Top 15 Songs Redefined by their Films, Part I
Music is, as you probably know, a powerful tool for a filmmaker hoping to add emotion and poignancy to a film. It’s a delicate balance to maintain: a poorly chosen song can ring false and fall flat, but sometimes, just sometimes, the planets align, and even a song long burned into the collective societal conscience can find new life, or even find itself a larger legacy in popular culture.
The songs in these films forever altered our perception of them, and in most cases it’s virtually impossible to hear the songs and not think of the scenes they were featured in.
With that in mind, here are the top 15 songs whose appearance in a film forever changed it.
“Don’t Stop Believin’,” by Journey, “Monster” (2003)
Sure, “The Sopranos” stole this song out from under “Monster) a couple of years later, but director Patty Jenkins turned this 80s power ballad into a stirring anthem that represents the one source of positivity in the whole broken life of serial killer Ailenn Wuornos (Charlize Theron).
“Fight the Power,” by Public Enemy, “Do the Right Thing” (1989)
The perfect call to action from one of the quintessential films of racial unrest. In closing Spike Lee’s classic 1989 film, “Fight the Power” simulateously becomes both a plea and a command to battle social injustice and to stand up for your own rights.
“Tiny Dancer,” by Elton John, Almost Famous, (2000)
Kate Hudson’s last good movie, featuring one of several classic moments, but none larger than this spontaneous break into song, as William Miller (Patrick Fugit) learns that the life of a rock star is indeed all glamour and glitz, so much so that it often lacks some basic human needs.
“Wise Up,” Aimee Mann, Magnolia (1999)
Aimee Mann’s contributions to Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling masterpiece of a film in many ways made the film, but none more than this interlude, where the movie comes to a screeching halt so that the cast, all in different locations and doing different things, can sing along to the film’s soundtrack. And it’s note perfect, striking the perfect balance of heartbreaking and silly, just like Anderson’s film.
“My Sharona,” The Knack, “Reality Bites” (1994)
No film has captured the post-capitalist angst of the 1990s perhaps like “Reality Bites,” and this is that film’s most memorable scene, as Jeaneane Garafalo, Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, and Ethan Hawke jam to The Knack while at a convenience store while the crusty old codger behind the counter looks on, obviously not impressed.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for Part II of the countdown!
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Top 15 Songs Redefined by their Films, Part II
15 songs that were redefined by the films they were featured in.
Top 15 Songs Redefined by their Films, Part III
15 songs whose appearance in a film forever changed it.
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Posted by Nick Rogers November 17, 2009 11:34 am
Yet another example of why I’m in good company on this Web site. Thank you, thank you, thank you for pointing out that "Monster" was the first piece of serious drama to use "Don’t Stop Believin’ " in a brilliant context.
Posted by Matt Jones November 17, 2009 5:55 pm
I think most of these are really spot on (Tequila, Stuck in the Middle, Bohemian Rhapsody, etc.) and the list is extremely solid, but the one I think was really a missed opportunity was the piano coda from Layla in Goodfellas. Anytime my dad hears Layla on the radio, he loves to listen up to that piano coda, then he changes the station. I always ask him why he does that and he says it’s because they had a perfect rock song and they made a dumb move by having that song end on such a long, slow note. Goodfellas was the first time I ever heard Layla, so I always loved that part, where they show all the ways Jimmy was knocking off his Lufthansa conspirators. I think that scene gave that part of the song real meaning and power, whereas without that scene, I would probably agree with my dad that Layla was better off without that part of the song. So though Layla as a song entire was not redefined by Goodfellas, Goodfellas made the song entire much more valuable.
Posted by Arnaud November 25, 2009 5:25 am
Hard to head Don’t Stop Me Now, by Queen, without thinking about Shaun of the Dead and the scene where they beat up the pub owner.
Posted by Nikola November 25, 2009 8:19 am
I’m sure this tops the list. At least mine, that is.
