Music and Movies
Isn't it great when a song plays into a movie so perfectly and just adds so much emotion to the scene. The question I have today is, what song played in a particular scene in a movie did you think was just perfect or was your favorite in terms of how it tied in with the movie. My particular favorite scene was from the movie "A Bronx Tale" with Robert De Niro and Chazz Palminteri. In this particular scene there was a group of black teenagers riding their bike past a group of Italian teenagers who were advertley racist accept one of them. When the Italians see the black teenagers riding by, they get up and imediately beat all of them brutally with bats and garbage cans and basically whatever they could find. The scene was a very dramatic one but wouldn't have been as powerful if The Moody Blues' "Nights In White Satain"was not played. The song just added this incredible chill to the scene, how the song exactly pertains to the scene I don't know but I do have some ideas. It isn't even the lyrics which add this extremely dramatic feel but the amazing haunting chill of the song. Now my idea with the lyrics interweaving with the scene is probably pretty far off but one idea I have is it's just complete irony with the repeted yelling of "And I Love You, Yes I Love You, I Love You." Another idea is with the one part which goes:Gazing at people
Some hand in hand
Just what I’m going through
They can’t understand
Some try to tell me
Thoughts they cannot defend
Just what you want to be
You will be in the end.
With this section I have a feeling maybe their is a sense of jealousy with the racism, quite possibly they are missing some sense of connection with everyone and therefore want to take it out on those who are "different." In the end the essence of the song is so strong when tied in with the scene. Not to mention in the movie there is also a phenomenal part where The Beatles' "Come Together" is played during a fight scene which also escelates the emotion. Anyway, have there ever been any songs in movies which you felt made a certain scene so much stronger just because of its presence?
posted by Jeff at 2:41 PM
8 Comments:
I loved the use of Supertramp's "Goodbye Stranger" in Magnolia. Also, "Stuck in the Middle With You" in Reservoir Dogs and that Chirs Isaak song in Eyes Wide Shut come to mind.
-- david
Yes, so many. I can't think of a single one at the moment because I have a horrible headache. The last movie I saw (DVD) was The Virgin Suicides and I know the music added a lot but can't recall what any of it was. I wish my mind was young and sharp like yours, Jeff.
David - Great choice with "Stuck In the Middle With You" that was such a great point in the movie.
Layla - Hmmm... I've never seen that movie, maybe I should check it out, and I wish my mind was as sharp as it should be, lol.
In "Goodfellas" when "Sunshine of your Love" plays just as you see DeNiro take a drag of his cigarette. For some reason, it always seemes kinda spooky and fit with the look he was giving.
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Jeff - Damn, that's a tough one to pick right now. I have over 3 hundred movies. I like so much music that it's hard to pick fav's.
But I understand what you mean.
Peace,
- Neo
PS. I deleted my blog. Since then some spammer stole the url/name, please delete my old blogs refererence from your blogroll. I'd hate to have you end up getting people spammed from JBI's corpse.
Thanks....
Mike - Another great moment, I wonder if Mob movies just know how to utilize music well?
Neo - It's definitely not easy, this moment just really stuck out in my mind. And I'm sorry to hear about JBI, I'll take it off when I get back from work.
One of my favorites is Elton John's Tiny Dancer in Almost Famous-- music is such an integral part of that film but the scene where everyone on the Stillwater bus is singing along and William Miller tells Penny Lane he has to get home. And she looks at him, does this hand gesture and tells him, "you are home." For some reason that scene always makes me feel like I too am at home on that Stillwater tour bus.
Another one-- this is a bit more obscure and this song as obscure as it is has actually been used twice-- the first time was in 1974 to close out the movie Electra Glide in Blue. The song was titled Tell Me and it was sung by the late Chicago guitarist, Terry Kath. In the late nineties, Miami Vice used the exact same song to close out its series finale. There's a haunting reverence to it that fits perfectly with both closing scenes.
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