The right song in the right movie can elevate both works of art, and join forces to elevate the movie to new heights. While an original score can also enhance the emotion of a scene, there is something special about a great needle drop, especially when the song is particularly appropriate. Great needle drops don’t just sell more soundtracks, but they also help expand the world and characters of a film.
An outstanding needle drop doesn’t just play a popular song for no reason, but instead uses the song to tap into deeper emotions for both the characters and the audience. The song can be a favorite of the main character, or just play as a strange twist of fate, but either way, it elevates an already emotional scene. A great needle drop can also be done ironically, and used to juxtapose what is happening in the film.
10 The Chain By Fleetwood Mac (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)
The Guardians of the Galaxy movies are known for their soundtracks and their ability to use pop music to help tell the story, but the best needle-drop across all three films is arguably the use of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” in the Vol. 2. While “Come and Get Your Love” from the first movie will always hold an iconic status in the genre, the way James Gunn uses “The Chain” to express the character’s arcs is masterful. The song plays twice in the film, first in a lamentable fashion as the Guardians question their place with each other, and again at the climax as a triumphant declaration of love.
9 Let Me Roll It By The Wings (Licorice Pizza)
“Let Me Roll It” by Paul McCarthy and The Wings sounds like a song written by John Lennon, and that’s no mistake. McCarthy wanted to write a song in the style of his former bandmate, expressing his love for his friend. Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza takes that song and puts it in the context of a teenage boy being unable to communicate with his crush. While the film isn’t a musical, this scene uses the music to act as the character’s inner monologue. It is a beautiful example of the song and the filmmaking coming together to be more than the sum of their parts.
8 Hip To Be Square By Huey Lewis & the News (American Psycho)
Sometimes, a needle drop is even better if the song doesn’t match the scene. As is the case in Mary Harron’s American Psycho, when Patrick Bateman puts on “Hip To Be Square” as he brutally murders his co-worker with an ax. This move takes what would be a horrifying murder scene, and turns it into something humorous and pleasantly uncountable. The juxtaposition of the poppy rock and the brutal killing puts the audience into the twisted mind of Bateman and has in turn ruined the song for countless viewers.
7 Fight the Power By Public Enemy (Do the Right Thing)
Spike Lee is a master at finding the right songs for his films. At the start of Do the Right Thing, Rosie Perez stands in front of a Brooklyn brown house and dances to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” Written for the film, the song as well as the colorful visuals, perfectly encapsulate the tone and themes of Lee’s magnum opus. All the anger, energy, and rhythm that the film has bottled up explodes within the first few moments with this song and starts the film off on the perfect note.
6 California Dreamin’ By The Mamas & the Papas (Chungking Express)
The Mamas & the Papas “California Dreamin'” plays not once, not twice, but nine times in Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express. The song becomes a sort of anthem for the character of Faye as she plays it on repeat throughout the movie. Despite its repetition, the song never gets old and instead becomes more meaningful with each listen. Tying into the film’s themes of escape and creating a fantasy, the song is perfectly deployed within the film, even though its placement feels random and natural. After watching Chungking Express it’s hard to hear this song and not think of Faye or the noddle shop.
5 Life on Mars? By David Bowie (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou)
Wes Anderson is another filmmaker known for his use of popular music, but The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou has by far his best soundtrack. Consisting mostly of David Bowie hits, along with acoustic covers by Seu Jorge, the film will often contrast two versions of the same song to show the characters’ inner turmoil. When Steve discovers he is probably a father, “Life on Mars?” plays, but while around other people, Jorge’s simple acoustic version can be heard in the background. It is only when Steve is alone with his emotions that Bowie’s sweeping melody takes over, showing the depth of emotion he hides from others.
4 Across 110th Street By Bobby Womack (Jackie Brown)
Originally written for the 1972 crime film of the same name, Quentin Tarantino took Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th Street” to new heights with its inclusion in Jackie Brown. The character of Jackie Brown loves Motown classics, so it makes sense she would love this song, but it also serves as a powerful thesis statement for the film. The song deals with the struggles of systematic inequality and the fight to get out of the terrible situation a person is born into, which works both as a perfect intro and as a powerful coda in the closing moments. While Tarantino has had flashier needle drops, few are as emotionally effective as the one found in Jackie Brown.
3 Numb/Encore By Jay-Z/Lincoln Park (Miami Vice)
A film’s opening moments are crucial, considering that they set the tone for the rest of the movie. Michael Mann’s Miami Vice has one of the most memorable opening shots, as after a silent Universal logo, the film smash cuts to a Miami club where Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s “Numb/Encore” blasts. With no context or preamble, the film throws the audience into the deepened. It is disorienting in the best way, as the music puts the viewer in the hazy mindset of the lead detectives, and the dark world they inhabit. Miami Vice is an unconventional film, and this unconventional needle drop is a great encapsulation of what makes the film special.
2 Livin’ Thing By ELO (Boogie Nights)
The inclusion of Electric Light Orchestra’s “Livin’ Thing” gives Boogie Nights one of the movie’s best moments. After an unforgettable riff on Raging Bull, the film cuts to black as ELO’s anthem takes over and the movie ends. There is just something magical about the use of this song, as it sends the audience out with new-found energy after a 155-minute epic. It is joyous, heartfelt, and just slightly melancholic, serving as the perfect postscript to Boogie Nights.
1 The Sound of Silence By Simon and Garfunkel (The Graduate)
No film and song are as intertwined as The Graduate and “The Sound of Silence.” Songwriting duo Simon and Garfunkel wrote serval songs for Mike Nichols’ coming-of-age film, but the use of “The Sound of Silence” is not only iconic but generation-defining. Played three times throughout the film, the song adds layers of meaning to several key scenes in the film and even redefines The Graduate’s final moments. Together, the song and the film can capture a generational angst and feeling that is impossible to capture with just words.
