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Non-original music tracks in general film

00130013
edited February 2013 in General Movies & TV Posts: 1,817
Following the discussion on "Non-original music tracks in Bond film" this one is about the best and worst usage of musical tracks in general movies and even TV.
As I said before, non-original music means tracks that were not written by the movie composer and usage includes the connection of the track with the images, the dialogue, the characters, and the story.
Feel free to make best/worst lists, rankings or to use any other method you like.

The following are my favorites:
- "Ride of the Valkyries" by Richard Wagner (Apocalypse Now)
- "The House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals (Casino)
- "La Mer" performed by Julio Iglesias (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
- "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones (although it has been used a lot, my favorite usage is in Layer Cake)
- "Pavane pour une infante défunte" by Maurice Ravel (The Dark Knight Rises)
- "Intermezzo of Cavalleria Rusticana" by Pietro Mascagni (The Godfather Part III)
- "Vesti la Giubba" by Ruggero Leoncavallo (The Untouchables)
- "The Demise of Barbara and the Return of Joe" by Ennio Morricone (Kill Bill Vol. 2)
- "Tiny Tears" by Tindersticks (The Sopranos, "Isabella")
- "I (Who Have Nothing)" by Ben E. King (The Sopranos, "The Telltale Moozadell")
- "Soul Town" by The Motherhood (Ocean's 13)
- "Rags to Riches" by Tony Bennett (GoodFellas)
- "He's sure the boy I love" by The Crystals (GoodFellas)

Comments

  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited February 2013 Posts: 24,219
    1) We can't talk about this and not think Tarantino. ;-) My favourite choice would be Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon (Urge Overkill).
    2) Of course I can't disagree with Ride Of The Valkyries in Apocalypse Now.
    3) Mister Sandman, as used for the opening of Halloween 2, is a personal favourite as well.

    And then there's the entire score of Amadeus. :-)

    The worst, for me, would be 7 Seconds by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry in the movie Alone In The Dark. That's right... the terrible Uwe Boll video game adaptation. The song was used for a sex scene starring Christian Slater and Tara Reid. :-/ A terrible cut takes us from an uninteresting dialogue right into some weird love making on a song full of political activism. Wow.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    Indeed "Ride of the Valkyries" made one of the best scenes in movie history!
  • 00Ed00Ed
    Posts: 140
    Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" in Excalibur has always been one of my favorites.
  • emilbertilloemilbertillo
    Posts: 153
    "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" in Casino
    "La Mer" in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
    "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" in MI - Ghost Protocol
  • AnonAnon
    Posts: 246
    I know someone who assumed Barber's Adagio for Strings was written specially for Platoon. Understandable - it works brilliantly.

  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,004
    Air on a G String for the Hamlet cigars adverts :). And here are my two favouties:





    Of course, there's Tarantino, who manged to give new life to some tunes by other composers: Twisted Nerves in Kill Bill, Tiger Tank (from Kelly's Heroes) in Inglourious Basterds, and so on.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    edited February 2013 Posts: 28,694
    One of my favorites is Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan, used in Zodiac (which plays at the credits). The song isn't sadistic or even refer to killings or anything like that, and was actually a 1968 anthem for the hippies during the psychedelic movement at the time. But the way it is used in Zodiac masterfully heightens the looming paranoia and general chilling atmosphere the Zodiac killer forcefully placed over San Francisco. Even just two seconds into the song, there is an eerie sound to it that is fitting of the psychedelic period but also fits well with the haunting tone of Zodiac and its themes. It is one of my favorite uses of popular music in film, and is expertly cited. As the credits role from this behemoth film of fear, paranoia and terror, this song plays and you are left completely immobile, as if in shock, as you contemplate all that you have seen. It is used as a framing device in the film, playing when Zodiac kills some of his first victims, and then it is replayed at the end to signify a certain sense of completion (I won't spoil anything). Great, great filmmaking right here, and is just more reason why Zodiac is one of my all time favorite films.

  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,004
    Here's another one: Queen's Somebody to Love, by Anne Hathaway, in Ella Enchanted. Who says she can't sing ?

