# Your top-3 needle drops in movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 29, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703 "2020-02-29T14:10:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/41 "2020-03-01T23:05:52Z")
“Needle in the Hay” in _The Royal Tennenbaums_. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/42 "2020-03-01T23:54:17Z")
> [@bizerta](#): > > Don’t forget Karen playing, “You Cant Always Get What You Want”, at the funeral… That one’s been ruined by the fucking vile cat-rape scene in _Leolo_. > [@Eonwe](#): > > “Don’t Be Shy” in Harold and Maude. > [@digs](#): > > Isn’t there another early Cat Stevens… yeah, “If You Want To Be Free, Be Free…” The latter one: no wonder Pauline Kael made reference to Stevens’ “mushy-minded” lyrics. (That second one _was_ brutal, right?) Meh - I’ll go with “Trouble”, which was excellently edited in, at the end, with all of Cort’s hospital hysteria. Quite powerful. Of the many tunes in _Casino_, for some reason Devo’s cover of “Satisfaction” seems to stand out. “Last Train to Clarksville” in _After Hours_, the scene featuring awesome stalwart Teri Garr. “Happy Together” - _Adaptation_ “Shout” - _Animal House_ Can’t remember which Jim Jarmusch film had Jesus Lizard’s “Here Comes Dudley”. A toss-up in _Boogie Nights_ between [_You’ve Got the Touch_, OR _Feel My Heat_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYAAbbuEpnw) Also gotta like Eric Burdon’s _Spill the Wine_ in one of the pool scenes. Er actually, no - NIGHT RANGER!!! (moto-_rin_…) “We Will Rock You” - big showdown finale in obscure gem _FM_. “Goodbye Stranger” - _Magnolia_ If I can slightly derail with numbers in movies that sucked: goofy “Kashmir” send-up in _Bad Lieutenant_ during the (um, _slow motion_) rape scene, and then there’s another rape scene in the first _Emmanuelle_ that desecrates parts from King Crimson’s “Lark’s Tongues in Aspic, pt I”. Maybe an argument can be made, here, that scenes like that (along with the aforementioned _Leolo_ one) could probably do without the music, which, in “stylizing” the scene to make it somehow seem more hip, or edgy, instead comes across as cheezy - no, fucking gross - glorification. And I thought it was tedious rehashing of “Whiter Shade Than Pale” (more like soundtrack than needle drop, really) in the artsy Nolte segment in the somewhat dumb-ass _New York Stories_. (really? Woody’s giant mom? meh) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/43 "2020-03-02T00:13:12Z")
I think Tarantino and Scorsese can be acknowledged as masters of this technique, but there is another movie that takes it to a higher art form: Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver.” Not only do the songs perfectly complement the action, but the characters seem to be moving in time with the beat, whether it be shooting guns, driving cars, throwing punches, or jumping over obstacles. Truly amazing combo of acting and choreography and music direction. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/44 "2020-03-02T07:28:34Z")
Didn’t know about this wretchedness until a few months ago (thanks, Dope thread) - the ungodly appearance of Wreckless Eric’s “Whole Wide World” in _Stranger Than Fiction_. Yardbirds kickin out [(Stroll On) The Train Kept a-Rollin’](https://youtu.be/jqh03zFRx2w?list=PL6EsYEm8LzAqhpdzIP8e9Yq-U-o0B_Dwf&t=165) in _Blow Up_, featuring Jeff Beck taking his guitar\* to his amp in a way that I’d describe as “lacking in aplomb”. \*belonging actually to The In Crowd guitarist Steve Howe. (kinda deserved it, with douche band-name like that.) (ha! next one wasn’t a whole hella better!) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/45 "2020-03-02T08:48:20Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > …Yardbirds kickin out [(Stroll On) The Train Kept a-Rollin’](https://youtu.be/jqh03zFRx2w?list=PL6EsYEm8LzAqhpdzIP8e9Yq-U-o0B_Dwf&t=165) in _Blow Up_, featuring Jeff Beck taking his guitar\* to his amp in a way that I’d describe as “lacking in aplomb”. > > \*belonging actually to The In Crowd guitarist Steve Howe. (kinda deserved it, with douche band-name like that.) (ha! next one wasn’t a whole hella better!) 😛 Hey, good one. Brief hijack: It’s fun to compare versions of this tune. Besides Aerosmith and Yardbirds there are I think two more, one of them predating all the others. Puts Perry’s part in perspective. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/46 "2020-03-02T13:51:32Z")
1. “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen; the infamous jukebox fight scene in “Shaun of the Dead.” 2. “Nobody But Me” by The Human Beinz; Beatrix vs. the Crazy 88 in Kill Bill Vol. I 3. “Wake Up” by Rage Against The Machine; as Neo hangs up the phone during the last scene of “The Matrix.” ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/47 "2020-03-02T18:32:14Z")
