The 10 greatest David Bowie needle drops: “I get offered so many bad movies”
The power of David Bowie truly knows no bounds. The singer-songwriter transcended genre and even discipline when he jumped out from the musical spotlight and into the sets of Hollywood. While his performances in plays and films are certainly more than credible, below are the best examples of when it was his music that made films just that little bit more complete.
As we all know, a killer soundtrack can sometimes make a film. The music, perfectly coupled with the right song reflecting the scene, can make regular films feel like classics. While in the below list we’d argue that many of them are classics anyway, the use of Bowie’s poignant and powerful music takes them to another level. He always brought a rugged theatricality to his music so it feels only right that his music be given a good run in a theatre.
As well as being a wonderful actor, though not blessed with the greatest roles, once quoted as saying: “I get offered so many bad movies. And they’re all raging queens or transvestites or Martians,” Bowie was always keen to make his songs cinematic. Whether that was using music videos to share his vision or acting out the said vision in his live performances, we’re sure he would have been glad at every one of these inclusions. That’s because, in every case, the songs aren’t there just for clout.
No, these tracks have been picked for the movies because they work well together. In fact, we go so far as to say, that without Bowie’s inclusion in these films and scenes, they would fall relatively flat. Instead, they are lifted to the same heights as his musical catalogue, which is no mean feat.
The 10 best David Bowie moments in movies:
‘Helden’ in Jojo Rabbit
Heavily praised for its unique style, the musical score created by American composer Michael Giacchino proved pivotal in the overwhelming feel-good sense and, at times, euphoric atmosphere.
Giacchino, who created 45 minutes of fairy-tale-style music at Abbey Road Studios in London with a 35-piece orchestra, also saw contemporary artists such as The Beatles, Tom Waits, Roy Orbison and, of course, David Bowie in Taika Waititi’s Oscar-winning film.
Closing out the film, Bowie’s song ‘Helden’ arrives to bring together the celebratory mood of a war coming to an end. The track, an alternative German version of Bowie’s iconic number ‘Heroes’ recorded in homage to Berlin, sees lead characters Jojo and Elsa break into dance while on the streets of the German capital. It is euphoric, startlingly joyful, and a reminder that the greatest heroism is within us all, even just for one day.
‘Cat People (Putting Out Fire)’ in Inglorious Basterds
One of our absolute favourite moments in any film, Bowie-adjacent or otherwise, comes from Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, who employs the ‘Starman‘ with explosive effect and uses ‘Cat People (Putting Out Fire)’ as part of the climactic scene.
The track was originally composed for the film by the same name, but Tarantino’s use of it is far more impressive. It’s a reminder of just how brilliant the director is at curating his soundtracks.
As our heroine, Shosanna Dreyfus (played by Melanie Laurent) readies her plan to enact a ball of fiery revenge on a large chunk of Nazi officers in her cinema as they sit to watch the premiere of the propaganda film, Nation’s Pride. Bowie’s handling of the sultry noir is always effortless and coupled with the violence in Dreyfus’ eyes, there’s an added element of danger that combusts like a chemical reaction.
‘Fashion’ in Clueless
Despite what many film aficionados may claim, watching Clueless is a joyful experience. Ity’s period piece for the modern age not only adapts a classic novel but also reminds us of the manic decade that was the 1990s.
The film, as candy-coated and bubblegum-fragile as it is, is full of iconic moments of ’90s glory which sees the retelling of Emma be given a totally fabulous makeover by director Amy Heckerling—but that didn’t mean it didn’t borrow from the past in other ways.
The film’s opening scene may begin with ‘Kids In America’, but the real moment of pleasure comes when Bowie’s song ‘Fashion’ takes over the airwaves. Although the song’s subject matter was plainly aligned with the film’s direction, it is the track’s comparative obscurity to ’90s America that made it fit so perfectly.
‘Heroes’ in Perks of Being a Wallflower
It isn’t easy to look back at the pre-teen things you loved most in the world. If you’re lucky, they can be reduced to unshakable factions like sports teams; otherwise, they often make you blush every time you remember them. Looking back at the 1999 novel Perks of Being a Wallflower may have your cheeks turning red, but it’s still a fine piece of work.
The 2012 film version of the novel, directed by Stephen Chbosky, wouldn’t have done much to dissuade you from blushing, but it does include one incredible scene. While avid readers will detail the location forever, the real point here is not who these people are or even what their story is, but just how connected they feel by music.
Every audience member has heard a song that made their hair stand on end — made us roll down the windows and start singing as loudly as we could. For these three kids, their first hearing of Bowie’s classic ‘Heroes’ provides every excuse they need to truly feel something with one another. It’s a beautiful moment.
‘Life on Mars’ – The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
If rumours are to be believed, Wes Anderson was extremely keen on titling his 2004 film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou with the byline, ‘Featuring Music by David Bowie’. That’s because the ‘Starman’ has a hand in almost all of the most impressive and imposing scenes.
