There are two uses of preexisting popular music in movies that stand out to me, as being, along with the use of classical music in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the best use of preexisting popular music in any movie I have ever seen.
The Shrek movies make great use of preexisting pop music. But I am not thinking of the Shrek movies.
The Shrek movies use fun pop songs for the kitshy, fun moments in the movies, and music specifically composed for the movies for the serious emotional moments.
The only time a pop song is used for a moment that is primarily a serious moment is the famous 'Holding out for a Hero' scene at the climax of Shrek 2.
This is a great scene. It combines a kitshy scene, calling for a pop song, with the serious climax of the scene. The pop song is fully appropriate for a serious action climax. But one of the primary themes composed specifically for the Shrek movies, one of the familiar main themes used for serious moments, is combined with the rock song, underpinning the pattern of using these themes for the serious moments in the movie.
As great as this scene is, though, there are two uses of preexisting popular music in movies that top even this.
Both of them use sophistocated popular songs, both musically and emotionally sophistocated, written for emotional situations so close to those in the scene from the movie that they are used in.
One of them is the stunning use of Ray Charles's version of 'I Can't Stop Loving You' at the climax of an anime movie called Metropolis.
I won't give away the story.
I will just say that in this climax, as the action happens, the character who is the main focus of the movie is having their heart broken, just as Ray Charles is singing about his heart being broken in the song.
The other is the stunning use of 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac at the climax of the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
Now, these are just fun movies. But the people who did the Marvel movies were just so, so good at making fun movies, through the third and fourth Avengers movie, and in a few movies since then. These are easily some of the greatest fun movies ever made.
(They have done so many Marvel movies, after a while it just gets hard to do more and make them original!)
And in the climax of the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie, 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac is used so, so brilliantly.
The original Fleetwood Mac song expresses anger at people that they are getting divorced to, while still holding on to family and friendship love and loyalty- in this case, with the same people that they are angry at.
In the Guardians of the Galaxy movie scene it accompanies, these two sets of emotions are directed at different people.
Still, Star Lord is angry at one person he thought was family, while holding on to family, love and loyalty with his true family, some of whom he is trying to save.
It works so brilliantly.
The song describes what is going on in that scene just as effectively as Richard Strauss's Also Spoke Zarathustra describes what is going on at the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I hope I have not spoiled the ending to either movie!
Look up this anime Metropolis movie- it is one of the best movies I have ever seen! It is about a detective who befriends a young robot. It's an amazing movie!
God loves you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson