www.vulture.com: Consider the band T-shirt. A wearable way to advertise your musical taste, these garments nonetheless have their good uses and their not-so-good ones. Everyone knows the shibboleth against wearing a band’s T-shirt to their own concert: It’s a bit obvious, a bit on-the-nose, a bit too much of a good thing. But intent matters, and wearing a band T-shirt to spread the word about an artist you love and want to share with others is a different story. And sometimes, it just looks good and fits right.
9 comments:
This article was a really interesting read about pop culture songs in movies and TV. I agree with most of the sentiment behind the do's and don't's the article talks about. When a popular song from an era plays during a movie or TV show, I think it should be used wisely and with intent. If the song isn't there to help characterize the main character, or connect to the show/movie's main themes, then it shouldn't be used. Popular songs should not be put into a movie for the sake of an artist or because it was from a popular generation. It needs to enhance the movie or become a part of the movie. For instance, a recent movie that I think did do it right was 'Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse'. Post Malone's song 'Sunflower' was an integral part of the movie, so much so that the main character sung with it in the movie. The chill vibe and message of the song really does resonate well with the story the film was trying to tell. The music also became synonymous with the movie.
Figuring out the right song for your sound track must be extremely complicated. Songs like these have such a big implication for the use and reception of them. Songs can have a really visceral impact on people who listen to it, so you are really gambling a lot by using songs that people will know, because there is a good chance that they might hate that song and it could ruin the whole piece for them. Last summer I worked on An Octoroon, which used “This is America” in the opening number. At first, I felt like it was bit heavy handed for our audience and the show. It seemed like the designer was just using a song that happened to uber popular at the time, but after considering, I grew to really appreciate the choice of the song. I think it contemporized the show in a way that is really hard to do. The themes in the song and the play are both very heavily intertwined, and by using the modern song to relate to a show that goes back into three different time periods really carried the thread all the way through to today’s world, showing that these issues are not isolated to history.
I think this article does a great job putting into words what (I think) a lot of audiences feel when watching television/films. In a lot of ways, if a song fits into one of those "don't" categories, it feels tacky and usually makes me groan internally. My personal favorite part of listening to a movie or show's soundtrack is hearing a song I've never heard before. In fact, a lot of my favorite songs have been discovered that way.
I think a show that does a great job at following these guidelines is Orange is the New Black. They almost always use lesser-known indie songs for their credits (usually after a big twist). It always just feels so right and serves to heighten the emotion I'm already feeling. One I will never forget is at the end of S2E12, when Vee sneaks up on Red and starts hitting her. It's the culmination of the season's biggest rivalry, and they pair it with the chorus of the indie song "Cellophane." I remember my breath being taken away by that moment, and I know that if a different song was used, it wouldn't have had such an effect on me that I'd remember years after watching it. Music is a vital aspect of emotion in media. It has the power to make a lasting impact or, if done incorrectly, destroy a moment.
Here is a relevant video that comes to mind:
https://youtu.be/PI6Q87pjO0o?t=62
You’d be surprised by the amount of songs in my music library that were introduced to me via a TV show or film. I actually have an attachment to The Beautiful South’s French rendition of “Dream a Little Dream”, which plays in the French restaurant in “The Devil Wears Prada” during Andy and Christian’s date. The lovely thing about that, however, is that that version of the song is not available on any music streaming platform, so I always have to search the deepest depths of the internet whenever I want to listen to it. The whole point of that tangent is that I totally agree that the soundtrack of a cinematic piece can make or break the quality of the scene. In the scene I referenced, Andy is in Paris for the first time with a guy who she knows from New York, so the situation isn’t completely foreign. The familiar tune of “Dream a Little Dream” is a plausible song to be used as background music in a Parisian restaurant because of its popularity. Furthermore, this particular French version of a song that’s highly present in society portrays Andy’s presence in Paris coupled with her date with this recurring man in her life. Basically, I love when films and TV shows use existing music to enhance a story. It is definitely something that I pay attention to as an audience member (which is why this comment is one big ramble). However, I agree that even though a song has potential to enhance a scene, it also has potential to hurt a scene. Certain shows that are aimed towards teenage audiences have the tendency to use current songs for the pure sake of appearing relevant. Because of that, certain songs have actually been ruined for me because now, every time I listen to them, I think about the scenes that went along with them.
