Kendra Brea Cooper
Music is a significant part of on screen storytelling. Sometimes just hearing a song will spark the memory of a scene in your head. Here are 6 songs that have that effect.
I don’t know a person who doesn’t think about Judd Nelson’s bad boy character jumping in the air when they hear this song. In fact, I’ve actually seen people jump in the air to mimic that epic 80s moment. The movie transcends generations and is still one of the most loved teen movies of all time. I think this is because most people find a lost piece of themselves in the story.
Laney Boggs gets the fastest makeover in teen movie history with a haircut and contacts. The song fits perfectly into the Cinderella “glass slipper is actually a red dress” theme. Sixpence’s “Kiss Me” is romantic and simple. It has forever burned the image of young Freddie Prinze Jr. into our thoughts.
An awkward teen meets the grown up girl next door. The Verve’s “Lucky Man” is an extension of the main character’s feelings. Sometimes expression has to fit in between the dialogue and there’s no better way to do it other than placing the song that fits.
This scene is like a precursor to the stream of dance movies that bombarded theaters in the following years. There’s nothing that can lift the energy of a film like a well done dance scene. This, of course, is as long as it fits with the script. Sara and Derek kill it with their obvious chemistry on the dance floor. This is all thanks to Ice Cube.
It’s a heartwarming film about a pregnant teen and her naive guy friend. The best moments in this film (other than the brilliant dialogue), are the moments when it’s just mundane teen life. That’s the real genius of this film. It’s almost so relatable (aside from the pregnancy), that the familiar confusion of being young seems like it was pulled straight from your own journals. There are no teens here that look like they’re 30 year old rock stars.
Jennifer’s Body is a horror movie about a teen girl turned succubus and her best friend who has to kill her. “Through the Trees” is a song that is its own character in the film. The band “Low Shoulder” is responsible for this song and turning Jennifer into a man killing monster. In the film, the song becomes the anthem for the town's loss and a haunting reminder of the evil that lurks.
Pop culture and all that ideology sitting in the blind spot. Also crafts.
