EPISODE 2

Coming up with a short list of the greatest songs in movies is a lot like partying at the Playboy mansion -- there’s a lot to choose from and some fine ones are going to be left out. I’ve still decided to tackle this monumental task but have placed one quick rule on the eligible songs;  they had to have been used in the movie and not just in the closing credits. There are some great songs that have helped launch soundtracks but they are not really in the film until the credits roll and that’s kind of cheating. So here are my top 5 songs from a movie.

5) Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head

Written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach and performed by B.J. Thomas for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and topped the Billboard charts for four weeks. The song itself seems simple enough and it’s that simplicity that makes it work so well in George Roy Hill’s film. When we’re introduced to Butch and Sundance they are crooks, albeit charismatic ones. They rob banks and trains but Raindrops help show us that there is more to these guys than just crime. The song is used when Butch (Paul Newman) rides around on a bicycle with Sundance’s girlfriend played by Katharine Ross. The scene captures the true character of Butch. Yes, he robs banks but he’s not really a bad man. The song (along with Newman’s great performance) works to humanize this man that is sought after by every law enforcement official.

4) Streets of Philadelphia

Ok, yes this song is used in the opening credits to Philadelphia, but the music does show up again in the middle of the movie. Bruce Springsteen’s song was another Oscar winner for the 1993 movie. Springsteen has created a lengthy career by writing about hopes and dreams and being Born to Run. With “Streets of Philadelphia” he captures the bleakness of the subject matter of Philadelphia perfectly. The main character played by Tom Hanks is suffering from AIDS, and Springsteen’s haunting use of drums and synthesizers adds to his poignant lyrics about isolation and fear.

3) Everybody’s Talkin’

The Harry Nilsson version was used in 1969 Best Picture winner Midnight Cowboy but the song was first recorded in 1966 by Fred Neil. The film was about a hustler, Joe Buck (played by Jon Voight), who moves to New York to strike it rich but ends up befriending Ratso Rizzo (played by Dustin Hoffman). These two losers soon discover that all they have is each other. “Everybody’s Talkin’” was about the singer’s inability to connect with others. That’s what Buck and Rizzo were, two guys discarded by society, who need to escape together to Florida. A surefire way to tell if a song works in a movie is to see it either parodied or used in other mediums. Remember when Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise are crossing the street in Forrest Gump? Sinise bangs on the cab and says “I’m walking here” while “Everybody’s Talkin’” plays.

2) Any Way You Want It

Journey recorded this hit and released it on their 1980 album Departure. It wasn’t written for the film specifically, but its use in Caddyshack is one of the funniest scenes in a movie that is littered with moments. Who can forget Rodney Dangerfield’s loudmouth character, Al Czervik, when he says, “So what? So let’s dance!” He then cranks up the radio on his golf bag and Journey’s hit comes blasting out. It doesn’t hurt that watching Dangerfield dance is just as funny as his one liners.

1) Lose Yourself

Up until this point rap music had always been sort of dismissed in film. When Eminem won the Oscar for Best Song for his original composition from 8 Mile, it changed how people viewed hip hop and its use in films (and opened the door for Three 6 Mafia to win 3 years later.) 8 Mile is a decent film, telling the story of Rabbit who is looking at rap music to take him out of his miserable existence, but the song “Lose Yourself” captures all his frustrations so well and then augments them with a terrific score underneath the brutally honest lyrics. I don’t think there has been another song used in a movie that captures the main character’s thoughts and emotions better than “Lose Yourself.”

CLICK HERE TO READ EPISODE 1 OF ROB D's FILM LIFE
Rob D. grew up watching movies and wanted to be Indiana Jones only so he could hear John Williams score blast behind him whenever he ran down the street. After graduating with a BA in Film, Rob put that education to good use by watching even more films. He has written for Premiere Magazine and Film Reference and feels that Spielberg the director is an artist but Spielberg the producer is not even close. He is married with 2 kids and recently made the biggest decision he has ever had to face, he showed his kids the Star Wars films starting with episode 4.