You're the music supervisor- replace "Bad to the Bone"

Cafe Society
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Friends were discussing soundtrack choices and how often certain songs are re-used, becoming tiresome.

I thought of George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone” as one song that has been used to death, but for good reason: it’s a perfect song for certain kinds of scenes. (It’s a classic blues riff, in fact it might even be said that it’s a direct lift from Bo Diddley’s I’m a Man) but it’s filtered through noisy rock guitars and lyrics in a way that’s simply perfect for certain scenes.

So if it was the perfect choice for a scene but you didn’t want to use it because it’s tired, what would you replace it with that would evoke the same feelings and reactions?

And what other songs have been used to death but for the same good reason that they work really well, and what would you replace them with?

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Willie Dixon’s “(I’m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man” or “Seventh Son”?

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Depending on what you are using it for, here are some replacements:

Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf
Love Stinks – J. Geils
Walking On Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
Helter Skelter – The Beatles
Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones
Who Are You – The Who
We Are The Champions – Queen
Papa Was a Rolling Stone – The Temptations
Shotgun – JJ Walker and the Allstars
Devil With a Blue Dress – Mitch Ryder
What’d I Say – Ray Charles

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Maybe Cream’s “Born Under a Bad Sign”.

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In what circumstance is Walking On Sunshine a replacement for Bad To The Bone? They are almost polar opposites in terms of emotional feel!!!

Also, love that Onion article.

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I’m going with Hair of the Dog.

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Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

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Goin Out West—Tom Waits
Boom Boom Mancini—Warren Zevon
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown—Jim Croce
I’d Love to Knock the Hell Out of You—Hank Williams Jr.
Iron Man—Black Sabbath
Back in Black—AC/DC
Demolition Man—Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

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Several (at least ten I think) years ago I caught a show (probably on VH1, but honestly don’t recall) about music in the movies that I really really wish I’d stumble across again. It showed famous scenes without the music and with and talked about the process of choosing it with interesting examples.

The most memorable one is that Cameron Crowe had a different song in mind for the boom box scene in Say Anything. I believe that they said John Cusack was the one who suggested the Peter Gabriel song. They played the scene both ways.

While we’re replacing songs can we give Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah a rest? I love the song, but surely it’s not the only option we have for a tragic death - and I’m not convinced it was ever the best choice for that.

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Both are fast tempo and filled with confidence.

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American Bad Ass - Kid Rock

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Highway to Hell, AC/DC.

But hey, we have to give Thorogood his due. BTTB is a classic/cliche because it **is **the baddest such piece ever riffed.

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So is “I’m Henry VIII, I Am.” For that matter, “Bad To the Bone” isn’t all that fast a tempo. I had the same :dubious: reaction as drewtwo99.

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POWER- Kanye West

For a more vulgar version. My favorite line: I don’t need your pussy, bitch, I’m on my own dick.

I can’t help but agree with him throughout the song. “You’re right, Mr. West, no one man should have all this power.”

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Ditto x 100

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Someone needs to find a bunch of scenes that use BttB and swap in Walking on Sunshine.

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OK, great. Now I have the assembly line scene in Christine playing in my head.

Maybe I can swap in the introduction of Julia Style’s character in 10 Things I Hate About You?

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That’s the one! Perfect.

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This. I haven’t listened to the song in a long time, but listening now it just oozes testosterone, and sleaziness, and almost jerkiness. Off the top of my head the only thing I can think to replace it is something by ZZ Top, but I can’t think of a good one right now.