Welcome to the fourth and final post in a series on film music. It began with Famous Instrumental Themes of John Williams, proceeded to Famous Instrumental Themes (Various), and last time, Famous Soundtrack Songs. Like Famous Movie & TV Cars before them, there is no theory, no review, and no trivia (or maybe a little).

Famous Soundtrack Songs (Repurposed)

Continuing on the other side of movie music, there is also another side of soundtrack songs. Sometimes a song already exists that fits a scene well. Sometimes it carries its own connotations. Sometimes it's to subvert expectations. That is today's subject, songs that already existed and were repurposed for use in a film. It is important to define parameters for what I mean by repurposed, as it might be supposed that I inadvertently included "As Time Goes By" in Famous Soundtrack Songs. To be repurposed for this objective, the song must have been significant in previous release. Significance can be due to either popularity, quantity or both. Presented for you in order of the original song's release are some that meet that criteria. The format is nearly as before, but a bit adjusted: headed by song title, artist and film, some history of the song prior to the film, and how it is used for it.

"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by The Soggy Bottom Boys / O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Originally "Farewell Song" when published in 1913, the song has been recorded and released by many artists since the first time in 1928 by Emry Arthur, who gave it the title "Man of Constant Sorrow". These have included multiple lyrical variants and some title variations, by musicians such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Ginger Baker's Air Force. Considerably more than any other selection here, "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" is an integral part of the plot of its film. Two renditions by The Soggy Bottom Boys, the fictional and unwitting music act of O Brother, are heard in the film, once when they record it at a radio station and again during the climax with a full band. These are reflected by the two full vocal versions on the soundtrack, and both of which are virtually a direct cover of the Stanley Brothers' 1951 take on the song. In real life, The Soggy Bottom Boys are Dan Tyminski (a long-time member of Alison Krauss' band Union Station), Harly Allen, and Pat Enright, though Tim Blake Nelson actually sings lead on their "In the Jailhouse Now". "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" is truly timeless, recorded in a Depression-era style some seventy years after the fact intermixed with modern bluegrass sensibility, relevant as it ever could be. "For in this world I'm bound to ramble..."

"Day-O" by Harry Belafonte / Beetlejuice

Sometimes known as "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" or simply "The Banana Boat Song", I think most would agree the definitive version of the Jamaican folk song is by Harry Belafonte from his 1956 album, Calypso, named for the style of music he had a major role in popularizing. As a song, it's fun to sing along with its call and response from the point of view of dockworkers loading bananas on boats for export. The usage of Belefonte's recording in Beetlejuice is reflective of the film in terms of both the primary conflict and dark humor and definitely subverts expectations. The Deetzes and their dinner party guests are forced to lip-sync and dance to the track via possession by the deceased Maitlands much to their discomfort at first, but soon appreciated as a party trick, contradictory to the Maitlands' goal. Near the conclusion of the movie, Belafonte's "Jump in the Line" is also heard. A few years prior, Queen's Freddie Mercury used the "Day-O" part in an improvised call and response with the audience at their landmark Live Aid appearance. "Six foot, seven foot, eight foot, bunch..."

"Tequila" by The Champs / Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Regardless of whether one views "Tequila" as instrumental or not, since it does contain the repeated shout of "Tequila!", most know its simple saxophone melody played over surf style guitar. Released by The Champs in 1958, it's one of those times a DJ flipped to the B-side, and that was the major hit. For Pee-wee's Big Adventure, it absolutely and literally played for comedy, but the song is not the butt of the joke. Instead, the titular character finds himself in quite a bit of danger from the patrons of a biker bar but wins them over by dancing to the song atop the bar in platform shoes while doing what is colloquially known as the "Pee-wee dance", all of which sums up the generally light mood and quirkiness of both the movie and character. "Ha! Ha! Break dance!"

"Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry / Back to the Future

Chuck Berry is one of those artists that simply his name conjures of images of an era, that of course being the mid-1950s to mid-1960s. Anytime a genre rises in popularity, there are artists that blazed the trail and there are those that capitalize on it instead, and Berry is undoubtedly a trailblazer for rock & roll. Due in no small part to his distinctive sound, he also understood showmanship with his trademark duckwalk. Released in 1958, "Johnny B. Goode" is widely considered his signature single, and it definitely is the quintessential example of his sound. The original song is not used in Back to the Future, but the cover, a more or less straight one aside from the solo, is credited to the film's characters, Marty McFly and the Starlighters. It is clearly not Michael J. Fox singing or playing, though both are synced and acted out well. Fox, however, did incorporate some onstage antics of other famous guitarists, including the Chuck Berry duckwalk, Pete Townshend's windmilling, Jimi Hendrix's behind-the-head playing, Eddie Van Halen's two-handed tapping, and Angus Young's floor "spasm". In film, it is celebratory after his parents share their fateful kiss, assuring Marty's future survival, and an iconic part of an iconic film. "But he could play a guitar just like a-ringin' a bell..."

"Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones / Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

A lot of people know Quincy Jones primarily for his producer work, not the least of which is the record-breaking Grammy award-winning Thriller and other Michael Jackson albums. But before he produced, he was already an accomplished composer. "Soul Bossa Nova" is from Jones' album Big Band Bossa Nova, a jazz album that mixes in other genres and released in 1962. Admittedly, I, like probably a lot of people in the film's target demographic, was not familiar with it until its appearance in the first Austin Powers film. I have since come to love it and have mostly separated it from the films. "Soul Bossa Nova" is aptly named, combining elements of soul and jazz with a bossa nova beat that includes the distinctive percussive instrument, cuica. Twenty-five years later, it appeared in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery as the opening and main theme, maintaining that role for the two sequels. "Oh, behave."

"Twist and Shout" by The Beatles / Ferris Bueller's Day Off

While The Isley Brothers reworked and released "Twist and Shout" a year before The Beatles, and even though the latter's version is heavily based on the former's, many consider The Beatles' rendition to be the definitive one. From its guitar intro to its danceable beat to lyrical encouragement to dance to its bridge with the building aahs, even non-fans of The Beatles have to admit "Twist and Shout" is a well-crafted song in structure and tone. Because of its status as iconic, the use of "Twist and Shout" in Ferris Bueller's Day Off is natural, particularly to its purpose. Ferris lip-syncs to the original recording during a Von Steuben Day parade, getting the whole crowd into it. It is worth mentioning he also lip-syncs Wayne Newton's "Danke Schoen" just prior. That's fun, too, and it is even a callback to the shower scene near the beginning of the film, but it just does not match the energy of the second song. "Come on and work it on out..."

"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen / Wayne's World

Perhaps more than any other after the pioneering days of rock music, the 1970s were a time of the greatest pushing of known boundaries. It may only seem that way because there was such a risk for creativity to stale since it had been a generation since the inception of rock and roll. Instead, some of the greatest music, including whole new subgenres, were conceived. Queen has such a large catalog of great songs, but "Bohemian Rhapsody", released on their 1975 album A Night at the Opera, is their magnum opus. Radio-friendly rock is typically structured as verse chorus verse and sometimes bridge. This song, instead, has several movements, from an a cappella introduction to a simple piano ballad to a multi-voice opera to a heavy guitar-riff jam to closing out quieter with musical references to earlier segments. According to the oral history of Wayne's World, Mike Myers had to fight for its inclusion. It is a good thing he did, as this scene is its most famous, and the movie would not be as memorable without it. It begins with the operatic portion and the Mirthmobile's occupants sing along through the song's end. Their headbanging during the instrumental part of the hard rock segment brings the song to a new generation. "Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality..."

