Original scores certainly have a place in film, with many of the most iconic being orchestral creations specifically tailored to suit the film. Still, over the decades, filmmakers have equally been keen to draw from popular music artists, often using songs that have proven to be popular in the charts, to create soundtracks that are influential in their own right. Here, we’re looking at some movies with excellent soundtracks that feature some of the biggest male music stars of the 1980s.
Prince Backs the Caped Crusader
Having seen how Batman has evolved on-screen in recent years, from The Dark Knight to the murderous ‘Bat-Fleck,’ and then to the gloomy The Batman, it’s almost bizarre that, at one point, we had Tim Burton directing the Caped Crusader movies. Bolstered by Michael Keaton in one of the best Batsuits to date and Jack Nicholson putting in a superb turn as the Joker, 1989’s Batman was a huge hit, and part of that was down to the soundtrack.
In addition to the all-star cast of great performers on-screen, which also included Kim Basinger and Billy Dee Williams, there was the man they picked to create the soundtrack. In a move that reportedly saved the US musician’s career, Prince created a whole new album to serve as both the film’s soundtrack (not to be confused with Danny Elfman’s original score) and his 11th studio album. Four years on from his last chart-topping album, Batman surged to number one, headlined by the song “Batdance”.
The Rolling Stones Up the Ante
In films, you’ll rarely see a casino that’s depicted as anything other than being a deluxe and lavish venue. It’s partly because of this that operations as far-flung as the live casino in the UK have had to go all-in on offering an authentic and VIP-style experience. In each live-streamed game, the goal is to put on a show for the player while running their favourite table game or game show. The likes of Fortune Roulette and Majestic Wheelshow are all about the pizzazz of the casino setting.
So, it makes sense that a film about the antics of casino players and its pit boss, Casino (1995), would turn to an equally upbeat artist to help form its soundtrack. Now, Casino is loaded with hit songs that make up its soundtrack, but the ones that stand out are the two selected from The Rolling Stones’ vast collection of hits. When Casino was being made, The Rolling Stones had just nailed a monumental comeback.
In 1989, Steel Wheels reaffirmed them as hit-makers, as did Voodoo Lounge in 1994. Both saw Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood go on colossal stadium tours, fixing them in the minds of the Casino moviemakers. For the flick, they leaned into the country-inspired track “Sweet Virginia”, which lends itself well to the old American depiction of Wild West casino gaming. Casino also deployed Gimme Shelter to up the ante even further.
Marvin Gaye’s Perfect Opening Credits
Ensemble casts are rarely easy to establish in films. With so many characters, filmmakers can either throw them all out there at once and hope that the actors are strong enough to cement the characteristics swiftly, or they can build out over the opening scenes to gradually create the ensemble and set the roles that way. To set the tone of the film and establish characters, 1983’s The Big Chill put them all out there with the perfect track to back them up.
Picking one of the most well-known tracks from DC singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye – who broke through in Motown music in the 1960s and then established R&B subgenres in the 1980s – The Big Chill opens to around four minutes of showing each character going about their everyday lives. Throughout these opening credits, I Heard it Through the Grapevine sets the direction and tone of the film expertly.
Enjoy some hit tracks from 80s superstars by putting on Batman, Casino, or The Big Chill next time you fancy watching a great film.
