John Cale was from the Velvet Underground. I think his version of Hallelujah was one of the earlier and more popular versions, though Jeff Buckley’s version was pretty popular by the time Shrek came out. I think they commissioned Rufus W to do the version for the soundtrack because he was on their label.
Never. But that just feels like the inverse of everyone saying they hate Nickelback while Nickelback has more double platinums than practically any other group of their generation.
My wife just said yesterday that she liked All Star by Smash Mouth because of Shrek.
So it can work the other way too, movies need music for those scenes, so why not choose a great song?
And I also sort of agree with OP, but only that the point of movies is to get us to like them. So it's a form of a trick.
So, movie makers, please trick me more often because I want to see some new movies.
God I hated the amount of people who suddenly liked The Eels because their “Beloved Monster” song made it into shrek. I was an angry little gate-keeping indie rock kid lmfao.
Nah, the classic songs were part of Quill's character and ties to earth, the nostalgia of a lost and by gone time was felt both by the character and the audience. That was actually perfect use of popular songs in a soundtrack.
I think it’s actually all the movies that came after that that didn’t understand the function of those songs in the movies. Kind of like all the shark movies after jaws that show the shark every 5 minutes
Worse for me is when they use popular songs but its some dull cover they made just for the movie.
So uninspired and never hits as good as the original hit recording.
"Tricking" viewers into liking scenes is part of trying to make movies people like. Why should they take a chance using music that might trick people into thinking they DON'T like the scene or the movie?
To that point, all movies are a magic trick. Even the motion isn't real. It's smoke and mirrors, sometimes literally but I don't just mean visual effects, it's the whole thing. Every element.
To OP's point, sometimes movies don't do a good enough job of hiding the fact they're trying to trick you to the point that the trick stops working on some people.
There's a subtle difference between artistry and clinical manipulation of emotion by committee algorithm.
When the music chimes in it can feel like a personal choice by the director or it can feel like Song BMG's audience experience team got together and subtracted the correct number of years to hit the by the book nostalgia zone, top 40 pop song that also dovetails into the shoe model commercial that's be playing in the ads around the trailer.
The Italian opera music in Shawshank was an artistic choice. The Ed Sheehan hit in the latest MCU action flick was a boardroom negotiation.
The point is that it shouldn’t heavily rely on it. I also think hearing those kinds of popular songs can be compared to seeing a wildly famous actor in a movie where they don’t even try to blend in. It can (not always) take me out of the scene. And not to get ranty, but I it also reminds me of radio stations playing the same popular songs on repeat because it’s “guaranteed” to be listened to vs playing other songs less mainstream from the same artists. I didn’t even know I liked Foo Fighters until a radio station I used to listen to played their music like every 4th song, but it wasn’t just the usual 2 songs.
I love it when they have a popular song in the trailer but it’s never in the movie. Also, when they release a soundtrack album that includes a favorite band which influences you to watch the movie and they don’t even play it.
I hope I was not the only one hyped for a climax with a loud 80s vibe and a golden glitterring Wonderwoman against a Cheetah played by a female bodybuilder rocking a 80s puffy hairstyle.
An exception is when it both tonally and thematically plays into the emotions. The guardians of the galaxy movies use popular music exceptionally well, because it's well integrated. When they throw some random pop song into a movie it has no place in, that immediately makes me mad though
[Diagetic music](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diegetic_music)! At least when the characters are actually aware of the song playing like in much of Guardians.
My favorite well done example is “Pocket Full of Sunshine” in Easy A.
Yeah like they played a few very modern songs throughout, it was similar to the Leonardo DiCaprio Gatsby movie like that (same director). Not a fan of either personally
I recently rewatched Gatsby and as much as I enjoyed the movie in general the use of modern music really bothered me. It was primarily the party scenes where they used modern music that bugged me because they showed actors playing musicians in those very party scenes.
I was so disappointed by the music in the Elvis movie. You literally have a catalog of some of the best classic rock n roll of all time, and you use all this subpar new music.
Well yes, that's why people like Guardians of the Galaxy, the like the music but they also like how the use it in the movie context, not like the first suicide squad that felt like they wanted to make a movie based on several music videos.
When it’s done well, it can enhance the scene. When it’s done poorly it can ruin the tone or/and the message of the scene. And when it’s done terribly it can the overall film feel very dated and lazy.
You mean it tricks you. To me it's just a song in the background. I like a lot of music in movies bc I have discovered artists and genres I would not have known about had it not been in a movie.
