Best Uses of Music in Movies

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My favorites:

-Bin Bin and his girlfriend singing along together to that Chinese pop song in Unknown Pleasures; plus, of course, that haunting final scene.

-The rock performances in The Man without a Past.

-Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" played over the opening credits of Kill Bill.

-The simultaneous versions of "Fly Me to the Moon" played while Ewan MacGregor and Renee Zellweger are dressing for the evening in Down with Love.

-The Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man" played over the opening in Stuck on You.

-The terrific use of Elvis's "Suspicious Minds" over Intolerable Cruelty's opening credits sequence.

-The karaoke scene in Lost in Translation. (I personally prefered Scarlett's Chrissie Hynde to Bill's Elvis Costello, and wasn't nearly as crazy about the movie as most people seem to be; nice scene, though.)

― Josh Timmermann (Josh Timmermann), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 14:31 (twenty years ago) link

"Killing Moon" at the start of Donnie Darko

― Jonathan Z., Tuesday, 6 January 2004 14:34 (twenty years ago) link

That was '02.

― Josh Timmermann (Josh Timmermann), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 14:36 (twenty years ago) link

Which I note just because of it would've appeared on my list above otherwise--not be a release date nazi.

― Josh Timmermann (Josh Timmermann), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 14:36 (twenty years ago) link

Erm, whole soundtrack of 'Punch-Drunk Love'.

― Enrique (Enrique), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 14:37 (twenty years ago) link

the two skagged out tank drivers listening to Dr. Octogon in Buffalo Soldiers

― Michael B, Tuesday, 6 January 2004 14:39 (twenty years ago) link

Nearly everything in "Lost in Translation," which is NOT overrated, contrary to what Alex in NYC might think.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 15:26 (twenty years ago) link

Well, that's your opinion.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 16:45 (twenty years ago) link

The opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I wish more movies were like that.

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 16:58 (twenty years ago) link

I didn't even see that it said 2003. D'oh! Sorry.

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 16:59 (twenty years ago) link

"Run Fay Run" in Kill Bill

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 17:11 (twenty years ago) link

-Leonard Cohen's "A Thousand Kisses Deep" in The Good Thief
-The classroom lessons & the kids' band in School of Rock
-LOTR: Howard Shore's entire score, esp. the Tolkien poems set to music (sung by Boyd and Mortensen) and "Into the West" sung by Annie Lennox
-The musical numbers performed by the Triplets of Bellville
-The use of "Night and Day" by Fred Astaire in Reconstruction
-"Spiegel Im Spiegel" by Arvo Part in Gerry (even though other films have used it)
-Nina Simone's "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" (live) in The Dancer Upstairs
-"Ben" sung by Crispin Glover over the closing credits of Willard
-the entire Kill Bill Soundtrack, esp. the chilling opening ("Bang Bang")
-Karaoke scene of Lost in Translation (Brass in Pocket by The Pretenders, More Than This by Roxy Music) as well as the shoegazer soundtrack

(I had just posted this on my music blog.)

― Robomonkey (patronus), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 19:13 (twenty years ago) link

The Triplets of Bellville numbers are great, especially since they are about the only sound in that film.

― Mark B (Mark B), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 20:45 (twenty years ago) link

I don't care when it was released... Cowboy Bebop gets a mention.

― Jole, Wednesday, 7 January 2004 04:07 (twenty years ago) link

esp. the Tolkien poems set to music (sung by Boyd

Keep an eye out for my Pazz/Jop comments if interested.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 04:07 (twenty years ago) link

Lost in Translation, when "Sometimes" is played during the car ride.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 04:15 (twenty years ago) link

YES

― ModJ (ModJ), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 04:23 (twenty years ago) link

Serge/Brigitte's "Bonnie & Clyde" during the near-threesome scene in Laurel Canyon

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 04:28 (twenty years ago) link

pretty much all of "The Royal Tenenbaums".

― heywood jablomi (heywood), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 04:39 (twenty years ago) link

2003, huh?

― ModJ (ModJ), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 06:46 (twenty years ago) link

Hells Angels on Wheels, throughout the film...

― Jez (Jez), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 15:40 (twenty years ago) link

"Battle Without Honour Or Humanity" from Kill Bill Vol 1.

― Nick H (Nick H), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 15:48 (twenty years ago) link

the obligatory rave/club scene from _____ really serves to liven up the pacing and leaves me excited and primed when ______ does ______ at the _____.

otherwise unmentioned, All the Real Girls opening with Will Oldham; and the new Charlie's Angels actually has a lot of great moments ft/ fabo musical juxtaposition, starting w/ the mechanical bull.

― andrew s, Wednesday, 7 January 2004 16:27 (twenty years ago) link

Oh, I should also have mentioned A Mighty Wind. I'll never look at Clark Kent's Mom again without thinking of the potatoes in the paddy wagon.

― Robomonkey (patronus), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 18:42 (twenty years ago) link

sixteen years pass...

I counted down my 100 (109, actually) favorite uses of pop music in a film or TV show on Facebook, then moved the list over to a Google doc.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_sSmz_3m1bkJrH4SmJMhlZb3n_Xr7bf0p7pul-GNnrY/edit?usp=sharing

― clemenza, Tuesday, 30 June 2020 13:23 (three years ago) link

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Best Uses of Music in Movies - 2003