"Golden Years" by David Bowie / A Knight's Tale

Another act of the 70s that pushed boundaries and incorporated multiple genres into his artistry is David Bowie ("Under Pressure" is thus a logical collab between he and Queen). He, like some painters, more or less had eras of creation including glam, soul, funk. disco and new wave, but since elements of these tend to overlap in his works, it is all distinctly Bowie. Released near the close of 1975, "Golden Years" was included in his 1976 album, Station to Station, though musically, it reflects similar sounds as "Fame" and the self-titled track from his prior album, Young Americans. "Golden Years" could be classified as soul/funk/disco with its funky guitar riff over a disco beat and its soulful lyrical melody. But it is not even purely those three genres as it also incorporates another subgenre of R&B in the form of modernized doo-wop. Turning to A Knight's Tale, the film tells a story during the medieval period with the intentional anachronisms of 1970s clothing and music. Nearly all of the songs are played over scenes, like with most movies, but two songs are part of theirs. Queen's “We Will Rock You” plays during the opening jousting scene and much like a modern sporting event, has the crowd stomping and singing along. Later, during a pivotal scene, Will and Jocelyn dance in a style contemporary to the time and in time, to “Golden Years”, beginning with medieval instrumentation before segueing into the known track, incorporating the handclaps into the movements. The complete audio/visual experience is almost worth the price of admission alone and is the prime example of what separates the film from just being by the numbers and instead great. “Never look back, walk tall, act fine…”

Honorable Mention: Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack

To be fully forthright, there is no single song in Forrest Gump that is completely repurposed like the other selections. The soundtrack as a whole is an honorable mention because of how the film utilizes the songs, and that is primarily for the passage of time. While in itself that might depreciate the artistry of the tracks, since it is such a large number of iconic artists and songs, it ends up being simply a great collection. While in some cases the specific cut is not the absolute best or even most notable of the artist, they are still indeed great. The songs include "Hound Dog" by Elvis, "Land of a 1000 Dances" by Wilson Pickett, "Fortunate Son" by CCR, "Respect" by Aretha, "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" by Dylan, "Sloop John B" by The Beach Boys, "Break on Through" by The Doors, "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac. It is also worth mentioning three things. The first is, there are a few songs heard during the movie but not included on the soundtrack, notably, "All Along the Watchtower" and "Hey Joe" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, four additional songs by The Doors, "Let's Work Together" by Canned Heat, "Get Down Tonight" by KC and the Sunshine Band, and "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. The second is artists not heard at all, at least some presumedly because of licensing issues. But, admittedly, since some of the songs are seemingly chosen explicitly (more on that in a bit), it may be that these icons just did not have anything that fit. Notwithstanding, here are a small number of those omissions: Little Richard, James Brown, The Beatles, Sam Cooke, Queen, and Bob Marley. The third is there are three songs closely associated with another earlier film release: "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel (The Graduate), "Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilsson (Midnight Cowboy), and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" by B. J. Thomas (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). In closing, there are three moments to mention, and there are more, in which what is heard is more actively part of the visual in Forrest Gump. The first is when Elvis stays at the Gumps' boarding house, plays "Hound Dog", and Forrest's movements to the music in his braced legs influences Elvis' later dance steps. The second is during the Vietnam War sequence, The Beach Boys' "Sloop John B" is heard and the lyric, "This is the worst trip I've ever been on," is forefront. Lastly, "Love Her Madly" by The Doors is played as Jenny prepares to leave one of her less-than-ideal living situations. The line "Don't you love her as she's walking out the door" is sung as she literally walks out the door.

While the same as is a recurring, *ahem*, theme among this series in that this is only a small selection, this is a tiny step closer to being more conclusive. It dawned on me that, aside from nearly all of the tracks of the honorable mention, these all are a part of their respective film to some degree while none of the instrumental pieces are. Of the songs specifically created for a soundtrack, only three of the eight are part of their films. So, to effectively repurpose an existing song, it's of great importance that it finds an identity within its film that is nearly the equivalent of an actor portraying a character. To illustrate the point, can any of us hear "Soul Bossa Nova" without thinking of Austin Powers, or "Bohemian Rhapsody" without our thoughts eventually landing on Wayne, Garth, and the Mirthmobile?

To hear the selections discussed over this series, aside from the honorable mention, please listen on Spotify or YouTube. (To note, the YouTube one is more accessible and technically more accurate.)

Next up...Tombstone vs. Wyatt Earp: A Comparison of Actors!