the melody always finds me

This is probably, ultimately a good thing- I have had music on the head for the past week or two, hardcore. I say it is good, because it certainly does a good job of keeping me from belaboring nonsense that I need not. It also keeps me from waxing nonsensical about convoluted scientific theories or from ranting about my latest pet peeves.

No, instead, a piece I heard on NPR a while back leapt to mind today, discussing the intersection of movies and music, the makings of good movie soundtracks. The piece spent a lot of time talking about the demise of original scores, in favor of canned songs. I do not have any strong feelings about this. There are appropriate times for both- Il Postino would not have been so swoonworthy without its pretty, pretty score. On the other hand, Goodfellas would not have been as effective without using the extended fade out of Layla.

Anyway, I started thinking of those songs that will forever be associated with a movie for me, that just fit perfectly with what was being conveyed in the film at that moment. Oh, and I know you care, so much, so of course, I had to share:

• The use of Don't Think Twice It's Alright by Bob Dylan in Dogfight kills me. every. time. I remain firm in my stance that this is a criminally overlooked film. But, add to that, this song, that I am already partial to on its own, placed at just the completely correct point in the plot, and I am a goner.
  
• There's this incredibly bright song called Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera in Shine, played during a massive shift in the movie. The music, in this case, basically lifts the film from the previous dark Armin Mueller-Stahl-gravitas vortex. Which is a good thing, because this movie spends a long time down in the dumps. The song is a breath of fresh air that lets us all know the film is not going to end as a tragedy.
  
• Stuck in the Middle with You by Stealer's Wheel will forever be associated with a dude losing an ear thanks to Michael Madsen and Quentin Tarantino. Shudder.
  
• Van Morrison's music is employed in millions of films, it seems. I think he's actually a little overexposed in films, especially of the chick-flick varietal. All of that said, Sweet Thing plays at the end of Moonlight Mile, and it very beautifully closes an imperfect, but pretty (hello, Jake Gyellenhall, people) film.
  
• I'm a little embarassed to admit this, but I really, really get the warm fuzzies during the Tiny Dancer sing-a-long in Almost Famous. I know it is cheesy, but I cannot help it. Especially when Crudup finally breaks out of his funk and joins in.
  
• There is only one version of the film Sabrina that I accept as valid. In that one, Audrey Hepburn quietly sings La Vie en Rose in French to Humphrey Bogart. It is so understated that I prefer it by a mile to Hepburn's Moon River warbling in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
  
• The Pixies get a rare and much-deserved citation at the end of Fight Club. Where is my mind is, after all, such a post-apocalyptic song in so many ways. It almost makes me like Helena Bonham Carter. Almost.
  
• Look, I find Quentin Tarantino one annoying pain in the neck. Watching him in an interview, or, for that matter, acting, is like listening to nails on chalkboard to my mind. But the man really knows how to make use of songs in film. That's why he gets a second mention. Malaguena Salerosa by Chingon is played at the end of Kill Bill: Vol. 2, and it's a culmination of a pitch perfect soundtrack. But I think this particular song is fantastic, because he uses it as the character credits roll, and it fits phenomenally. This is amazing to me since the credits span different parts of the films, which have the Martial Arts and Spaghetti Western themes. Yet, this lilting Spanish song works for every single shot. Damn you, Tarantino! I want to hate you, and you're making it difficult.

That's off the top of my head. I bet there are many more. I haven't even included the funny ones- like Dust in the Wind in Old School or that song playing in Office Space when the dudes beat the hell out of the fax machine. Join the fun, and open my eyes to the other gems.