With his latest opus, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino did away with a lot of his signature directorial trademarks. The storytelling is mostly linear, the style doesn’t adhere to any particular genre, and he saves all of his signature blood-soaked violence for the final reel.
But the late-‘60s setting allowed Tarantino to shed a spotlight on one of the most beloved hallmarks of his filmmaking: needle-drops on the soundtrack. To immerse audiences in 1969, Tarantino licensed the hits of such legendary artists as Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, the Rolling Stones, and the Mamas & the Papas.
“Treat Her Right” By Roy Head & The Traits
After the Bounty Law-centric prologue, the opening montage of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood introduces the audience to its lead trio of characters and ‘60s L.A. in spectacular fashion.
Rick and Cliff drive to Musso & Frank Grill to meet with Marvin Schwarz, while Sharon Tate flies back to L.A. and heads to her house on Cielo Drive. Roy Head & the Traits’ “Treat Her Right” kicks off Tarantino’s ‘60s playlist beautifully.
“Mrs. Robinson” By Simon & Garfunkel
When Cliff drives Rick home from his fateful meeting with Marvin Schwarz, they listen to Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” on the radio. The actor laments the death of his career while the stuntman-turned-chauffeur waits at a red light and watches a bunch of hippies cross the road.
As Pussycat catches Cliff’s eye, Tarantino ironically juxtaposes the hit song from The Graduate (a movie about a middle-aged woman, Mrs. Robinson, seducing a much younger man) with an older man ogling a much younger woman.
“Hush” By Deep Purple
Deep Purple is one of the most renowned rock bands of all time. Their universally recognized hits include “Smoke on the Water,” “Highway Star,” and “Space Truckin’,” but Tarantino chose a deep cut for the soundtrack of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
When Rick is rehearsing his lines for the Lancer pilot (lines that he would forget the following day), the camera swoops over to Sharon’s house and follows her to a party at the Playboy Mansion. Deep Purple’s “Hush” is playing when she arrives.
“Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show” By Neil Diamond
Pussycat coincidentally comes back onto Cliff’s radar when he’s driving around L.A. and spots her at the side of the road, hitchhiking. He agrees to give her a lift when he learns she’s going to Spahn Movie Ranch, where he used to shoot westerns with Rick.
The song on the radio – Neil Diamond’s “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show” – evokes the era so perfectly that it ended up appearing in the movie’s trailers.
“Don’t Chase Me Around” By Robert Corff
This needle-drop is a deep cut from the movie Gas-s-s-s. Produced by B-movie legend Roger Corman, Gas-s-s-s is a post-apocalyptic actioner with a dark sense of humor.
Taken from the film’s soundtrack, “Don’t Chase Me Around” plays over the tracking shot of Cliff maintaining ice-cool composure as he’s booed off of Spahn Ranch. The song ends on its final drum crash just as Cliff approaches the hippie who slashed his tire and beats him to a pulp.
“California Dreamin’” By José Feliciano
Right before the time jump to the notorious August night, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s second act wraps up with a calm-before-the-storm montage. Sharon leaves the theater after watching her own performance in The Wrecking Crew and Cliff drives Rick home from the Lancer set.
Tarantino sets the perfect mood with José Feliciano’s soulful, melancholic cover of the California-centric country classic “California Dreamin’.”
“Out Of Time” By The Rolling Stones
Tarantino drops the needle on the string version of the Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time” when Rick and Cliff return from Italy with a few spaghetti westerns under their belt.
The lyrics of “Out of Time” signify the end of Rick and Cliff’s working relationship, the death of Old Hollywood, and the grim fate that awaits a rising starlet and her friends at the hands of the Manson Family.
“Twelve Thirty” By The Mamas & The Papas
The rising tempo of the Mamas & the Papas’ “Twelve Thirty” kicks in at the exact right moment. The song begins when Jay plays the record in Sharon’s house and, next door, Cliff takes Brandy on a walk while smoking an acid-dipped cigarette.
As Cliff and Brandy disappear into the night on the piano intro, the Manson murderers’ loud, clunky car ominously advances up the road. When the car appears, the groovy melody of the song really gets going.
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” By Vanilla Fudge
After returning from Brandy’s walk, tripping on acid, Cliff turns on the stereo and plays Vanilla Fudge’s cover of the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” This psychedelic version of the Supremes classic is the perfect musical underpinning for the mind-blowing events that are about to unfold.
The Manson murderers burst through the front door and threaten Cliff, then he and Brandy end up eviscerating them in a gruesomely satisfying bloodbath.
“Miss Lily Langtry” By Maurice Jarre
The composer whose scores are most commonly pilfered by Tarantino is spaghetti western legend Ennio Morricone. For the bittersweet final shot of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which the camera follows Rick up Sharon Tate’s driveway to meet her, the director instead borrowed a track from Maurice Jarre, the three-time Oscar winner behind such iconic scores as The Longest Day and Lawrence of Arabia.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s gently haunting final needle-drop, “Miss Lily Langtry,” is taken from Jarre’s score for The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.
