They're the anthems for cult classics. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most iconic, poignant, or memorable tunes featured in movies with small but strong fanbases.
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00:00Welcome to Ms Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic, poignant
00:13or memorable tunes featured in movies with small but strong fanbases. We're excluding
00:20songs from animated flicks though, since that's a different list.
00:31Number 10, Stuck in the Middle with You, Reservoir Dogs
00:40Quentin Tarantino's feature film debut is an early showcase for his love of semi-obscure
00:46tunes. Stuck in the Middle with You was a modest hit in America when it debuted in 1973,
00:53but it's safe to say Reservoir Dogs forever warped its reputation.
01:05Mr Blonde, played by Michael Madsen, is a man who enjoys at least two things, inflicting
01:11pain and 70s music. As Blonde does unspeakable things to a cop, this jaunty tune by the Scottish
01:19band Stealer's Wheel plays, and it's exactly the deranged counterpoint you might expect
01:25from the director.
01:34In 1992, Tarantino was still at the beginning of his career, and it was the combination
01:41that would announce a new and exciting voice in American movies.
01:46Number 9, The Origin of Love, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
02:00Adapted from his stage show, John Cameron Mitchell's movie musical is about an East
02:05German musician Hedwig in pursuit of the rock singer who stole her heart and her songs.
02:12Retelling the ancient myth of Plato's Symposium, Hedwig's song The Origin of Love describes
02:18the belief that every human has a soulmate. It perfectly captures the source of the character's
02:34pain and philosophy about love.
02:37Mitchell performs the song over animated illustrations by Emily Hubley. The result is an unforgettable
02:45epic in its imagery, steeped in myth, and the perfect metaphor for Hedwig's ever-complicated
02:52and evolving identities.
03:03Number 8, In Dreams, Blue Velvet. David Lynch often finds unexpected and creepy ways to
03:10feature music. He notably used a dreamy Roy Orbison composition in a pivotal scene in
03:172001's Mulholland Drive.
03:24Here, a criminal named Ben, played by Dean Stockwell, performs a lip-sync of Orbison's
03:36ethereal In Dreams as a special request from a vicious man. Said vicious man, Frank, played
03:43by legendary actor Dennis Hopper, is a ghoulish menace who can be reduced to tears by old
03:50songs.
03:59It's part of what makes him, and other Lynchian antagonists, so frightening. They're capable
04:06of profoundly earnest emotions. They're also capable of profound violence.
04:20Number 7, Bittersweet Symphony, Cruel Intentions. A take on the French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses,
04:28this teen drama wasn't universally beloved by critics upon release. But one thing even
04:40its detractors can't deny is the appeal of its charting alt-rock soundtrack. The verb's
04:47bittersweet symphony, which plays at a pivotal moment of the film's climax, became an instant
04:54classic.
05:01Although the song was first released in 1997, it's now also hugely associated with cruel
05:07intentions, and for good reason. Its moody but modern sound is both a haunting musical
05:14underscore for the revelation at the movie's end, and enough of an earworm to find a wider
05:20audience.
05:28Number 6, Tequila, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Everyone knows Tequila from somewhere, but
05:42Pee-Wee's Big Adventure probably played a huge part in cementing the champ's 1958
05:49tune in American pop culture.
05:59In his fancy shoes and his trademark grey suit, Pee-Wee Herman is about to be beaten
06:04by a crew of bikers. But thanks to his goofy dance to Tequila, he's able to charm them
06:10into not only letting him live, but even giving him his own club jacket and bike. With its
06:17upbeat surf rock energy and its wild horns, Tequila will probably be forever linked with
06:24Pee-Wee's stiff-armed choreography and dazzling dancing on tiptoe.
06:37Number 5, These Days, The Royal Tenenbaums.
06:47Wes Anderson has a gift for pairing the perfect music with the perfect character.
06:59The relationship between adoptive siblings Richie and Margot Tenenbaum is complicated
07:05for a lot of reasons. The dreamy and sad Nico track These Days is the perfect fit for their
07:12slow-motion reunion.
07:22When Margot steps off the bus platform and they first lay eyes on each other after years
07:27apart, it's actually heart-stopping. Both are so lost in their current situation that
07:34being together is probably the closest they've felt to joy in a very long time.
07:40Although Gwyneth Paltrow and Luke Wilson are doing a lot by doing so little, the music
07:46is the perfect soundtrack for their shared nostalgic warmth for each other.
07:55Number 4, Day-O, The Banana Boat Song, Beetlejuice. Singer, actor, and activist Harry Belafonte
08:04probably couldn't have predicted where many of his songs would end up.
08:13This early Tim Burton movie follows Barbara and Adam who pass away and hire a perverted
08:19bio-exorcist named Beetlejuice to scare a living family out of their house. During a
08:25dinner party, the family and their guests become possessed. They begin lip-syncing and
08:36dancing to Belafonte's Banana Boat Song.
08:39If you haven't ever heard Day-O before this, chances are you'll never be able to hear it
08:45without thinking of Catherine O'Hara absolutely killing it in that black dress and that single
08:52glove.
09:00Number 3, Hip To Be Square, American Psycho. Patrick Bateman is not the typical movie serial
09:08killer. The investment banker and sociopath is as obsessed with the prestige of the financial
09:19world as he is resentful of the people who attain it.
09:24One of his most memorable attacks occurs early in the movie. Bateman dances around his apartment
09:30in a raincoat to Huey Lewis and the news Hip To Be Square and educates a colleague about
09:36the band's career up to now.
09:47By the chorus, Bateman has taken him out. American Psycho is all about juxtapositions.
09:54The most violent and destructive men could be the ones who wear nice suits and work in
10:00high-rise offices. And a bouncy 80s ode to bucking trends may just be the perfect soundtrack
10:07for it all.
10:17Number 2, Mad World, Donnie Darko. The ethereal and morbid world of struggling teen Donnie
10:24Darko is filled with 1980s tracks like Head Over Heels. But the movie's most effective
10:40needle drop is a Gary Jules cover of the Tears For Fears 1982 single, Mad World. It has been
10:48almost inextricably linked with the movie and the title character ever since. Played
11:06over the emotional ending sequence, Mad World is like the perfect marriage between the new
11:12wave music of the film's 1980s setting and Donnie's chronic discontent. Stripped down
11:20from its original recording, the piano-forward tune reshaped how millions of people remembered
11:27the song.
11:46Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
11:52Can't Take My Eyes Off You, 10 Things I Hate About You. The perfect tune for a grand romantic
11:58gesture. Somebody To Love, The Cable Guy. Jim Carrey manages to make karaoke funny and
12:18creepy. Can't Heat, Napoleon Dynamite. This climactic dance still lives on in gif form.
12:49Camelot Song, Monty Python and The Holy Grail. These aren't your average performing nights.
12:57Don't Stop Me Now, Shaun of the Dead. When you really need a zombie-destroying
13:17power anthem, look no further.
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13:41Number 1, Time Warp, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's the signature track from what just
13:48may be the most famous cult film ever made. Written by Richard O'Brien for the original
14:06stage musical, The Time Warp is a bizarre party song performed by the folks at the mysterious
14:13Dr. Frankenfurter's castle. Filled with glam rock energy and a quirky, unconventional personality,
14:21it continues the movie's celebration of B-movies and novelty songs.
14:36Once you hear it, it's actually impossible to get out of your head or stop doing the dance.
14:43Rocky Horror's midnight screenings are legendary among fans and the audience
14:48participation section built into this track is usually a highlight of the night.
15:06Did we do these cult hits justice or are you doubting our commitment to Sparkle Motion?
15:12Sound off in the comments.
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