SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
When you’re a sure age, and also you hear this music…
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “STAYIN’ ALIVE”)
BEE GEES: (Singing) Whether or not you are a brother or whether or not you are a mom, you are stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
DETROW: …I guess you’ll be able to immediately conjure up a picture of John Travolta strutting down the road with a can of paint. “Stayin’ Alive” was his track, however I am certain for those who noticed the film, you could have in all probability hummed it to your self as you could have walked down a sidewalk at the least as soon as. Or perhaps, fast-forward a couple of a long time, you have received a giant activity arising, perhaps some public talking, a pitch assembly, one shot, because it have been, one alternative. You can say your palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. So like Eminem’s character in “8 Mile,” you pump your self up with some “Lose Your self.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “LOSE YOURSELF”)
EMINEM: (Rapping) You higher lose your self within the music, the second. You personal it. You higher by no means let it go. You solely get one shot. Don’t miss your likelihood…
DETROW: I might go on. However the level is, music is a robust a part of films. And a few songs and a few films forge an instantaneous hyperlink and stick collectively in your head for many years to return. That’s what we’ll get into immediately with two company from NPR Music – Stephen Thompson and Sidney Madden. Hey there.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Howdy.
SIDNEY MADDEN, BYLINE: Hey, Scott.
DETROW: How can we really feel about these first two references?
THOMPSON: (Laughter).
MADDEN: I imply, Eminem did open an entire restaurant referred to as Mother’s Spaghetti in Detroit off the power of that track, so clearly it had cultural endurance, and it turned a staple from the film.
THOMPSON: I’ve heard that track roughly – I am simply guessing right here – 4 to six billion instances. And I am…
MADDEN: (Laughter) Placed on one other (ph) billion.
THOMPSON: And I’m nonetheless not bored with it. I’ll nonetheless flip it up each time it comes on the radio. So that’s the mark of a terrific film track.
DETROW: I’m excited to have this dialog, and I simply need to begin. I need to rattle off three examples of, to me, like, prime degree songs and films in sync. After which I’d love so that you can – like, I simply need to get your views and also you guys do the identical. So let me begin with this – few various things. I need to take you on a freeway down a hazard zone, zooming jets, spiked volleyballs, leather-based jackets. I really feel like you must begin with Kenny Loggins, “Freeway To A Hazard Zone” (ph) and “Prime Gun.” To me, that is, like, up there.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “DANGER ZONE”)
KENNY LOGGINS: (Singing) Freeway to the hazard zone…
DETROW: You have received “Battle The Energy” by Public Enemy in “Do The Proper Factor.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “FIGHT THE POWER”)
PUBLIC ENEMY: (Rapping) Battle the ability. Battle the ability.
DETROW: It’s the film’s anthem, performed again and again.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “DO THE RIGHT THING”)
GIANCARLO ESPOSITO: (As Buggin’ Out) Yo, that is the one tape you bought?
BILL NUNN: (As Radio Raheem) You do not like Public Enemy, man? This [expletive] dope.
ESPOSITO: (As Buggin’ Out) I am down. However you do not be enjoying nothing else.
NUNN: (As Radio Raheem) I do not like nothing else.
DETROW: After which I’ve to additionally reference – each night time in my goals, I see you, I really feel you. That’s how I do know you go on.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MY HEART WILL GO ON”)
CELINE DION: (Singing) That’s how I do know you go on.
DETROW: Can we prime these three – “Titanic,” “Do The Proper Factor,” “Prime Gun”?
THOMPSON: I imply, it’s onerous to prime these three, Scott. These are all wonderful decisions. I imply, we might simply sit right here, and this complete phase might us simply be naming film songs we love, proper?
DETROW: Yeah.
THOMPSON: Like, we might speak about “Mrs. Robinson” from “The Graduate” and the way the best way that track captures a sure rush that that film brings about.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MRS. ROBINSON”)
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL: (Singing) And here is to you, Mrs. Robinson. Jesus loves you greater than you’ll know – whoa, whoa, whoa.