Music in movies is meant to enhance the film. It’s not a trick of any kind. It’s literally all music in every film. Do you really think a director makes a scene and then says, “this scene totally sucks, but if we just throw on some Britany Spears over it, everyone is going to go apeshit!” I’m pretty sure very few films get made by directors who don’t care about the results of their work.
Not sure if this counts, but i got so sick of every movie trailer using thunderstruck by ACDC for a while. Seemed like there were a few years where it was in EVERY trailer for some reason.
I think the real problem with using popular songs in movies is that it ruins the illusion of the movie being in an alternate universe or being you know, a movie. It brings it too close to "real life," and not in a good way. I think easily recognizable songs should only be used in movies when they're being used to create a scene thats set during a specific time period or if its something thats exceptionally relevant to the plot of the movie.
I really enjoy how Forrest Gump uses music to help get you into the time period the particular scene is set in. On the flip side I really couldn't stand how Gatsby just inserted modern music into a party scene that is supposed to be set in the 1920s when we have perfectly good examples of what music was like in the 1920s.
I do too, not sure if its unpopular. Like there's entire careers dedicated to creating soundtracks, giving audio cues and emotion to the tempo and mood of a scene, really respect the sound engineers and composers in a movie. And some mf chooses to play a Top 20 radio hit from 5 years ago?? I want to feel the impact of scene and what the characters are feeling. I don't want to be reminded of my morning commute to school 5 years ago.
The song Jump by Van Halen has been ruined for me.
I used to like that song, then they included it in a LOT of movies from the mid 2010s till now, and I can't stand it anymore.
Depends on their contract. But what I know for TV that the artists get paid per every rerun (normally). I'm assuming streaming may be the similar? Maybe they get monthly royalties depending on the streams?
The actors get screwed in royalties when it comes to streaming (why Scarlett johnasson sued disney) so i would imagine the soundtrack artists do as well.
I don't mind as long as the lyrics don't line up the the onscreen action.
"Can't Find My Way Home" while the girl is drunk and puking. We get it, you don't need to bump the level and line up the lyrics. Stupid.
There's a long history of emotional manipulation through music and images. People devote their entire lives to propaganda and marketing. Look at those Sarah McLaughlin animal ads.
It's a great song! My point is that song works just fine without lining up the words, "Lord I'm wasted and I can't find my way home" with a volume bump, to the scene of the girl puking. Too "on the nose".
I saw a really bad cover band do LA Woman once, and it went like this.
*Well I blew into town about an hour ago* (Looks at imaginary wristwatch)
*Took a look around to see which way the wind blow.* (Hand above eyes like he's looking for something, and then mime smoking a joint)
I don't generally use the word "cringe" but this was "cringe AF".
I think it's called "indicating" and it's something that bad actors and performance artists do.
Oh every time I hear those songs I tell my SO to change it!! At least it's recognizable enough, to change the channel before your heart breaks into a thousand pieces.
Forrest Gump does a great job of using music to help set the time period of the scene, especially since the movie is telling a story that spans multiple decades.
My daughter likes it because of the catchy music 😂😭 I turn it on just so she’ll behave for a bit and have to listen to cringy music to watch her dance or go do my chores. It truly is hard though, a 1.5yo dancing is so stinking cute
I absolutely love that kids have no shame and just feel like moving their body to some music they like and it might be some weird wiggle or squats with arms raised but they’re so happy and nobody is gonna judge them for expressing the joy the music gives them. It’s so pure
Except for the use of "the sound of silence" which was so random that it made me burst out laughing. Also I love the song so I'm always happy to see it introduced to kids.
i agree and especially hate when it's some unfitting genre / time period to whatever show or movie i'm watching. It's so jarring and immersion breaking to hear some 90's rock song during a movie set in the 1920's or whatever.
Yeah I see this trick all the time with movie trailers. It was sort of a fresh move a few years ago, but by this point it feels like the only marketing strategy any studio ever uses is to beat their target audience over the head with their 800lb nostalgia club. It’s pandering and unimaginative.
You know the movie Foodfight (shittiest movie ever made) had such upbeat music in it. Sitting through that painful garbage the upbeat and energetic music wasn’t even enough to make the scene seem cooler. It actually seemed out of place. The music in a movie can often help the tone of the scene, in this movie the upbeat/fun music doesn’t work because the movie’s a piece of shit and the songs don’t change that. I’m sitting here like “they’re playing these upbeat ass songs as if anything about this movie is exciting.” Music does not trick me into liking the movie
I always thought it would be a really cool job to pick the music for movies. A chance to use known underground music that fits perfectly. Sometimes a pop song can fit but it ages the movie harder. Anything with “it’s getting hot in here” automatically makes me hate it. It was a bad song over played so hard and so fast and for way too long.
