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Great choices of music for the end credits

Started by Shoulders?-Stomach!, January 09, 2021, 01:30:54 PM

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Shoulders?-Stomach!

Last year I got around to watching Dark Waters, Mark Ruffalo's follow on (thematically, at least) from Spotlight, a real life story about a corporate lawyer fighting corruption.

It's a fascinating and ghoulish film, well worth a watch. Without wanting to give any spoilers it's essentially Little guy vs. the corporation (with the twist being that the little guy works for a corporate law firm used to defending giant chemical companies rather than prosecuting them).

The case begins in West Virginia near a Dupont chemical plant, then halfway through the case starts to diffuse and each avenue of inquiry leads to several more just beginning. In real life the lawyer involved is still working on 'the case' after decades. Despite being obstructed with all manner of delay tactics he has ploughed ever onwards.

It's essentially a heartbreaking exposition of how powerless ordinary people are. The extreme self-sacrifice we see in the film is highlighted as very rare, an example of picking on the wrong guy, albeit committed to long slog with a steady series of painful knockbacks while he moves on and on in pursuit.

At the end of the film, they chose Take Me Home, Country Roads for the credits. On paper this looks like such an obvious, trite choice, picking the only thing many most people even associate with West Virginia. However, after sitting through 2 hours of 30 of bloody misery, decades of corporate shit and lives ruined, a stain that has spread worldwide, literally, condensed into its most horrifying and depressing moments, with those involved fighting for justice, older, uglier, more unwell (but still there fighting) the simplicity and decency of the sentiments in the song cuts through with an intense poignancy.

One of the most awful things about the film is that because DuPont is a major employer in the area, the locals (who are being poisoned by them) fight against the lawyer and victimise the families who initially go through litigation, because they are terrified of losing their jobs. This is a film about the potential hazard of a behemoth wielding and mercilessly exploiting tacit power, soft power, the sort that leads to enormous abuse, that leads to intimidating people, that leads victims fighting to be put back into their clutches.

And while the credits roll and you're trying to reflect on that (and you will, for several days to follow) in comes the jaunty love-filled nostalgia fest, John Denver's soaring voice, and so after hours of softening up it finally broke me into pieces, something I would never, ever have expected of that song.


Lungpuddle

Your opening example is hard to beat. It may not be possible. I have two, but they're at the disadvantage of being entirely fictional movies and nowhere near as profound as Dark Waters, especially the second.

First, Miss Misery playing over the end of Good Will Hunting. I'm not a huge fan of the film, although I do like it a lot. It's a heavy hearted ending and the relationships between the characters aren't fully resolved, so it makes perfect sense for Elliott Smith to sing the film to sleep. His songs are so complex, more than the movie of course, but they fit so well with the themes and mood. I'm completely biased because Smith's music has such an emotional effect on me, but I can't be the only one. The song isn't his best, but his standards are so high it elevates the film completely.

I also love the end credits to High Fidelity, though a big part of that is because it edits out the end of Stevie Wonder's I Believe which improves the song, to my ears anyway. I'm aware that High Fidelity isn't a fantastic film and the music snobs actually have the blandest taste imaginable, but I like the way the soundtrack, after the characters have been desperate to appear as intellectual obscurists with better taste than you, surrenders to an old fashioned love song.

shagatha crustie

Young Americans at the end of Dogville - maybe an obvious choice but I still remember the feeling of shock at what an audacious frame-break that is, and how much it roots the film in cynicism and pessimism.

Icehaven

Marz by John Grant at the end of Weekend.
Moon Boat by Kendra Smith at the end of Leave No Trace.

greenman

Along similar lines to the OP just about the only thing I remember about State of Play these days is Creedences As Long As I Can See The Light over the end credits with the story being printed.

Staying political Lennon's Bring On The Lucie at the end of Children of Men works very nicely, the film itself being quite am effective counter to any claim the song is a bit simplistic.

El Unicornio, mang

A lot of people dislike the choice of The Marcels version of "Blue Moon" for the end credits of An American Werewolf in London, but I think it works perfectly, the sudden shift from tragic ending to bomp-baba-bom...

Also, Scorsese couldn't get the rights to Sinatra's "My Way" for the Goodfellas end credits but I can't imagine it working as well as the Sid Vicious version he ended up using.

greenman

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on January 09, 2021, 03:29:03 PM
A lot of people dislike the choice of The Marcels version of "Blue Moon" for the end credits of An American Werewolf in London, but I think it works perfectly, the sudden shift from tragic ending to bomp-baba-bom...

That is one of the earliest examples I can remember of the kind of ironic tone with shift end credits music, it does I think fit the shifting one of the film as a whole quite nicely.

QuoteAlso, Scorsese couldn't get the rights to Sinatra's "My Way" for the Goodfellas end credits but I can't imagine it working as well as the Sid Vicious version he ended up using.

