# Songs That Put You In That "Film Noir" Mood **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 23, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954 "2005-03-23T22:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![goofyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b77776/32.png) [@goofyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goofyfish)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/1 "2005-03-23T22:31:11Z")
You know: that lone, sad saxaphone echoing as Bogart or Hayworth wander down a rain-slicked sidewalk after midnight. Or the sultry, slightly out of tune piano tinkling in a smoke-filled bar… What tunes would you pick to capture the mood? ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/2 "2005-03-23T22:34:02Z")
There is, of course, the classic “Harlem Nocturn”. IIRC, it was the “theme music” to the Mike Hammer TV Series. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/3 "2005-03-23T22:57:24Z")
“Blues in the Night” (in the instumental version) is another piece that creates an instant-_noir_ mood. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/4 "2005-03-23T23:00:36Z")
How about _The Friends of Mr. Cairo_ by Jon Anderson and Vangelis? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/5 "2005-03-24T00:19:25Z")
[Nightmare](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000056CAM/qid=1111624656/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-8539524-2290338) by Artie Shaw. Scroll down and click on the link, then go out and murder Phyllis Dietrichson’s husband. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/6 "2005-03-24T00:28:32Z")
As usual, **Eve** strikes gold. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/7 "2005-03-24T00:29:09Z")
Not entirely, but TMBG - Hotel Detective comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/8 "2005-03-24T00:41:55Z")
“No Way Out” - Electric Light Orchestra “Twilight Zone” - Golden Earring ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/9 "2005-03-24T00:50:47Z")
“1930s Rust” by Gary Numan ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/10 "2005-03-24T00:54:59Z")
Raymond Scott’s [Naked City](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006HI99/qid%3D1111626549/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-9945362-7073733). _Not_ the theme from the movie or tv series, and that’s too bad. [sub](Scroll down to the soundclips and click up #8. Then _ **buy the g/d album.** _ It’s _ **THAT** _ good.)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/11 "2005-03-24T03:44:15Z")
The Taxi Driver theme fits. ---
**Author:** ![aurelian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f4b2a3/32.png) [@aurelian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurelian)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/12 "2005-03-24T03:52:25Z")
A (most unfortunately titled) CD by Kozo called _Planned Penetration_ - it consisted mainly of a lone trumpet over an electronic background. Makes me think of a dim smoky martini bar. Very cool. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/13 "2005-03-24T04:21:10Z")
• Bruce Springsteen, _Meeting Across the River_. I’ve always directed the film noir music video for this in my mind: Springsteen singing directly into the camera, lit by neon light in a cheap room. • The Pretenders, _Thin Line Between Love and Hate_. • Bela Bartok, _Concerto for Orchestra_. [Ernie Kovacs](http://users.rcn.com/manaben/Kchusid.html) did a film noir version of this. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/14 "2005-03-24T04:23:05Z")
Bob Seger’s Turn The Page. Oh, quit laughing at me. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/15 "2005-03-24T05:56:55Z")
Lots of Costello songs: Watching the Detectives (of course) Man Out of Time The entire Brutal Youth album ---
**Author:** ![MackoUr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MackoUr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MackoUr)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/16 "2005-03-24T06:18:19Z")
Concrete Blonde’s _Joey_ Pogues’ _Dirty Old Town_ ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/17 "2005-03-24T06:28:58Z")
Portishead - really, any song. Tom Waits - “Eggs and Sausage (in a cab with Susan Michelson)” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/18 "2005-03-24T11:02:11Z")
T-Bone Walker sets the tone for me unmistakably. Especially: Cold, Cold Feeling Mean Old World The Hustle is On Evil Hearted Woman Check out the bargain available in the [Complete Imperial Recordings](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000DRCV/qid=1111662022/sr=8-5/ref=pd_csp_5/103-1612636-3465453?v=glance&s=music&n=507846). After you’ve gotten a taste of that, you can move onto the [Complete Black & White/Capitol Recordings](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002TQK/qid=1111662022/sr=8-17/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl15/103-1612636-3465453?v=glance&s=music&n=507846). But generally any of it makes me feel like I’m elbowed up to a bar, some dive where they haven’t cleaned out the spitoon since the Roosevelt administration. Teddy. I strike a match on the edge of the counter as I fit a Lucky to my lips. I light up and shake out the match, drop it in a tin ashtray. My lips are dry. I nod to Joe and he puts rye whiskey on the wood and moves on. I guess I looked like I might get chatty. There’s nobody else here, so he’s looking busy with his little towel on a glass that isn’t getting any cleaner. Fine by me. I pick up my glass and punish it a little, wincing as the busthead burns my throat. I tell it, “Hello, Breakfast.” ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/19 "2005-03-24T13:11:11Z")
Tom Waits might just be the modern king of noir-sounding music: “Romeo Is Bleeding” “Goin’ Out West” “Jockey Full of Bourbon” “Small Change” “Eggs and Sausage” “Shore Leave” “Alice” “I Never Talk To Strangers” (duet with Bette Midler) “Frank’s Wild Years” “Pasties and a G-String” “Spare Parts I” Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: “Red Right Hand” “Henry Lee” Mike Ness: “The Devil In Miss Jones” “Crime Don’t Pay” Portishead: Anything they’ve ever done Massive Attack: “Teardrop On Fire” “Protection” Sneaker Pimps: “6 Underground” ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954/20 "2005-03-24T14:29:22Z")
Angelo Badalamenti’s music for David Lynch projects (Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Industrial Symphony, Twin Peaks)- whether or not accompanied by Julee Cruise singing Lynch-written lyrics. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-put-you-in-that-film-noir-mood/295954.md?page=2)