Soundtracks

Comp II • Essay 3

Everyone loves movies and everyone loves music, but what is interesting is the relationship between the two. Here is something to consider: Do people love a certain song because it appears in one of their favorite films? Or do they love a certain movie scene because it hosts a song that is special to them?

Music fills the space in movies, often creating a mood or even providing details about a certain character, sometimes going so far as becoming a character itself. In the film, Reign Over Me, the opening scene shows Charlie Fineman, played by Adam Sandler, as he rides around New York City on his scooter. “Simple Man,” by Graham Nash, plays and tells the audience everything they need to know about Charlie:

The lyrics state: “Never been so much in love and never hurt so bad at the same time… Wish that I could see you once again across the room like the first time…” (Nash). The viewer has yet to hear any dialogue, yet they know that this man is broken. This is only possible because of the soundtrack.

It does not take more than two notes to let the viewer know that danger is approaching. Even people who have never seen Jaws know this.

This is also the point where I would like to mention the difference between a soundtrack and a score: a soundtrack is a collection of music that already exists; a score is music written for the film. Soundtracks seem like they would be easier to explore in an essay, though I have read a few good ones about scores.

I remember driving home one night and Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met” came on the radio. I knew immediately that there was something special here. A few months later, I watched 13 Reasons Why and they used it for the opening credits, as well as a pivotal scene between two characters. It was truly an amazing backdrop. Music is a like a photograph; it has the ability to take people back to the moment when they first heard the song, but this moment also has the ability to adapt or evolve. When I got into the car to take my dog to be cremated, it came on the radio again and I have not been able to listen to it since. I am posting it here for you to watch later.

Speaking of tragedy, Wes Anderson has a knack for choosing a soundtrack. Anderson, himself, declared The Royal Tenenbaums to be "the most complex, ambitious musical piece I’ve ever worked on” (Winters). In this film, there is a reasonably infamous “attempted suicide” scene that, out of context, is not suitable for the classroom; however, the scene occurs as Elliott Smith’s “Needle in the Hay” plays. It is likely that people who have seen the film cannot hear this song without replaying this part of the movie in their heads. While Smith was unhappy that his song was used in the scene, it potentially introduced his music to an entire world of Wes Anderson fans (Schultz).

(That is just an image. If you would like to torment yourself, you will have to find the video on your own.)

Marvel has been delivering blockbusters for many years, but what is fascinating is the use of soundtrack in Guardians of the Galaxy. The main character, Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, is constantly listening to his Sony Walkman, playing tapes left to him by his mother. The music is mostly from the 1970s and while popular music has the tendency to date a film, the audience understands that it has nothing to do with the setting, but all to do with Star-Lord’s memories of his deceased mother.

Speaking of dating films, any John Hughes movie will work perfectly for this assignment. Most people will hear the music just by seeing this image:

Or, for that matter, this image from Cameron Crowe’s Say Anything:

To remain somewhat current, I would like to offer this scene from Baby Driver, which is absolute perfection:

The point is that no song is placed inside of a movie by accident. Each one has been carefully selected over thousands and thousands of others. Your goal will be to find these reasons.

It is also worth considering the songs found in video games. Keep in mind that while many games include a score, it is also possible to find a gem of a cover song. For example, in The Last of Us 2, there is a moment where Ellie finds a music shop in a post-apocalyptic world. She picks up a dusty guitar and gives the gamer this wonderful cut-scene:

For those unfamiliar with the game, it might be difficult to understand the dramatic contrast between this scene and all the others where the player must dispatch zombie after zombie. While most of the songs in this game were written specifically for it, a good essay would explain why this 1980s hit was even used at all.

Films also have the ability to bring a fairly unknown artist into the spotlight. Two examples of this would be The Smoking Popes (from McHenry County) after their song, “Need You Around,” was used in the film, Clueless, and Cathy Davey's song, “Holy Moly,” at the end of The Disappearance of Alice Creed.

Anyone can write about the songs that exist within a film, TV show, or video game; your assignment is to find out why they are there in the first place.