Movie Music: Scores, Soundtracks, and Best Moments

[Dancingjaneway]

I love this scene from "Tommy Boy"!! 

I loved this music video from "Music & Lyrics" The movie and music were a perfect combo.

This was such a great scene from "10 Things I hate about You"! Heath was perfect in this movie. 

Julie Andrews was perfection in this number from "Darling Lili" 

[Luckylyn]

10 hours ago, Dancingjaneway said:

 

 

That song is so catchy and I love how it captures the 80s in the video.  Just love that movie.  I also love the song at the end.

[Dancingjaneway]

This clip comes from one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies "Get Over It" 

The brilliant Madeline Kahn in "Blazing Saddles" 

While it may not be PC I still love this musical number from the hilarious "History Of The World Part 1" 

[Schweedie]

Oh my god, Get Over It. I'd completely forgot how much silly fun that was. Martin Short's little "That was -- that was okay!" after their improvising cracks me up so much.

[PatternRec]

Most any song from Little Shop Of Horrors but especially these:

 

 

Edited July 20, 2016 by PatternRec
formatting

[DollEyes]

Bumping it up to pay tribute to the late, great Gene Wilder with "Pure Imagination," the signature song from one of his greatest roles, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory:

"Pure Imagination"

[Spartan Girl]

And let's not forget:

[DollEyes]

  I just watched Deadpool again last night and its soundtrack is epic. The uses of "Shoop," "Careless Whisper" & "You're the Inspiration" are awesome, but the opening credits to "Angel Of the Morning" is hilarious:

"Angel Of the Morning"

[tennisgurl]

In honor of the Halloween season, one of my favorite movie music scenes of all time was in one of my favorite Halloween movies, Trick r Treat (a movie I highly recommend), near the end of the movie. It involves the Marilyn Manson version of Sweet Dream, and...I cant say anymore or attach a clip because its a huge spoiler, but trust me its awesome. 

[WendyCR72]

Fox recently re-did Rocky Horror as most everyone knows by now. And while Adam Lambert as Eddie was one of the very few highlights, I find Meat Loaf (or is it Meatloaf? I have seen it spelled both ways!) still has the edge for me! And he was one of the few to sing all of the lyrics right!

 

[Schweedie]

I'm not a huge Rocky Horror fan, but yeah, Meat Loaf's 'Hot Patootie' is absolutely one of the best moments in that film for me.

[WendyCR72]

I never knew until recently that Meat Loaf was also part of the stage play a few years before the movie. Richard O'Brien, who wrote "Hot Patootie", could not find an actor that could sing the song in the required key and/or all of the lyrics in the tempo he wanted. (The original British actor as Eddie, Paddy O' Hagan, allegedly had trouble.) And then, obviously, came Meat Loaf. Pretty cool. The Roxy cast recording of "Hot Patootie" (simply "Whatever Happened To Saturday Night" here) sounds almost exactly like the later film!

[topanga]

On 7/20/2016 at 11:20 AM, PatternRec said:

Most any song from Little Shop Of Horrors but especially these:

Yes! Great songs. And I'd forgotten how young Tisha Campbell-Martin and Tichina Arnold were in this movie. They still look great now, but in this movie, they were babies.

[Spartan Girl]

Here's another one for Halloween:

[Spartan Girl]

Disney has been playing The Little Rascals a lot lately, and while it's probably not one of the best musical moments, it's still pretty cute:

[DollEyes]

In honor of the late, great Debbie Reynolds, who died the day after her daughter Carrie Fisher, here's "Good Mornin'," from Singin' In the Rain, which was Ms. Reynolds' film debut, with her co-stars Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor. This scene not only makes me smile every time I see it, it's from one of the greatest musicals of all time:

Good Mornin'

Edited December 29, 2016 by DollEyes

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I went to see Rogue One as much to hear the score as to see a story.  Michael Giacchino replaced the replacement with a very few weeks to create it.  I knew I would not be well pleased.

Sure enough, it was weak sauce to me.  From the jump, there were unnecessary deviations from Williams' themes.  This is especially true as this chapter in the saga is the one immediately before the original.  To be fair, though, it was serviceable and we did get some vintage character themes.  Yet, it was criminal to not immediately launch into the classic, menacing, Darth Vader theme when first we spy him in outline.  

Then came the credits.  Just gorgeous.  I was weeping by the end.  I still can't believe how strong my reaction was.  I'd happily swear an oath that John Williams wrote and conducted that music.

Clearly, MG has it in him.  I marvel at talent such as that he demonstrated.  I do wonder if the Director forced some "NEW" sounds on him.  Whatever the circumstances, I would love for MG to get another crack at this.

