3GM: The Underdogs, Scene and Heard
The proper use of popular music in films is a delicate thing. Good music makes everything better and movies are no exception. It’s the reason why a subway ride or walk in the park seems almost cinematic when our headphones are in. However, a good song can easily be a crutch for a bad scene to lean on. The best placements of recognizable songs will supplement a visually arresting moment in a plot rather than distract the audience from it.
We enlisted the help of 3GM friend Kevin Coyle and started compiling a list of our all-time favorite “popular music + movie scene” combinations. We quickly noticed that two names kept popping up: Martin Scorsese and Wes Anderson. These two men have become masters of cinema by drawing heavily on pop culture to create poignant moments. Having acknowledged that, we decided to leave them off our list entirely to make room for some of the more forgotten scenes that we love. Here is our list…
Movie: Boogie Nights (1997)
Song: Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield/99 Luft Balloons – Nena
This is, plain and simple, one of the best movie scenes of all time. It was the moment where Paul Thomas Anderson became an original filmmaker with distinctive style. The performances are all spot-on and the tension is palpable. PTA’s choice to use these ’80s pop classics instead of a traditional film score during this overwrought drug-deal-gone-wrong is the key ingredient in creating the scene’s uneasy yet engaging feeling.
READ ON for 14 more perfectly placed tunes in movies…
