” at the end of Magnolia, but I couldn’t find the clip at Youtube.

  47. Brooke | June 28, 2009 at 1:23 pm

    Brace yourselves….(for good and bad)….

  48. Brooke | June 28, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    not sure what the embed didn’t work….here is the link…

  49. Tracy M | June 28, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    Ok, it may be gauche now, but when I saw that movie as a teenager, I cried my eyes out!

  50. Geoff J | June 28, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    John C,

    There are no links to release in your comments. You need to just link to the YouTube page rather than try to embed it. You can only embed videos in the admin page (MCQ or someone has been doing that in this thread on the back end I think).

  51. BTD Greg | June 28, 2009 at 4:18 pm

    I guess “songs” means that Blue Danube Waltz and Thus Spake Zarathustra from 2001 don’t count, right?

  52. The Brit | June 28, 2009 at 4:37 pm

    Hard Sun by Eddie Vedder at the end of Into the Wild (@ 4.00).

    [dailymotion id=x429k9]

  53. The Brit | June 28, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    Stupid embedding!

  54. Geoff J | June 28, 2009 at 4:51 pm

    Just use the URL and it will fine

  55. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    Ok, if we’re going to get sappy, then here’s one that’s better than Beaches:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_FklOwMyoE&hl=en&fs=1&

  57. Susan M | June 28, 2009 at 5:35 pm

    Spitfire Grill – “There Is A Balm in Gilead”

    Starts at 4:13.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTanmm5zh5I&hl=en&fs=1&

  58. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 5:52 pm

    Here’s another great one from the 80s:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nANmPPmfn_M&hl=en&fs=1&

  59. Dan | June 28, 2009 at 6:09 pm

    Chava Sequence from Fiddler on the Roof – makes me tear each time.

    and of course, the bottle dance at the wedding

    fantastic stuff

  60. Dan | June 28, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    The Good The Bad and The Ugly, final stand off

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awskKWzjlhk&hl=en&fs=1&

    The music is palpable.

  62. John C. | June 28, 2009 at 7:15 pm

    Fine, then I’ll do it

    Notting Hill – Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXVf2hAWRQM&hl=en&fs=1&

    Elizabethtown trailer – My Father’s Gun – Elton John

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu7O0J61zac&hl=en&fs=1&

  63. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 7:48 pm

    Hey, Broadway Dan, you finally came up with a good one!

    John, those last two are awesome. Elizabethtown is another Cameron Crowe movie that had great music.

  64. Anonymous | June 28, 2009 at 7:49 pm

    This is a full scene, so it’s rather long, but worth it! The song is “If There Is Something” by Roxy Music.

  65. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 7:51 pm

    Um, where Anonymous?

  66. Anonymous | June 28, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    Sorry…I thought I embedded it. Here is the link:

  67. Clark | June 28, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    I haven’t read all the comments yet. But here are a few of my faves.

    Bill Paxton’s Frailty has this great use of Johnny Cash. I couldn’t find a clip but here’s the trailer for the movie

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IBGiPz0heI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    Here’s the song that plays

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnrwJikqpqI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    Fantastic little scene.

    Let’s also not forget Twin Peaks

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oDuGN6K3VQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYSYlVFF_94&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nadVaj4dvrg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    I could list a slew of David Lynch ones. All his films are fantastic in terms of music. One of my favorites is the music in The Straight Story.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1pKEI-Sv-8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    Probably one of the most influential is 2001.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDAWszeZtNg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    I know most of you won’t like it but I love the composer Ligeti whose work was used in 2001 and inspired lots of film score music for work like Alien. I like his early chromatism from the 60′s and early 70′s more than his latter stuff. If you like 2001 pick up some good CDs of his stuff.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf0RKxVI6Mo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    The soundtrack to Raiders of the Lost Ark was great as well for involving you into the action.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQW14cbjD6c&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

  68. Dan | June 28, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    Sheryl Crow’s “Real Gone” from Cars

    Well done.

  69. Jack | June 28, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    MCQ,

    All of Dan’s Broadway picks are excellent — though I’m not sure that’s what Geoff was looking for on this thread.

  71. Susan M | June 28, 2009 at 8:23 pm

    I love that movie The Straight Story, Clark. I’d forgotten about it. I’ll have to pick it up on DVD.

  72. Dan | June 28, 2009 at 8:23 pm

    Jack,

    That’s why I asked in my first comment if musicals were off the list. Then someone inserted “I Feel Pretty” into my comment.