[absnow54]

I think Rogue One is a testament to how crucial the score is to a Star Wars film, because while I thought Rogue One was a good movie, whenever it felt like something was missing in a scene, I always found the score to blame. John Williams is a master of weaving character themes and building tension and suspense that evoke so much imagery and emotion. I can listen to the score on its own and place it to the exact scene it was built around, each piece of the score is so unique. Rogue One had a theme for the rebels and a theme for Krennic, and neither were especially note worthy because they felt like paraphrased John Williams pieces. It must be a really difficult position for a composer to step into because they have to work around such an iconic catalog.

[Winter Rose]

I love the entire Gladiator score but especially coupled with the ending.

[DollEyes]

Another example of how the perfect song can make a great movie even better is the use of "Hello, Stranger" in Moonlight, 2017's Best Picture Oscar winner. When the adult Kevin played it for the adult Chiron in the diner scene, it was swoon-worthy, to say the least:

Hello, Stranger

Edited March 2, 2017 by DollEyes

[JustaPerson]

I don't usually listen to movie scores outside of the movie itself but I loved the one to La La Land. Not the parts where Ryan and Emma sang (tho those were great too) but the score that Hurwitz won the Oscar for. The lovely "Mia and Sebastian's Theme" is so pretty!
 

[afterbite]

On 5/31/2016 at 9:41 PM, slf said:

John Murphy scores. Love them. Sunshine's score really elevated a movie let down by its third act (though of course everyone had to use Adagio in D Minor in their trailers, as well as in The Walking Dead's season one finale), and of course In the House in a Heartbeat from 28 Days Later has such a great build (and the guitars, dayum) that never fails to put me on edge.

+1000. John Murphy's scores are my absolute favs. For a while, the score to Sunshine was in legal limbo and so not available, which felt like a personal punishment. (I did eventually find a copy in the town of Tube, population You, which sustained me until it exited said limbo.) Adagio in D Minor is an obvious fav from the 28 (Days, Weeks) saga (along with In the House/Don Abandons Alice), but there's really not a track on either I don't like. Frank's Death Soldiers is gorgeous. And, even though it's clearly not from a movie, his Anonymous Rejected Filmscore is absolutely worth a listen.

Beyond that, I'm surprised that Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' work on The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford hasn't gotten a mention. It stands on its own, but combined with the lushness of the movie, it's haunting beauty really sticks with you.

I haven't seen the movie yet (only read the book), but Cliff Martinez's Solaris is also a fav for me (also love his OST for Severe Clear). I generally just gravitate to sci-fi/horror scores, I think, because I also love Clint Mansell's Moon score, Tomandandy's work on Sinister II, Michael Giacchino's work on Let Me In (which is amazing), Paul Leonard-Morgan's Dredd, and Christophe Beck's Edge of Tomorrow.

I'd also put in a plug for Alexandre Desplat's Zero Dark Thirty, even though I usually am not blown away by Desplat's work. (Bonus plug: Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy. Bonus bonus already loved on by many here, The Last of the Mohicans. Oh wait, lest I forget, the score that, along with Mohicans, probably initiated my love for scores: Bram Stoker's Dracula by Wojciech Kilar.)

If we're talking scenes just made all the better by the music, then Solomon from Zimmer on 12 Years a Slave really sticks out in my mind. Chiwetel Ejoifor owned that scene, but there's something about the muted hope mixed with sorrow from the score that really drives it home.

Edited March 7, 2017 by afterbite
OCD

[Spartan Girl]

Just watched In and Out:  

I also liked the dancing to "Macho Man" in the end credits but I couldn't find that scene.  Kevin Kline sure can dance!

Edited March 16, 2017 by Spartan Girl

[caracas1914]

Its insane that they used Ava Gardner's voice on the sountrack of 'Showboat' but not on the actual film, where she was dubbed. Her voice is more than fine...

[DollEyes]

In honor of music legend Chuck Berry, here are two clips from two different films that show his huge influence on rock & roll. The first one is Berry playing himself in American Hot Wax, the 1978 film about Alan freed, the disc jockey who helped make rock & roll famous, in a medley of "Reelin' & Rockin'" & "Roll Over, Beethoven" :

"Reelin' & Rockin"/"Roll Over, Beethoven"

The next is the prom scene from Back To the Future, where Marty McFly "introduces" a "new" style of music to the students & Marvin Berry's cousin Chuck, via "Johnny B. Goode":

"Johnny B. Goode"

Edited March 20, 2017 by DollEyes

[Spartan Girl]

I know the original animated version is so iconic that no one can ever replace it, but I think the live action Beauty and the Beast did justice by the ballroom scene. It worked on two levels:

1) Emma Thompson's rendition of "Beauty and the Beast" was fabulous.

2) The visuals. Again, the original was perfect, but I liked how they added the Beast dipping Belle, and for a second, it looks like they actually might kiss, and suddenly he lifts her up in the air and the two of them are spinning around with the chandeliers sparking like stars all around them. Come on, I was the only one that got goosebumps right then?

