It’s April, and that means lots of rainy days spent inside watching movies. That means there’s a lot of epic soundtracks booming in my house at the moment. Hurray! A while back, I wrote this post on my favorite movie/music moments using original music. Today, I wanted to do the same thing but using non-original music in film.
There are a lot of amazing uses of non-original music in movies (have you seen A Knight’s Tale?). But in this post, I will again be focusing on music that gives me the full-on chills when it comes on in these movies/TV shows. Again, I’m breaking the list up into two parts: vocal music and instrumental music.
Hope you enjoy!
Listen to the Lyrics: Music with Words
1. Vuelie – Frozen
Written by Frode Fjellheim
Performed by Cantus
Who knew watching title cards could be so emotional? It took me 90 seconds to decide that Frozen was going to have an incredible soundtrack when I first saw it. I wasn’t wrong, and yet this opening song is still probably my favorite. The all-female chorus is haunting and mesmerizing. It was actually composed separate from the movie (as a hymn called Eatnemen Vuelie) and adapted into the film as its now iconic opening. If you want to hear the non-film version, check this out from back in 2007. Cool, right? And don’t try to tell me that when this theme comes back at the end of the movie you don’t start tearing up. Just me? Fine. Moving on…
2. El Tango de Roxanne – Moulin Rouge
“Roxanne” written by Sting
Music by Mariano Mores
Lyrics by Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce
Performed by Jacek Koman, Jose Feliciano, Ewan McGregor, & Richard Roxburgh
Who doesn’t love a tango? Sting’s original tune is fine, but it’s the polyphony of this little medley that gives me goosebumps. From when Ewan McGregor comes in with the countermelody to the end where Richard Roxburgh does it in his extra creepy voice, my skin is on fire! Love it.
3. My Mother Told Me – Vikings (5.10)
Arrangement by Layne Stein
Performed by VoicePlay
I think more people know about this song now since it’s been featured in various media including Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and been covered by many an artist in the last couple of years. My first exposure to this ancient Scandinavian hymn was, of course, on the TV show Vikings. It appears several times in the show, but it’s the scene in Season 5 Episode 10 that really sent the shivers through me. Two of our characters, brothers Harald and Halfdan, find themselves on opposite sides of the coming battle, and they sing this song as they prepare (if you are interested, watch the first part here – but beware of spoilers!). Talk about chills!
I’ve included my favorite cover since I can’t resist a VoicePlay shout out 🙂
4. Strange Fruit – Cold Case (2.19)
Written by Abel Meeropol
Performed by Nina Simone
Cold Case has some of the best and most creative uses of non-original music in the history of television, but this one takes the cake. Strange Fruit is a tragic and haunting song no matter the context, but if this montage at the end of the Cold Case episode of the same name doesn’t get your skin prickling and your heart crackling, well, nothing probably will. The song was made famous originally by Billie Holiday, and her story is just as tragic.
5. Don’t You (Forget About Me) – The Breakfast Club
Words and Music by Keith Forsey & Steve Schiff
Performed by Simple Minds
This might be just me, but I always get chills at the end of this movie. It’s a phenomenal ending to a great movie, and it just wouldn’t be the same without this song! Emotional and iconic. What more do you need?
Feel the Music: Instrumentals
1. The Rite of Spring – Fantasia
Music by Igor Stravinsky
The first time I remember being affected by instrumental music in a movie was watching Fantasia when I was a kid. Specifically, it was the “dinosaur one”, which I later learned was Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. This music is insane – the actual ballet tells the story of an ancient pagan ritual that ends with a girl who dances herself to death as a sacrifice. No wonder people rioted at its original performance! And for me, a dinosaur-obsessed child, this was both fascinating and traumatic (it still is tbh). This music would probably give me chills in any context if I’m honest, but nevertheless I include it here.
2. Adagio for Strings – Platoon
Music by Samuel Barber
Sorry, no original clip here. It’s graphic and contains major spoilers. So you can content yourself with listening to Barber’s masterpiece. Like Rites of Spring, this music gives me chills in any setting, but its even more moving in the Vietnam jungles with Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe. I can’t imagine having the same reaction to the scene with any other music. Now excuse me while I sob over here in the corner…
3. Danny Boy – Brassed Off
Music by Percy Grainger
Look at Ewan McGregor making this list twice! Good soundtracks must follow that man around. I never had a soft spot for Danny Boy until I saw this movie. These out-of-work coal miners playing their brass hearts out, it’s just so moving! Absolutely gorgeous.
4. Symphony No. 7 in A Major: Allegretto – The King’s Speech
Music by Ludwig van Beethoven
The climax of any movie deserves a fantastic score. Why not turn to one of the masters? I’ve heard this movement in other films (most notably The Fall), but it never gave me chills until I heard it underneath Colin Firth’s voiceover in this scene. Combine it with images of apprehensive people who are facing global war yet again, and you have the recipe for some shivers.
5. Nearer My God to Thee – Titanic
Original Hymn by Sarah Flower Adams
Music by Lowell Mason
Arranged by Jonathan Evans-Jones
Oh, Titanic. I will probably never get over the disappointment I felt with that movie. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. At all. That being said, the one thing the movie had going for it was it’s incredible score. From the haunting Hymn to the Sea played over the images of the sunken ship, to the absolute bop that is Irish Party in the Third Class, and who can forget the song that made Celine Dion a household name? The most riveting part of the movie is, of course, when the ship is sinking. What makes it especially moving is this beautiful performance by the string quartet played over the montage of people preparing themselves for the sinking of the ship. Even I, an uninterested 9-year-old on my first viewing, was impressed.
Would I have rather watched an entire three hour movie about the string quartet? Yes. Yes I would have. In my version, the quartet is saved by hopping aboard the bass and rowing to safety with the violins as paddles. A bass floats just as well as a door AND it will fit everyone. I will not budge on this.
So there you have it! I hope you found some moving music on this list. What are your favorite musical moments in movies? Comment below!