Cover Songs in Movies
Yesterday, I posted about How Song Choice Affects Mood in film using examples of different choices of music in the opening scene of ‘Donnie Darko’. Using that as a springboard, let’s take a look at how cover songs are used against picture.
Using cover songs allows a filmmaker some creative options, as well as financial ones. A cover version’s mechanical royalties might be less expensive than the performance royalties of the original. The new version can be performed to match timing in the picture and creating a new version of a classic song that more closely matches the style of the film.
Yesterday’s post was about 2 pieces of music in the opening scene of ‘Donnie Darko’, and today I’m skipping ahead to the end of that film. ‘Donnie Darko’ is well-known for the Gary Jules cover of Tears of Fears’ “Mad World”, a brilliant choice which helped propel that film’s popularity. Richard Kelly (director) and composer Michael Andrews used a song originally released in the time when the film was set, but it was recreated in a style closer to when the film was released, which allowed them to achieve two goals. First, the song evokes feelings of nostalgia for the target audience of the film, which plays into the mood of the final scene, but by using an updated version against picture, the music also connects us to the timeless nature of the story.
Watch the final scene of ‘Donnie Darko’:
In Wes Anderson’s ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’, Brazilian musician Seu Jorge plays covers of classic David Bowie songs. Jorge plays Pelé dos Santos, a member of the title character’s crew, and performs these songs on-screen (diegetically). By having a character in the film performing the music in this way, Anderson brought the viewer deeper into the world of the narrative and by having the character perform those songs in Portuguese, the songs are given new life and connection to the setting and the characters.
Watch this scene from ‘The Life Aquatic…” where Jorge’s performance of a version of “Space Oddity” punctuates Zissou’s loss of touch with his world.
UPDATE
The trailer for ‘The Social Network’ uses a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” from elgian Women’s choir Scala and Kolacny Brothers’ 2002 On the Rocks to great effect:
-Viktor Phoenix
