00:00Welcome to Ms Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic, poignant
00:13or memorable tunes featured in movies with small but strong fanbases. We're excluding
00:20songs from animated flicks though, since that's a different list.
00:31Number 10, Stuck in the Middle with You, Reservoir Dogs
00:40Quentin Tarantino's feature film debut is an early showcase for his love of semi-obscure
00:46tunes. Stuck in the Middle with You was a modest hit in America when it debuted in 1973,
00:53but it's safe to say Reservoir Dogs forever warped its reputation.
01:05Mr Blonde, played by Michael Madsen, is a man who enjoys at least two things, inflicting
01:11pain and 70s music. As Blonde does unspeakable things to a cop, this jaunty tune by the Scottish
01:19band Stealer's Wheel plays, and it's exactly the deranged counterpoint you might expect
01:25from the director.
01:34In 1992, Tarantino was still at the beginning of his career, and it was the combination
01:41that would announce a new and exciting voice in American movies.
01:46Number 9, The Origin of Love, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
02:00Adapted from his stage show, John Cameron Mitchell's movie musical is about an East
02:05German musician Hedwig in pursuit of the rock singer who stole her heart and her songs.
02:12Retelling the ancient myth of Plato's Symposium, Hedwig's song The Origin of Love describes
02:18the belief that every human has a soulmate. It perfectly captures the source of the character's
02:34pain and philosophy about love.
02:37Mitchell performs the song over animated illustrations by Emily Hubley. The result is an unforgettable
02:45epic in its imagery, steeped in myth, and the perfect metaphor for Hedwig's ever-complicated
02:52and evolving identities.
03:03Number 8, In Dreams, Blue Velvet. David Lynch often finds unexpected and creepy ways to
03:10feature music. He notably used a dreamy Roy Orbison composition in a pivotal scene in
03:172001's Mulholland Drive.
03:24Here, a criminal named Ben, played by Dean Stockwell, performs a lip-sync of Orbison's
03:36ethereal In Dreams as a special request from a vicious man. Said vicious man, Frank, played
03:43by legendary actor Dennis Hopper, is a ghoulish menace who can be reduced to tears by old
03:50songs.
03:59It's part of what makes him, and other Lynchian antagonists, so frightening. They're capable
04:06of profoundly earnest emotions. They're also capable of profound violence.
04:20Number 7, Bittersweet Symphony, Cruel Intentions. A take on the French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses,
04:28this teen drama wasn't universally beloved by critics upon release. But one thing even
04:40its detractors can't deny is the appeal of its charting alt-rock soundtrack. The verb's
04:47bittersweet symphony, which plays at a pivotal moment of the film's climax, became an instant
04:54classic.
05:01Although the song was first released in 1997, it's now also hugely associated with cruel
05:07intentions, and for good reason. Its moody but modern sound is both a haunting musical
05:14underscore for the revelation at the movie's end, and enough of an earworm to find a wider
05:20audience.
05:28Number 6, Tequila, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Everyone knows Tequila from somewhere, but
05:42Pee-Wee's Big Adventure probably played a huge part in cementing the champ's 1958
05:49tune in American pop culture.
05:59In his fancy shoes and his trademark grey suit, Pee-Wee Herman is about to be beaten
06:04by a crew of bikers. But thanks to his goofy dance to Tequila, he's able to charm them
06:10into not only letting him live, but even giving him his own club jacket and bike. With its
06:17upbeat surf rock energy and its wild horns, Tequila will probably be forever linked with
06:24Pee-Wee's stiff-armed choreography and dazzling dancing on tiptoe.
06:37Number 5, These Days, The Royal Tenenbaums.
06:47Wes Anderson has a gift for pairing the perfect music with the perfect character.
06:59The relationship between adoptive siblings Richie and Margot Tenenbaum is complicated
07:05for a lot of reasons. The dreamy and sad Nico track These Days is the perfect fit for their
07:12slow-motion reunion.
07:22When Margot steps off the bus platform and they first lay eyes on each other after years
07:27apart, it's actually heart-stopping. Both are so lost in their current situation that
07:34being together is probably the closest they've felt to joy in a very long time.
07:40Although Gwyneth Paltrow and Luke Wilson are doing a lot by doing so little, the music
07:46is the perfect soundtrack for their shared nostalgic warmth for each other.
07:55Number 4, Day-O, The Banana Boat Song, Beetlejuice. Singer, actor, and activist Harry Belafonte
08:04probably couldn't have predicted where many of his songs would end up.
08:13This early Tim Burton movie follows Barbara and Adam who pass away and hire a perverted
08:19bio-exorcist named Beetlejuice to scare a living family out of their house. During a
08:25dinner party, the family and their guests become possessed. They begin lip-syncing and
08:36dancing to Belafonte's Banana Boat Song.
08:39If you haven't ever heard Day-O before this, chances are you'll never be able to hear it
08:45without thinking of Catherine O'Hara absolutely killing it in that black dress and that single
08:52glove.
09:00Number 3, Hip To Be Square, American Psycho. Patrick Bateman is not the typical movie serial
09:08killer. The investment banker and sociopath is as obsessed with the prestige of the financial
09:19world as he is resentful of the people who attain it.
09:24One of his most memorable attacks occurs early in the movie. Bateman dances around his apartment
09:30in a raincoat to Huey Lewis and the news Hip To Be Square and educates a colleague about
09:36the band's career up to now.
09:47By the chorus, Bateman has taken him out. American Psycho is all about juxtapositions.
09:54The most violent and destructive men could be the ones who wear nice suits and work in
10:00high-rise offices. And a bouncy 80s ode to bucking trends may just be the perfect soundtrack
10:07for it all.
10:17Number 2, Mad World, Donnie Darko. The ethereal and morbid world of struggling teen Donnie
10:24Darko is filled with 1980s tracks like Head Over Heels. But the movie's most effective
10:40needle drop is a Gary Jules cover of the Tears For Fears 1982 single, Mad World. It has been
10:48almost inextricably linked with the movie and the title character ever since. Played
11:06over the emotional ending sequence, Mad World is like the perfect marriage between the new
11:12wave music of the film's 1980s setting and Donnie's chronic discontent. Stripped down
11:20from its original recording, the piano-forward tune reshaped how millions of people remembered
11:27the song.
11:46Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
11:52Can't Take My Eyes Off You, 10 Things I Hate About You. The perfect tune for a grand romantic
11:58gesture. Somebody To Love, The Cable Guy. Jim Carrey manages to make karaoke funny and
12:18creepy. Can't Heat, Napoleon Dynamite. This climactic dance still lives on in gif form.
12:49Camelot Song, Monty Python and The Holy Grail. These aren't your average performing nights.
12:57Don't Stop Me Now, Shaun of the Dead. When you really need a zombie-destroying
13:17power anthem, look no further.
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13:41Number 1, Time Warp, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's the signature track from what just
13:48may be the most famous cult film ever made. Written by Richard O'Brien for the original
14:06stage musical, The Time Warp is a bizarre party song performed by the folks at the mysterious
14:13Dr. Frankenfurter's castle. Filled with glam rock energy and a quirky, unconventional personality,
14:21it continues the movie's celebration of B-movies and novelty songs.
14:36Once you hear it, it's actually impossible to get out of your head or stop doing the dance.
14:43Rocky Horror's midnight screenings are legendary among fans and the audience
14:48participation section built into this track is usually a highlight of the night.
15:06Did we do these cult hits justice or are you doubting our commitment to Sparkle Motion?
15:12Sound off in the comments.
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