Music transforms movies. I’m not talking about the score, or songs written for movies like anything Lin-Manuel Miranda does, but the great songs that when you hear them later on the radio or on Spotify, you can’t help but immediately think of a scene from the movie they made better and more memorable. These are the 21 movie songs that I can only associate with a specific scene in a movie.
Bittersweet Symphony - Kathryn Gets Busted In Cruel Intentions
I’ll start here because the scene is just so fantastic. The building momentum of the strings in The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” fits so well with the slow reveal of Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) getting her mean girl life turned completely on its head in Cruel Intentions. Not only is her reputation completely trashed, but she’s busted with the cocaine in her crucifix. I could watch the scene over and over with that music. It's a good thing the production paid the insane amount of money they did for the song; nothing else would've worked.
Where Is My Mind - The End Of Fight Club
A perfect example of a classic track, in this case it's The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” blending into a dramatic scene that elevates the moment to new heights at the end of Fight Club. As the walls literally come down around The Narrator (Edward Norton) and Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), he tells her she’s met him at a very strange time in his life, as Pixies lead singer Black Francis asks everyone “Where is my mind?” Unless you see it in China, where the movie ends very differently.
Layla - Covering Up The Heist In GoodFellas
“Layla,” by Derek and the Dominos was almost 20 years old when GoodFellas was released in 1990, but it still ends up in what I think is actually the best use of a popular song in a movie. In case you’ve forgotten, Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) is cutting all ties between him and the others involved in the Lufthansa heist. One by one, bodies are discovered in a montage as the piano-and-guitar coda of “Layla” plays over it. It almost makes murder look cool.
Mr. Blue Sky - Opening Scene Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
There are a whole bunch of music moments from Guardians of the Galaxy I could choose from the trilogy, as songs are, of course, a key component of the storytelling. For this list, I’ve chosen “Mr. Blue Sky” by the great Electric Light Orchestra that opens Vol. 2. It sets the tone for the movie perfectly. These movies are most of all about having fun, and there’s nothing more fun than this opening scene, and when I hear the tune, I always see Groot dancing.
Fight The Power - Sal Destroys Radio Raheem’s Radio In Do The Right Thing
The use of Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” in Do The Right Thing is anything but fun. After a long, hot, stressful day, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) confront Sal (Danny Aiello) in his pizzeria while blasting the song from the boombox. Not only do the lyrics fit the scene well, but the chaotic nature of it adds a level of desperation to the argument that eventually leads to the tragedy that follows.
Stuck in the Middle With You - Mr. Blonde Cutting A Cop's Ear Off In Reservoir Dogs
Another movie that brilliantly uses music is Reservoir Dogs, and nowhere is that more true than the happy-go-lucky tones of Steelers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You” during the most violent scene of a very violent movie, when Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) cuts off the ear of a cop he’d tied up and tortured. Something about the contrast between the sweet song and the ultra-violence just works.
Goodbye Horses - Buffalo Bill Getting Dressed In Silence Of The Lambs
There is no way anyone, anywhere, hears the song “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus and thinks of anything except Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) getting dressed and dancing in front of the mirror in The Silence of the Lambs. The scene is so iconic that I can’t help but shiver a little when I hear the song, no matter where I am.
Old Time Rock And Roll - Tom Cruise Dancing In His Underwear In Risky Business
Bob Seger wrote “Old Time Rock and Roll” in 1979 and it became a moderate hit for him, but it was four years later when it was used as the music Tom Cruise dances in his underwear to in Risky Business that it became an American classic. How many times have you heard it and thought about dancing around in your underwear? I know I have, many times.
O-o-h Child - Doughboy Gets Busted In Boyz N The Hood
“O-o-h Child” by the Five Stairsteps is a soul music standard, and when I hear it now, I immediately think about the scene in Boyz N the Hood, when Furious (Laurence Fishburne in a performance that should have gotten him an Oscar) is returning home after a nice day fishing with his son Tre. At first, the song is a nice moment for Furious, but in the context of the movie, it changes almost immediately when they drive by young Dough Boy’s house as he’s getting arrested. Things are going to get better according to the song, but they don’t, really.
Hurricane - Wooderson Walks Into The Emporium In Dazed & Confused
I love Bob Dylan, but now whenever I hear his classic call for justice song, “Hurricane,” I can only think of how cool Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) and Pink (Jason London) look as they stroll into the Emporium and meet up with the other characters just as the legendary night is getting underway.
