Having seen Guardians of the Galaxy recently and having re-watched American Psycho last night on Netflix it got me thinking about good movie soundtracks.
In my mind there are two main types of movie soundtracks. The first and most common is background tracking, where the music plays along to scenes in order to intensify a particular feeling. If I close my eyes I can picture one of my favorite examples: the montage in Goodfellas when we see the bodies rolling out of the garbage truck as we hear the slow part to Layla playing along. The second type, which Guardians and American Psycho brought to my mind, is foreground tracking. This is when the music is directly integrated into the movie’s world to supplement the plot. This modality is more difficult to pull off well but there are certain scenes throughout film that it tends to recur, like love-making scenes, so I wanted to make a list of the songs that I would feature in a movie if I were directing such scenes. Here’s my top 10…
1. The song playing in the tape deck as your car flies off the road to your likely demise.
Dream On (Aeromsith), I think this would work best for me if I were in a T-top 1986 Nissan 300ZX with it raining while in slow motion.
2. The song that plays when you hit the juke box in the bar and all of your friends join along for a dance musical.
Yeah (Usher), I read somewhere that this was ranked as the best Dance Club song of all time, the only problem with this is trying to picture all of my white friends trying to coordinate a dance to this.
3. The song your trainer pumps into the gym as you train for your next big fight that you are the underdog for and will most likely lose.
Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney and Wings), I considered the Guns n’ Roses version but I’m saving them for another song and I like the tribute to a James Bond film.
4. The song that plays on your headphones as you roll the pantyhose over your face and kick in the door to the bank and begin shooting wildly in the air.
Up in Here (DMX), I chose this song before someone reminded that there is actually a bank robbery in the music video, guess that it’s pretty appropriate then.
5. The song you choose to play as you woo that beautiful woman (or man if that’s your thing) you brought back to your apartment to make sweet love to.
Dangerously in Love (Destiny’s Child), its syncopated enough to work with my off beat moves if they were consensual or not.
6. The song you choose for your stereo as you dismember and torture your first victim (if you have a problem with this one just pretend he murdered your family and you are seeking revenge).
Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), I think the tempo change and the falsetto voices would go well as blood splatters on the freshly painted white walls.
7. The song your best friends crank up as they help you recover from a bad breakup and get ready for your first date in 3 months after that idiot broke your heart and took the dog after he told you he just wasn’t ready for a commitment but then you see him on the street with another girl walking your dog.
Give it Away (Red Hot Chili Peppers), I think it would work best if my friends dressed up like RHCP and then sang it to me real close in my face, I could see that cheering me up.
8. The song you play in the dark as you hold a glass of whiskey while crying waiting for the impending doom (maybe that bank heist went bad).
The Sky is Crying (Albert King), I would consider using Hurt (Johnny Cash) but felt it was a little too on the nose.
9. The song your son plays at your funeral because he knows that it represents your life and you would have wanted it that way so everyone would stop being sad for a moment (maybe that bank heist went real bad).
Paradise City (Guns n’ Roses), family take note, I want this at my real funeral too.
10. The song that you play on the 150 foot yacht as you sail off into the sunset with all you could have ever hoped for (maybe we can assume the heist went well in this case).
Fortunate Son (Creedance Clearwater Revival), I know it is overused in movies but I think I could pull it off if the scene and storyline were right.