Proof That Movies Have Better Taste in Music Than I Do
My passion for music goes hand-in-hand with what I consider to be a pretty profound appreciation for film and television. By no means am I a “movie buff,” but I do like to think that I might have slightly more than a caveman’s sense of cinema. Regardless, I can credit more than a small portion of my Apple Music Library to some of the movies and shows I’ve taken the time to sit down and watch.
There’s immense value in bonding with someone over a movie that you share an affinity for, and it only makes it better when you can agree that the music was just as powerful as the plotline. The impact a soundtrack can have on any given scene is so often lost on people. Take the docking scene from Interstellar; the intense “No Time for Caution,” composed by Hans Zimmer, is a perfect fit with the gravity of the situation McConaughey’s “Cooper” is in. Now, imagine that scene with any other song…it would feel wrong.
Without good soundtracks, cinema would be one-dimensional, limited by the audience’s perception of what the scene is supposed to sound like. That’s a big chunk of the reason why great movies are great: the music supervisor has excellent taste. And not only do we get to experience their vision through the film — we walk away with an awesome new song stuck in our head.
Today, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite songs I’ve gotten from the hundreds of movies and shows I’ve watched. Just promise me one thing: if you haven’t yet, watch the movie before you listen to the song. That way, you’ll be able to hear and experience it in the same magical way that I did.
I didn’t get around to watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty until just a few years ago. Beyond its incredibly fascinating plot and fantastic performances by Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, and Sean Penn, this film exemplifies the life that we all fantasize about. Escaping the limitations imposed by our mundane daily lives and discovering something completely new is the epitome of being human. The only thing that can make that experience even cooler? A good song, and “Stay Alive” is a perfect example of a track’s ability to capture a moment of wonder.
I know, this one’s a bit of a cliché, but I couldn’t help myself. I first heard “Song for Zula” in The Spectacular Now, and it’s been a sort of comfort song ever since. Even though it wasn’t written specifically for the movie, I’ll always associate it with one of Miles Teller’s first serious roles that I had seen at the time. There’s nothing flashy about it; no blazing solo, no complex chord progression, and no intense build and release. Just a simple, four-chord ode to love’s capacity for damage. That droning bass feels like a late-night walk, and I can’t help but drag it up every time it hits my queue.
The Bear has become a bit of a ubiquitous title over the past few years, and for good reason. The show tackles topics like guilt, obsession, trauma, and loss in extremely creative ways, mostly through metaphorical culinary pursuits. However, each season always crawls its way back to the underlying theme: dysfunctional found-familial connection. This couldn’t be more true in the season one finale, “Braciole,” where all the characters we’ve grown to love sit down for the restaurant-traditional “family meal.” As the frames bounce from character to character, Radiohead’s “Let Down” is played, perfectly embodying the series’ overarching theme of emotional numbness while also signaling hope for Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy.
Time for the sci-fi nerd to shine through. Tron: Legacy was one of my favorite movies growing up, and it played a huge role in getting me into Daft Punk. As some of the pioneers of contemporary electronic music, it would only make sense that the “robots” have creative freedom over the 2010 film’s soundtrack. “End of Line” is great in car speakers, but it’s otherworldly with headphones and closed eyes. You feel like you’ve been transported to “the Grid” and put on a “light cycle,” preparing to fight and ride to the death. It’s pretty badass, and it makes for a great workout or focus track.
I’ve seen tons of sad movies, and Beautiful Boy is probably the most gut-wrenching of them all. I won’t even get into the plot — just hop on Prime Video and watch it. Part of what makes it so emotionally heavy is its perfect pairing of song and scene. There are a number of songs that are highlights of the soundtrack, like “Beautiful Boy” by John Lennon and “Treasure” by Sampha, but the instrumental “Helicon 1” by Mogwai is the one that grabbed my attention. Playing within the first ten minutes of the film, its powerful sound almost sounds like it should accompany the final scenes. It’s a wailing warning of what’s to come, and it couldn’t be more perfectly aligned with the feelings the film will evoke.
Art and expression bring meaning to our lives. As the late, great Robin Williams says in Dead Poets Society, “Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love; these are what we stay alive for.” Just add music and film after “poetry.” Also, I meant it with the whole watch before you listen thing.
Seriously, I’ll know.
