While I’m at it, Marianne Faithfull’s ‘Who will take my dreams away’ in La Fille sur le pont is damn good.
@Tom-I agree with Hurdy Gurdy Man in Zodiac. Good call
But who mentioned Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head in Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid? That song is totally out of place in that movie-it’s like a music video for that crappy song was inserted in the middle of the movie.
Neddle In The Hay, form Eliot Smith, in the secuence of the haircut, and suicide in The Royal Tenenbaums.
The “Wheel of Fortune” in L. A. Confidential.
not sure what it is, but that same piece of music played throughout Godard’s Contempt I love.
Mizoguchi did this perfectly in both “Ugetsu” and “Sansho the Bailiff.” His use of the Noh drama is one of the reasons I love Japanese cinema.
Nouvelle Vague’s “In A Manner of Speaking” opening up Riviera was a nice touch.
Mark, I think that’s instrumental music by Georges Delerue, composed for the film. He also wrote music for Jules et Jim.
Chris Boyer, omg, what about “Tammy Tammy Tammy’s in love” haunting Hunter S. Thompson all the way through Fear and Loathing…? That always kills me.
GirlBitesPen, Ozon has a great knack for using songs/music. Every film of his I’ve seen has centered around a really kickass/beautiful song — Water Drops on Burning Rocks, Under the Sand, and that one where Charlotte Rampling plays that crabby writer who helps the young tart kill a guy in the south of France — can’t think of the name.
Not sure why it always sticks out in my head, but “Gimme Shelter” from the beginning of The Departed and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” from Mean Streets.
Of course Wes Anderson. “2000 Man” in Bottle Rocket, “Judy’s a Punk” in Royal Tenenbaums.
“He Needs Me” in Punch-Drunk Love, “Wise Up” in Magnolia tears to my soul so quickly.
And fuck it… “Don’t Stop Me Now” in Shaun of the Dead haha, never ceases to make me crack up.
@Justin-Swimming Pool is the title.
Shaun of the Dead: Don’t Stop Me Now"" Shaun/Ed Zombie Beat Down
Long Kiss Goodnight: “She’s Not There” Samantha—>Charly switcharoo
Almost Famous/Untitled: “Tiny Dancer” sing-along
High Fidelity: Jack Black sings “Let’s Get It On”
Reservoir Dogs: “Stuck in the Middle With You” torture dance
The Breakfast Club: “Don’t You Forget About Me” big finish
Lost In Translation: “Brass In Pocket” Scarlett Johansson karaoke
Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack in “Battle of Algier” is pretty ruthless. Also, on a lighter note, the ending of “Stardust Memories” Louis Armstrong’s Stardust and Rachmaninof’s Vespas in Little Odessa is also pretty affective.
Oh yes, thank you Steve. Twisted and cool little film, that.
Janie Jones by The Clash worked well in Bringing Out the Dead
Withnail and I
1) King Curtis’ version of “A Whiter Shade of Pale” as Marwood wanders the Camden flat in the morning at the start of the film.
2) The jump to Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” as a wrecking ball hits a building and our heroes leave on their fateful road trip.
Also, all uses of the Jam, Clash, Elvis Costello or per-1974 Kinks works for me (but that’s more of a personal thing).
Robin Williams rapping as a giant bat in Fern Gully.
With each successive film he makes resembling more a collection of sequentially-organized montages than an actual movie, Cameron Crowe is telling us that he knows what he does best and has embraced that fact. I suggest you do too.
I’m just pointing out the highlights, here, but there isn’t a single musical miscue in any of the films listed below (the last two, in my opinion, even representing the best pop soundtracks of the decade) :
SAY ANYTHING – The boombox, Peter Gabriel, and John Cusack standing in for every boy that ever loved a girl.
SINGLES – Mainstream America meet Grunge. Grunge meet Mainstream America.
JERRY MAGUIRE – That perfect moment when you need that perfect song to sing along with at the top of your lungs: “AND I’M FREE!!! FREEFALLIN’!” And no amount of overplayed, dialogue-added re-mixes will ever change the fact that “Secret Garden” is a sweet and simple love song.
ALMOST FAMOUS – “This song explains why I’m leaving home to become a stewardess.” (And don’t forget the greatest group sing-a-long ever.)
VANILLA SKY – No better song to usher in the end of the world as you know it (well, except maybe “It’s the End of the World as We Know It”) than The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.”
ELIZABETHTOWN – That road trip mix… I’m sorry, but no chick on the planet is that cool.
heart of the sunrise by yes, in buffalo ’66.
Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’” in MIDNIGHT COWBOY. and all of the Leonard Cohen songs in MCCABE & MRS. MILLER.
The music in Cache
Nilsson’s Jump Into the Fire in Goodfellas.
Just to throw in some french movies:
The final sequence in Sombre (Philippe Grandrieux)
The running scene with Denis Lavant in Mauvais Sang (Leos Carax)
The knife throwing scene in La Fille sur le pont (Patrice Leconte)
The dancing scene in Les Amants Reguliers (Philippe Garrel)
Oh, sweet melancholia…
New Dawn Fades in Reprise.
The dancing scene in Les Amants Reguliers (Philippe Garrel)
Yeah, that is a terrific scene.
I don’t particularly like Quentin Tarantino but his choice of music is always impeccable. Most notably I’ll say “Son of a Preacher Man” in Pulp Fiction. But I’m partial to the music in Once which I realize is cliche but it’s very beautiful.
I loved the moody saxophone in the background during the scene from Zodiac where Graysmith just stares at Arthur Lee Allen.
Good call Doinel, on Elevator to the Gallows. I would add Herbie Handcock’s soundtrack in Blow Up and Gabor Szabo super hip soundtrack in Repulsion are pretty choice, but Miles takes the cake with Elevator to the Gallows.
The End (The Doors) in Apocalypse Now.
Layla (Eric Clapton) in Goodfellas.
Life on Mars? (David Bowie) in The Life aquatic.
Waltz for a night (Julie Delpy) in Before sunset.
More than this (Roxy Music) in Lost in translation
A Whiter shade of pale (Procol Harum) in Life lessons (New York stories)
In dreams (Roy Orbison) in Blue Velvet
Girl bites pen
Paolo Conte’s ‘Sparring Partner’ in Ozon’s 5×2 is beautiful. You can look up the clip where they are dancing at the dinner party to this song on YouTube.
I also LOVE LOVE LOVE ‘Cuccuruccu Paloma’ in ‘Hable con Ella’ – my heart breaks a little more every time I hear it. Please look this one up too (I’m at work so can’t access YouTube from here…). Here, however (third post down), is a translation of the lyrics, which are just so perfect for the film: http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/spanish-lyrics-translation/23791-cucurrucucu-paloma-of-caetano-veloso-translate-please.html
I also like Annie Lennox’s ’Don’t let it bring you down’ in American Beauty, and there is a place in my heart for the Nina Simone at the end of Before Sunset.