The Greatest Musical Moments in Film, Part 5

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.

Click here to see Part 3 of this List.

Click here to see Part 4 of this List.

5. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”- The Rolling Stones- Mean Streets

Best character introduction ever. That’s really the only way to describe this awesome musical sequence. As I have stated many times before on this list, no one uses film and music together like Martin Scorsese. As cool as this musical entrance is for Robert De Niro’s Johnny Boy character, Scorsese is able to get across many other things through it. Before this scene, Charlie (played brilliantly by Harvey Keitel) is seen talking to others who Johnny Boy owes money to. Despite Johnny’s lack of respect to these people, Charlie says that he will cover for the kid. Then, right after all of that, here comes Johnny Boy wearing a new suit and with two girls under his arms. Obviously, he hasn’t been using his money wisely. Obviously, he’s going to get not only himself in trouble but his friend Charlie as well. Scorsese is not only playing up the alluring bad boy nature of Johnny in this short little sequence but he is also demonstrating the large gap that is forming between him and Charlie. This can be seen as the camera goes from one end of the bar to Charlie and then to the other end to Johnny. With a red glow thrown about the bar, Johnny’s bad nature is prevalent along with the growing tension between the two friends. Add in another great use of a Rolling Stones’ song by Scorsese and you got yourself a short but classic sequence.

4. “Sister Christian- Night Ranger / “Jessie’s Girl”- Rick Springfield- Boogie Nights

*Warning: NSFW due to language and violence*

If you talk to anyone who’s ever seen Boogie Nights, they usually will bring up this scene. The drug deal. Yes, the infamous drug deal gone horribly wrong. I’ll be honest; this is one of the tensest scenes I think I have ever seen. Everything about it is just perfect. I think this was the first time I realized that Paul Thomas Anderson was a genius. First off, whomever casted Alfred Molina (of Doc Ock in Spider-man 2 fame) as Rahad Jackson, the coked up drug dealer needs a pat on the back. Molina is absolutely hysterical but also manages to keep everyone on their toes throughout the proceeding deal. His love and penchant for singing the songs “Sister Christian” and “Jessie’s Girl” was hilarious. I honestly cannot think of how you could create a more tension-laced sequence. You got Alfred Molina coked up and crazy, Thomas Jane as guy that’s starting to lose his mind, and then you got Cozmo. Yeah, good ole’ Cozmo: the little Asian guy in short shorts that lights firecrackers and throws them every few seconds. Every time one of them goes off, it sounds like a gunshot and you cannot help but flinch. The way John C. Reilly flinches and tenses up ever time, along with that terrified look on his face, is priceless. You just can’t help but flinch with him. Much like Scorsese and Tarantino, P.T. Anderson uses the 80’s pop songs to only contrast and thus add to the tension of the scene. I think my favorite part of the whole sequence is the really long close up of Mark Wahlberg as he just sits and stares forward, most likely thinking, “God, what the hell am I doing here?” Overall, the sequence is amazing and a great example of good solid filmmaking.

3. “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon”- Urge Overkill- Pulp Fiction

*Warning: NSFW due to language and some violence*

Yep, another Quentin Tarantino musical moment. In this moment from Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Mia Wallace (played by Uma Thurman) dances and sings along to Urge Overkill’s “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” (originally by Neil Diamond) while Vincent Vega (played by John Travolta) tries to talk himself down in the bathroom into leaving the house before things get sexual between the two. It’s a very simple scene and that’s part of the reason why it works so well. First off, the song selection by Tarantino is perfect. It’s basically talking about becoming woman through the act of sex. Mia sings to this while she waits for Vincent, preparing to seduce him. In contrast, Vincent stands in the bathroom, trying to achieve the opposite of what the song and Mia want by maintaining his loyalty to his boss. While it may not seem this way, there’s a pretty nice amount of drama occurring. Then the sequence ends with the shocking and unexpected drug overdose of Mia Wallace after she snorts heroine that she finds in Vincent’s coat, thinking that it is cocaine. Once again, Tarantino gets the audience in a certain mindset, making us think that a film is going to go a certain way and then he completely knocks us for a loop. All in all, it’s just a great use of music in a film.

2. “Stuck in the Middle With You”- Stealers Wheel- Reservoir Dogs

*Warning: NSFW due to graphic violence and language*

I’ll be honest; this has been number one on my list for a while. However, after some last minute thoughts, I’ve decided to move it to number 2. This is pretty much the quintessential violent scene set to calm music. Tarantino basically takes what Scorsese had done in the past and takes it to a whole other level. In this infamous sequence, Mr. Blonde (played perfectly by Michael Madsen) dances along with Stealers Wheel’s 1970’s bubble gum pop song “Stuck in the Middle With You” for a little while before torturing a cop with a straight razor and cutting the poor guy’s ear off. How does that make a great musical moment? Honestly, I’m not sure I have an answer. It just works amazingly well. For a while, you’re having fun, maybe even laughing, at Mr. Blonde dancing around and then, you don’t know what to do when he attacks. And while this scene is known as one of the “most violent scenes ever,” you honestly don’t even see the acts of the violence. The cutting off of the ear happens completely off camera. Tarantino takes the high road by tracking the camera to left and focusing on an empty doorway as this act of violence occurs. I really don’t even know how to describe this scene. It’s just brilliant. Its violent nature may turn a lot of people off but its use of music to deceive the audience and then amplify the violence nature of the scene is unduplicated to this day.

1. Last Day as a Wise Guy- Goodfellas

The following songs are used in this sequence:

“Jump Into the Fire”- Harry Nilsson

“Memo From Turner”- The Rolling Stones

“Magic Bus”- The Who

“Monkey Man”- The Rolling Stones

“What Is Life”- George Harrison

“Mannish Boy”- Muddy Waters

Warning: NSFW due to language*

Well, here it is. The granddaddy of musical usage in a film. Although I almost put “Stuck in the Middle With You” as my number one moment, I just had to put this one instead. After all, it’s simply the greatest use of music that I’ve ever seen in a film in my entire life. In this amazing sequence, Scorsese recreates the cocaine-fueled last day of Henry Hill’s life as a wise guy through an unorthodox use of music. The songs basically fade in and out into each other. One song kicks in to create the feel of tension while another comes in to create the feel of getting things taken care of. Through this brilliant use of music, Scorsese makes us in the audience feel as stressed out and over worked as Henry Hill feels on his last day in the mafia. When Henry almost gets into a car wreck, he unconventionally changes from The Rolling Stones’ “Memo From Turner” to The Who’s “Magic Bus” to create a feeling and rush of panic that jolts through Hill. When Hill snorts a line of cocaine, he eccentrically switches from George Harrison’s “What Is Life” to Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy.” Suddenly, we feel as if we just received the rush from cocaine. Never have I viewed a sequence in film that has made me feel like the main character in it more than this. Scorsese manages to achieve all of this not only through his amazing direction but also through his choice of music and Thelma Schoonmaker’s groundbreaking editing job. Not only is this my favorite part of Goodfellas but it also may be my favorite sequence in film history. Although you may have not immediately thought of this moment as being the greatest use of music in film, I dare you to try and find another sequence as powerful or innovative as this one. I dare you. This is the way music should be used in film: to tell a story and put you, the viewer, right in the middle of it.

Well, I hope you guys have enjoyed the big musical moments countdown this week. It has absolutely exhausted me to write and compile it all. I’ll do an Honorable Mentions section in a few days or so. Right now I’m going to take a break.