Top 10 Needledrops

No matter the situation, hearing the right song drop into the world of a movie at just the right time is almost unparalleled. Hitting the nail on the head of a movie with a good song helps sell the story you’re witnessing even more. The art of the needle-drop is a delicate mix of editing, sound mixing, and taste. An unexpected song can drive the story forward, surprise the viewer, and add a flourish of style to any movie. Here are my 10 favorites, ranked.

10. The Obvious Child - Paul Simon // Obvious Child (2014), d. Gillian Robespierre

You know a needle-drop is going to be good when it’s part of the title! Obvious Child follows comedian Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) who, after being dumped by her boyfriend in the bathroom of a comedy club, has a one-night stand with Max (Jake Lacy), a grad student, that ends in an accidental pregnancy. The movie follows Donna as she navigates her decision to have an abortion and a burgeoning relationship with Max, but does so with grace, humor, and empathy. The scene where the titular Paul Simon track is used happens before the one-night stand in question. Max and Donna dance around an apartment, as Paul Simon blares in the background, and it is such a pure evocation of joy and connection between two people, it never fails to bring a smile to my face. 

9. Paloma Negra - Chavela Vargas // Frida (2002), d. Julie Taymor

The life of Frida Kahlo was a complicated, but incredible one. She was a legendary artist and a queer, disabled woman who lived her life on her own terms. Julie Taymor’s biopic of Kahlo is fittingly complicated as well, embracing the surreal visions of her paintings and threading her artistic style throughout the film. Perhaps my favorite use of music is during a sequence where Frida (Salma Hayek) is going through a deep depression after her husband, Diego (Alfred Molina) cheats on her with her sister. The pacing, the lyrics about heartbreak pouring over the scene, and the visual references to Kahlo’s painting Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair (1940) are all a perfect storm that moves me every time.

8. Seventy-six Trombones - Jack Black // Bernie (2011), d. Richard Linklater

Any movie that features the musical acumen of Jack Black is noteworthy (who could forget Black and Linklater’s other iconic collaboration, School of Rock?), but only one makes the case that Black could hold down an entire musical production. Bernie is Linklater’s part-documentary/part-mockumentary about the real life case of Bernie Tiede, an East Texas mortician who killed his elderly best friend. Black plays Tiede, who was active in the musical theatre community of his small town. In this scene, we go straight into a rehearsal performance of the number from The Music Man, and for a brief moment, we get to see Jack Black really dig into another dimension of his musical expertise. Plus, it’s a nice preview for what Linklater’s Merrily We Roll Along adaptation could look like! I know this might not be a technical needle-drop for some folks, but its quick-cut beginning and tight sequencing earns it a spot on my list.

7. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship // The Skeleton Twins (2014), d. Craig Johnson

The story of two struggling siblings trying to come to terms with their own trauma when they return to their hometown after attempting suicide, The Skeleton Twins manages to find a delicate balance between comedy and tragedy. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig play twins Milo and Maggie, a pair that’s been estranged for a long time. Over the course of the movie, they repair their relationship, and this scene is a crucial step forward in that process. If you’ve ever wanted to see Hader and Wiig lip sync perhaps the greatest power ballad made for a movie about a mannequin-human romance (I’m not kidding), here is your chance! They manage to transform it from a weird love song about a man and a mannequin to a song about sibling loyalty through the good and the bad.

6. Slaughterhouse - Powermad & Love Me (August 12 Midnight Show) - Elvis // Wild at Heart (1990), d. David Lynch  

So, I know this ranking is technically a mash-up, but I think it works wonders in a movie like Wild at Heart. The movie follows the adventures of Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern), a couple on the run from assassins. What they find along the way is a mix of terror, Wizard of Oz allusions, and something like true love. When this mash-up drops, the two are in a rock club where Powermad’s song is blasting. Lula gets hit on by some random dude, Sailor pulls him away, gives an iconic speech about his snakeskin jacket being a symbol of his individuality and belief in personal freedom, sucker-punches the dude, and then woos the ladies in the crowd with an Elvis lip sync to remember. It is something that couldn't work anywhere else besides a David Lynch movie, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

5. Concerto No. 2 for violin in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, L'Estate – Vivaldi // Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), d. Celine Sciamma 

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a quiet film. The story about an 18th century artist named Marianne (Noémie Merlant), who is commissioned with secretly painting the portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) and the love that blossoms between them, prefers to use music as sparsely as possible. Making a choice like this can be a real gamble in a movie, but here it all works. This concerto appears twice in the movie—once where Marianne is trying to explain what an orchestra sounds like to Héloïse, who’s never heard one before. The second time, at the movie’s end and years after their affair, Marianne spots Héloïse when she attends a concert. We move in to a close-up on Héloïse’s face as the same concerto comes over the soundtrack. We see every emotion she goes through, from grief to awe to fond remembrance. It’s a perfect ending to a near-perfect movie.

4. Hello Stranger - Barbara Lewis // Moonlight (2016), d. Barry Jenkins 

There are many moments in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight that take my breath away. The story of Chiron (Trevante Rhodes), a Black gay man who spends his life trying to come to terms with his sexuality, the film is full of tender moments. It is a masterwork of empathy and emotion with many scenes that made me cry, but the one that hit me the hardest was this: Chiron meeting his first love, Kevin (André Holland), after years apart in a diner. In the middle of their conversation, after Chiron asks Kevin why he called him after all these years, Kevin explains that a customer came in and played “Hello Stranger.” When Kevin plays it over the jukebox, the two men look at each other and the lyrics wash over them. In a movie full of unforgettable moments, this one is seared into my mind in the best way.

3. California Dreamin’ - The Mommas and The Poppas // Chungking Express (1994), d. Wong Kar-wai

There are a lot of things to love about Wong Kar-wai’s iconic Chungking Express—the heart-rending romance, the dreaminess of the cinematography, and the use of this classic song from The Mommas and The Poppas. Every time it comes on, we know we’re going to see Faye (Faye Wong) and Cop 663’s (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) romance continue to grow. Through all eight appearances of the track, we get to see their story push forward, and it never feels trite or repetitive. That’s a feat worth celebrating!

2. Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals // Goodfellas (1990), d. Martin Scorsese  

Goodfellas has plenty of great music peppered throughout its story of gangster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), but one always takes the cake for me. The long-take to end all long-takes, the scene of Henry and Karen (Lorraine Bracco) taking the backway into the Copacabana for their first date is one that sweeps me off my feet every time. It is simply one of those scenes that works on every level for me: the pacing, the storytelling, the ambiance of it all just works. The Crystals singing about new love as the couple ventures into the underbelly of the Copa, and the underworld of the mob, is burned into my brain and I’m always happy to revisit it.

1. Criminal - Fiona Apple // Hustlers (2019), d. Lorene Scafaria 

I am so glad I was able to see a rowdy screening of Hustlers when it came out last November. There is no better way to experience a movie about strippers stealing money from their clients and living large than with an audience screaming their approval at the screen. This needle-drop is exceptional, and even got the audience at my screening to watch with rapt attention, followed by well-earned applause. Jennifer Lopez solidifies her place as a breathtaking dancer throughout the film, but this entrance kicks things off in just the right way. In the purple light of the club, J. Lo defies gravity while classic Fiona Apple blares over the speakers and it is everything I’ve ever wanted. 

All 10 of these moments hold a special place in my heart, thanks to their innovation, their execution, and their unforgettable bops. Truly, almost nothing is a better reminder of the power of cinema like a perfect marriage between music and film.