“Unthinkable without them”: Martin Scorsese’s favourite song by The Rolling Stones
A deep, intrinsic and gratifying relationship exists between esteemed director Martin Scorsese and the iconic rock ‘n’ roll band The Rolling Stones. One that goes far beyond Scorsese’s musical documentary about the group Shine A Light and stretches across his films to the point of fandom. “My films,” Scorsese once said, “Would be unthinkable without them.”
The director has always included pop music in his movies but has a special affection for the Stones. Although he did not grow up with rock and roll, Scorsese recalls: “I listened to their music all the time”. He went to his first Stones concert in 1970, a period of time when the director was in his late 20s. He hadn’t been exposed to their music before that. “It was a working-class, conservative background in my family, so we listened to AM radio,” he explained. “But FM was just beginning, with rock’n’roll. So then I heard The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.”
One thing that stands out when cultural icons choose their favourite songs, films, or performances is that, by the very nature of art, these preferences are bound to evolve over time. It would be unrealistic to think that the song you adored at 19 would remain your favourite at 81, as life experiences shape and shift our tastes. Even though Martin Scorsese has frequently expressed his admiration for The Rolling Stones, he has never publicly declared a single song as his all-time favourite. However, his films may offer key clues to his preferences, subtly reflecting his deep appreciation for the band.
Scorsese is one of the few directors whose influence spans both the film and music industries. His name carries immense weight in both fields, as he has long been associated with some of the biggest rock acts in history. Scorsese’s talent for crafting compelling musical documentaries and electrifying concert films is evident in his body of work, where he masterfully captures the energy and essence of live performances. His unique ability to blend the worlds of cinema and music has earned him a distinct place in both arenas.
Having worked with Bob Dylan to bring the Rolling Thunder Revue to the fore as well as capturing the epic final moments of The Band in The Last Waltz, it’s easy to draw the connection between Martin Scorsese and music, and that’s without mentioning Woodstock from 1970, arguably the greatest music documentary of all time. When you add that to Shine A Light, it provides some iron-clad thinking that Scorsese rates music just as highly as he does the art of cinema. But there’s no band he likes more than the Stones.
Scorsese has incorporated numerous Rolling Stones tracks into his films, so much so that it would feel unusual to watch one of his movies without hearing Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at some point. However, one song stands out as a recurring feature in his work, suggesting it may be his favourite or, at the very least, the one he deems most cinematically impactful. That song is the haunting and foreboding ‘Gimme Shelter’, often seen as the death knell of the 1960s, marking a turbulent end to an era. Its dark, apocalyptic tone makes it a perfect fit for Scorsese’s intense, often gritty storytelling.
From 1968’s album Let It Bleed, ‘Gimme Shelter’ is one song that remains as scintillating today as it was when it was released. The tune is rightly seen as one of the band’s best tracks. Regarded as the final war cry of the 1960s, the song is forever linked with the incendiary refrain of “Rape! Murder! It’s just a shot away”, which acts as the perfect lyrics for many of Scorsese’s features.
The song was a searing indictment of the world around the band. “Well, it’s a very rough, very violent era. The Vietnam War,” Mick Jagger said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “Violence on the screens, pillage and burning. And Vietnam was not war as we knew it in the conventional sense. The thing about Vietnam was that it wasn’t like World War II, and it wasn’t like Korea, and it wasn’t like the Gulf War.”
Adding: “It was a real nasty war, and people didn’t like it. People objected, and people didn’t want to fight it … That’s a kind of end-of-the-world song, really. It’s apocalypse; the whole record’s like that.”
‘Gimme Shelter’ serves as a pivotal element in some of Scorsese’s most iconic films. It appears in four of his masterpieces, creating unforgettable moments that heighten the tension and emotion of each scene. In Mean Streets, the track underscores the chaotic world of Harvey Keitel’s character, while in Goodfellas, it marks the downfall of Henry Hill as his world begins to unravel. In Casino, the song accompanies scenes of bloodshed and betrayal, reinforcing the film’s intense atmosphere. Finally, in The Departed, ‘Gimme Shelter’ perfectly introduces the twisted character of Frank Costello, setting the tone for the film’s violent and unpredictable narrative.
Having used the song in four different films across three different decades, it’s fair to assume that, at the very least, he considers the song the most impactful. But, judging by his utilisation of the band, in general, and with so many other songs available, one would imagine that ‘Gimme Shelter’ is certainly in the running for Martin Scorsese’s favourite Rolling Stones song.
