The Greatest Musical Moments in Film, Part 3

In the history of film, there have been many great and wonderful moments created by the use of song. No, I'm not talking about taking a popular song and putting it in the film to sell the soundtrack. I'm talking about the use of music to further the story and create a sequence that is not only memorable but powerful to the viewer. These are the kind of sequences that you can't forget after watching the film. These are the sequences that can literally give you goosebumps while you watch them. Some of them are so popular that they have been ingrained into the social consciousness of Americans. Some of them are slightly more obscure but equally as moving as they unfold. In short, these scenes create a little something that I like to call "movie magic." It's rare, but it happens. Through this list of 25 musical moments, I plan on showing the sequence and telling you, the viewer, why I believe that this moment is not only powerful but important to the history of film. I hope you guys enjoy this compilation.

For your sanity and my own, I've decided to cut this article into five parts instead of the two that were originally planned. I'll try to get a part up per day. This should make the list more enjoyable for everyone

Click here to see Part 1 of this List.

Click here to see Part 2 of this List.

15. “Hip to be Square”- Huey Lewis and the News- American Psycho

*Warning: NSFW due to language and graphic violence*

As tempting as it was to be the infamous Phil Collins sex scene from American Psycho on this list, I had to go with the Huey Lewis and the News sequence. This sequence is very unique because it manages to be absolutely hilarious and then incredibly disturbing. Nothing is funnier than Christian Bale moon walking in a raincoat with an axe in his hand while trying to explain the artistic integrity of Huey Lewis and the News. Then, he proceeds to put the axe right in Jared Leto’s face. And it’s awful. This scene really gets across the craziness of this movie and it’s many shifts in tone. Plus, it shows Christian Bale being the incredible actor that he truly is. One thing’s for sure: you’ll never think of “Hip to be Square” the same way again. “Hey, Paul…. Ahhhhhh!”

14. “Hold Tight!”- Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky, Mick and Tich- Death Proof

*Warning: This contains major spoilers for the film Death Proof. It is also NSFW for extremely graphic violence*

First off, if you have not seen Death Proof, you should not watch this clip. If you have or have no intention on watching it, continue reading and watching. This is the first of many musical moments from a Quentin Tarantino film. Much like Martin Scorsese, not many can use music in a film like Tarantino. This sequence is no exception. The reason I found this musical usage so effective is that it puts the viewer, along with the girls who are listening to it, into a state of relaxation and calm. It’s a fun song with a nice beat and you cannot help but move to it with the girls. Of course, all this is occurring while Stuntman Mike is preparing to kill them. So, while you are being put into a state of relaxation and fun with the girls, Stuntman Mike comes flying down the road and causes one of the worst car crashes I’ve ever seen put to film (I still think the worst I’ve ever seen was in Adaptation). The thing is that, even though you know the crash is coming, due to the song, you still feel very relaxed. So, when it hits, it is incredibly jarring and awful. To me, the scariest image in the entire sequence is a quick shot of Stuntman Mike’s car coming at the girl’s car completely in the dark. It looks like this giant shadow of death heading right for them. Well, it is and it’s pretty crazy to watch occur. Overall, this sequence shows Tarantino at his best via directing and how he manages to use a song to make a sequence a thousand times more effective than it already was.

13. “Freebird”- Lynard Skynard- The Devil’s Rejects

*Warning: This is the end of the film, so it is spoiler heavy. Also, NSFW due to graphic violence*

Wow, that’s three really violent musical moments in a row. I guess today’s just violent clip day. First off, this is the ending of Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, so if you don’t want that spoiled for you, don’t watch it. I really wanted to put another musical moment from this film in the list (a sequence put to Terry Reid’s “To Be Treated Rite”) but I couldn’t find a video of it anywhere. So, I decided to go with the much more epic ending set infamously to Lynard Skynard’s “Freebird.” I know some people hate Rob Zombie as a director, but I really feel like he has some talent in putting some effective film sequences to music (most likely due to his musical background). This sequence is no exception. While some parts of the sequence may seem melodramatic and slightly cheesy (like the spliced in home video sequences), I still feel like this sequence works for it is going for. It’s just so damn epic. Even though the Firefly family is made up of a bunch of horrible people, by this point in the film, you start to slightly feel for them and this sequence only adds to that feeling. Plus, it’s just really awesome to watch them go out in a big rain of gunfire. Still, even though Zombie makes their deaths seem epic at first, he shows how horrible it is in the final frames of the sequence. Overall, it’s an ambitious sequence and I feel that it works quite well.

12. “Mad World”- Gary Jules- Donnie Darko

*Warning: this is the end of Donnie Darko, so it is spoiler heavy*

Hey, we finally have a violence free moment today! Unfortunately, it is another heavy spoiler sequence so if you haven’t seen Donnie Darko, don’t watch or read this. However, if you read this site, you should have seen this movie by now. The end of Donnie Darko set to “Mad World” by Gary Jules is an absolutely beautiful sequence. It starts off by going through all of the film’s major characters after they awaken from the translucent dream. My favorite character reaction after waking up would have to be Patrick Swayze shaking and crying, realizing not only that he will be caught for his pedophile ways but feeling racked with guilt over what he has done. There are some other nice moments in this montage, such as seeing Frank create the infamous bunny mask and then touch his eye where he was shot in the alternate universe. It’s a really sad sequence with Donnie’s death, but overall, the song really makes it a very moving and beautiful thing to watch. Who doesn’t get chills on that lyric, “The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had?” It really is the perfect song for this ending. As much as I love the “Head over Heels” sequence that occurs earlier in the film, this is the moment that people will remember years from now.

11. “Where is My Mind?”- The Pixies- Fight Club

*Warning: this is the ending of Fight Club, so it is spoiler heavy*

Hey, it’s another ending to a movie. I swear guys, I didn’t plan it to be like this. Today’s clips are either filled with violence or spoilers. I’m sorry, I really am. But, you got to admit, they’re great musical moments in film. The first time I saw the ending to this film (which happens to be one of my favorites if you did not know), I actually got chills. It is absolutely perfect the way that the Pixies’s guitar lick kicks in right when the buildings start to explode right in front of Marla and Jack. The image of the two standing together, hand in hand, as they watch the city explode and crumble right in front of them with “Where is My Mind?” playing is one of the most surreal and gorgeous images I have ever seen in film. It really is just the perfect ending for Fight Club. Add in a subliminal image of a giant penis and you got yourself a classic. “You’ve met me at a very strange time in my life.”

Parts 4-5 Coming Soon.

What do you guys think so far? What would you like to see appear on the list? What do you think is coming up next? Please let me know.