If you want to know my thoughts on The Coens' latest masterpiece A Serious Man, you can check out my previous post. Needless to say, I happen to think strongly about how fascinating, thought-provoking and, most importantly, original and unpredictable it is.
Out of everything the film gets right, one of the most curious is how well it utilizes its classic rock soundtrack. The use of 60s counter culture psychedelic rock against the backdrop of the repressed, traditional Minnesotan Jewish society does a perfect job of contrasting the dull and dreary images with fresh, new (at the time) and daring music, full of vibrancy and life.
It also reminds us that while these characters were living their monotone lives in their little social bubble, the world outside was changing and evolving at a highly accelerated rate.
Of course there are lots of films that utilize music to contrast its images. The first and the easiest example that comes to mind is Kubrick's use of classical music during scenes of brutal graphic violence in A Clockwork Orange (It also includes the famous performance of Singin' in the Rain which forever ruined the wholesomeness of the song).
What makes A Serious Man even more special in that context is how well the music fits melodically with its images and pace. The opening credits sequence seamlessly takes us from the old 19th century (I'm guessing) shtetl into the ear canal of an adolescent boy in 1967, listening to Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love". The song becomes a thematic string that ties the story together the way "Fight The Power" did for Do The Right Thing. It does a great job of introducing us to the bizarre world of the film.
Kudos to Carter Burwell for his score that leads into the song. His dedication to using the same instruments and recording style of the period was so good, I thought I was listening to an unused intro from 1967.
The best use of classic rock in the film, and what inspired me to write this article, was the perfect synchronization of Jimi Hendrix's "Machine Gun" during the sequence where the middle aged rabbi tells Larry the story of "The Goy's Teeth". With each revelation the dentist in the story comes upon concerning the goy's teeth, the song's fast, hard-hitting drum beat provides us with an aural exclamation mark. It's definitely one of the best uses of a Hendrix track in a movie.
So that got me thinking: What are some of the best, most original uses of classic rock tunes in recent films? Films that go back up to about a decade or so. So here it is, off the top of my head, without any particular order, the top 5 uses of a classic rock song in contemporary films:
1- "Tangerine" by Led Zeppelin from Almost Famous:
I'm not entirely sure about this but short of a concert film like The Song Remains The Same, I believe Cameron Crowe's ode to his days as a 15-year-old rock journalist carries the honor of being able to use the most Zeppelin songs in a feature film. Just off the top of my head, "Misty Mountain Hop", "That's The Way" and "The Rain Song" comes to mind. But the one that made the biggest impression was Crowe's use of "Tangerine" as we see a montage of Stillwater back on tour before the end credits roll. It perfectly encapsulates the warm, nostalgic feeling it tries to create about the good old days of rock, before it turned into a multi-billion dollar business. Try to get your hands on the extended, "Untitled" version of the film, where Crowe lets the song play out till the end over a black screen before laying out the credits.
2- "The Seeker" by The Who from Religulous:
Bill Maher's incendiary anti-religion documentary where Maher searches for meaning in faith and organized religion starts with a credits sequence montage of people from various religions practicing their faith, set to "The Seeker". The lyrics of the song does a good job of accentuating the film's themes and Pete Townsend's guitar helps start things off with a bang.
3- "In The Court Of The Crimson King" by King Crimson from Children of Men:
Alfonso Cuaron's topical, bleak and visually exhilarating masterpiece was not only the best film of 2006, it's also one of the best science-fiction films to come out in a long, long time. During the scene where Theo is on his way to visit his minister (of the arts?) cousin in order to secure transit papers for a mysterious young girl, he looks out the window of his government limo into a lost and frightened England, a country still trying desperately to hold onto whatever semblance of pride and privilidge left in its soul. The dark and depressing tone of "In The Court of The Crimson King" by prog-gods King Crimson succinctly conveys the mood and setting.
4- "Like A Rock" by Bob Seger from The Weather Man:
Out of everything the film gets right, one of the most curious is how well it utilizes its classic rock soundtrack. The use of 60s counter culture psychedelic rock against the backdrop of the repressed, traditional Minnesotan Jewish society does a perfect job of contrasting the dull and dreary images with fresh, new (at the time) and daring music, full of vibrancy and life.
It also reminds us that while these characters were living their monotone lives in their little social bubble, the world outside was changing and evolving at a highly accelerated rate.
Of course there are lots of films that utilize music to contrast its images. The first and the easiest example that comes to mind is Kubrick's use of classical music during scenes of brutal graphic violence in A Clockwork Orange (It also includes the famous performance of Singin' in the Rain which forever ruined the wholesomeness of the song).