Also worth mentioning is the Beast's "Evermore" song. Damn you, Alan Menken! 

[Luckylyn]

Hunky Dory - The Man Who Sold The World (I really like the song choices in this movie)

[DollEyes]

  Bumping it up to add two of my favorite numbers from the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar. While I think that John Legend did a good job in the live TV reboot, my favorite musical Jesus is Ted Neeley, as he proves by his take of "Gethesemane/I Only Want To Say":

Gethesemane/I Only Want To Say

 

The other is the late, great Carl Anderson's electrifying take of the title song. When it comes to the role of Judas, while Brandon Victor Dixon was brilliant in the live musical reboot, Anderson, his entrance on a star & his white fringe jumpsuit rule:

Jesus Christ Superstar

Edited April 7, 2018 by DollEyes

[Spartan Girl]

Milos Forman died a few weeks ago, and it's gotten me sucked back in to my Amadeus phase.  Mozart's music was never used more brilliantly.  There were so many musical moments I loved, but my favorite has to be when Salieri is helping Mozart compose the requiem on his deathbed (and by "helping", I mean making sure it gets done so he can steal it and pass it off on his own, when he's dead):

I especially love the cut to Mozart's face at 4:13, he's literally on his last legs, and he's so hyperfocused on the music in his mind.

[VCRTracking]

Grease's Director Breaks Down the "You're The One That I Want" Scene | Notes on a Scene

[Zola]

 

** Since this is the final scene to a great film, best not to play it if you haven't seen the film yet **

The final 2 or 3 minutes of Inception - a very moving scene that also answers a number of questions, as well as raising some new ones. But I think the score by Hans Zimmer, really is the icing on the cake! 

[cpcathy]

Hans Zimmer also did a great job on Dunkirk.

[DollEyes]

In tribute to the late, great Aretha Franklin, here's"Think," from The Blues Brothers, which not only makes a great movie even better, it makes people sing and/or dance along every time, including me:

Think

 

RIP, Ms. Franklin.

The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen.

Edited August 16, 2018 by DollEyes

[Spartan Girl]

53 minutes ago, DollEyes said:

In tribute to the late, great Aretha Franklin, here's"Think," from The Blues Brothers, which not only makes a great movie even better, it makes people sing and/or dance along every time, including me:

Think

 

RIP, Ms. Franklin.

The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen.

I loved that number.  And even in the shitty Blues Brothers 2000 sequel, she still rocked.

[Luckylyn]

Pitch Perfect 2 - We Belong

”I’m soloing here!”

[tennisgurl]

Ikiru is one of my favorite classic films, and is just generally a gorgeous and bittersweet movie that I highly recommend, but my favorite part is near the end. If you havnt seen it, its the story of an aging Japanese bureaucrat who has spent his life working a dull job doing nothing very important day in and day out trying to make money to provide for his money obsessed son, and generally lives a deeply routine, boring existence devoid of real meaning until he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He wants his life to have meaning before he dies, so he decides to try and build a park in a low income area, and we follow his journey to finding out how beautiful life can be. 

Also, spoilers! 

Edited May 23, 2019 by tennisgurl

[DollEyes]

There were many great musical moments in Rocketman, 

Spoiler

such as "Your Song," "Crocodile Rock," "Tiny Dancer," "Pinball Wizard," Honky Cat," "Benny & the Jets," "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road" & "I'm Still Standing," which should be star Taron Egerton's theme song because his singing it in "Sing" supposedly not only got Elton John's attention, it lead to him getting the title role in Rocketman.

Also some great musical moments in Bohemian Rhapsody, especially the opening scene to "Somebody To Love," the makings of "A Night At the Opera," (aka their first album, which included "Bohemian Rhapsody,"), "We Will Rock You," "Another One Bites the Dust" & the whole Live Aid scene. 

[Jediknight]

Gotta mention the scene where this plays in Birds of Prey

 

 

Just a perfect use of that cover as everybody is heading to Amusement Mile, and Sionis is putting on the mask.

[Spartan Girl]

I do love the moment in The Birdcage when the families are singing and dancing to "I Could Have Danced All Night."

[DollEyes]

Bumping it up to pay tribute to the late, great Diana Rigg to mention this version of Cole Porter's "You're the Top" from the movie version of Evil Under the Sun, the Agatha Christie murder mystery with Ms. Rigg as Arlena Marshall, a wealthy ex-stage star/victim with plenty of enemies, including Daphne Castle, played by Maggie Smith.

  According to Daphne,back in the day, she and Arlena were chorus girls who competed for the same parts, which Arlena ultimately got because, to quote Daphne, "She threw her legs up higher than anyone-and wider."