I find this article really interesting because it is able to explain why sometimes it feels like a song is devaluing a movie. Reading through these rules I couldn't help but think of countless movies and TV shows with scenes I remember in incredible detail simply because of well timed and well selected songs. For example, there is a Netflix movie released within the last year or so called "The Kissing Booth". Though the movie is not great, there is a montage over which the song "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" is played, and after seeing the movie I loved the song. Now every time I hear that song I can't help but play those scenes in my head. This is why the second DO rule "Dive for deep cuts, obscurities, and forgotten bops of yesteryear" is one of my favorites on this list, especially when used in teen movies, because it exposes young audiences to classic music for better or for worse. I also really agree with the point about not mistaking popularity for being the right song choice because I distinctly remember being a little creeped out by the use of "Every Breath You Take" in the scene mentioned by the article, which definitely could have been wholesome if not for the presence of that song. The use of music in movies and TV is so important to how it is received that I think that when music is used poorly people need to speak up about it more so that filmmakers can understand their mistakes and learn how to more effectively utilize music in their work.
When I’m watching any piece of media, the sound in the background can either make or break a scene. Music is one of the easiest ways for people to feel a special emotion at a certain time, so it would make sense that movies and television would use it when words fail to portray the message of the scene. This article makes perfect points for how pre-established songs can work in a visual media. If the song help convey an emotion or explore a character, then the song is effective. If it’s just put in because it’s popular or “sounds cool”, then it comes off as pointless. A reason I also enjoy this tactic is it provides a way to be introduced to new songs. It was during my first viewing of Almost Famous when I heard Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” for the very first time. Now, it’s essential to have on my playlist. It’s important for different mediums to utilize each other because it helps strengthen the impact of their pieces. It’s all in the execution of the idea to make it work.
This article touched on a very important element of film or TV that we may not seem to notice outright but can have a large impact on the viewing experience. Like the article says, it’s not the best use of a song if it is placed over the footage in a way that doesn’t elevate the material or itself. Also, finding an appropriate song can be an opportunity to showcase a song that many people haven’t been exposed to before. There is a lot of music in the world so making a smart creative choice about which song can be something beneficial in more ways than just elevating the story. An interesting usage case is the one where the music says something about a character. Using the music that a character listens to can give some insight into their cultural context. An interesting point that the article brings up is the blatantly inappropriate song choice in Stranger Things. Every Breath You Take has been made clear as a song that is not very well-meaning and, because of that, is a strange choice to set the dance scene to. It appears it was only chosen because of the surface level mood that the song establishes and not because of what the lyrics say. That is a problem that affects a couple different properties today.
I stand by the fact that if it supports the message being conveyed, the plot or whatever is going on within that world with the characters, it is appropriate. If it doesn't, it is more than likely unnecessary. I think the same applies here when choosing what song to add to TV/film soundtracks. Especially if it is a story that you would want to connect to a particular audience very easily, it may be a good tool to use music that they are familiar with. The article mentions that you should not use a well known song in a way that it is expected to be used. In a way, I disagree. If, for example, there is a party scene, I appreciate hearing a popular party song being played. It feels more real and relatable. It helps to put you in a time and place. In the same way, if there's a comedy film and things are going wrong for a character, I would laugh a lot if Bad Day by Daniel Powter started playing in the background. So I think it all depends on the content and what is being evoked. The goes for most things in this article. I completely understand where the writer is coming from, I just don't think they apply to all situations.
-Apriah
There are some who I feel have mastered this art, including Quentin Tarantino, Robert Zemeckis, and James Gunn, to say a few. It’s a rare talent to be able to think of the perfect song for a situation without diving into cringey, stereotypical, or straight up inappropriate territory. However, these three somehow hit a soft spot with each of their soundtracks, whether it be “Stuck in the Middle” by Stealer’s Wheel in Tarantino’s classic hit, Reservoir Dogs, Robert Zemeckis’ timeless use of Huey Lewis, Chuck Berry, and The Penguins in Back to the Future, or Gunn’s recent best-selling soundtracks for the hit Guardians of the Galaxy films.
Though I don’t think a single internet article can change if a person chooses their music correctly or not, I think it's detrimental aspect of films, television, and media, and it’s important in the evolution of modern media to address each aspect, even including what song a band may perform in a parade that a group of high schoolers crash (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). A soundtrack can make a movie great, or in many cases, it can make the film clunky, cheesy, or a flop. So, you take the blue pill—you pick whatever songs you want, with no regard to the effect on the media you’ve produced. You take the red pill—you get a closer shot at choosing an appropriate song, making an epic soundtrack for your creation, and controlling the power of your film. Choose wisely.
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