What makes A Serious Man even more special in that context is how well the music fits melodically with its images and pace. The opening credits sequence seamlessly takes us from the old 19th century (I'm guessing) shtetl into the ear canal of an adolescent boy in 1967, listening to Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love". The song becomes a thematic string that ties the story together the way "Fight The Power" did for Do The Right Thing. It does a great job of introducing us to the bizarre world of the film.
Kudos to Carter Burwell for his score that leads into the song. His dedication to using the same instruments and recording style of the period was so good, I thought I was listening to an unused intro from 1967.
The best use of classic rock in the film, and what inspired me to write this article, was the perfect synchronization of Jimi Hendrix's "Machine Gun" during the sequence where the middle aged rabbi tells Larry the story of "The Goy's Teeth". With each revelation the dentist in the story comes upon concerning the goy's teeth, the song's fast, hard-hitting drum beat provides us with an aural exclamation mark. It's definitely one of the best uses of a Hendrix track in a movie.
So that got me thinking: What are some of the best, most original uses of classic rock tunes in recent films? Films that go back up to about a decade or so. So here it is, off the top of my head, without any particular order, the top 5 uses of a classic rock song in contemporary films:
1- "Tangerine" by Led Zeppelin from Almost Famous:
I'm not entirely sure about this but short of a concert film like The Song Remains The Same, I believe Cameron Crowe's ode to his days as a 15-year-old rock journalist carries the honor of being able to use the most Zeppelin songs in a feature film. Just off the top of my head, "Misty Mountain Hop", "That's The Way" and "The Rain Song" comes to mind. But the one that made the biggest impression was Crowe's use of "Tangerine" as we see a montage of Stillwater back on tour before the end credits roll. It perfectly encapsulates the warm, nostalgic feeling it tries to create about the good old days of rock, before it turned into a multi-billion dollar business. Try to get your hands on the extended, "Untitled" version of the film, where Crowe lets the song play out till the end over a black screen before laying out the credits.
2- "The Seeker" by The Who from Religulous:
Bill Maher's incendiary anti-religion documentary where Maher searches for meaning in faith and organized religion starts with a credits sequence montage of people from various religions practicing their faith, set to "The Seeker". The lyrics of the song does a good job of accentuating the film's themes and Pete Townsend's guitar helps start things off with a bang.
3- "In The Court Of The Crimson King" by King Crimson from Children of Men:
Alfonso Cuaron's topical, bleak and visually exhilarating masterpiece was not only the best film of 2006, it's also one of the best science-fiction films to come out in a long, long time. During the scene where Theo is on his way to visit his minister (of the arts?) cousin in order to secure transit papers for a mysterious young girl, he looks out the window of his government limo into a lost and frightened England, a country still trying desperately to hold onto whatever semblance of pride and privilidge left in its soul. The dark and depressing tone of "In The Court of The Crimson King" by prog-gods King Crimson succinctly conveys the mood and setting.
4- "Like A Rock" by Bob Seger from The Weather Man:
I guess the Bob Seger classic doesn't technically count as a classic rock song. It's probably more in the vein of southern rock, or maybe even classic country, depending on who you ask. But its use in the vastly underrated The Weather Man definitely deserves to be mentioned. Unlike the other entries in the top five, the song does not blare out of the speakers and takes the foreground to emphasize on the emotions of the scene. Instead, it quietly plays out of a car stereo in the background during the most powerful and touching scene of the film.
During his successful writer father's living funeral, Chicago TV weatherman Dave Sprizt, played with masterful existential angst by Nicholas Cage, can only get through the first line of his eulogy before the power cuts out. All he manages to say is that when he thinks of his father, he thinks of Bob Seger's "Like A Rock". Days later, everyone forgets he even started his speech, except his father, played by Michael Caine. He plays the song for his son in his car, not understanding what this rock song has to do with his life. What follows is a scene of profound honesty and the forming of a bizarre yet surprisingly emotional connection between the son and his dying father.
5- "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin from School of Rock:
We opened with the mighty Zep, it's only fitting we close with them. It's not a secret that Page and Plant frown upon the use of their songs in movies and rarely give such permission to filmmakers. Knowing their reputation regarding this matter, director Richard Linklater actually shot a piece of film where Jack Black literally pleads for permission to use "Immigrant Song" in front of thousands of cheering Zep fans. Linklater sent the film to Page and Plant, hoping it would persuade them to give permission. The plan worked and Linklater was able to use the song in a crucial scene where the band of school boys led by Black rock on in a van after wining a spot on The Battle of The Bands. As the relentlessly harcore infamous riff bangs away, it signifies a sort of liberation for the characters, from the drudgery of school work, into a world where their ideas, talent and emotions can run free.
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