Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with soundtracks

movies without soundtracks?

saturn~jupiter — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:58:11 -0800

Can you think of movies that have no soundtrack? I've been realising lately how much movie soundtracks irritate me. I feel that they instruct you how to feel rather than let you figure out how you feel about what's happening in the film. Not just blockbusters, but "indie" movies too. I kind of feel that it dumbs things down when there's a piece of music that lets you know you should be happy, sad, scared, uplifted, or just points to the "delicate poignancy" of the moment. All of it ends up being corny in my ears.

I want to compile a list of movies without soundtracks. Also if anyone knows of any writing on this topic (anti-soundtrack) please point me to it.

Thanks!

Looking for recommendations for recent popular music soundtracks

cosmic.osmo — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:21:43 -0800

Does anyone have any recommendations for somewhat recent (post-2000) TV or movie popular music soundtracks (or some other kind of compilation)? I tend to like alternative rock, but I'm open to any genre. I've realized that I've been in a musical rut for the past several years, so I'm looking for a fast way to discover new music and expose myself to some of what I've missed. I've gotten the soundtracks to Scrubs and Garden State, and I've found a lot that I like in them, but I'm also almost finished with them.

So, any recommendations?

Where is that song from?

widdershins — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:28:55 -0800

What is the best way to find out if a song has been used in a soundtrack for TV/film? Is there a database like imdb where you can enter the name of a song and see if it's listed as being used in a TV show or movie?

Inspired by After All by Dar Williams, which I have such an eerie feeling I've heard as part of a movie somewhere but I have no idea when or where...?

Songs that remix dialogue from films?

xchmp — Sun, 24 May 2009 02:41:36 -0800

PF Project's song Choose Life is constructed from samples of a monologue by the lead character of the film Trainspotting. Similarly, This Is Your Life by the Dust Brothers is built around samples from the film Fight Club reformulated as a monologue and overlaid on some trip-hop beats. Neither was actually featured in the film, but were released as singles and appeared on the soundtrack. What other songs like this are there?

ER soundtrack?

Rad_Boy — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:39:32 -0800

What was the double bass (or cello) concerto heard through out the soundtrack of last night's ER?

The Monks I Hate You

PHINC — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:24:27 -0800

Wasn't The Monks song "I Hate You" used in the soundtrack for a movie? I've been listening to it lately, done a few web searches but I'm at a loss.

Do you know any fake James Bond title songs?

lord_yo — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:55:27 -0800

Do you know any fake James Bond title songs? I'm looking for songs that sound like James Bond title songs, but aren't. They could be parodies (like "The Man Made of Guns" by Kris Straub), fake title themes (like on Arling & Cameron's "Music for Imaginary Films"), or just songs that seem inspired by James Bond themes (such as Robbie Williams's "Millennium"). Any recommendations?

I want the sound of Hail to The Chief...only as played by the ramones

rileyray3000 — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:33:58 -0800

So I'm doing a short film about a cynical Gen-Xer who gets to run the country and I'm looking for songs with either The President, Government, Democracy or something similar for the soundtrack. Ideas? I guess my first thoughts are something like Talking Heads Life During Wartime or London Calling by the clash. Except not those. Because it's not necessarily wartime in the film and it's in America and not the UK.

But I kind of want a darker spirit to the sound of the songs if that makes any sense. Like some sort of president version of Sympathy for the Devil. But the more popular the songs were, the better. Or even if it's just a section of the song that's about said topics that might work.

Or I might just be completely wrong and you all might have much better ideas than me. So don't let me limit you. Hit me with your best songs, Oval Office style.

Just let me hear some of that lonely violin music! Any old way you choose it!

(bb|[^b]{2}) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:58:01 -0800

I'm looking for more instrumental music that sounds similar to the violin-heavy themes in FARGO, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES, and LoTR: THE TWO TOWERS. As you may have guessed, I'm a fan of movie scores, and especially those that feature a solo, lonely-sounding violin. There's a certain quality about them that evokes a very productive element in me. Other good examples would be the love theme from THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, the main theme from SCHINDLER'S LIST, or the theme from Ken Burn's CIVIL WAR documentary (Ashokan Farewell).

