‘IT’S ALIVE (again)!’ Take a look through this list of songs that experienced a renaissance after their original release through the power of TV and Film.
Every film and television show has that moment. The guy gets the girl. The down on their luck hero mopes in the rain. Anybody anywhere puts on a pair of headphones. As simple as these moments may seem, a music supervisor has forced themselves into a corner. Every day they are plagued by the same question: what song, what song, WHAT SONG?
What song perfectly encapsulates the emotions of the character along with the audience and could also become the song of the summer but has never been used on screen like this before? Does a song like that even exist?
These moments require great craft and control from the screenwriter, but also a certain level of flair. Although you have to understand the current music climate and TikTok trends for your song to make it through the noise, it is often the most outrageous choices that pack a punch.
Here’s a list of five success stories.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – ‘Twist and Shout’, The Beatles
Originally by The Top Notes in 1961, The Beatles’ cover version of ‘Twist and Shout’ hit No.2 in 1963 (only to be beaten by ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, also by The Beatles). Even after its huge success in the 60s, the song still had enough fuel in the tank to return in the mid-80s in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. During an epic parade sequence, Broderick lip-syncs to John Lennon’s vocals, getting everyone up on their feet.
The song’s repeated success was propelled by Back to School – released the same weekend – where Rodney Dangerfield performs a drunken rendition. This led to Capitol Records re-releasing the single, putting it back on the charts, peaking at No.23 over two decades later.
Fight Club – ‘Where Is My Mind’, Pixies
From joyous parades to a crumbling city. ‘Where Is My Mind’ rounds out the explosiveness of Fight Club with an alt-rock ballad by the Pixies. Ten years after the song’s original release, David Fincher’s electric film brings 90s cinema to an unforgettable close with this song of mental struggle and swimming fish.
Lead guitarist, Joey Santiago, describes the film’s use of the song as ‘creepy awesome’, commending the unique choice to follow such cinematic intensity with a soft acoustic guitar.
Guardians of the Galaxy – All Three Soundtracks
Leaving the 90s behind, Guardians of the Galaxy changed the game. Chris Pratt leads the Marvel blockbuster as Peter Quill. The character’s trademark is his brilliant humour, slight immaturity and the Sony Walkman he clutches throughout.
The cassette, ‘Awesome Mix Vol 1’, was gifted to Quill by his dying mother before she was beaten by her cancer. The intimacy between Quill and the cassette is established instantly, welding the audience with its importance too.
The first film contains songs like ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ (Blue Swede and Björn Skifs) and ‘Come and Get Your Love’ (Redbone). Volume 2 opens with ‘Mr Blue Sky’ (Electric Light Orchestra) and uses ‘The Chain’ (Fleetwood Mac) in the epic final battle. Volume 3 continues the trend with ‘Creep – Acoustic’ (Radiohead) and a bittersweet goodbye to ‘Dog Days Are Over’ (Florence & The Machine).
The film franchise manages to introduce a new generation to songs from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even dips its toe into the 2000s before wrapping up.
Saltburn – ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’, Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Even if you’ve never got around to watching Saltburn, you undoubtedly heard about this song’s comeback.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor originally released this song in 2001, reaching No.2 on the UK Singles Chart. However, filmmaker Emerald Fennell’s choice to close her psychological comedic thriller with this song, and the addition of a naked Barry Keoghan dancing through his mansion, classified this moment into a category with Fight Club as one of the most talked about film endings of all time.
Although the film had mixed reviews on social media, TikTok grabbed ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ by the horns and rode that song out for months. This led to it peaking at No.2 again after over two decades. This proves the Rubik cube nature of TikTok: if you manage to align things perfectly (or perhaps just be sheer luck) it can create a seismic pop culture moment.
Stranger Things – ‘Running up That Hill’, Kate Bush
However, if a song ever defined the phrase ‘cultural moment’, it would be this.
Stranger Things has been known to bring back songs from decades past due to its 80s setting. This started in season one with ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ (The Clash) and a Peter Gabriel cover of ‘Heroes’, originally by David Bowie. Nevertheless, season four’s song choices changed the summer soundtracks of 2022 – with a little help from TikTok.
This included ‘Pass the Dutchie’ (Musical Youth) and ‘Master of Puppets’ (Metallica) but the one that had the biggest impact was Kate Bush’s, ‘Running Up That Hill’. Only hitting No.3 in 1985, Bush now has the largest gap between two No.1 singles as a solo artist: ‘Wuthering Heights’ in 1978 and Stranger Things put her at No.1 in 2022.
A song’s power is unpredictable and bizarre. The strangest soundbites from the depths of the universe will be drawn out and placed on our screens and suddenly everyone under thirty will sing ‘Now Number Five’ instead of ‘Tell Me Why’ during the Backstreet Boys.
It is a complicated formula that can make or break a project. If you choose the wrong song, the scene has no weight. But if you make the right decision and time it perfectly, it can elevate a moment and solidify it in cinematic history.