THOMPSON: We might simply rattle off ’80s films. You already talked about “Hazard Zone.” We might speak somewhat “Footloose” to maintain it with Loggins. We might speak about “Ghostbusters.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GHOSTBUSTERS”)
RAY PARKER JR: (Singing) If there’s one thing unusual in your neighborhood, who you gonna name? Ghostbusters.
THOMPSON: I do love a sure form of ’80s film theme track that actually might solely accompany the film in query, the place the track is…
DETROW: Yeah.
THOMPSON: …Really calling out the title of the film and reciting plot factors from the film. I believe that could be a very form of candy period of, you understand, films and songs converging.
MADDEN: And I really like how, Stephen, you pinpointed – within the ’80s and ’90s particularly, there have been so many songs that narrated…
THOMPSON: Yeah.
MADDEN: …The film for you and even had the title of the film in it. I consider “Exhale” by Whitney Houston…
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EXHALE (SHOOP SHOOP)”)
WHITNEY HOUSTON: (Singing) There comes level when, once we exhale, yeah, yeah.
MADDEN: …From “Ready To Exhale,” which nearly did not even occur. She was so towards recording songs for the film. She actually needed to get into her actress bag for that. However then lastly, she was satisfied to report that. And fortunate for us, she was. For me, “You Bought A Buddy In Me” by Randy Newman…
DETROW: Oh, man.
THOMPSON: Completely.
MADDEN: …Will without end – without end – be the highest of the highest.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME”)
RANDY NEWMAN: (Singing) You have received a good friend in me. You have received a good friend in me.
MADDEN: Again in ’95, it is so wild that Newman, who already had such an illustrious profession, had by no means scored an animated film earlier than, not to mention a Pixar film. And, in fact, he is gone on to compose all the opposite soundtracks of the “Toy Story” films since then.
THOMPSON: Nicely, he went on to mainly rewrite that track time and again and over. Like, each Pixar film for some time…
MADDEN: ‘Trigger you understand what? If the method is…
THOMPSON: …Could be like, you are my greatest good friend.
(LAUGHTER)
MADDEN: If the method is just not damaged, OK?
DETROW: What’s the issue? What’s the issue with that?
THOMPSON: (Laughter).
MADDEN: The loafing tuba that is available in to accompany him, this lovely, common message that may be picked up by anyone of – a child of any age. However I additionally love songs which can be so good that they really transcend the film.
THOMPSON: Yeah.
MADDEN: One track, particularly, is Aaliyah’s “Are You That Any person” from the “Dr. Dolittle” Soundtrack, 1998.
THOMPSON: It does transcend that movie.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY”)
AALIYAH: (Singing) If I, if I let you understand, you’ll be able to’t inform no one. I am speaking no one.
MADDEN: No shade to the administrators, Eddie Murphy, Kyla Pratt, anybody concerned, however there was no enterprise having a track this attractive in a film about speaking animals.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY”)
AALIYAH: (Singing) Generally I am goody-goody. Proper now I am naughty-naughty.
MADDEN: This track positively did them a favor. It additionally moved extremely nicely on the Billboard charts. It peaked at No. 21 that – the 12 months it was launched, and it earned Aaliyah her first Grammy nomination within the class of greatest feminine R&B and vocal efficiency. And once more, from a film about speaking animals, y’all.
THOMPSON: (Laughter).
DETROW: I really feel like in speaking about totally different examples, we talked about an attention-grabbing distinction right here. There are songs made for the film, which, such as you stated, form of peaked with the “Ghostbusters.” period, like, you understand? However then additionally so many various examples of flicks taking a track that is been round for a very long time and grafting it onto that film, and you’ll’t hear that track the identical manner. I am considering of, like, “Unchained Melody” with “Ghost.”