Most people would call this "funeral music," I guess, but I don't view it as such. It's just very calming and inspirational to me. I favor the Civil War-esque sounding tunes, ala JESSE JAMES and CIVIL WAR, but I'm not picky.

Any other suggestions? They don't have to be soundtracks, btw.

The Laughing Song, But Not That Laughing Song.

Rev. Syung Myung Me — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:43:58 -0800

This is one that's been bugging me forEVER. My guess is that it's just needledrop music, but it seems way too prevalent for that. But the song I'm looking for is the "ha ha ha ha ha ha ha/ho ho ho ho ho ho ho/hee hee hee hee hee hee hee/Haaa haaaa haaaa" one that seems to pop up a lot in Cartoons. It appears, in, among others, John R. Dilworth's (creator of Courage the Cowardly Dog, if'n you're curious) "The Dirdy Birdy" short (which, is, well, to be said, only so-so as a cartoon).

And, oddly enough -- which makes me think it ISN'T needledrop -- a Spongebob episode used (to my ears) a sound alike. (not the best clip -- the music is mixed down rather far in these clips, but it kicks in about 58 seconds in... a bit of flitting around on YouTube couldn't find a better clip of the episode -- there's a much clearer version when the tickling belt is introduced)

Anyway -- this has been baffling me for years -- found lots of false leads from merely describing it (heard the OKeh Laughing Record, and even The Residents' "Laughing Song" as suggestions), but no dice.... (And, yes, this DID re-pique my curiosity.)

Best stores in Albuquerque, NM for musicals on CD?

jroybal — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 18:01:41 -0800

Any recommendations for stores in Albuquerque, NM for the cast recordings and soundtracks for stage or film musicals on CD? The Borders and Barnes & Noble stores are pretty good, but I'm wondering if other stores in town have better selections. Thanks!

name of guitar solo

door2summer — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 11:20:54 -0800

There is a guitar song used in the movie "La Bamba", but is not listed on the official movie soundtrack. I watched the movie a few days ago and have had this guitar song stuck in my head. It almost sounds like a typical surf song, but much slower and very melancholy.... any thoughts?

Theme to La Jetee?

BlackLeotardFront — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:49:52 -0800

Can anyone identify the music used in the introductory sequence of Marker's La Jetee? ( goog vid for reference, starts 30s in) I've googled around and I thought I had the performing choir (something Russian I think) but I've had no luck on the composition or anything. Anybody in the know or recognize it?

What is this incredibly common piece of movie trailer music?

Rock Steady — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:15:08 -0800

What is the incredibly common piece of movie trailer music that kicks in at about :54 of this trailer for No Reservations? It's the sort of sparse, rhythmic, marimba-y piece. I'd also be interested in knowing what other trailers it appears in, and where it was first used.

Who Whistles Morricone?

Holly — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 04:27:19 -0800

Whistlefilter: Who was the whistler on Ennio Morricone's soundtrack to Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"? Was it Alessandro Alessandroni, or Kurt (Curro) Savoy? I've looked around the web for confirmation, but I'm not turning up anything definitive.

A person who sets music to moving picture is called a ______.

c:\awesome — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:41:27 -0800

What's the person called whose job it is to select appropriate music for movies/television shows/etc? How does one go about landing a job doing this? Apologies if this is been asked before; for some reason it seems like I've seen it on AskMetafilter in the past, but several searches yielded no evidence of such.

I feel like I have a really good ear for matching music with moving picture, and I've got an incredibly in-depth knowledge of various styles of music from all eras. I've made my own short films and put music to it, and I've even re-soundtracked some of my favorite scenes in movies/television shows. How does one go about utilizing this skill in a professional environment?

It's a niche skill it seems, but not even knowing what the people who do this for a living are called makes it tough to figure out where to begin a career like this. I realize that in many movies the director/someone else takes it upon themselves to select the music (I'm thinking Zack Braff in Garden State here), but whose job is this when that isn't the case? Think Sopranos. Think Real World.

