I was reading the thread about hated classic rock songs and I started thinking about how many of these songs are overused in movies to the point of cliche. Maybe it’s a good movie with a bad song, maybe it’s a good song that’s been used to death (Hello Leonard Cohen’s Halleluiah) or maybe it’s just a song that’s way overused (like Yello’s Oh Yeah getting into every high school movie made in the 80s).
So put on your movie executive hat, figure out a scene, and plug in the available song. Don’t worry about checking if we have the rights to it, just assume we do. I suppose we may need to name the characters along the way, because having names for the characters seems to be somewhat important to making the movies. Bonus points if you can add a record scratch or some other noise as part of the song.
We’ll start it off with these three:
Lowrider
The very first scene in the movie shows teenagers driving around in their cars to the tune of Lowrider. Lot’s of cool cars and pretty girls are shown in quick cuts. We haven’t met the main characters yet. That will come.
Oh Yeah
Inside the school, the new teacher is taking attendance and Joey is the only one not there. And on the first day of school too! Cue Oh Yeah and the school’s resident rebel is walking down the hall. We see his feet, we see his pants and his cool jacket, but we don’t see Joey’s face until he walks into the class and everyone turns to see him, along with the prerequisite record scratch.
Bad To The Bone
School rebel Joey helps out his goofy neighbor Edgar dress up for his date with hot cheerleader Becky. Bad to the Bone plays as we see him in a leather coat and his hair slicked back. Edgar puts on a pair of sunglasses and says “Let’s roll.”
Noisy trailer with Carmina Burana O Fortuna and exploding proms for the boys, quieter Solsbury Hill trailer with the “coming of age” scenes for the girls. Not that girls can’t like exploding proms and boys can’t like quieter coming of age stuff, but we are dealing with cliches here.
Ehhh, lately I think it’s Kiss Me by (I’ll be damned if I’m gonna Goggle who recorded that). Solsbury Hill doesn’t resonate with a younger crowd anymore.
I Will Survive - Protagonists are forced to dress in drag to escape a prickly situation; hilarity ensues
I Feel Good - Protagonist helps younger kids have wacky fun while he babysits
Hey Now You’re A Rock Star - Last day of School! Low static cam of door to school, which bursts open while students run wild, while some run towards and over the camera.
But there’s still the possibility of including “In the Air Tonight” for some underworld meetup scenario and “Give Me Shelter” for the darkly lit drug-taking scene.
We still have to get Tone Lōc’s Wild Thing in there. I think when the hot teacher is getting herself ready for a hot date. It should segue into Hot for Teacher when it turns out her hot date is one of her students.
Takin’ Care Of Business - A group of 20 something’s, tired of office life, have pooled their money together and bought an old bar and are fixing it up in a wicked montage scene, 1/3 of the way into the movie.
After the big smooch at the end among the autumn leaves in the park (they finally got together! Hooray!), fade to black, play a short song, THEN cue Gladys Knight and the Pips - You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me
My imaginary trailer is for a movie I usually refer to as Livin’ Large, although there are a number of other suitable possible titles. It goes something like this:
