June 2012 Editorial: Music in Movies

I don’t really listen to the radio because most stations have a rotation of the same eight songs playing over and over again ad nauseum.  So I pick up new music mainly from hearing a song randomly in public, through friendly referrals, and through movies.  The best thing about catching tunes through films is that if you pay attention, you’ll find a really obscure song or perhaps a cover of a well-known song with a unique spin.  Music is such a big part of motion pictures, so I thought this month I would highlight five musical performances that really made a difference in their respective films.

BLACK SHEEP – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

The soundtrack from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is absolutely loaded, but of all the songs, this one particularly stands out.  Originally performed by Metric, Brie Larson (21 Jump Street) provides the vocals and performs this song in the movie.  Below is the scene:

  

FADE INTO YOU – Angus (1995)

In the context of its time, Angus was a hidden gem of a movie that almost nobody saw about an overweight socially awkward kid who puts up with all kinds of bullying on his way to that one great high school moment.  Fade Into You by Mazzy Star plays during the key scene near the end of the movie, which I couldn’t find video for.  But this song, like the movie, is a bit obscure.  However I can  guarantee that many of you will add it to your playlist after hearing it.  Below is the music video:

SOMEBODY KILL ME – The Wedding Singer (1998)

This song is from back when Adam Sandler was still making good movies.  The song Somebody Kill Me had that fresh appeal that much of Sandler’s work exuded back in those days on the set of SNL.  Just one caveat, this video is NSFW (profanity).  Below is the scene from the Wedding Singer:

POP GOES MY HEART – Music and Lyrics (2007)

I grew up in the 80’s so the opening credits to Music and Lyrics really cracked me up.  This video reminded me of about 100 bands from the days when MTV still showed music videos.  Hugh Grant and Scott Porter absolutely kill it in the video.  Music and Lyrics was actually a bit underrated as a romcom, but got overlooked mostly because Drew Barrymore didn’t quite fit the bill.  The music was great though.   Link to the opening credits scene below:

THE SHOW – Moneyball (2011)

I was curios to see how Moneyball (the book) would translate into a movie, and was pleasantly surprised at how good the film turned out.  In the movie Kerris Dorsey performs Lenka’s The Show and I have to say that Dorsey’s version is infinitely better and really makes the last scene stay with you long after the final scene fades to black.  The link to the last scene of Moneyball is below (spoiler alert):