Arlena, her husband Kenneth, her stepdaughter Linda and various other guests/eventual suspects connected to Arlena end up at Daphne's resort, including Patrick, Arlena's married lover. 

  One night, Arlena and Kenneth perform "You're the Top," which Daphne used to upstage Arlena, who deserved it. Not many people could  hold their own with Diana Rigg, but if anyone could, it was Maggie Smith, and vice versa.

RIP, Diana.

[krankydoodle]

It's too bad the video doesn't seem to be online because Jamie Dornan's solo in Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar is a real standout moment, and I say that as someone who wasn't a fan of his. You can get an idea of its fun, goofy vibe in this clip from a different song in the movie:

 

[Spartan Girl]

I’m loving memory of DMX:

 

[Scarlett45]

The 2011 Footloose remake is the rare one I enjoy as much as the original. I own the soundtrack. 
 

 

[blackwing]

On 3/22/2021 at 6:22 PM, krankydoodle said:

It's too bad the video doesn't seem to be online because Jamie Dornan's solo in Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar is a real standout moment, and I say that as someone who wasn't a fan of his. You can get an idea of its fun, goofy vibe in this clip from a different song in the movie:

 

 

Here's "Edgar's Prayer".  I agree with you, this is a real standout moment.  I had no idea that Jamie Dornan could sing or was this funny.  "Seagulls in the sand, can you hear my prayer?"  (Sorry, I don't know how to embed the clip so it can be played right from this screen, I only know how to include the link.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olSlU879VEU

[Kel Varnsen]

I decided to watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High last night. I probably hadn't watched it in like 20 years. Back when I had watched it I probably did around 10 times since it was one of a handful of VHS tapes one of my best friends in University had (he didn't have cable). I totally forgot how good the soundtrack was.

Also interesting was that in the first day of school scene they use American Girl by Tom Petty, but apparently that song was not included in the VHS version.

[DollEyes]

From The Suicide Squad 

Spoiler

the scene when Harley Quinn escaped from her captors to "Just A Gigolo" was both hilarious and badass.

 

[Spartan Girl]

So I’m reading Hayley Mills’ new memoir Forever Young and…oh, heck, you guys know exactly what I’m going to post. My apologies to those that have been trying to get this song stuck out of your head for years.

It’s the cute little twist Sharon does that I love best.

[Annber03]

Was watching Nightmare Before Christmas yesterday and reminded once again of just how incredibly good the music and songs are in that film. 

I love Elfman's singing on this song. And that moment when Jack's walking down the hill as it unfurls, against that huge full moon, with the song accompanying it - a perfect mix of stunning visuals and gorgeous music:

And another lovely use of that hill - have to post this one, too, 'cause this song at the end never fails to make me swoon :). 

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by Annber03

[JustHereForFood]

7 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Was watching Nightmare Before Christmas yesterday and reminded once again of just how incredibly good the music and songs are in that film. 

I love Elfman's singing on this song. And that moment when Jack's walking down the hill as it unfurls, against that huge full moon, with the song accompanying it - a perfect mix of stunning visuals and gorgeous music:

I love The Nightmare Before Christmas. Great songs, my favorite is probably This Is Halloween. Few years ago, I started to watch it regularly in November, as part of a transition from Halloween/Autumn mood to Christmas mood.

I agree that the unfurling of the hill is one of the best visuals in animated movies.  Funnily enough,  I vaguely remember that the trailer for it used to scare me as a kid, when it was on my old Lion King VHS 😄. How the taste changes as you grow up.

[Annber03]

14 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

I love The Nightmare Before Christmas. Great songs, my favorite is probably This Is Halloween. Few years ago, I started to watch it regularly in November, as part of a transition from Halloween/Autumn mood to Christmas mood.

I agree that the unfurling of the hill is one of the best visuals in animated movies.  Funnily enough,  I vaguely remember that the trailer for it used to scare me as a kid, when it was on my old Lion King VHS 😄. How the taste changes as you grow up.

"This is Halloween" is so much fun to sing along with. And yeah, that's one of the great things about this movie, it fits the season whichever month you watch it between October and December :D. 

Haha, I remember the trailer, too, from when I was a kid :D. I'd just turned nine when this movie came out, so it wasn't quite as scary to me, but I can definitely see where it would be a little freaky for some, for sure. There is some rather dark humor and visuals (obviously) in the movie, so... First time I actually saw it, though, was when I was at my grandma's house - I was sick with a fever and kinda drifting in and out, and I heard the line in "What's This?" about children throwing snowballs instead of throwing heads, and I remember looking at the TV like, "????" LOL.

But yeah, it's definitely one of my favorite movies from my childhood, and I'm impressed at how well the film as a whole still holds up all these years later. Not an easy feat, that.