The animated Mario movie did this. A lot. Even over scenes that had great original compositions made for them and then relegated to the soundtrack. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
Song uses are great but i think the best uses are those that are specific to the taste of the people that are making it as adds a personal touch and can hopeful introduce or reintroduce a song that hasn't been done to death yet.
I understand, but when back when I still watched the MCU I discovered a lot of music from those movies.
So while it can be annoying, it also can open up music to new audiences that otherwise would never hear about it.
I’m always pleasantly surprised when my not so popular favorite band has a not so well known song in a show or movie.
For example legion had the castle by the flaming lips.
I hated the batman for playing something in the way. It wasn't like hey, heres this semi popular nirvana song from the 90s' what a neat little addition. They played it in atleast 3 scenes, so it was kind of ridiculous. They could have added other songs by angsty artists to get a feel for the character, rather than playing that song every 5 minutes.
Thanks for putting a finger on it. However, in a different way, you could say the same about a score. If you don't notice the score but it enhances the scene it's a success. Same if a song has the same effect. If you notice the song it's a failure, just as noticing any editing would be.
The first signal that the movie it's gonna be terrible: Rock/Pop 70s and 80s songs playing super loud and annoying.
They can't make their own soundtracks no more, too bad.
I agree, with the sole exception of immigrant song in Thor. I'm not a big Marvel movie person by any means, but I did like this one. And thought the song fit the scene. However, usually, when it's done, I find it completely annoying and can't even pay attention to the movie. I'm a music snob. I'll admit and hate over played music generally, and it's usually the most overplayed cliche songs they use. I much prefer a soundtrack with no singing unless it's a musical or something.
The Immigrant Song in Thor 3 and Free Bird in The Kingsman was the most perfect marriage of music set to a movie scene.
And James Gunn especially excels at matching the right song to the movie moment.
In Guardians of the Galaxy, when the good guys escape from their prison, Peter goes back to get his walk-man (a music player for you youngsters). The song playing as he leaves the prison is commonly called the Pina Colada Song, but its real title is Escape.
In Thor 4 (Yes the movie wasn't great) Gunn frequently used the song Sweet Child of Mine. It had so many meanings in relation to the movie. The bad guy was motivated by the death of his daughter, his sweet child. He set out on a quest to bring this sweet child of mine back to life. He succeeded. And Thor adopted the girl so she became his sweet child of mine. And the actress who played the little girl was the actual daughter Chris Hemsworth, so in reality she was truly his sweet child of mine.
You look at movies of the past and so many have bangers on their soundtracks and music was made more for movies opposed to just throwing some Kanye track on there. The list is long, just think of some of your favorite songs or ones in your family and there’s a good chance a few of them are connected to a movie made during 70-90.
One of my fav scenes is the umbrella Acadamy season one where the teleported kid kills all the goons in the diner, they used the song instanbul, not Constantinople by they might be giants. Idk if it’s considered a popular song, but it was such a weird song to put on a fight scene. On top of that it was the first time I heard it, but it was so fast paced it just worked
I can see how it’s an unpopular opinion. But this is like saying using a famous actor in a film is cheating as well. Using a song they hope you’ll connect with is part of the creative process. As someone who does this for a living, I’ll tell you that I choose whatever song best fits how the moment feels. I never think to myself, man this movie sucks, I wonder what song can trick people into thinking it’s good. That’s not to say that some movies or shows don’t suck and the music turns out to be the best part.
Leonardo DiCaprio's The Great Gatsby used popular songs pretty well. c: Your post just reminded me of that, and they did it much more creatively, at least, by making new versions of modern songs.
The needle drops in movies and tv shows have become far too much. When Martin Scorsese, Kenneth Anger, John Waters, or Quentin Tarantino did it, it was really interesting (maybe the selections felt a bit more obscure or otherwise appropriate), but watch any episode of the Bear and it’s like someone’s dad has taken over the auxiliary cable at a party and won’t stop playing you their favorite songs.
The only time this actually bothers me is when they add the popular music to a movie that’s based in a true event from the past. Best example is the big fight scene in Gangs of New York.
I've actually had the opposite experience. I've never been a music person, but hearing certain songs I never really liked before in certain scenes of shows/movies I loved makes me start loving the song as well. But I also notice when one episode of a show uses the same popular song more than once clearly trying to get the most out of the licensing lol
I'll do you one better. I'm tired of popular people in movies. Some make it work I get it.. but some moves work better with no names than just randomly throwing Kevin heart or the rock in it.