In Your Eyes - Outside The Window In Say Anything
An old crush once asked me if I’d ever stood outside a girl’s window and played a song on a jukebox like Lloyd (John Cusack) does in Say Anything. I told her no, but she would’ve been the first to know if I had. You simply cannot hear Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” without immediately picturing Lloyd with the radio above his head in front of his Chevy Malibu.
The Times They Are A-Changin - Opening Credits Of Watchmen
I’m not going to debate whether Zach Snyder’s adaption of the graphic novel Watchmen is well done or not (it is). What I will debate is how great the opening scene is accompanied by Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin.” 20 years ago it was unthinkable to me that I would think of anything but the 1960s when I heard that song, now all I see is the bloody Smiley Face button.
Flower Duet - Clifford’s Death In True Romance
The most powerful use of music on this list comes from one of the best scenes in movie history. It’s when the “Flower Duet,” from the Léo Delibes opera Lakmé, is played over the True Romance scene between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. The music swells as Hopper realizes that no matter what, this confrontation is going to lead to his death. It is an immensely commanding moment and while the music may be over 100 years old, it will, at least for me, be forever connected to this one amazing moment.
Hip To Be Square - Paul Allen’s Murder In American Psycho
Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? If you do, and you’ve never seen American Psycho then you might think twice, because after you do, you will only associate their 1986 hit, “Hip To Square,” with one thing: the murder of Paul Allen (Jared Leto) by Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale). Try getting a reservation at Dorsia now!
Sister Christian - Drug Deal In Boogie Nights
Maybe the most tense I’ve ever felt from a film scene is in Boogie Nights when Dirk (Mark Wahlberg) and the others attempt to sell fake cocaine to Rahad (Alfred Molina). The stress of the scene, with the fireworks going off and the incredible performance by Molina is enhanced by Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian.” I still get the jitters when I hear the song.
Hurdy Gurdy Man - The First Murder Scene In Zodiac
Speaking of getting the willies, Donavan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” will never be the same for me after seeing it used in Zodiac. The way the volume rises on the song as the killer’s car approaches the soon-to-be-murdered couple, then fades as it pulls away, to the relief of the couple, only to rise again as he returns. Yikes! Brilliant!
Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - Dream Sequence In The Big Lebowski
The Coen brothers are masters of using music to set the tone of their movies. In The Big Lebowski they up the ante by adding two musical vignettes, almost like music videos as dream sequences. The second, with the song “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” has become so classic that when I saw Kenny Rogers in concert (who sings the song with his old band The Third Edition) he even acknowledged it’s what’s made the song so timeless.
The End - Opening Scene Of Apocalypse Now
Francis Ford Coppola’s use of “The End” by The Doors in Apocalypse Now is so evocative, that it’s almost like the song was made for the movie. Of course, it was much older, but the eerie music and the dark lyrics are the perfect accompaniment to the bleak anti-war war film. I can’t hear it today and not hear the helicopter rotors of that opening scene.
Tiny Dancer - The Bus Ride In Almost Famous
“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John is a great song to sing along to. When I’m hitting those high notes all by myself in the car, I feel just like the band Sweetwater in Almost Famous as they travel down the highway on tour in their big bus. It’s just a fun scene after a tense moment, which is perfect for that song.
Pocket Full Of Sunshine - The Opening Scene Of Easy A
In Easy A Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) declares “Pocket Full of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield to be the “worst song ever” before she hears the earworm of a tune so many times that it becomes her favorite song. That’s kind of exactly how I feel about it, and now when I hear it, the guilty pleasure I enjoy is justified because Olive said it was okay to love it.
Bohemian Rapsody - The Car Ride In Wayne’s World
You knew I couldn’t end this list without including “Bohemian Rhapsody” from Wayne’s World. I’ll fully admit Queen is not my favorite band, and this is not one of my favorite songs, but the scene is so classic that you can’t help but immediately be transported back to seeing it for the first time. Look, see? I’ll bet you’re banging your head right now.
Great film scores transform movies, but nothing transcends like a well-placed classic pop song like the ones on this list. There are so many more songs I could’ve chosen that I could have 100 more entries. Adding the right song at the right time is the easiest way to make me nostalgic for a time and place, and that includes on film and on television, as well.