The Rolling Stones / Fallen – Time Is On My Side
Fallen (1998), starring Denzel Washington / Elias Koteas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeuRAWSJGFY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=563xkXq4duw
Posted by Brodie1716 November 25, 2009 8:47 am
I can not believe you left off Singing in the Rain, from Clockwork Orange!
Posted by Joe Shearer November 25, 2009 9:13 am
You know what? I strongly considered "Time is on my Side."
The Singing in the Rain is a good one, but while it’s certainly a memorable scene I don’t think it changed the way people look at the song, at least not for me. I still think more Gene Kelly than Kubrick/Malcolm McDowell when I hear it, though. But still, good call.
Posted by Aaron November 25, 2009 9:33 am
Every time someone publishes a list like this, they always forget my #1…
"Daisy" (aka "Bicycle Built for Two") from 2001: A Space Odyssey
Many examples of songs redefined by films involve a cheerful song over a particularly violent or otherwise memorable death. None is more haunting, nightmare inducing as the death of HAL 9000
Posted by MCA November 25, 2009 10:08 am
All but two of these are great. You can’t count "Fight the Power" nor "Wise Up" because they were written specifically for those films. Nothing to be redefined if they didn’t exist previously.
Posted by Joe Shearer November 25, 2009 10:27 am
MCA, this is actually from the Wikipedia entry about "Wise Up" (yes, hardly the definitive word, but it’s evidence nonetheless):
Many of the songs feature prominently within the film, with "Wise Up" even being sung by the cast at one point, but only two of the songs were written expressly for the film, those being "You Do" and "Save Me."
You are right about Fight the Power in that it was first released, but it did pop up in different forms later. Maybe it’s my larger premise that I need to tweak. My point is that you can’t listen to these songs without thinking of the movies they were in. Most of them were given new life, and some were mostly remembered from the movies they were in (like the two you mentioned).
Posted by thanksgiving links November 25, 2009 10:29 am
[...] PopRox fans know my affinity for movie music, so a list like the 15 songs redefined by the movies they’re used in is right in my wheelhouse. It’s a pretty good list, but they’re definitely missing [...]
Posted by Matt November 25, 2009 11:32 am
How is goodbye horses not on this list? That is the most famous scene from Silence of the lambs, and that song is now synonymous in my mind with manginas.
Posted by Turtle November 25, 2009 11:59 am
I think the original example of this must be "As Time Goes By" in Casablanca. It was written for a musical in 1931, but was never that popular until it appeared in the film.
Posted by Alex November 25, 2009 2:54 pm
I really think you did a great job with most of your list. I think a couple of your choices could be replaced by others but overall it was a really good list. The one song that ALWAYS comes to mind when this discussion comes up is Richard Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries from Apocalypse Now. Not only do I immediately look for helicopters but the song is also the one with the largest time gap between its composition and the use in the movie. So not only would it be the #1 on my list but I also think it would fit your premise the best. Nice work.
Posted by fairportfan November 25, 2009 3:36 pm
Matt Jones:
I must respectfully disagree with your dad, who you quote as complaining about "Layla":
"…he says it’s because they had a perfect rock song and they made a dumb move by having that song end on such a long, slow note. "
It’s the piano (and the rest of the take-out) that makes what would otherwise have been a semi-decent Brit blooze-rocker about wanting to shag your best friend’s wife a classic.
Posted by Jarvis November 25, 2009 5:20 pm
Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra from 2001: A Space Odyssey
Posted by Brian November 25, 2009 5:57 pm
If Pee-Wee’s "Tequila" dance makes the list (and I think it should) John Hughes should be remembered for these classic additions:
"Twist and Shout" by the Beatles – how can you NOT think Ferris Bueller?
"Back in Baby’s Arms" by Patsy Cline – I’ll always thnk of those two pillows from "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"
Posted by T-Bag November 25, 2009 6:45 pm
"In a Gadda Da Vita" from Manhunter is one of the great soundtrack moments, period, and changes that song from a cheesy 70s Cream ripoff to a brooding masterpiece.
Also, many moments from Wes Anderson movies could be on this list.
Posted by Bobby November 25, 2009 9:59 pm
house of the rising sun – "the animals" in CASINO