I’m a huge film girl, and there’s one thing that never fails to make a movie memorable and iconic: the needle drop. For those who don’t know what needle drop means, it’s when a pre-existing piece of well-known music is used in a movie or TV show. Like the use of ‘Hotel California’ in ‘The Big Lebowski’ or ‘Where is My Mind’ in ‘Fight Club’, but I’m here to take you through my compiled list of five of my favorite needle drops.
‘How Can You Mend a Broken Heart’ by Al Green – ‘Notting Hill’
While a big film girl in general, I’m an even bigger rom-com girl. (so much so, you can find it in my staffer bio). And nothing makes a rom-com like a good soundtrack to go with it. This is my favorite of all time, because there’s something so heartbreaking about the whole scene. The final line that Hugh Grant delivers to Julia Roberts after he finds that she has had a boyfriend throughout their whole romance is, “I think goodbye is traditional.” Grant is carrying the mini trash can, walking out of the hotel, and waiting outside for her, all while being accompanied by the soul that Al Green brings with his voice and the beauty of the chords that just make the whole thing so devastating yet beautiful.
‘Futile Devices’ by Sufjan Stevens – ‘Call Me by Your Name’
Futile Devices is one of my favorite songs of all time. Sufjan Stevens is such an underrated gem and has such beautiful storytelling and classic composing. This, paired with Luca Guadagnino’s fantastic directorial style, is absolutely killer. Timothée Chalamet’s performance as Elio is amazing. We watch as Elio sits and plays with his Star of David necklace, which he wears proudly, because Armie Hammer’s character Oliver wears his own with pride, and about halfway through the movie, Elio begins to do the same, looking up to Oliver; it’s a symbol of their relationship. And all the while, Stevens is singing in the background, “and I would say I love you, but saying it out loud is hard. So I won’t say it at all.”
‘I’m Not in Love’ by 10cc – ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
Guardians of the Galaxy’s biggest pillar is its soundtrack, and when most think of the movie, I’m sure they think of the scene with ‘Come and Get Your Love’ by ‘Redbone’ playing, while Chris Pratt’s character Peter Quill dances around an alien planet. But I want to focus on the song that plays in the very first scene. We see a young Peter in a hospital on Earth, waiting to see his mom who is on her deathbed. He’s sitting, eyes closed, taking deep breaths and fidgeting with his thumbs on his walkman, we don’t know yet who he’s waiting on, but we feel the anxiety that’s obvious in his body language, we hear the calming synths of the song, and the band singing a harmonic chord while the guitar strums in the back, and we feel his momentary relief, we quickly learn who he is and that music is important to him, and i think how director James Gunn chose to greet us with this character is so amazing and genius.
‘Call Me’ by Blondie – ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’
Blondie’s Call Me’ perfectly evokes a feeling of anxiety as you watch Ruairi O’Connor playing Arne stumble through his house while the harsh drums below and the guitar blare, the whole scene accumulates in him, slowly becoming possessed and eventually killing his landlord. Not only does the song alone convey that uneasy feeling as we see these things that add on to Arne’s anxiety and disorientation, but it’s the editing of the song, the way it’s fading in and out, at some points completely goes quiet, used as its own jump scare, and distorts the vocals completely gets across what they sought out to. Watching this for the first time and hearing the iconic intro with the drums and guitar riff paired with the disorienting filmography and editing was incredible.
‘Respect’ by Aretha Franklin – ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’
Another rom-com I adore, and I love this scene; how could you not? We watch our leading lady, Bridget, played by Renee Zelweiger, finally stand up to her cheating ex-boyfriend and boss, Daniel Cleaver, played by Hugh Grant. She humiliates him in front of the entire office, just like he did to her, and while doing so, drops an absolutely icon line; “if staying here means working within ten yards of you, frankly i’d rather have a job wiping Saddam Hussiens a**” And that’s when the needle drops, and we see the whole office erupt in chatter and Mr. Cleaver’s embarrassment. You can’t help but feel empowered by Zelweger’s performance and cheer for her throughout the whole film.
