Commenter Amy predicted last week that I’d feature ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ at some point during this countdown.
She was close. Same movie, same setting, same two characters onscreen. But the song from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction that sticks with me most isn’t Dusty Springfield’s classic, but a Neil Diamond cover by an obscure 90s alt-rock band.
This list is dominated by directors I number among my favorites, which raises the question: Am I listing these songs because I love the films of these directors, or do I love the films of these directors in part because of how well they use these songs?
I’ll argue for the latter. My favorite filmmakers make great use of music, whether it’s Woody Allen’s Gershwin tunes, Spielberg’s John Williams scores or Wes Anderson’s ear for 60s Brit Pop.
For many years, my answer to the “What’s your favorite movie?” question was Goodfellas. Martin Scorsese’s 1990 masterpiece is the pinnacle of its genre — not just mob movies, but urban crime dramas.
I’ve since gone soft and my go-to answer is now Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but Goodfellas remains in the top five, no question.
‘You Got the Silver,’ from The Rolling Stones’ classic 1969 album Let it Bleed, is arguably the best song to ever feature Keith Richards on lead vocals.
Richards didn’t steal the mic from Mick Jagger very often — maybe once per album — but on some of his tracks it’s hard to imagine anybody else, even Mick, doing a better job.
Once in awhile it hits me that I’ve been writing this blog for a damn long time.
When ‘Dear John,’ the opening track of Aimee Mann’s excellent concept album The Forgotten Arm, came up as today’s random iTunes selection, I figured I’d featured the record, if not this song, before.
And sure enough, I did… five and a half years ago.
Meet Me In Montauk 