  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    L'Appuntamento, sung by Ornella Vanoni, in Ocean's 12 is amazing.
    The Look of Love, sung by Dusty Springfield, in Catch me if you can is used perfectly as DiCaprio's character is sort of impersonating James Bond at the time.
    Enya's Orinoco Flow has the most unusual use in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (those who watched it know what I'm talking about).
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,004
    In France, Ebben? Ne andrò lontana , from the opera La Wally, sung by Wilhelmenia Wiggins-Fernandez, plays a very important part in the movie Diva.



  • AliAli
    Posts: 319
    I don't know if it was written for the movie or not, but this is still the greatest opening scene of any movie for me.

  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,004
    It was written for the movie. Music by Quincy Jones, lyrics by Don Black, sung by Matt Munro. Mmmmh, where have I heard that name before ? ;)

    Joking aside, that's a great movie.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    "The magician and the other so-called Gods of our legends, though Gods they were..."

    Donovan's Atlantis in GoodFellas:

  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    edited March 2013 Posts: 28,694
    Some other favorites of mine:

    "As Time Goes By" by Herman Hupfeld- Casablanca (sung by Dooley Wilson)
    In my opinion, it is the greatest song speaking of love in the world. Its lyrics celebrate that though times change, love is eternal, and it is the perfect song to symbolize Rick and Ilsa in this classic masterpiece.

    "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band- Good Will Hunting
    The song is not only the source of a great many laughs in the film, but also plays during the credits.

    "Die Forelle" by Franz Shubert- Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows
    The composition is used by Zimmer in the score but is also sung in the film by Moriarty. It is the perfect piece for the film with Sherlock and the professor facing off, since it is about a trout being caught by a fisherman, symbolizing the fight the two are having back and forth across the duration of the film. Moriarty sings it when
    he thinks he has captured Holmes, hence he is the fisherman, Sherlock the trout.
    "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones- This song works with literally ANYTHING
    I am serious. ANYTHING.

    "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Joe Cocker- Layer Cake
    The perfect song for describing the film and XXXX.

    "The End" by The Doors- Apocalypse Now
    The song beautifully bookends this behemoth masterpiece of a film.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones- This song works with literally ANYTHING
    I am serious. ANYTHING.

    Great song indeed. Now, where in Bond would you've used it?
    I'll say somewhere in
    LTK
    .
  • BondWillReturnBondWillReturn
    Posts: 816
    0013 wrote:
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones- This song works with literally ANYTHING
    I am serious. ANYTHING.

    Great song indeed. Now, where in Bond would you've used it?
    I'll say somewhere in
    LTK
    .

    That sound like a good idea, it could start playing when Bond and Sanchez are bleeding next to the tanker, and lead up until the tanker explodes!
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    edited March 2013 Posts: 4,399
    "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran in 'Layer Cake'


    "And Then He Kissed Me" by The Crystals in 'Goodfellas'


    "Flowers On The Wall" by The Statler Brothers in 'Pulp Fiction'


    "Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson in 'Jackie Brown'


    "Earth Angel" by The Starlighters in 'Back To The Future'


    "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd in 'The Devil's Rejects'


    "House Of The Rising Sun" by The Animals in 'Casino'


    "Layla (piano exit)" by Derek and the Dominos in 'Goodfellas'


    "Love Hurts" by Nazareth in 'Halloween (2007)'


    "Dont Stop Me Now" by Queen in 'Shaun Of The Dead'


    "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen in 'Wayne's World'


    "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas in 'Supernatural'


    "Heat Of The Moment" by Asia in 'Supernatural' (mystery spot episode)


    "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor in 'Supernatural' (yellow fever episode)


    "Dead Or Alive" by Bon Jovi in 'Supernatural' (no rest for the wicked episode)


  • AliAli
    Posts: 319
    Mentions for Apocalypse Now brought back this:



    Utterly mesmerising.

    And the geek in me has to add:



    Haunting and poignant.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    BondWillReturn wrote:
    0013 wrote:
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones- This song works with literally ANYTHING
    I am serious. ANYTHING.

    Great song indeed. Now, where in Bond would you've used it?
    I'll say somewhere in
    LTK
    .

    That sound like a good idea, it could start playing when Bond and Sanchez are bleeding next to the tanker, and lead up until the tanker explodes!

    I'll love to see an homage of LTK with Gimme Shelter as background music!
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