Sometimes I watch a movie and there’s THAT scene. The one that makes the film, the one that you remember forever and contrast all of life’s great, painful, and indifferent moments against. Often I find these scenes tend to be towards the end of a film, simply a character: soaking something in, letting something go, or starting something new. That and a great song. Below are a few songs that I can only pray some music director gets their hands on, because they were built for this sort of thing. Originally I thought I would include a description of how I feel the song should be used, but then I decided that took the fun out of it. Paint your own pictures, I’ll just give you a key lyric.
A NOTE: I am having troubles with my ftp server which means these files are hosted on box.net rather than my own webspace as usual. This simply means you have one more mouse click to endure. I apologize and things will be back to later next time I post.
[mp3] Denison Witmer – I Won’t Let You Down
Key Lyric: It’s so hard not to feel alone, when plains are all that wait on me. I won’t let you down, I see it gets hard to stay around.
This is, honestly, one of the best songs that you probably haven’t heard. Taken from Denison’s coming of age masterpiece, Philadelphia Songs, an album full of tales of coming, leaving, loving, and losing. Very few songs can paint such a vivid picture, such a tangible emotion. Honestly, I’m not sure I can even tell you what that emotion is. Just listen, you’ll get it.
[mp3] M. Ward – Paul’s Song
Key Lyric: Seems like everywhere I go the sky is falling and the concierge all meet you with a frown. When I come to town, I ain’t gonna lie to you, every town is all the same when you’ve left your heart in the Portland rain.
There are so many things I love about this song: the distant guitar, Matt’s always hypnotic voice, the drifting steel guitar. The thing I love most however is the narrative itself. A drifter, hungry for home but bound to the road: complacent in his circumstance but not to the point of forgetting his destination.
[mp3] American Music Club – Myopic Books
Key Lyric: One day I left my room in the evening, the sun had just gone down but the sky was still shining and not even the stars out, up in their heaven could throw their ashes over the blue still burning over this ugly city, and that makes me happy.
What you just read may very well be the best imagery I have ever heard in a song. This is the song I say I wished I could have written when people ask me. The picture starts out so bleak and subdued, a cold winter evening headed for the bookstore, until Eitzel finds beauty in the blustery evening and I hit repeat.
[mp3] Belle & Sebastian – I fought in a War
Key Lyric: I fought in a war and I left my friends behind me, to go looking for the enemy, and it wasn’t very long before I would stand with another boy in front of me, and a corpse that just fell into me, with the bullets flying ’round,
Have you ever heard something so vividly painted? What amazes me is that it is done in such plain speak, no poetic translation needed. Unwavering realism and a heck of a story. Have I mentioned that there is a Belle and Sebastian song for almost any moment you might need to score?
[mp3] Elliott Smith – Let’s Get Lost
Key Lyric: I don’t know where I’ll go, and I don’t really care who follows me there, but I’ll burn every bridge I cross, and find some beautiful place to get lost.
Lots of people write songs about running away, getting lost, finding somewhere new, so on and so forth. Very few have done it as convincing as Elliott. This song was always great but I remember listening to it the day Elliott died and finally realizing how beautiful and fitting it was.
Credit where credt is due: This post was inspired by one of my favorite entries on any blog, EVER. A post over at The Yellow Stereo on some of the better songs that WERE put to use on a soundtrack and the films in which they’re used. Enjoy it Here
(Photo Cred.)