  73. BTD Greg | June 28, 2009 at 8:24 pm

    If you include music, Pushing Daisies had some incredible music sequences (almost invariably featuring Kristin Chenowith.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFKJB8cHNcM&hl=en&fs=1&

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNUAnjUwnF0&hl=en&fs=1&

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbe1m30RS8c&hl=en&fs=1&

  74. Clark | June 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    Comments on the comments.

    “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus in The Hunger is a great pick. I don’t like the movie but the song was great. (I was ironically just listening to it)

    So is “Lust for Life” to which I’d add Lou Reed’s Perfect Day.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAHI3bH0rbc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCfd24-QED4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    Some more obscure ones I like. Red Rider (Tom Cochrane)
    did Lunatic Fringe from the film Vision Quest. (Everyone unfortunately remembers a Madonna track from that soundtrack)

    Someone already put in the Eddie Vedder tracks I was thinking of.

    The Good the Bad and the Ugly was great, but for music I’m convinced Once Upon a Time in the West is even better.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ4bNTU965E&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    And let’s not forget my favorite Seven Samurai remake: the Magnificent Seven.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45KAjt7v4t4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    But the all time best soundtrack is Buckaroo Banzai:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MqJ3iGBdOo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    (It’s in about 45 seconds)

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLnPNUbjdzQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

  75. Dan | June 28, 2009 at 8:33 pm

    dang, I can’t find the video of the first instance of the Imperial March from Empire Strikes Back, but that has to have at least an honorable mention on this list.

  76. BTD Greg | June 28, 2009 at 8:35 pm

    Lots of great ones from O Brother Where Art Thou. Even though it’s a musical, most of the music was borrowed. This one’s a particular favorite:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxlyKA9O9LA&hl=en&fs=1&

  77. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 8:35 pm

    Jack, don’t encourage Broadway Dan’s obsession. First thing you know we’ll be hip deep in Carousel and Oklahoma videos. Just don’t do it.

  78. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 8:39 pm

    Greg, would you really call O Brother a musical? It had great music, but I don’t think it crossed the line into the musical category.

    Here’s my favorite scene:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfTUvFj6kvc&hl=en&fs=1&

  79. danithew | June 28, 2009 at 8:42 pm

    For me personally, the use of the Beatle’s cover of “Twist and Shout” in the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was a huge influence on my music tastes. It led me to purchase a Beatles album – which in turn led me to purchase every Beatles album.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa14UmiCMVw

    More recently, I really enjoyed the way music was used in the movie Last Holiday that featured Queen Latifah and LL Cool Jay. There was all kinds of great music in that movie and I had some fun tracking down a number of the songs. It opens with a church choir (including Latifah) rehearsing a song called “Every Time I Feel the Spirit” – in the movie it is interrupted – but I’d like to get a full recording of that one (haven’t found it yet). Another one of my favorites was “Don’t Wait Too Long” by Madeleine Peyroux.

  80. danithew | June 28, 2009 at 8:43 pm

    Whoops, I think it’s just supposed to be LL Cool J – not Jay. Oh well.

  81. Clark | June 28, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    Oh an other I can’t forget. The is from

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azY9Yjvwn_8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    I loved that show. In a way, while dated, it’s still better than Burn Notice (even though I like Burn Notice a lot) The soundtrack (which I own and I heartily recommend picking up) was by Stewart Copeland. Fantasic album. (He also did a lot of other soundtracks including Rumblefish, although the Equalizer’s my favorite)

    I really don’t like Prince but even I have to admit this was an awesome song in a movie.

    http://www.vh1classic.com/view/artist/14481/58775/Prince/Let_s_Go_Crazy/index.jhtml

    I couldn’t find a video for it, but BT’s Believer from the soundtrack for Go is great as well.

    A great film for use of music was Blade. It’s too bad the director got so screwed over by the system. The opening scene was amazing and let you know that this wasn’t like movies you’d seen before. (Even if the ending is a bit of a mess)

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0mx0dBXkw4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    While it was a pale shadow of the first film this scene in Blade II using Crystal Method I really liked.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpt2_OIh6H4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

    Finally, while I know the two sequels left a bad taste in everyones mouth, who can forget this?

    http://www.myvideo.de/watch/3326001/Rob_Zombie_Dragula

    (Yeah, an other one hard to find online)

  82. MCQ | June 28, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    I think this needs to be mentioned:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7Vu7cqB20&hl=en&fs=1&

  83. Rose Tyler | June 28, 2009 at 10:01 pm

    If we’re going to discuss movie scores then Clint Eastwod’s scores are not to be ignored. Both Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino have excellent scores. Even more impressive is that he composes them himself. Could the man be any more talented?

  84. Tracy M | June 28, 2009 at 10:47 pm

    I like all three musical selections in this one…

    *language warning*

  85. Tracy M | June 28, 2009 at 10:50 pm

    That should say- “all THE musical selections in this one.”