Sid's version really does work perfectly I think reflecting the story of the film as a whole, the idea of the mafia as a classy lifestyle with some kind of hunour to it as a fantasy summed by by Sid's nasty take on a supposidly classy song with similar questionable sentiments.

I really love El Timba's Hermano over the Blue is the Warmest Colour end credits, matches the  tone of the ending perfectly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-aGWPHw8Ec




Chedney Honks

Great thread and OP. I have a couple to add at some point, but you've intrigued me about Dark Waters. Never heard of it.

holyzombiejesus

Quote from: shagatha crustie on January 09, 2021, 02:38:33 PM
Young Americans at the end of Dogville - maybe an obvious choice but I still remember the feeling of shock at what an audacious frame-break that is, and how much it roots the film in cynicism and pessimism.

Came here to post just that.


"Dreams" at the end of Chungking Express is the undisputed champion

Bazooka

Robot and Frank Fell on Your head- Francis and The Lights

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K_gBSG9hxxk

Don't care for the artist too much, but it fits.


Chedney Honks

Quote from: Pearly-Dewdrops Drops on January 09, 2021, 08:59:23 PM
"Dreams" at the end of Chungking Express is the undisputed champion

Yep, that was my first choice. Magnificent.


Shaky

I recently watched low-key, funny Irish comedy/horror Extra Ordinary and the end credits use Jarvis Cocker's Black Magic to great effect.

notjosh

Make Someone Happy by Jimmy Durante at the end of Sleepless in Seattle. Ephron had to fight to stop the studio using a tie-in Celine Dion single.

Rejoice in the Sun by Joan Baez at the end of Silent Running. Just achingly beautiful and sad.

I Can See Clearly Now the Rain Has Gone over the ending of The Break Up, combined with some nice understated acting from Vaughn and Aniston makes a pretty mediocre movie seem better than it is.

Let it Snow in Die Hard, obviously.

I Want You to Want Me at the end of 10 Things I Hate About You is one of those that makes me so wistful for my youth that I can hardly bear to listen to it.

non capisco

Quote from: Chedney Honks on January 09, 2021, 03:59:02 PM
Great thread and OP. I have a couple to add at some point, but you've intrigued me about Dark Waters. Never heard of it.

I can echo the praise for Dark Waters. I like how Ruffalo now seems to be the go-to actor for absorbing, patient procedural films after Zodiac and Spotlight.

sevendaughters

'Rhythm of the Night' by Corona at the end of Beau Travail with the main character dancing to it absolutely knocked me out.

samadriel

An obvious one is Fight Club, ending with Where is My Mind.
I liked the Beatles' Baby You're a Rich Man at the end of The Social Network. Kung Fu by Ash at the end of Rumble in the Bronx is obvious, subject matter-wise, but ending a Jackie Chan movie with a Northern Irish pop-rock band is kind of a left-field choice, so that's fun.

Pink Gregory

Paint it Black at the end of Full Metal Jacket makes me almost like the Rolling Stones.  It's just ominous crashing in after the Mickey Mouse March.

EOLAN

Quote from: Chedney Honks on January 09, 2021, 03:59:02 PM
Great thread and OP. I have a couple to add at some point, but you've intrigued me about Dark Waters. Never heard of it.

According to Whoopi Goldberg it is not at all a political film.

Fabian Thomsett

Same Old Story by Billie Holliday at the end of Nic Roeg's Bad Timing : both appropriate and ironical.

lipsink

'Slow Ride' by Foghat at the end of Dazed and Confused.

greenman

For more John Denver used well Leaving On A Big Jet Plane at the end of the Guard, actually does sound a little Gallic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiYUDKNBVhg

Icehaven

Not a massive fan of the film but Need You Around by the Smoking Popes at the end of Clueless. Actually it's just a good song.

Icehaven

Quote from: Pink Gregory on January 10, 2021, 12:27:50 PM
Paint it Black at the end of Full Metal Jacket makes me almost like the Rolling Stones.  It's just ominous crashing in after the Mickey Mouse March.

Yep good call, forgot about that one.

Billy

Adam Sandler's 'Uncut Gems' ends with Gigi D'Agostino's early noughties Eurobanger L'amour Toujours, which works hilariously brilliantly despite how completely unfitting it is to the rest of the film.

Quote from: Billy on January 10, 2021, 04:03:14 PM
Adam Sandler's 'Uncut Gems' ends with Gigi D'Agostino's early noughties Eurobanger L'amour Toujours, which works hilariously brilliantly despite how completely unfitting it is to the rest of the film.

Ha, yes this one is so good despite coming out of left field.

Brundle-Fly

Coupled with the very surprising brief cameo, Season Of The Witch by Donovan playing out at the denoument of Gus Van Sant's  To Die For (1995)

Sadly, this tune has been done to death in movies ever since and subsequently rendered as blunt as a retractable novelty joke knife.

bgmnts

Down With the Sickness for the Snyder Dawn of the Dead.

Cracking little ditty and suits the film perfectly.