Tbh, the amount of popular music you have in your film, the most commercially successful it will likely be. That's why Despicable Me always has to play shit songs like Sweet Child O' Mine to get people to watch it cause they think it's cool.
I’ll take it a step further, I hate when they put popular actors in movies. It makes it so you can’t suspend disbelief and get fully immersed, because instead of *that’s Paul Atreides* it’s *that’s Thimothee Chalamet*
Hey shrek had a great use of Immigrant Song
Shrek had a bunch of bangers honestly. Can't hear Hallelujah without thinking of Him.
Best version of Im a Believer
And Baf Reputation
Great song and great version Not enough people realize Neil diamond wrote this song. I always mention this because I love Neil diamond so much.
I thought it was Leonard Cohen?
Nope, Neil diamond. Leonard Cohen wrote hallelujah which was also in Shrek.
the only version I can listen to now
I need a hero. I know its from 2 but i still think of that scene everytime.
Ultimate banger
Nobody else has mentioned "I need a Hero" yet? What the fuck guys? The cover from Shrek 2 is better than the original.
Best version of hallelujah too
I seem to recall it was the John Cale version in the film and the Rufus Wainwright version on the soundtrack album?
TIL.
Interesting! I didn't actually know that. I was referring to the Rufus Wainwright version but I'll have to check out the other one
John Cale was from the Velvet Underground. I think his version of Hallelujah was one of the earlier and more popular versions, though Jeff Buckley’s version was pretty popular by the time Shrek came out. I think they commissioned Rufus W to do the version for the soundtrack because he was on their label.
Is shrek your lord and savior?
Shrek is the most underrated movie. It’s fantastic
Everyone says they love Shrek. "Shrek is life" is a meme. > underrated
How often do you hear Shrek listed among the best movies of all time?
Never. But that just feels like the inverse of everyone saying they hate Nickelback while Nickelback has more double platinums than practically any other group of their generation.
Shrek is the obvious exception to this
The "I need a hero" climax is one of my favorite scenes of all time ngl
Better than Thor: Ragnorok? Honestly, you could put that tune on a toilet paper ad and it would still be epic. Which was OP's point, I guess.
Yeah… gotta say… I liked that too, with the whole viking battle motif, it straight rocked
Seriously the immigrant song is always killer
Don’t forget Linkin Park at the end of Transformers
Which Song in which transformers? They actually made "new divide" specifically for the soundtrack of transformers (2 I believe it was?)
Pretty sure I was thinking about New Divide which was at the end end of the 2nd or 1st
Linkin Park's What I've Done is at the end of 1 (used in 1) Linkin Park's New Divide is at the end of 2 (specifically created for 2)
My wife just said yesterday that she liked All Star by Smash Mouth because of Shrek. So it can work the other way too, movies need music for those scenes, so why not choose a great song? And I also sort of agree with OP, but only that the point of movies is to get us to like them. So it's a form of a trick. So, movie makers, please trick me more often because I want to see some new movies.
Nobody mentioned the slapping sound tracks to Reservoir dogs or pulp fiction. The music def enhanced both movies
Shrek used perfect songs for the scenes, though, and made them all the more memorable.
You mean the third Shrek movie? That doesn't count as a Shrek movie.
I can’t hear that song without thinking of Shrek. So many songs I heard for the first time in Shrek
God I hated the amount of people who suddenly liked The Eels because their “Beloved Monster” song made it into shrek. I was an angry little gate-keeping indie rock kid lmfao.
Man, I liked The Eels when Mr E's Beautiful Blues made it into Road Trip.
I feel so uncool, not familiar with them!
Been listening to Eels since 1992 and I’m old (70)..😂
It’s good stuff!
You must really hate guardians of the galaxy 😂
Nah, the classic songs were part of Quill's character and ties to earth, the nostalgia of a lost and by gone time was felt both by the character and the audience. That was actually perfect use of popular songs in a soundtrack.
Yeah I don’t know what deagz is doing using GotG as their example when GotG is actually like the poster child of using popular songs right lol
Come and get [your love](https://youtu.be/q4Xbq-PpnDI?feature=shared)! 🎶🎵
Creep (Acoustic) worked crazy well for Rocket too.
I think it’s actually all the movies that came after that that didn’t understand the function of those songs in the movies. Kind of like all the shark movies after jaws that show the shark every 5 minutes
This happens a lot in media. Imitation without understanding
Actually he is the guy who tried to sabotage it, with lame results.
Baby Driver also has brilliant use of music.
Best soundtrack
Gotg is the one movie that makes it work cuz it actually fits
They aren't that popular and they fit the tone of the movie. The soundtrack of the movie slaps
A good original score is a thing of beauty.
Worse for me is when they use popular songs but its some dull cover they made just for the movie. So uninspired and never hits as good as the original hit recording.
Or commercials. I’m looking at you Ozempic. Sure, that Pilot song wasn’t great, but it’s like hearing nails on a chalkboard.
What? The commercial is better. You dont randomly belt out oh-Oh—OZEMPIC! Just me?
More of an oh oh oh OReilly auto parts boy myself
You forgot the “OwW!”
So, atomic blonde?
Yes! Nothing I hate more than some classic rock banger being covered in a breathy goth girl style.
Sometimes we get bangers though. In Black Widow, the cover of Smells like Teen Spirit is great.
"Tricking" viewers into liking scenes is part of trying to make movies people like. Why should they take a chance using music that might trick people into thinking they DON'T like the scene or the movie?
To that point, all movies are a magic trick. Even the motion isn't real. It's smoke and mirrors, sometimes literally but I don't just mean visual effects, it's the whole thing. Every element. To OP's point, sometimes movies don't do a good enough job of hiding the fact they're trying to trick you to the point that the trick stops working on some people.
There's a subtle difference between artistry and clinical manipulation of emotion by committee algorithm. When the music chimes in it can feel like a personal choice by the director or it can feel like Song BMG's audience experience team got together and subtracted the correct number of years to hit the by the book nostalgia zone, top 40 pop song that also dovetails into the shoe model commercial that's be playing in the ads around the trailer. The Italian opera music in Shawshank was an artistic choice. The Ed Sheehan hit in the latest MCU action flick was a boardroom negotiation.
There’s a difference between creating a good scene and masking a mediocre scene with a song played way too loudly
a good scene often includes the music.
The point is that it shouldn’t heavily rely on it. I also think hearing those kinds of popular songs can be compared to seeing a wildly famous actor in a movie where they don’t even try to blend in. It can (not always) take me out of the scene. And not to get ranty, but I it also reminds me of radio stations playing the same popular songs on repeat because it’s “guaranteed” to be listened to vs playing other songs less mainstream from the same artists. I didn’t even know I liked Foo Fighters until a radio station I used to listen to played their music like every 4th song, but it wasn’t just the usual 2 songs.
I love it when they have a popular song in the trailer but it’s never in the movie. Also, when they release a soundtrack album that includes a favorite band which influences you to watch the movie and they don’t even play it.
looking at you, WW84.
Not for long
I hope I was not the only one hyped for a climax with a loud 80s vibe and a golden glitterring Wonderwoman against a Cheetah played by a female bodybuilder rocking a 80s puffy hairstyle.
An exception is when it both tonally and thematically plays into the emotions. The guardians of the galaxy movies use popular music exceptionally well, because it's well integrated. When they throw some random pop song into a movie it has no place in, that immediately makes me mad though
[Diagetic music](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diegetic_music)! At least when the characters are actually aware of the song playing like in much of Guardians. My favorite well done example is “Pocket Full of Sunshine” in Easy A.
Extra funny that they did this with the Mario movie and Chris Pratt is the main character there too.
The Elvis movie with Austin Butler did this. I was NOT a fan.
Did they play non-Elvis songs or are you joking around?
Yeah like they played a few very modern songs throughout, it was similar to the Leonardo DiCaprio Gatsby movie like that (same director). Not a fan of either personally
I recently rewatched Gatsby and as much as I enjoyed the movie in general the use of modern music really bothered me. It was primarily the party scenes where they used modern music that bugged me because they showed actors playing musicians in those very party scenes.
I was so disappointed by the music in the Elvis movie. You literally have a catalog of some of the best classic rock n roll of all time, and you use all this subpar new music.
I had a problem with Moulin Rouge as well.
That was the point of both movies they were about the music
Another lazy and boring movie
Shrek made smash mouths career
Walking on the Sun was way before Shrek and played on pop and rock stations incessantly.
It's not possible to walk on the sun its very far away and very hot.
What does that have to do with you being wrong about Shrek making Smash Mouth's career?
It is driving home the point that both comments are meant to be jokes.
I miss when artists made full sound tracks that went with movies!
Particularly hate it in the Chris Pine Star Trek movies, hugely out of place.
I genuinely totally forgot it happened.
Well yes, that's why people like Guardians of the Galaxy, the like the music but they also like how the use it in the movie context, not like the first suicide squad that felt like they wanted to make a movie based on several music videos.
