Author
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Topic: Songs that work wonders in a film
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Camillu
Oscar® Winner
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As you all know, some directors choose songs to tell the mood in certain parts of their films rather than score. Some work, some don't. Any ones you particularly liked.I just saw Goodfellas which has no score at all. At one point Scorcese uses Layla (Piano Exit) and it is extremely impressive. For those who saw the film it's the scene where the 2 kids come across the dead couple in the pink car, and the following discovery of the various corpses. I also loved Wise Up in Magnolia, though that was written specifically for the film. Any others?
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posted 05-18-2001 03:56 PM PT (US) ip
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Marian Schedenig
Oscar® Winner
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Scorsese made great use of songs in some of his movies - the above mentioned Goodfellas and also Casino, for example.I think the non-vocal "songs" in The Matrix worked perfectly as well, but everything that had a voice in it sucked big time. NP: Sean Sibelius: Symphony #1 (Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy)
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posted 05-18-2001 04:38 PM PT (US) ip
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majestyx
Oscar® Winner
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And who could forget Yello's OH YEAH! in Ferris Beuller's Day Off? Or Bob Seger's OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL in Risky Business? Or Queen's BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY in Wayne's World?I also like the way the Queen songs worked in Highlander, especially Who Wants to Live Forever. There are plenty more, but these stand out most vividly in my mind as I write this.
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posted 05-18-2001 06:05 PM PT (US) ip
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The Watcher
Oscar® Nominee
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What about Bob Dylan's Things Have Changed from Wonder Boys, Sting's Angel Eyes from Leaving Las Vegas, Sting's Moonlight from Sabrina, Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, or Guns N'Roses Welcome to The Jungle from the Dead Pool..are these worthy.
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posted 05-18-2001 08:45 PM PT (US) ip
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PeterK
FishChip
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I agree, there are tons. Let's just think of the most recent scene I enjoyed with the perfect (enjoyable, anyway) song:"It's Raining Men" near then end of Bridget Jones's Diary. Don't go off on me for watching a chick flick, dudes. I have a wife and take pleasure in doing the things she wants, too! It was a fun movie, though. Not much Patrick Doyle score in the film, but where it was, it was.... well, I'll just say I miss Patrick Doyle. He needs to come back in a big way. But, I digress....
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posted 05-18-2001 10:49 PM PT (US) ip
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joan hue
Oscar® Winner
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PeterK, my hubby and I went to Bridget's Diary, and he roared with laughter through the whole film. It is a riot. I too loved the placement of It's Raining Men. Agree..not enough Doyle, but his love theme is most lyrical.American Graffiti utilized the late 50's and early 60's rock songs in perfect places. Also, last year my favorite song in a movie was the Garth Brook's song heard during the last few minutes of Frequency during the baseball game and credits. Wonderful melody and fitting lyrics. I felt it deserved an Oscar, and it wasn't even nominated. (Scurvy Knaves!)
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posted 05-18-2001 11:01 PM PT (US) ip
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JJH
Oscar® Winner
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the BEST use of song in film I have seen personally is O Brother Where Art Thou?.
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posted 05-18-2001 11:03 PM PT (US) ip
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Mark Olivarez
Oscar® Winner
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Hey I took my girlfriend to see Bridget Jones and I thought it was a pretty good film. I found myself laughing quite alot.
To me nothing works better than the songs in Top Gun and Purple Rain.
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posted 05-19-2001 07:44 AM PT (US) ip
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ZapBrannigan
Oscar® Winner
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I like "No Easy Way Out" in ROCKY IV. Stallone knows how to put a montage together.Also good: "The Glory of Love" in THE KARATE KID Part II. Special Mention: the two Katie Irving vocals in CARRIE.
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posted 05-19-2001 10:09 AM PT (US) ip
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Scorro
Oscar® Winner
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"What A Wonderful World" in Meet Joe BlackNice blend of romance and sentimentality.
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posted 05-19-2001 11:49 AM PT (US) ip
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Graham Watt
Oscar® Winner
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American Graffiti, as Joan mentioned (see "What Have You Seen In May?"). But that was almost (not quite) source music. More interesting to consider songs as underscore, as some of you have done. I like the bit in Trainspotting, when, after a particularly horrid "trip", one of the characters (can't remember who) is bundled out of a taxi (maybe) to the achingly plaintive "Perfect Day".
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posted 05-19-2001 01:45 PM PT (US) ip
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AaronR1074
Oscar® Winner
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Oh my...
