Not the very opening shot, but over the opening credits: “Neutron Dance” by the Pointer Sisters in BEVERLY HILLS COP.
Los Lobos, “One Time, One Night,” from Colors.
Brian. The babe they call Brian.
He grew, grew grew and grew,
grew up to be, grew up to be…
A boy called Brian.
Don’t Fear The Reaper in the opening sequence of The Stand
If we’re counting songs that were written especially for the movie, then The Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini is definitely iconic. It pefectly communicated the classiness and whimsy of the movie.
Yeah, like every other choice made in a Kubrick film, it serves a storytelling purpose and it works beautifully. Good choice Mach Tuck.
I also have to second Peaches in Sexy Beast. It was like the film clip the song never had. Hot but shallow, strutting and proud yet somehow unsatisfied. Perfect.
Sweet Lorraine in Tin Men. Oh, boy.
Bad To The Bone in the opening scene of Christine. Great stuff.
If only the rest of the movie had lived up to it.
Cat Stevens’ Don’t Be Shy from Harold and Maude.
The opening sequence of The Graduate with S&G’s The Sound of Silence.
It was so good Tarantino copied it for Jackie Brown with Across 110th Street.
Since Gimme Shelter is the best R&R song everrrrrr, it has to be The Departed.
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Zombieland
Although I always felt they should have used the 2nd verse instead (more appropriate to a zombie apocalypse than the 1st).
Unless you have the Director’s Cut where they replaced “The Killing Moon” with “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS and moved “The Killing Moon” to the party scene to replace “Under the Milky Way” by The Church.
Never could understand why. I am also a big fan of the movie.
I’m not sure that the Star Wars main title counts, as that was scored specifically for the movie, and was not a popular song beforehand. Mack Tuck’s call, I guess.
Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds was a great choice for The Breakfast Club. It really set the tone for lost youth trying to find their way on life.
You Know My Name - from Casino Royale was pretty dang good.
Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra was pretty dang memorable as the opening theme for 2001 - A Space Odyssey in my not so humble opinion.
Going along with that codicil (including songs written for the movie), I would have to go with Belle, from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
I’ll take this opportunity to flog my War Tour travel video, which is edited to “Burning Bridges”, the opening theme to Kelly’s Heroes.
And wasn’t it originally just put there as a placeholder until the “real” opening was scored? Or am I thinking of another movie?
Feuer frei! by Rammstein during the intro of xXx. I like the dead english spy being body surfed =)