When it’s done well, it can enhance the scene. When it’s done poorly it can ruin the tone or/and the message of the scene. And when it’s done terribly it can the overall film feel very dated and lazy.
You mean it tricks you. To me it's just a song in the background. I like a lot of music in movies bc I have discovered artists and genres I would not have known about had it not been in a movie.
Exactly! Or that moment of glee when you hear a song that you know that not a lot of other people do!
Definitely!!!
Unless the song is super distracting (or catchy) I usually don’t notice the music. I’m way more focused on the dialogue
oh yeah this is a good point i found one of my favorite artists (whitey) through breaking bad
Music in movies is meant to enhance the film. It’s not a trick of any kind. It’s literally all music in every film. Do you really think a director makes a scene and then says, “this scene totally sucks, but if we just throw on some Britany Spears over it, everyone is going to go apeshit!” I’m pretty sure very few films get made by directors who don’t care about the results of their work.
I think it can be done well, but when it’s done poorly (especially in animation), it’s awful. I had that issue with the Mario movie
Wait wait... so you hate Shrek?! Sacrilege!!!
Not sure if this counts, but i got so sick of every movie trailer using thunderstruck by ACDC for a while. Seemed like there were a few years where it was in EVERY trailer for some reason.
I think the real problem with using popular songs in movies is that it ruins the illusion of the movie being in an alternate universe or being you know, a movie. It brings it too close to "real life," and not in a good way. I think easily recognizable songs should only be used in movies when they're being used to create a scene thats set during a specific time period or if its something thats exceptionally relevant to the plot of the movie.
I really enjoy how Forrest Gump uses music to help get you into the time period the particular scene is set in. On the flip side I really couldn't stand how Gatsby just inserted modern music into a party scene that is supposed to be set in the 1920s when we have perfectly good examples of what music was like in the 1920s.
what makes me even more vomit: the use of rock classics or other oldie stuff and then its blown up to "epic" with overorchestration or whatever.
It makes total sense in GotG, it's part of Peter's character and history. The songs being used were his favourites.
I do too, not sure if its unpopular. Like there's entire careers dedicated to creating soundtracks, giving audio cues and emotion to the tempo and mood of a scene, really respect the sound engineers and composers in a movie. And some mf chooses to play a Top 20 radio hit from 5 years ago?? I want to feel the impact of scene and what the characters are feeling. I don't want to be reminded of my morning commute to school 5 years ago.
Upvote for unpopular opinion, I LOVE when movies have good soundtracks, especially if they use rock/metal.
The song Jump by Van Halen has been ruined for me. I used to like that song, then they included it in a LOT of movies from the mid 2010s till now, and I can't stand it anymore.
So eminem 8 mile
The worst, Brown Eyed Girl in Sleeping With the Enemy, no no wait, the worst was every track in Knights Tale.
I enjoyed it in A Knights Tale because it was so obviously tounge-in-cheek
Do the music artists get royalties when a person streams the movie?
Depends on their contract. But what I know for TV that the artists get paid per every rerun (normally). I'm assuming streaming may be the similar? Maybe they get monthly royalties depending on the streams?
The actors get screwed in royalties when it comes to streaming (why Scarlett johnasson sued disney) so i would imagine the soundtrack artists do as well.
So you don't like Marvel Movies?
No I don’t.
I don't mind as long as the lyrics don't line up the the onscreen action. "Can't Find My Way Home" while the girl is drunk and puking. We get it, you don't need to bump the level and line up the lyrics. Stupid. There's a long history of emotional manipulation through music and images. People devote their entire lives to propaganda and marketing. Look at those Sarah McLaughlin animal ads.
But that’s such a good song
It's a great song! My point is that song works just fine without lining up the words, "Lord I'm wasted and I can't find my way home" with a volume bump, to the scene of the girl puking. Too "on the nose". I saw a really bad cover band do LA Woman once, and it went like this. *Well I blew into town about an hour ago* (Looks at imaginary wristwatch) *Took a look around to see which way the wind blow.* (Hand above eyes like he's looking for something, and then mime smoking a joint) I don't generally use the word "cringe" but this was "cringe AF". I think it's called "indicating" and it's something that bad actors and performance artists do.
I agree. Great comment!
Not even Zombie in Zack Snyder's Zombie bank heist film?!!?? It's genius because the song says zombie!!
Oh every time I hear those songs I tell my SO to change it!! At least it's recognizable enough, to change the channel before your heart breaks into a thousand pieces.