THOMPSON: Oh, for certain.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “GHOST”)
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS: (Singing) Starvation to your contact.
PATRICK SWAYZE: (As Sam Wheat) What are you doing?
DEMI MOORE: (As Molly Jensen) I could not sleep.
DETROW: Exhausting to listen to that track and never take into consideration Patrick Swayze doing the very sexual pottery molding (laughter).
THOMPSON: Pottery wheel, yeah.
DETROW: Yeah. However, like, these are two totally different – like, two totally different clear lanes right here.
THOMPSON: Yeah, we’re speaking about unique songs in movies versus needle drops. The phrase needle drop is simply referring to once you’re primarily hitting play on a preexisting track in a film however permitting it to form of be woven into the material of what you are seeing. And each now and again, you see a film with, like, a wonderfully chosen needle drop, and also you suppose there needs to be an Oscar’s class for music supervision. However a terrific needle drop can utterly reshape our relationship with the track.
DETROW: Let me ask each of you – I got here in sizzling with, like, three or 4 prime examples. Like, which to every of you is, like, the platonic ultimate of a film and a track working collectively, bringing out one of the best in each of them, that you simply really feel like that is one of the best instance of those two issues collectively?
MADDEN: Nicely, it is so humorous since you referenced the ’80s and the ’90s and the classics. And I do suppose typically it takes a little bit of time and distance away to establish that this track goes to be linked to the movie without end. However there are positively exceptions with that. One exception is “Redbone” by Infantile Gambino, which performs firstly of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “REDBONE”)
CHILDISH GAMBINO: (Singing) However keep woke. They be creepin’.
MADDEN: Discuss musical synergy. In order that track got here out earlier than the movie did, however it fantastically narrates and foreshadows in regards to the movie’s plot proper there. It is clean. It is ominous. It is bluesy. And it is telling you to remain vigilant, keep woke as a result of somebody could be creeping up on you. Any person may need to, I do not know – spoiler alert – take your physique from you. And the whole premise of the film is simply laid out for you at first montage on this actually innocuous manner.
DETROW: However in not an excessive amount of of an over-the-top manner, proper? You are not like…
MADDEN: Precisely.
DETROW: …Oh, that is precisely what this film is about – for those who’re coming in chilly. Stephen, do you need to wind us down with yet another favourite?
THOMPSON: I am actually torn. If I am speaking in regards to the platonic ultimate, I would want to choose both one thing from “Purple Rain”…
DETROW: Yeah.
THOMPSON: …Whether or not it is “When Doves Cry” or “Purple Rain” itself, or I’d speak in regards to the “Theme From Shaft” by Isaac Hayes, which is – once more, we’re speaking about not solely, like, reciting character beats, laying out precisely who the character is and what he is all about in a manner…
DETROW: (Laughter) In a really unusual manner (ph).
MADDEN: Precisely (ph) – embodying every part, yeah.
THOMPSON: …In a deeply easy manner, but in addition with one of many biggest instrumental, like, backing tracks behind it you’ll be able to presumably think about. These horns are so iconic and so wonderful. And that track is humorous and peculiar and will solely be from the movie “Shaft.” So I…
DETROW: I will see this film about Shaft. What do I have to find out about this gentleman?
THOMPSON: Yeah, inform me. Inform me what – inform me somewhat bit extra about this Shaft.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “THEME FROM SHAFT”)
ISAAC HAYES: (Singing) Who’s the person that will danger his neck for his brother man?
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Shaft.
HAYES: Are you able to dig it?
THOMPSON: That, to me, I imply, if we’ll title platonic beliefs, let’s go together with that one.
DETROW: You could have me offered. That’s NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson and Sidney Madden. Thanks to each of you.
THOMPSON: Thanks.
MADDEN: Thanks.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This textual content is probably not in its ultimate kind and could also be up to date or revised sooner or later. Accuracy and availability could fluctuate. The authoritative report of NPR’s programming is the audio report.