Have you ever walked into a crowded party and “Can You Feel It” by the Jackson 5 starts playing on your inner soundtrack as you strut across the room winking at people? Sure it has!! One of the great things about the medium of cinema is that music, whether diegetic or non-diegetic, can be inserted into a scene to enhance the mood and capture a moment that is truly memorable. Following on from our recent Top Ten on the Greatest Music Documentaries Of All Time comes a similarly themed list combining music and movies with The Top 10 Musical Moments In Film, the latest edition of our weekly series Ray-Ban Legendary Lists in honour of Ray-Ban’s 75th Anniversary. Excluding any movies that are defined as ‘Musicals’ (so no Singing In The Rain, Disney or Grease), here are some of the greatest scenes in the history of cinema where the music used plays as important a role as any character…
TINY DANCER – ALMOST FAMOUS
Chances are you’ve been invited to a crochet-covered Seventies dress-up party inspired by this very scene. Divided, tired, and coming down from a Golden God LSD binge, the tour bus travelers of the 2000 rock and roll film, Almost Famous, manage to find unison through the divine power of the great bespectacled one, Elton John. The result is awesomely cheesy, moving, and vaguely Julie Andrews-esque (sans the von Trapp family). It’s such a strong memorable scene that it forever changed the way listener’s hear “Tiny Dancer” whenever it’s played, which makes it such an obvious choice. YOU ARE HOME.
AS TIME GOES BY – CASABLANCA
No biggie. It’s only the best song in the best movie OF ALL TIME. There’s nothing that isn’t perfect about this piano solo of “As Time Goes By” by Dooley Wilson (aka “Play it again, Sam.”) for the hopelessly doe-eyed and kinda pushy Ilsa. Ingrid Bergman is as beautiful as ever; Sam’s croons will transport you to WWII Morocco; and Humphrey Bogart’s face when he discovers their little charade is simply priceless.
GIRL, YOU’LL BE A WOMAN SOON – PULP FICTION
This wouldn’t be a Top 10 Musical Moments in Film list without the master of soundtracks himself, Quentin Tarantino. There’s countless moments in QT’s repertoire that we could pick from, however, the pinnacle is arguably Uma Thurman’s heroin-sniffing moment to Urge Overkill’s brilliant Neil Diamond cover used in 1994’s Pulp Fiction. Her mindless erratic dancing is pure drug-addled babe, as is John Travolta’s bathroom monologue. Side note: Would they have got it on if she hadn’t OD’ed?
We also have to give a quick shout out to another magical Tarantino musical moment: the closing scene from the (highly underrated) Jackie Brown, featuring Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th Street” and the sublime Pam Grier. Simply perfection.
THE SOUND OF SILENCE – THE GRADUATE
Apart from encouraging drugs and promiscuous sex, Sixties duo Simon & Garfunkel also had activist hearts of gold. Their 1964 classic, “The Sound of Silence”, was originally written to capture the bleakness that swept the US post-JFK assassination. This all changed in 1967, however, when The Graduate‘s producers used it to close their seminal Dustin Hoffman classic; thus forever aligning S&F with a restless grad shagging a MILF and then running off with her almost-married daughter. It was a smart decision. This unforgettable moment ended up redefining the closing scene in cinema and even inspired an episode of The Simpsons.
The Simpsons reference:
JUMP (FOR MY LOVE) – LOVE ACTUALLY
Of all the dopey, pathetically loveable cads that Hugh Grant has portrayed over the years, the bachelor PM in Love Actually is possibly his most endearing. Let’s forget for a moment that real-life politicians don’t actually have souls or a sense of musical humour and concentrate on what’s so good about this 2003 film’s iconic dance scene: finger pointing. Finger pointing, fine comedic timing, and an amazingly upbeat song by the aptly-named Pointer Sisters.
OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL – RISKY BUSINESS
Way back before he was jumping on couches and divorcing Joey Potter, Tom Cruise was inspiring a genre and a generation via the 1983 favourite, Risky Business. It’s the little things (pun intended) that make this movie’s best-known scene: Tom’s tightie whiteys, his slide across freshly polished wooden floorboards, and the shameless product placement for Coca-Cola. This scene also ensured a dude you probably wouldn’t know about otherwise – Bob Seger – made it onto every washed-up roadside pub’s juxebox for decades to come.
CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU – 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU
OK, so he wasn’t exactly known for his ripping singing skillz or wide vocal range, and yet – over 13 years later – this Heath Ledger scene is still a favourite with teenage girls, probably some teenage boys, and a few mid-20s women who are still waiting for their soulmate to woo them with a mediocre rendition of a Frankie Valli classic (complete with high school brass band and ladies’ soccer team). It’s so cheezy. It’s so good. It’s the role that really broke Heath’s impressively accomplished though tragically short career as a Hollywood leading man. RIP.
O’CHILDREN – HARRY POTTER 7.1
The patriotic geek inside of us can’t help but froth all over this. Apart from the fact that “O-Children” is a really good song, it’s simply awesome that the only non-score track ever used in any of the eight Hazza P movies is by none other than Nick-motherfucking-Cave. Apparently this moody scene (which wasn’t originally in the books) was formulated to give viewers an idea that “something” might happen between Harry and Hermoine. Let’s not think about what that “something” could be, because we all know that Ron + Hermoine = 4EVA.
UNCHAINED MELODY – GHOST
For those who were teenagers in 90s, this scene today represents an early childhood initiation into the joys of pre-rock and roll music and the unexpected joys of having an in-house pottery wheel. Composed in 1955 “Unchained Melody” went on to become one of the most recorded pieces of the 20th century with about 500 different versions. But of course none of this history matters whatsoever once you realise how much that epic clay pot Demi’s shaping turns out to be a giant phallus – which would be the natural artistic response to Patrick Swayze’s perfectly muscled arms being gracefully curved around yours. RIP.
AFTERNOON DELIGHT – ANCHORMAN
If you don’t think this is the best musical moment in a movie ever, Ron Burgundy will fight you. Possibly while wearing a pair of satin leopard-print budgie smugglers. Whether you love ladies, men, or lamp; it’s hard not to want some afternoon delight of your own while watching this 2004 comedy, what with all the sheer animal pheromones seeping off its soundtrack. Stay classy, San Diego.
…AND SOME HONOURABLE MENTIONS
KISSING YOU – ROMEO & JULIET
MY SHARONA – REALITY BITES
ARMY OF ME – SUCKER PUNCH
FINALLY – PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT
DANKE SCHOEN – FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF
WISE UP – MAGNOLIA
What glaring omissions have we failed to mention? Add your suggestions in the comment section.