There are Bowie moments all over the film, with his songs ‘Starman’ and ‘Changes’ included in the film but in Portuguese, with Seu Jorge providing translation for these and some notable other tracks which end up closing the film. That said, none are quite as powerful as this inclusion of ‘Life On Mars’.
As Zissou, played handsomely by Bill Murray, is confronted by his past and future in the form of a son he never really knew he had, Bowie’s classic song plays in the background. The grand orchestral sound, the otherworldly notion and the sense of disbelief all accurately play out alongside Murray’s own performance. It’s expertly aligned.
‘I’m Deranged’ in Lost Highway
David Lynch and David Bowie are two artists we wish to work more closely with one another. While the two Davids have shared a few moments of artistic creativity, they are too few and too far between in our eyes—an appearance in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, is not enough!
They did, however, somewhat connect on Lynch’s 1997 film Lost Highway. Used for the opening scene of the film, Bowie’s electronic penchant present i the album Outsider can be clearly heard in this one. The fast pace and Bowie’s ethereal vocals allow for some classic Lynchian juxtaposition.
When added to Lynch’s undulating and hypnotic image of the incessant road ahead, things start to click into place. There’s a shroud of darkness over most of Lynch’s work and this one is punctured by Bowie in the most beautiful of ways.
‘Modern Love’ in Frances Ha
Noah Baumbach’s 2012 film Frances, Ha grabbed the director some rightly deserved attention and acclaim—for many, it launched his career in earnest. But we’d argue that while the film is certainly fantastic, it would have felt incomplete without this scene. This scene, effortlessly soundtracked by Bowie’s song ‘Modern Love’, is packed full of life-affirming joy and goosebump-inducing cheerfulness.
It’s a crucial moment in the film, too. Baumbach has his heroine, played by Gret Gerwig, moving through New York with a permanent smile on her face, a glint in her eye and a twinkle in her steps, she interplays with the very city itself. It works seamlessly with Bowie’s more guarded delivery, suggesting there’s a shared smirk between the two.
The track features once more at the end of the film but doesn’t share the same impact. It is when Frances and Bowie dance with one another on the streets of New York that cinematic magic happens. With one scene, Bowie and Baumbach tell the story of freedom and escaping those who try to prohibit it. Simply breathtaking.
‘Under Pressure’ in Aftersun
In Charlotte Wells’ slow-burn directorial debut, she considers depression and family bonds through the nuanced and tender viewpoint of a daughter on holiday with her Dad. Expertly played by Paul Mescal, who received his first Oscar nomination for his performance, Calum Patterson is a young father attempting to bond with his 11-year-old daughter and conceal his personal struggles from the young girl. But the lingering sadness flashes through in subtle yet powerful moments that hit right at the heart. For some viewers, it hits hard to know how it feels to be Sophie, the child trying to understand her parents’ behaviour. To some, the role of the father hits close to home for anyone who has struggled with depression.
As it always does, the use of music in the film proves to be a powerful emotional vehicle. Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’ perfectly captures the double-edged meaning of the scene as Calum pulls his daughter onto the dance floor for a boogie. As the song rolls on, Bowie and Queen’s instrumentally joyous but lyrically dark tune is matched with a gorgeous and gutting visual moment from Wells as her semi-autobiographical flick switches between her memories as a young girl watching her father dance to herself as an adult, looking back at this moment and wondering about the sadness underneath.
‘Starman’ in The Martian
This is obviously a match made in heaven. Released in 1972 as the lead single for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, ‘Starman’ tells the story of an alien rockstar who takes the form of a kind of second coming, delivering a message of hope to Earth.
That optimistic edge makes it the perfect tune to soundtrack this scene in the 2015 sci-fi flick The Martian. While the film is quite a distressing picture as Matt Damon stars as an astronaut stranded on Mars and battling to survive, the Bowie needle drop soundtracks a scene showing the collective effort by several characters, engineers and astronauts as they work towards a rescue mission. Connecting to Bowie’s strange link to space travel as ‘Space Odyssey’ became a kind of anthem for the first moon landing, ‘Starman’ is an obvious yet effective pick for a film about planetary exploration.
‘Fame’ in The House That Jack Built
While some Bowie needle drops are using the uplifting energy of his songs for a moment of joy or optimism, or simply borrowing from his stylish flare to elevate the aesthetic energy of a movie, The House That Jack Built is looking to do the exact opposite. Instead, in his 2018 psychological horror, Lars von Trier uses the familiar and beloved voice of the singer for a deeply unsettled moment.
It’s a well-known trope in horror movies where directors juxtapose horrific scenes with upbeat songs that we’d typically associate with fun or even safety. American Psycho does it expertly as Patrick Bateman hits play on Huey Lewis before committing a brutal slaughter, but The House That Jack Built does it with an even more well-known and broadly beloved voice as Von Trier uses Bowie to soundtrack a chilling thriller. But it’s still a clever pick, capturing his protagonist’s hunger for twisted notoriety by using Bowie’s opus on the dark side of celebrity.
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