Two shittys: Kevin Spacey annoyingly attempting “American Woman” in _American Beauty_. Louis CK attempting “Who Are You” (with air bass soloing!) in _Louie_. Both in cars at the time. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/48 "2020-03-02T19:04:02Z")
Still not sure I understand the question but if it means what I think it means, then the first thing I think of is _Old Time Rock & Roll_ in _Risky Business_. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/49 "2020-03-02T19:28:33Z")
Two from The Deer Hunter God Bless America Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/50 "2020-03-02T22:43:12Z")
Comic-book fans are a notoriously fickle bunch when it comes to films, and maybe never more so than with WATCHMEN: some loved it, and some hated it but granted that, _“yeah, okay, the bit with The Times They Are A-Changin’ was perfect.”_ ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/51 "2020-03-04T20:13:00Z")
“Midnight Special” from [Twilight Zone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Q26LkUN-A) is the gold standard of song-stamping a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/52 "2020-03-04T20:44:47Z")
1. AC/DC’s [“Shoot to Thrill”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LIIhSHgjTw) from _Iron Man 2_ 2. AC/DC’s [“Thunderstruck”](https://youtu.be/zwVQ7M5IFt8?t=132) from _Battleship_ And just so you don’t think I’m totally low-brow… 1. Mozart’s [“Lacrimosa”](https://youtu.be/l9WGn2ukgQY?t=267) from _Come and See_. > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **Roger Ebert** > > “There’s a curious scene here in a wood, the sun falling down through the leaves, when the soundtrack, which has been grim and mournful, suddenly breaks free into Mozart. And what does this signify? A fantasy, I believe, and not Florya’s, who has probably never heard such music. The Mozart descends into the film like a deus ex machina, to lift us from its despair. We can accept it if we want, but it changes nothing. It is like an ironic taunt.” ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/53 "2020-03-04T21:09:17Z")
Does the “Requiem” scene in \*Amadeus \*count? ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/54 "2020-03-04T21:09:42Z")
The Immigrant Song - Thor: Ragnarok Bohemian Rhapsody - Wayne’s World [Battle Without Honor or Humanity](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw5vAd5icAg) - Pulp Fiction ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/55 "2020-03-05T11:55:27Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > …3. “Wake Up” by Rage Against The Machine; as Neo hangs up the phone during the last scene of “The Matrix.” Yep. Loved it! In Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mike Damone advises Ratner, “When it comes to making out, put on side 1 of Led Zeppelin IV”. Cut to the scene with Ratner driving to the restaurant with Stacy on their date, and “Kashmir” kicks in. Which of course is famously \*not \*on LZ IV, but rather on “Physical Graffiti”. But that don’t matter, it’s still a great needle drop! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/56 "2020-03-05T12:26:22Z")
**Trainspotting** - _Perfect Day_ Peaceful, soothing music about spending the “perfect day” with someone, juxtaposed against the nightmare of Renton’s overdose. Often interpreted as a love song to heroin by Lou Reed, who has vehemently denied it. **Boogie Nights** - _Sister Christian_ One of the most tense scenes ever. **Donnie Darko** - _Head Over Heels_ I like it because it solidly establishes the setting as the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/57 "2020-03-05T22:01:12Z")
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - Sinnerman Pulp Fiction - Miserlou Shaun of the Dead - Don’t Stop Me Now ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/58 "2020-03-05T22:15:00Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > 1. “Wake Up” by Rage Against The Machine; as Neo hangs up the phone during the last scene of “The Matrix.” IMHO, it has an even greater impact because it’s the first (and only) rock tune heard in the film - every other piece of music played until then was either orchestral or electronic. The sudden change in musical genre underlines how things have changed at the end of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/59 "2020-03-05T22:57:54Z")
I Wanna Be Your Dog (Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Poker Game) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Q_5EYbBTisI/hqdefault.jpg "The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog (Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Poker Game)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_5EYbBTisI) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703/60 "2020-03-05T23:50:36Z")
_Freebird_ - Kingsman _Old Man River_ - Joe vs the Volcano _Rumble_ - Pulp Fiction [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-needle-drops-in-movies/848703.md?page=4)