I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t get movies. I’ve never been one to spend my time watching classic movies or waiting with eager anticipation for the next Cohen Brothers release. However, I do appreciate the important role that music can play in helping to create the required atmosphere during a particular scene. This article will look at some of the scenes from movies where this writer has felt that the music chosen to soundtrack the scene has helped greatly to enhance the experience of the viewer.
Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams Come Through (500 Days of Summer, 2009)
The 2009 Marc Webb offering, 500 Days of Summer, would gain renown for the offbeat way that it would represent love and relationships, as a movie that chose not to follow the traditional happy ever after love story narrative. 500 Days of Summer expertly captures the emotional pitch of the various different stages of being romantically involved with someone, and no where is this more obvious than in this scene where the iconic Hall & Oates anthem is used to demonstrate the sense of triumph being felt by Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s character, Tom Hansen, after a night with Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel). The result is one of the most uplifting scenes in modern cinema.
David Bowie – Heroes (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 2012)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the 2012 coming-of-age drama based on the young adult novel of the same name by Stephen Chbosky, would provide another clear demonstration of how with the perfect soundtrack a cinematic scene can be drastically improved. The tunnel scene in The Perks of Being a Wallflower marks the moment when Charlie (portrayed in the movie by Logan Lerman) begins to gain a greater understanding of the possibilities that are open to him, and this feeling is expertly encapsulated by with the use of the classic from David Bowie.
Donald O’Connor – Make ‘Em Laugh (Singin’ in the Rain, 1952)
Singin’ in the Rain is widely regarded to be the greatest musical every written and even enters into many people’s lists as one of the best outright movies ever. Any of the songs that feature during this 1952, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen directed classic, could conceivably feature during this post, but this song performed by Donald O’Connor makes the cut for expertly capturing the efforts of Cosmo Brown (O’Connor’s character) to lift the mood of Gene Kelly’s character, Don Lockwood. The number demonstrates in no uncertain terms the talent of O’Connor.
Simple Minds – Don’t You (Forget About Me) (The Breakfast Club, 1985)
It would be remiss of this blog to compile this kind of a list and not include this iconic movie scene from the 1985 coming-of-age movie, The Breakfast Club.
Starship – We Built This City (The Muppets, 2011)
The scene below from The Muppets, released in 2011 under the direction of James Bobin and written by Jason Segal, is the perfect representation of everything great about The Muppets. Great memories are associated with this song and this movie.
MK
Covert Music Club 