  86. clark | June 28, 2009 at 11:01 pm

    Eastwood is a pretty talented jazz pianist and plays in a few of his movies. (He is found playing in a jazz bar in In The Line of Fire for instance) I love the opening little thing in Unforgiven and then the piece he does for Bridges of Madison County is quite nice. (Which, regardless of how you feel about the film, has a killer soundtrack)

    http://www.simgolo.com/video/unforgiven-soundtrack/tr/303918279714/show-video.aspx

  87. clark | June 28, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    Oh Geeze. Chariots of Fire makes me realize I forgot what can’t be forgotten.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9KAqhbIZ7o&hl=en&fs=1&

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1skkb-6R6U0&hl=en&fs=1&

  88. Geoff J | June 29, 2009 at 12:19 am

    Oh don’t think musicals really apply to what I had in mind. I was more thinking about popular songs that were employed effectively in the movie or show. Musical scores are sort of a different category too.

    Having said that I think Susan’s Miami Vice clip is a killer use of a song in the context of a show. You can’t go wrong with Ain’t No Sunshine so the Notting Hill was really effective I thought. And John Travolta strutting down the street to the beat of Stayin’ Alive is great stuff.

  89. Jacob J | June 29, 2009 at 1:46 am

    4 solid minutes of U2 at the end of Reality Bites.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N41gOPiMNVs&hl=en&fs=1&

  90. Brian V | June 29, 2009 at 4:38 am

    For me, Martin Scorsese wrote the book on using pop music to score films, so every example I come up with is one of his. Here are a couple more favorites:

    Jackson Browne’s “Late for the Sky” in Taxi Driver:

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvApmCuZads&hl=en&fs=1&

    A virtuoso 10-minute sequence near the end of Goodfellas that has a bunch of songs. Jump Into the Fire by Harry Nilsson is a sort of refrain, but he also uses What Is Life by George Harrison, Monkey Man by Rolling Stones, Magic Bus by the Who, and some others I can’t recall (there’s some bad language in here, so don’t watch/listen at work):

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_4eSiLFA_o&hl=en&fs=1&

    I also really like his use of Donovan’s Atlantis in Goodfellas and Please Mr. Postman by the Marvelettes in Mean Streets but I haven’t included them because they’re pretty violent.

  91. Dan | June 29, 2009 at 5:21 am

    MCQ

    #77

    Please, I have better tastes than that. You won’t see any Oklahoma or Carousel or Hello Dolly or any others than the ones I shared.

    Here’s one

    The rise of Don Corleone from Godfather Part II

  92. Wm Morris | June 29, 2009 at 7:41 am

    This Women’s Work was also used to great effect in the Extras finale.

  93. FHL | June 30, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    I present Tainted Love, as rendered by Kevin Bacon, with some environmental help, in the movie Pyrates:

    Tainted Love

  94. Susan M | June 30, 2009 at 7:12 pm

    Brian V rules *almost* as much as Jackson Browne.

  95. a random John | July 1, 2009 at 12:11 pm

    I thought that the closing credits of WALL-E were incredibly moving along with the Peter Gabriel song. In fact, they were the best part of an amazing movie.
    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRNaJpUKsw8&hl=en&fs=1&

  97. MCQ | July 1, 2009 at 12:26 pm

    Clark, Little Shop of Horrors is a musical. Nothing quasi about it.

  98. Geoff J | July 1, 2009 at 1:34 pm

    True dat MCQ. (I generally hate musicals BTW)

  99. Dan | July 1, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    I couldn’t tell Geoff… ;)

  100. MCQ | July 1, 2009 at 2:22 pm

    Geoff, have you seen Spamalot? It might be the one to change your mind.

  101. Geoff J | July 1, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    I usually like live musicals. I just hate the movies about them.

  102. Matt Thurston | July 1, 2009 at 11:50 pm

    MCQ: “And BTW, Matt, just listing every song from every movie you can think of is not helpful. The point is to nominate the good ones.”

    You’re a real swell guy, MCQ. I actually spent a good 15-20 minutes coming up with my list. Which one was not “a good one”?

  103. MCQ | July 2, 2009 at 2:39 am

    Don’t get sensitive on me Matt, I was just saying that it’s an awfully long list.

  104. Brian V | July 2, 2009 at 4:34 am

    I can’t find it on Youtube, but the use of CCR’s “Run Through the Jungle” in The Big Lebowski is pretty amazing.

  105. Rose Tyler | July 2, 2009 at 11:06 pm

    The Big Lebowski is such a great movie.

  106. Tyler | July 12, 2009 at 9:53 am

    Iris Dement’s “My Life” at the end of Mister Lonely, when all the eggs are singing. Classic!

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.