Soundtracks, Soundtracks, Soundtracks: Song Association Vol. 2

July 20th 2012, 11:11am

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

There are many things that make a movie what it is. It all starts with a story (according to what every How-To book on screenwriting tells us), there is the director and his crew, there are the actors, who bust their asses to bring a vision to life. Then comes the wonderful world of post-production. What is one result of that? The music. Soundtracks enhance the movie going experience. They can make us cry, they can pump us up, they can make us remember the 80’s. Whether it be a musical band or a composer, soundtracks help our favorite movies stay etched in our mind forever.

This week I’ve decided to focus on one of the aspects I love so much about movies, that being the songs that can often become associated with a film and being made famous by it. These songs become just as iconic as the films themselves most of the time, so welcome to the second installment of these memorable gems. To check out Vol. 1 of Song Association click here

1. SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW BY JUDY GARLAND (WIZARD OF OZ)

That Judy Garland has a set of lungs on her, no? This song and the beautiful way Garland sang it set us up for the magical world we we’re about to enter perfectly. A special tidbit about this particular song is that is almost didn’t make it into the film, as the filmmakers felt it made the Kansas sequence a bit too long, years later it earned its place in AFI’s 100 years, 100 songs list. What’s great about the Wizard of Oz that it is packed with musical numbers you can’t help but sing along to. Don’t get me started on “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.” Purchase the soundtrack here

2. STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU BY STEALERS WHEEL (RESERVOIR DOGS)

Michael Madsen god bless you for being one cool son of a bitch. Quentin Tarantino god bless you for having such wonderful taste in tracks to feature in your films that continued after Reservoir Dogs. Double blessings for placing this song in a sequence with as much balls as the infamous ‘ear scene’. Tarantino has had many memorable songs in many memorable scenes, but never have those two ingredients went together as well in his films as in Reservoir Dogs. Purchase the soundtrack here

3. LAYLA BY DEREK AND THE DOMINOES (GOODFELLAS)

Beautiful song, for a beautiful sequence…well, beautiful in its own cinematic way. Let’s see what do we get in this sequence? A man in his wife in their car bloody as shit to be found by children, a dump truck surprise, the frozen stiff Carbone, and the death of a beloved main character. All accompanied by a Ray Liotta voice over reminding us how crazy Bobby D’s character is. You can just imagine the whole thing in your head after reading this, eh? Purchase the soundtrack here

4. OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL BY BOB SEGER (RISKY BUSINESS)

I’ve never tried to pull the Tom Cruise Risky Business look off for Halloween, my legs are way to hairy for that shite, not that this was something you needed to know. My point is, I never said I reenact this iconic scene in private, if you say you haven’t (male or female) I would have an unbelievable urge to tell you you’re full of it. This scene has been paid homage to in several films that came after it, and “Old Time Rock and Roll” has earned its way onto my IPod. NOTE: the Risky Business soundtrack also features another classic “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. Double whammy. Purchase the soundtrack here

5. DANGER ZONE BY KENNY LOGGINS (TOP GUN)

The aerial scenes in Top Gun were an amazing sight to see, enhanced by a musical sequence with this Kenny Loggins classic to keep it company. The song was so integral as a whole to my enjoyment of the film in the first place, that I daresay it better find its way into the rumored sequel. But if they insist on CGI flight scenes don’t even bother. And yes, I am also a big fan of “Take My Breath Away”. Purchase the soundtrack here