Yesterday Once More

14 Oct 2014

Old Pop Songs In New Movies

Hi Listeners,

It’s a common human trait to be nostalgic. In many fields we draw on the past to enrich the present. This is very much the case in the world of Movies. Many contemporary movies have reached back into the past for soundtracks which highlight old pop songs. Placing songs from artists that have not been in rotation or on the radio in a while end up giving those songs new life while also making their usage all the more memorable.

Sure – within this context the songs are usually used for comedic effect rather than an emotional one, but it is still interesting to see how these songs and artists would have more than likely faded into the past until they turned up in these films. There is no time and space to do a film critique on how the songs are used in film, so we can only list the songs and leave it to you to gauge their impact in the movie.

However, some examples will serve to give you a sense of the program. Two Australian classic songs have turned up in movies: ‘Jessie’s Girl’ by Rick Springfield was featured in the film ‘Boogie Nights’ in 1998 and Colleen Hewitt’s wonderful ballad ‘Wind Beneath My Wings ‘formed the backdrop and the theme of the Bette Midler film ‘Beaches’ in 1988. Other notable songs which have inspired movies were ‘Pretty Woman’ by Roy Orbison in the film of the same name in 1990 and the passionate and punchy ‘Sinner Man’ by Nina Simone which punctuated a scene so effectively in ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ in 1999.

So if you like movies and the songs we play then this program is for you!

Playlist