Today, I ask you folks to share the song whose use in a movie most increased your appreciation for that song.
Pop Culture Theme Time is a feature where I put a question to you to see what you think about a particular theme. I might later revisit the theme for a future Drawing Crazy Patterns or Top Five.
As you all know by now, the combination of a song and a video basically creates a whole new work of art, which is why the government specifies the need for the permission of the copyright holder of a song before the song is used in a movie (or TV show), because, as the law actually spells out, a whole new thing is being done when you merge the two together and you need permission to change a song like that.
Anyhow, as a result, though, the use of music in films has led to a number of songs getting a whole new life and appreciation to them. For instance, “Jump In the Line” by Harry Belafonte is a great song, but you’d be hard-pressed to not be MORE into the song after the delightful ending of Beetlejuice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBPKbHYvC7M
Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” seems to be a bit too popular of a song for the famous Wayne’s World scene to INCREASE people’s appreciation of that song, but hey, maybe!
So what would your pick be?
Feel free to suggest other topics for future Pop Culture Theme Times to me at brian@popculturereferences.com.
I know you asked movies, but the first two that came to mind for me were TV, in fact both from “Supernatural.” “Carry on My Wayward Son” by Kansas means so much more to me after being used as the “The Road So Far” (i.e. the season wrap-up montage before each finale). Then the song “Renegade” was used in such a perfect way at the end of the episode where the brothers become known fugitives.
But, for movie songs, I’m going to go with “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. While I was aware of the song before seeing “Good Morning, Vietnam,” it wasn’t until watching the movie that I fell in love with it.
The use of “Flowers on the Wall” in Pulp Fiction and Butch’s reaction to it gave me a whole new love of the song. Whenever I hear it, I think of that reaction of pure joy and turn up the volume.
Most answers coming to my mind are actually Cover Versions from the movie itself that worked so well it makes me love that cover version, but it also makes me love the original versions of the songs even more as I recognize them with the movie, so I don’t know if it counts… The one I want to pick is “I’m Still Standing” from Rocketman. “I’m Still Standing” never was near my most liked Elton John songs but the movie changed that as the song does a great job in wrapping up the story of the movie and for this feels like the right song to describe Elton John and his music in general. It now is among my favorite Elton John-songs.
You already mentioned Wayne’s World and Bohemian Rhapsody, but that is my answer. I was in High School when Wayne’s World came out and likely had heard the song before, but for whatever reason that scene definitely increased my appreciation of the song
One more – Hall and Oates has never really done it for me, and I grew up in the eighties, hearing them plenty. However, the scene with “You Make My Dreams Come True” from 500 Days of Summer won me over with its leaning into the corniness.
Mr. Blue Sky in second Guardians of the Galaxy.
F— Tha Police in Straight Outta Compton.