Anatomy Of A Fall’s 50 Cent Cover Song Explained & Why It’s So Important To The Movie

This article contains spoilers for Anatomy of a FallAn instrumental cover of rapper 50 Cent’s song, “P.I.M.P.”, plays a key role in the Oscar-nominated courtroom drama, Anatomy of a Fall. Directed by Justine Triet, the film follows German writer Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller), who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her French husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis), after he falls out the attic window and is found dead by their blind son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner). Though Anatomy of a Fall‘s ending is left ambiguous, every aspect of their family and marriage is dissected in Sandra’s murder trial to better understand the circumstances of Samuel’s death.

Anatomy of a Fall opens with Sandra being interviewed at home by a graduate student named Zoé, who is writing her thesis about Sandra’s semi-autobiographical novels. Not long into their recorded conversation, Samuel starts blasting an instrumental cover of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” from upstairs. Sandra and Zoé attempt to continue their conversation, but when the song starts over again, Sandra cuts the interview short. The song continues to play on a loop as Zoé leaves and Daniel goes for a walk with his guide dog, Snoop, and is still playing when Daniel returns and discovers Samuel’s body.

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Who Performs Anatomy Of A Fall’s Instrumental Cover Of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.”

As soon as it starts playing at the beginning of Anatomy of a Fall, the catchy and infectious beat of 50 Cent’s 2003 hit “P.I.M.P.” is instantly recognizable to many viewers. The title and original artist of the track are later identified in court, but the film never indicates the cover artist responsible for the specific version heard in Anatomy of a Fall. It turns out that German funk group Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band performs the instrumental version of “P.I.M.P.” featured in Anatomy of a Fall.

Triet initially wanted Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” to play during the opening scene, but when she couldn’t get the rights, she went with Bacao Rhythm’s steelpan cover of the 50 Cent track instead. While the band’s magic touch on the cover was what made such an impression in Anatomy of a Fall, bandleader Björn Wagner still made sure to give appropriate credit where it’s due. “I have to tip my hat to 50 Cent and his producer (Mr. Porter),” Wagner told USA Today. “It’s a very memorable hook line on its own.”

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Why Anatomy Of A Fall Uses A 50 Cent Song So Prominently

After its initial needle drop as the soundtrack to Samuel’s death, the 50 Cent cover song is featured prominently throughout Anatomy of a Fall and ends up playing a major role in the criminal investigation and subsequent trial. During a reenactment of Sandra and Samuel’s last conversation in the attic before he died, the song is played to determine a “credible” volume at which Daniel could have feasibly discerned his parents’ tone from outside over the blaring music. The song is heard again when the recording of Zoé’s failed interview with Sandra is played aloud in court.

Samuel’s potential motivation for blasting the song on a loop at high volume becomes a significant factor in the case. Sandra privately insists that Samuel was “blasting a song on repeat to piss [her] off and make [Zoé] leave.” During the trial, when asked if Samuel was trying to interrupt their interview, Zoe says she “felt tension around the noise” as though Samuel was “imposing his presence without showing himself.

The sentiment that Samuel’s actions were deliberately invasive is supported by the repetitive, “earworm” quality of this particular 50 Cent cover. “It’s a very cynical act that he’s choosing this song and this version,” Triet told USA Today. “It’s a very annoying thing to listen to over and over again.“

The prosecution begins to build the argument that Samuel was using the song as a weapon against Sandra because of the existing tension and conflict in their relationship, which drove Sandra to kill him. Samuel is revealed to have felt “emasculated” by Sandra’s success and jealous of her affairs with women in the past. The prosecutor suggests that he felt threatened that his bisexual was spending time with a young woman and specifically chose to “aggressively” play a cover of a song called “P.I.M.P.,” with misogynistic overtones in the original lyrics, to assert his male dominance.

Triet revealed that the thematic implications of 50 Cent’s original, unheard lyrics lingering in the opening scene was very intentional on her part. She noted that because the rap song is already so famous, “you know the significance of the lyrics, but you don’t have to overplay them in the scene.” Because the 50 Cent cover is such a major contextual element in the murder case, the song became a narrative tool for Triet to explore new information about Sandra and Samuel’s relationship in Anatomy of a Fall.

Sources: USA Today