Monday, August 4, 2008

Can't Stop the Licensing!

I was thinking the other day about the songs that have been licensed out for use in movie trailers so many times that they have become an absurd cliche. The trailer for Tropic Thunder really plays on the licensed music cliche by opening it's trailer with "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. It's a hilarious use of the song because of just how many times we have heard the opening notes of it used in movies about the war in Vietnam as well as their trailers. Well, let's all put on our thinking caps and list the songs that have been used in so many trailers that there should be a moratorium placed on using them . . .

1. "Bodies" by Downing Pool

I'm sure you all are as sick as me of anytime there is an action movie the trailer has to have the inane chorus of "let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor . . . aaaaaarrrrrhhhhhhhhhh!" Not only do I hate fake-ass "Nu metal" but I am sick of it being associated with anything remotely bad-ass. I think the response to this song should be Let the masters hit the fire, let the masters hit the fire!"

2. "Clocks" by Coldplay

So, this is the obligatory song for some sort of build-up of emotional tension. I think the main reason you hear it in trailers so much is because it really does sound like glorified generic production music.

3. "Let My Love Open the Door" by Pete Townshend

I love The Who as much as any other rock and roll fan but this song is pussy music at it's worst. This is the song we usually get when the love of a child or a woman thaws the icy heart of a man. I think in the Rom-Com 1o Commandments it's required to use this song in your trailers.

4. "Party Up" by DMX

This song's gone make me lose my mind . . . up in this theater, up in this theater!

5. "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel

I'm so touched. I'm so moved. I'm so sick of this fucking song! Stop licensing it out! Give it a fucking rest!

6. "Yeah" by Usher

A favorite of the "hip hop dance" genre of films. My response? NO!

7. "Don't Bring Me Down" by ELO

I am a huge ELO fan. The overuse of their most famous song in trailers went against the premise of the song . . . it brought me down.


I am sure I am forgetting quite a few. Feel free to chime in with some others you all are tired of.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

After The Matrix came out, almost every action movie had the song "Clubbed to Death" in their trailers. The 6th day had a really long intro with that song. Another one was "Dragula" by Rob Zombie. Not sure of any others but I'll have to dig deep and post those too.

Cindy said...

The Teadybears song..um.. don't remember the name of it, but the first time I heard it was in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

I used to be a huge fan of movie soundtracks - for the music not the songs. The music from Bram Stokers Dracula is used a lot in trailers. In fact, it's in a movie trailer that is out right now, but I can't remember which one. When I find it, I'll report back.

Anonymous said...

How about Welcome to the Jungle?

And as much as I love old school White Zombie, the opening slide riffs Of More Human Than Human got so played out- have mercy!!!

Anonymous said...

Why don't they license out cooler songs like "Sweat from My Balls" from CB4?