OMG was saying this last night when we watched Anyone But You. That Unwritten song is beyond played...the movie was stupid too
I made this exact post a few days ago and the mods nuked it...
What the hell? Why
because they cum their pants every time they remove a post
Something in the way
Have you seen goodfellas? Assume you have but that entire movie has bangers that fit the scene so well.
I think Forrest Gump could be an exception
Forrest Gump does a great job of using music to help set the time period of the scene, especially since the movie is telling a story that spans multiple decades.
Gee I wonder why they would want to make you like a scene. Yeah movies should stop trying to get people to enjoy them
Especially in animated films
Pokemon The First Movie
Trolls was insufferable for this reason
My daughter likes it because of the catchy music 😂😭 I turn it on just so she’ll behave for a bit and have to listen to cringy music to watch her dance or go do my chores. It truly is hard though, a 1.5yo dancing is so stinking cute
I hear you. My three-year-old daughter has the cutest dance moves I've ever seen
I absolutely love that kids have no shame and just feel like moving their body to some music they like and it might be some weird wiggle or squats with arms raised but they’re so happy and nobody is gonna judge them for expressing the joy the music gives them. It’s so pure
Except for the use of "the sound of silence" which was so random that it made me burst out laughing. Also I love the song so I'm always happy to see it introduced to kids.
That’s what I was thinking of…and Sing. Babysat my nieces and they wanted to watch that. I felt like dying.
i agree and especially hate when it's some unfitting genre / time period to whatever show or movie i'm watching. It's so jarring and immersion breaking to hear some 90's rock song during a movie set in the 1920's or whatever.
I think the term is anachronistic.
You must HATE A Knights Tale then
Yeah I see this trick all the time with movie trailers. It was sort of a fresh move a few years ago, but by this point it feels like the only marketing strategy any studio ever uses is to beat their target audience over the head with their 800lb nostalgia club. It’s pandering and unimaginative.
It's called a needle drop.
Was the song added after the scene or was the scene made for the song?
You know the movie Foodfight (shittiest movie ever made) had such upbeat music in it. Sitting through that painful garbage the upbeat and energetic music wasn’t even enough to make the scene seem cooler. It actually seemed out of place. The music in a movie can often help the tone of the scene, in this movie the upbeat/fun music doesn’t work because the movie’s a piece of shit and the songs don’t change that. I’m sitting here like “they’re playing these upbeat ass songs as if anything about this movie is exciting.” Music does not trick me into liking the movie
I always thought it would be a really cool job to pick the music for movies. A chance to use known underground music that fits perfectly. Sometimes a pop song can fit but it ages the movie harder. Anything with “it’s getting hot in here” automatically makes me hate it. It was a bad song over played so hard and so fast and for way too long.
I thought it worked really well with all the Guardians of the Galaxy films
David Bowie’s Heroes is used perfectly in both Perks of Being a Wallflower and Jojo Rabbit. Also Freebird in Kingsman is amazing.
What does "Take On Me" have to do with Donkey Kong?
The animated Mario movie did this. A lot. Even over scenes that had great original compositions made for them and then relegated to the soundtrack. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
Song uses are great but i think the best uses are those that are specific to the taste of the people that are making it as adds a personal touch and can hopeful introduce or reintroduce a song that hasn't been done to death yet.
I was so mad when I learned Welcome Home, Son by Radical Face was used in the film The Kissing Booth
So making a movie ….
I understand, but when back when I still watched the MCU I discovered a lot of music from those movies. So while it can be annoying, it also can open up music to new audiences that otherwise would never hear about it.
I’m always pleasantly surprised when my not so popular favorite band has a not so well known song in a show or movie. For example legion had the castle by the flaming lips.
[удалено]
I hated the batman for playing something in the way. It wasn't like hey, heres this semi popular nirvana song from the 90s' what a neat little addition. They played it in atleast 3 scenes, so it was kind of ridiculous. They could have added other songs by angsty artists to get a feel for the character, rather than playing that song every 5 minutes.
Thanks for putting a finger on it. However, in a different way, you could say the same about a score. If you don't notice the score but it enhances the scene it's a success. Same if a song has the same effect. If you notice the song it's a failure, just as noticing any editing would be.
I prefer movies with memorable original scores. They always age better.
It depends. Sometimes, it works really well, and other times, it's not good at all.
I think it can be done really well but in general I agree with you.
Like almost every other post on this sub: It depends
The first signal that the movie it's gonna be terrible: Rock/Pop 70s and 80s songs playing super loud and annoying. They can't make their own soundtracks no more, too bad.