Have you all forgotten the great album for "Pulp Fiction" with the fantastic Roy Orbison cover "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" and other songs like "Miseralu" and "Son of a Preacher Man," and "You Never Can Tell?"Those are great tunes, and practicaly made the movie. One of the only song albums I still listen to  [Message edited by AaronR1074 on 05-19-2001]
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posted 05-19-2001 02:27 PM PT (US) ip
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sabbey
Oscar® Winner
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Hmmm, let me think! Radioland Murders
The Transformers: The Movie
The Wedding Singer Those plus a ton of Japanese Anime films!  Regards,
Sean Robert Abbey
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posted 05-19-2001 04:39 PM PT (US) ip
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Marian Schedenig
Oscar® Winner
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quote:
Originally posted by AaronR1074:
Have you all forgotten the great album for "Pulp Fiction"
I was thinking the same. I'm also shocked that noone mentioned Blues Brothers!  NP: The Blue Max (Jerry Goldsmith)
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posted 05-19-2001 04:49 PM PT (US) ip
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Scorro
Oscar® Winner
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One of the more unusual (grim dark humor) uses of song in film is listening to Alex's rendition of "Singing In The Rain" in "A Clockwork Orange". This is in stark contrast to the original musical optimism.
_Sc
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posted 05-19-2001 07:41 PM PT (US) ip
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HAL 2000
Oscar® Winner
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There are lots of great song moments in film but one that has stuck in my mind sever since I first saw it is from the X-Files episode "Family", the story of a family of grotesque, in-bred country pokes. There's a sequence where these three freaks drive out in their vintage Cadillac to kill the sherrif, Barny Fiffe (the bizarre story takes place in a town called Mayberry if you can believe that) and as they cruise along Johnny Mathis' is singing "wooonderful, wonderful" on the radio. Man, I never thought an old romantic standard could become so creepy.
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posted 05-19-2001 09:09 PM PT (US) ip
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Jeron
Oscar® Winner
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Movies where the songs work wonders:Mary Poppins
The Sound of Music
My Fair Lady
The King and I ...just to name a few. Jeron
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posted 05-19-2001 09:34 PM PT (US) ip
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cine-sin
Oscar® Winner
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quote:
Originally posted by HAL 2000:
one that has stuck in my mind sever since I first saw it is from the X-Files episode "Family", the story of a family of grotesque, in-bred country pokes.
That was one ugly family and one creepy episode. X-Files good old days.... Rochelle
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posted 05-20-2001 12:15 AM PT (US) ip
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majestyx
Oscar® Winner
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quote:
Originally posted by AaronR1074:
Oh my...
Have you all forgotten the great album for "Pulp Fiction" with the fantastic Roy Orbison cover "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon"
Uhhh, that was a Neil Diamond song, covered by Urge Overkill.
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posted 05-20-2001 07:20 AM PT (US) ip
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majestyx
Oscar® Winner
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Here's another on: The Righteous Brothers' UNCHAINED MELODY in the film GHOST.
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posted 05-20-2001 09:09 AM PT (US) ip
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Bulldog
Oscar® Winner
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I shoulda known you would remember that X-FILES episode as I have, HAL. No wonder we see eye to eye so often! Man, was that show creepy. I don't think that a single other installment in that series has stuck with me longer. [I remember reading an ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY in which the author of a shakedown of the series HATED that episode. I'm glad to know that, evidently, *he's* the odd-man-out.]Wow. I haven't thought about the hour of my life in which I watched that episode in a while.... The chills are slowly coming back.
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posted 05-21-2001 10:57 AM PT (US) ip
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Widescreen
Oscar® Winner
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I cannot believe no one here mentioned Ghostbusters! Every last song on that soundtrack was in the film, and was dismissive of Elmer Bernstein's score, but all the same, Ghostbusters wouldn't be the film it is in some ways without that title song.Other honorable mentions: It Had To Be You - When Harry Met Sally
A View To A Kill - well...you know...
Some Kind Of Mystery - The Shadow
Fallen - Pretty Woman
The Power of Love - Back To The Future
Cruisin' - Duets (The only thing that saved this film was that song)
Big Trouble In Little China - Title song (by The Coupe De Villes- and don't give me any lip about it. Someone else mentioned Transformers the Movie, for god's sake!)
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posted 05-21-2001 02:48 PM PT (US) ip
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sabbey
Oscar® Winner
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I would have listed Ghostbusters, but forgot! Oops! As for Transformers: The Movie, hey I like it, big deal! Regards,
Sean Robert Abbey
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posted 05-21-2001 03:56 PM PT (US) ip
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Scorro
Oscar® Winner
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While channel surfin yesterday I happened to bump into Bill Murray being woken up every Groundhog Day morning to Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe", an example of a song being used as a stage prop (so to speak).As far as "I Got You Babe" working wonders in the film, well... ?
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posted 05-21-2001 04:23 PM PT (US) ip
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Probable
Oscar® Winner
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Ah, yes, the X-Files episode with the lovely Peacock family. Wasn't that their name? Classic disturbing TV. Right up there with the one with the doll who 'wants to play.'As for songs, I've always thought that some songs are great for trailers. For example, if a trailer uses the song 'Green Onions' by Booker T and the MGs, I'm more likely to see the film.
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posted 05-21-2001 10:11 PM PT (US) ip
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