A movie score is very different from a movie song.
The score is orchestrated especially for the film, while featured songs are added in sparingly (or, in Suicide Squad‘s case, not-so-sparingly) to set the appropriate mood. Using popular music in your film is like making a mix tape — which, as explained by John Cusack in High Fidelity, is basically “using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.” (No, I’m not a bitter 30-something man, it’s just an accurate quote, okay?)
Some filmmakers are excellent at choosing songs for their films (like Wes Anderson), while others border on cliché (I won’t name names, but you know who I’m talking about). Recently, Twitter attempted to nominate the best usage of a song in a motion picture, and the competition was actually pretty stiff.
It all began when Twitter user Rigor Morton asked her followers about their favorite “song moment” in a movie (taking special care to differentiate between a score and a song).
Question for film Twitter. What's your favorite song moment in a movie? Not score. A scene where they chose the absolute perfect song to fit the mood? I'm going with Santa Esmeralda version of Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, during the fight between O-Ren and Beatrix in Kill Bill.
— Rigor Morton ?? ? (@WeirdNPissdOff) January 24, 2018
It certainly seems as though there aren’t as many of these iconic song moments in modern films (as opposed to, say, iconic scores) — but perhaps that’s just my inner curmudgeon talking.
Regardless, Twitter definitely came through by offering up their favorite musically-inspired movie scenes.
Layla during the Goodfellas kill spree
— Peter Kwong (@peter_kwong1) January 24, 2018
Hard to look past Bohemian Rhapsody. pic.twitter.com/qd9wfC5Qy9
— Jon Ẉalmsley (@ArghZombies) January 24, 2018
Goodbye horses in silence of the lambs. The scene with buffalo bill in front of a mirror.
— Sergio Augusto (@sergiorossell) January 24, 2018
“Don’t stop me now” by Queen in Sean of the Dead is a hilariously perfect use of music for comedy effect. pic.twitter.com/sqJznU64QN
— DC Down Under (@DCDownUnder) January 24, 2018
Almost Famous: Tiny Dancer.
Perfect.
— The Film Grump (@KJCrighton) January 24, 2018
gonna be obnoxiously obvious and say "The End" by The Doors in Apocalypse Now pic.twitter.com/yxo5KObrlB
— Lame Lowe (@Scher_bert) January 24, 2018
‘The Killing Moon’ by Echo & the Bunnymen in Donnie Darko. Perfect mood-setter. Can’t get my head around changing it in the Director’s Cut.
(You could also add Notorious, Head Over Heels and, of course, Mad World as well.)
— Lauren Randall (@lauren1randall) January 24, 2018
"Chick Habit", at the end of Death Proof. "Baby You're A Rich Man", at the end of The Social Network. "A Quick One While He's Away" (singing "you are forgiven", over and over) in Rushmore.
— Philip Christy (@Phil_Diggety) January 24, 2018
Try a Little Tenderness when Ducky sings to Andie in Pretty in Pink
— #TvGeekPodcast (@hashtagtvgeek) January 24, 2018
Canned Heat, Jamiroquai pic.twitter.com/CA3XCm8Qn9
— Giancarlo Di Peco (@gdp1467) January 24, 2018
First one that pops into my head is Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd in the church scene of Kingsman: The Secret Service. I had to rewatch the scene because that fight choreography was divine.
— prettyface mcgee✨ (@lahijadesimba_) January 24, 2018
Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes at the end of Say Anything
Honorable Mention: the opening of I Know What You Did Last Summer set to Type O Negative’s cover of Summer Breeze by Seals And Croft pic.twitter.com/bLM4Rdgwm0
— Donelle Gebon (@DonPstar) January 24, 2018
(I also feel compelled to add that “I’ve Got You, Babe” in Groundhog Day is probably one of the most effective song placements in movie history and leave it at that.)
Now, if you’ll excuse me, this list has reminded me of all the movies I need to go listen to — I mean, watch.