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10 Great Pop Music Moments in Cinema

Posted by Ruben_James on 10/17/2006

There’s nothing like a perfectly placed pop song in a movie. This thought came to me the other day as I relaxed on the couch while watching The Karate Kid. You say, “Whuuuuuuuuuut?” I say, “YES!” More on that later... Some directors have a gift for it--Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, P.T. Anderson, and John Hughes immediately come to mind. Some directors don’t--Zach Braff comes to mind. Before I knew it, I had assembled my list of “10 Great Pop Music Moments in Cinema.” For added entertainment, I have included YouTube videos. Some clips are from the actual film, some aren’t. Deal with it.

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Tracks

1. Bananarama - Cruel Summer

The Karate Kid
Man, did I love this movie! I started taking Tai Kwon Do lessons after I saw it. Much to my dismay, the “crane kick” was not one of the deadly moves I mastered and I never made it past green belt.

After being invited to a totally rad beach party, Daniel gets his ass kicked by Ali’s ex-boyfriend and Cobra Kai, Johnny. Nice way to spend the last day of summer. The next morning, Daniel rides his bike to school, over-sized aviator sunglasses hiding his shame, as “Cruel Summer” plays. It’s just a perfect moment. And a great song! Second place goes to Joe Esposito’s “You’re The Best” (YouTube), which is just so bad it’s good.

2. The Rolling Stones - 2000 Man

Bottle Rocket
Wes Anderson is, no doubt, a master of the pop song in film. Great taste. There are so many great musical moments in his films that it makes it hard to choose just one. There is the Who “A Quick One...” (YouTube) scene from Rushmore, the Nico “These Days” (YouTube) scene from The Royal Tenenbaums, but I gotta go with the first one that blew my mind. As the gang’s big heist turns sour, Dignan goes out in a blaze of glory set to the Stones mind-blowing tune from Their Satanic Majesties Request. “They’ll nenver catch me, man... Cause I’m fuckin’ innocent.”

3. Leonard Cohen - Stranger Song

McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Robert Altman loved Leonard Cohen’s debut album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, so much so that he used three songs from it on the soundtrack to his 1971 film, McCabe & Mrs. Miller. The bleak, lonely mood of the songs fit the film perfectly. As John McCabe, alone and on horseback, makes his way to a lonely mining town to open a whorehouse, “Stranger Song” accompanies. Just one of those rare instances when two art forms meet to become one moving moment.

4. B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
George Roy Hill tapped Burt Bacharach to write music for Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. This one is a complete 180 from the dreary tone of McCabe & Mrs. Miller with is comedy relief and snappy score. Bacharach is a genius and he proves that with such great songs as “South American Getaway.” The funny thing about this scene, however, is the fact that raindrops aren’t falling and there’s not a cloud in site. But the jovial mood of the song fits perfectly with Newman hamming it up on that crazy new invention—the bicycle.

5. Thompson Twins - If You Were Here

Sixteen Candles
I could make an entire list out of songs from John Hughes’ soundtracks. Simple Minds, The Psychedelic Furs, The Smiths, OMD... But I’m gonna have to go with one from the first of the great Hughes teen movies. “If You Were Here” plays during the big redemption scene when poor Samantha finds Jake Ryan waiting for her after her wasted sister’s wedding. This is just a really great song. The trials and tribulations of the past few days are all worth it once she’s sitting shotgun in that sweet red Porsche. Although I was probably more of a Farmer Ted, boy, did I want to be Jake Ryan.

6. Van Halen - Everybody Wants Some!

Better Off Dead
This was another great film from my childhood. The first time I saw this I thought it was the funniest thing I had ever seen and begged my mom to rent it over and over on “Pizza Fridays”! This song was also my introduction to pre 1984 Van Halen. And what better way to turn a 10 year old on to early VH than through a dancing claymation hamburger? I would soon own all the cassettes.

7. Cat Stevens - If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out

Harold and Maude
The story of the young death-obsessed Harold and his love for Maude—a 79-year-old madcap. You can’t deny the emotional weight of Harold dancing through the hills to Cat Stevens’ song of acceptance at the end of this 1971 Hal Ashby film. It just makes you feel damn good.

8. Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin'

Midnight Cowboy
I can’t help but think about Joe Buck looking so ridiculously out of place (but totally cool) and walking down Broadway whenever I hear this song. It was Nilsson’s first big hit and captures the free spirit and naivete of Joe Buck perfectly. Waaaaaaah waaaaaah...

9. Various Artists - Wise Up

Magnolia
Man, did Paul Thomas Anderson take a chance on this scene! Ballsy! This is a complete potential train wreck. I mean, if you just describe this scene to someone, it sounds so ridiculous. But it works... and is so powerful. Aimee Man wrote a real knock-out song with the help of Jon Brion and Anderson, in turn, writes the breaking point of his best film to date around it.

10. Harry Nilsson - Jump Into The Fire

Goodfellas
This is the climactic scene where the completely coked-up and frazzled Henry cooks for the family, runs errands, sells guns, cuts coke, and ultimately gets busted. The music is actually a montage of songs including Harry Nilsson’s “Jump Into The Fire,” The Rolling Stones’ “Monkey Man,” The Who’s “Magic Bus,” Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy,” and George Harrison’s “What is Life.” Scorsese is a complete master of pop music in film and I think this is the most effective use of pop music in a film ever. Honorable mention goes to the Billy Batts beat-down scene and its use of Donovan’s “Atlantis.” (YouTube)

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