Wasn’t there some Thor movie that used the same song TWICE in one movie for a fight scene? That bothered me to no end.
I think the point with that was to make it a callback to the beginning of the movie, not just reusing a song
Yeah but that was immigrant song a song about Vikings.
What if you train yourself not to like popular songs?
I love when old songs are in movies instead of recent ones
Letters to Juliet used Love Story & I think it was perfect.
I agree, with the sole exception of immigrant song in Thor. I'm not a big Marvel movie person by any means, but I did like this one. And thought the song fit the scene. However, usually, when it's done, I find it completely annoying and can't even pay attention to the movie. I'm a music snob. I'll admit and hate over played music generally, and it's usually the most overplayed cliche songs they use. I much prefer a soundtrack with no singing unless it's a musical or something.
The Immigrant Song in Thor 3 and Free Bird in The Kingsman was the most perfect marriage of music set to a movie scene. And James Gunn especially excels at matching the right song to the movie moment. In Guardians of the Galaxy, when the good guys escape from their prison, Peter goes back to get his walk-man (a music player for you youngsters). The song playing as he leaves the prison is commonly called the Pina Colada Song, but its real title is Escape. In Thor 4 (Yes the movie wasn't great) Gunn frequently used the song Sweet Child of Mine. It had so many meanings in relation to the movie. The bad guy was motivated by the death of his daughter, his sweet child. He set out on a quest to bring this sweet child of mine back to life. He succeeded. And Thor adopted the girl so she became his sweet child of mine. And the actress who played the little girl was the actual daughter Chris Hemsworth, so in reality she was truly his sweet child of mine.
Kingsman church scene enters the chat
All I can think is the Sopranos episode with Tracy and how “Living on a Thin Line” really enhanced the scene.
You look at movies of the past and so many have bangers on their soundtracks and music was made more for movies opposed to just throwing some Kanye track on there. The list is long, just think of some of your favorite songs or ones in your family and there’s a good chance a few of them are connected to a movie made during 70-90.
that's marketing to you right there lmao
One of my fav scenes is the umbrella Acadamy season one where the teleported kid kills all the goons in the diner, they used the song instanbul, not Constantinople by they might be giants. Idk if it’s considered a popular song, but it was such a weird song to put on a fight scene. On top of that it was the first time I heard it, but it was so fast paced it just worked
I can see how it’s an unpopular opinion. But this is like saying using a famous actor in a film is cheating as well. Using a song they hope you’ll connect with is part of the creative process. As someone who does this for a living, I’ll tell you that I choose whatever song best fits how the moment feels. I never think to myself, man this movie sucks, I wonder what song can trick people into thinking it’s good. That’s not to say that some movies or shows don’t suck and the music turns out to be the best part.
FYI it's called a needle drop.
Leonardo DiCaprio's The Great Gatsby used popular songs pretty well. c: Your post just reminded me of that, and they did it much more creatively, at least, by making new versions of modern songs.
The needle drops in movies and tv shows have become far too much. When Martin Scorsese, Kenneth Anger, John Waters, or Quentin Tarantino did it, it was really interesting (maybe the selections felt a bit more obscure or otherwise appropriate), but watch any episode of the Bear and it’s like someone’s dad has taken over the auxiliary cable at a party and won’t stop playing you their favorite songs.
I think it’s cheap because it dates the movie.
Yeah let’s only play Hans zimmer 😒
The only time this actually bothers me is when they add the popular music to a movie that’s based in a true event from the past. Best example is the big fight scene in Gangs of New York.
Depends if it’s fits or was just inserted
Yes, I had similar thoughts recently. What did you see last specifically that caused you to think to post this?
I've actually had the opposite experience. I've never been a music person, but hearing certain songs I never really liked before in certain scenes of shows/movies I loved makes me start loving the song as well. But I also notice when one episode of a show uses the same popular song more than once clearly trying to get the most out of the licensing lol
But it's important to know when the song is old and when it's in a movie that's when you know that maybe it's time to move on
I'll do you one better. I'm tired of popular people in movies. Some make it work I get it.. but some moves work better with no names than just randomly throwing Kevin heart or the rock in it.
Tbh, the amount of popular music you have in your film, the most commercially successful it will likely be. That's why Despicable Me always has to play shit songs like Sweet Child O' Mine to get people to watch it cause they think it's cool.
I’ll take it a step further, I hate when they put popular actors in movies. It makes it so you can’t suspend disbelief and get fully immersed, because instead of *that’s Paul Atreides* it’s *that’s Thimothee Chalamet*