Song and Screen, Pt. 6

The triumphant returns of dogs as guitars!

Hi there, folks! Well, it’s been awhile since I did a Song and Screen post, and I wanted to do something painless today, so I thought, why not? So let’s DO THIS! Here’s yet another set of songs that I can’t hear without thinking of movies.

#1: “It Takes Two” (The Proposal)

I know I’ve frequently expressed on here that I don’t really do many rom-coms, but c’mon…when a rom-com involves Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, and Betty White, how can I possibly resist? Throw in a little bit of Bullock and Reynolds jamming to Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock’s “It Takes Two,” and I’m sold. The scene that uses this song is not only a great as a means to build chemistry between the two lead characters, but an excellent opportunity for Reynolds to showcase his falsetto. Just sayin’.

#2: “Time in a Bottle” (X-Men: Days of Future Past)

This is quite possibly my all-time favorite scene of 2014 because it is TOO FREAKING COOL. Anyone who has seen X-Men: Days of Future Past knows what I’m talking about: Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Professor X (James McAvoy), and Quicksilver (Evan Peters) are trapped in a kitchen by a whole bunch of dudes with guns. The professor is powerless, Magneto can’t keep the gunmans’ plastic bullets at bay–what to do?! Cue Quicksilver, who slips on a pair of headphones, turns up the volume on Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle,” and gleefully goes to work. Seriously, if you haven’t seen DoFP yet, seeing it for this scene alone is worth it.

#3: “Hold On” (Bridesmaids)

What’s the best way to cap off an awesome comedy about a group of hilarious ladies? Why, with Wilson Phillip’s “Hold On,” of course. After besties Lillian (Maya Rudolph) and Annie (Kristen Wiig) go through a rough patch prior to Lillian’s wedding, nothing sums up all the happiness of a renewed friendship and a perfect wedding quite like this jam. Because don’t you know things can change, things’ll go your way if you hooooold on for one more day…ARGH. This song has become so synonymous with Bridesmaids that I literally cannot think of one without thinking of the other–which I would say is a good thing, but then the problem is that Wilson Phillips won’t get out of my head for a solid 24-48 hours. Wish me luck. Hopefully I can hoooold on for one more DAMMIT.

#4: “We’ve Only Just Begun” (1408)

I’ve never really paid much attention to The Carpenters, but I will say that thanks to 1408 (which you can read about here), I will always get a little chill when I hear “We’ve Only Just Begun.” I realize it’s supposed to be a cheerful tune about some happy couple’s promising future, but all I can think about now when I hear it is poor John Cusack locked away in a murderous hotel room. The song is peppered throughout the movie, blaring from a sinister alarm clock/radio and promising worse things to come. It kind of reminds me of Insidious’s “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” (which you can read about here) in that it sharply twists a song that is supposed to be sweet. Creepy stuff. (Although to be fair, I thought “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” was creepy as hell to begin with.)

#5: “Oh, Pretty Woman”/”Midnight City” (Warm Bodies)

Two questions: 1) Do most people think of the movie Pretty Woman when they hear Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman?” 2) Am I a little weird for thinking of zombie rom-com (zom-rom-com?) Warm Bodies first instead? The answer to both of these questions is probably a resounding “yes,” but whatever. Once you’ve seen a zombie get a makeover to “Oh, Pretty Woman” closely followed by M83’s electronic jam “Midnight City,” it’s not exactly something you can get out of your head. Both songs are used to pretty perfect effect–“Oh, Pretty Woman” to add some humor to the obviously ridiculous scene and “Midnight City” to add a cool, offbeat touch that mellows things out. It’s a neat sequence. Also, can I just take a minute to marvel at how surprisingly entertaining Warm Bodies is given how very stupid I expected it to be? Hollywood, you are full of surprises…

As usual, I’ll give my little S&S spiel: if you, too, would like to share some of your most memorable uses of songs in movies, feel free to type something up and send it to little ol’ me at caragale123@gmail.com any time you please. I’m always happy to share stuffs from frans. 😀