Suggestions?

See my movie--check out my eclectic musical taste.

zeraus — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:31:51 -0800

Self conciously hip soundtracks-- how far back does this go? Directors such as Jim Jarmush, Quentin Tarantino and Guy Richie like to show off their hip taste in music. How far back does this style go?

Whatever happened to the Kevin Smith Clerks 2 commentary download?

mathowie — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 14:49:02 -0800

A few months ago, there was news that Kevin Smith would release a director's commentary early, so fans of Clerks 2 could rewatch the movie in a theater with an iPod. Clerks 2 has come and gone from my local theater but I'm still wondering if this audio ever came out, because I'd love to hear it and watch the movie again (have to catch it at the $1 theater now). Anyone ever heard what became of this? I don't see any mentions of it online

It goes like hey-o! or weigh-o! no I'm not gonna hum it

nanojath — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 09:16:27 -0800

Looking for a song from the movie Human Traffic Towards the end of the party movie Human Traffic there is a scene where Moff is caught masturbating in his room by his mother. There's a very catchy tune playing through this scene that has gotten regularly stuck in my head for several years. I know the soundtrack is available but I'm not sure I really want to own the whole thing, and of course with soundtracks there's no guarantee you'll get all the songs that are in the movie. So I'm hoping someone who happens to be familiar with the movie and the song in question will just happen by and enlighten me.

Bonus points for answering the question, what happened to Justin Kerrigan, writer and director of that film? I thought it was a very promising first effort (uneven, to be sure, but entertaining) but that was in '99 and he seems to have just dropped off the face of the earth.

From Which I Came

Maishe — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 10:35:43 -0800

Does anyone know what movie Eels song, "From Which I Came/A Magic World" is in? Can't seem to remember. Thanks.

I almost paid to see another movie at Landmark just to hear this again

grrarrgh00 — Wed, 31 May 2006 07:57:23 -0800

Name that tune: It serves as the soundtrack to the HBO Documentary Films commercial that currently plays before movies at Landmark Theaters. It's beautiful. I can barely describe the song, except to say it's got swirling string instruments, a man's voice, singing pretty high. Sounds sort of like a cross between Radiohead and Rufus Wainwright. Maybe. I can't think of any of the lyrics.

The commercial itself shows snippets of documentaries sort of projected onto squares that fade in and out, with words like "real" and "inspiring" popping up randomly on the screen. Cheesy as it sounds, the effect is actually nice. But really it's just because the song is very pretty.

Music from John Woo movies?

ac — Sat, 07 Jan 2006 19:53:40 -0800

Can anyone help me identify and locate (either to buy or download) any of the music from John Woo's The Killer, Hard Boiled, or any other John Woo / Chow Yun Fat movies? Particularly the haunting theme song to The Killer. Thanks!

Which movie used "Lent" as it's soundtrack.

bonecrusher — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 16:43:10 -0800

Any Satie fans out there? What movie is this music from? I just purchases this Satie CD, and I know I've heard it in a movie somewhere and it's driving me crazy... Specifically, track 4, no. 1 ("Lent") of the Six Gnossiennes.

What Satie pieces are featured in the movie "Being There"?

CrunchyGods — Sun, 08 May 2005 20:18:17 -0800

I've got a Satie piece in my head and it just won't quit. And it's not on any Satie CDs I've checked out of the library. I'm pretty sure it's featured in the movie "Being There," though. It's mostly in a major key, and it's relaxed and friendly. Any thoughts? Anyone have the soundtrack listing at their fingertips?

Nonlinar Music

Tlogmer — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 01:50:30 -0800

Nonlinear music: where can I find good examples? I remember the Final Fantasy composer talking about one of the scores for a boss battle that could transition several different ways, for example. I imagine game soundtracks in general are a good place to find this, but I don't have any console systems and I don't really care about the games, just the music. (For educational purposes; I'm trying to see how it's done so I can, hopefully, do it myself.)