Film scores aren’t the only instance of the intersection of music and film, despite the score being an intricate art form in itself. While the score is an essential aspect of the film, you’ve probably seen a lot of films where directors use mainstream music in their movies—they are called “needle drops” that are part of the movie’s soundtrack.

The subtle yet integral art form of using needle drops in movies often brings new life to scenes by complementing and exemplifying the shots, adding another auditory element that fills the gaps between dialogue & cinematography.

Directors usually think out of the box with the mainstream music they choose for their films because it’s such a requisite ingredient in the filmmaking process.

Whether it’s Radiohead, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, or Elvis, directors across the spectrum have used needle drops from renowned & obscure artists to breathe life into their movies & enliven their scenes so that they delight audiences, adding a bit of finesse and pizzazz to the way the film is experienced by cinema-goers. It’s where global artists’ oeuvre collide with film, making it a perfect confluence of music & cinema.

Here are the 20 most iconic usages of needle drops that made a film or a scene in a film come alive.

20 Trainspotting—Iggy Pop/The Stooges: Lust For Life

Danny Boyle’s film Trainspotting begins with a bang with Iggy Pop/The Stooges song, Lust For Life kicking in immediately with the film’s opening scenes. It starts off with heavy drums & guitar parts as the lead character Renton (Ewan McGregor) is shown sprinting in a foot chase & crashing into the hood of a car. It then cuts to scenes of a soccer game with Iggy Pop’s vocals coming in as the main characters are introduced along with Renton’s monologue of choosing heroin over life as the scenes then depict him smoking a cigarette, drugged up on heroin and passing out on the floor of his apartment after a fix. The entire monologue is hard-hitting in its rhetoric and superbly written, as the music fits seamlessly and makes for a really appealing intro to the film.

19 Pulp Fiction—Chuck Berry: You Can Never Tell

It doesn’t get more iconic than this particular scene. Quentin Tarantino is notoriously famous for choosing rare needle drops in his films and this scene from Pulp Fiction is one which has become a cult favorite—it’s the famous dance scene where Uma Thurman and John Travolta shake a leg in a dance contest at a restaurant. Chuck Berry’s You Can Never Tell makes for a quirky, yet upbeat & rather danceable tune as Thurman and Travolta showcase some slick moves on the dance floor. It’s a straight throwback to the 60s with Berry’s guitar and vocals soundtracking a dance performance for the ages.

18 Collateral—Audioslave: Shadow On The Sun

Collateral is a film that may slip under the radar, but it’s arguably one of Tom Cruise’s most underrated roles in his longstanding career. The entire concept of Cruise playing a hitman who hijacks a cab to do his contract killing in one night is a rather intriguing one. The scene in the movie where Audioslave’s Shadow On The Sun plays is well conceived and executed by director Michael Mann. Paul Cameron’s cinematography of cutting to shots of the city lights by night featuring Cruise and the cab driver (Jamie Foxx) along with shots of a plane passing in the night sky amidst the palm trees & the other shots of the taxi rolling through the city are rather fitting. It’s a perfect example of an instance where a needle drop makes seemingly simple shots seem much more interesting and compelling to watch.

17 The Batman—Nirvana: Something In The Way

A more recent entry, Matt Reeves’ Batman reboot The Batman starring Robert Pattinson saw the director astutely chose Nirvana’s Something In The Way for the monologue scene as Pattinson reflects on being Batman and scouring Gotham City to bring criminals to justice. The song made the shots of commissioner Gordon’s speech and Pattinson riding his motorcycle through the city as the monologue goes on much more exciting to watch as Kurt Cobain’s drudgy baritone vocals in this particular song served as a fitting theme to Pattinson’s rendition of the iconic DC character. In fact, the song was so well received that Variety reported record breaking streaming numbers of the song on Spotify following the release of the movie.

Related: Best MCU Needle Drops Of All Time, Ranked

16 Snatch—Oasis: Fu**ing In The Bushes

Guy Ritchie’s Snatch where Britpop heavyweights Oasis' song F**king In The Bushes plays throughout the most important scenes in the film that reveal the plot twist, is an example of just how effective needle drops can be. The song plays through the entire fight scene as the "pikey" named Mickey played by Brad Pitt battles his opponent in the ring in a boxing match. The main riff plays throughout the fight and the other riffs of the song play through the violence & shootings that follow after it and make the entire sequence of scenes unbelievably epic to watch. F**king In The Bushes is a lesser known Oasis song outside the UK, but in the movie, it fits like the perfect stitch to its cloth, stamping Ritchie’s idea and execution of his typical plot twist endings with an exhilarating finish.

15 Gone In 60 Seconds—WAR: Low Rider & Moby: Flower

Gone In 60 Seconds has a couple of interesting needle drops in the film. In the movie, Nicolas Cage & his crew have to steal 50 cars in 24 hours or his brother gets killed, so just before the monumental heist begins, Cage turns to one of his crew members named Donny (Chi McBride) and says, “Donny, Low Rider”. The song used by director Dominic Sena is Low Rider by WAR and Donny plays it over a stereo as Cage, Angelina Jolie & the rest of their team feel the music for a brief 15 seconds as Cage twirls his fingers in the air taking the music in just before they roll out for the heist.

It’s a superbly executed scene that has become synonymous with the film. While in-film needle drops are what we’ve discussed so far, needle drops used in intro credits are also pretty commonplace & Gone In 60 Seconds has another astute song choice for their title sequence in Moby’s Flower. It plays during the entire opening credits and makes for a classy way to begin the film.

14 Fight Club—Pixies: Where Is My Mind?

Endings that use needle drops are another common theme used by directors. More often than not, ending scenes in movies that finish with a needle drop playing make the final scenes more explosive & serve as a perfect finale for the movie. An example of a classic needle drop ending is the end of Fight Club. After the entire back and forth scenes involving Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) throughout the film, it’s finally revealed to audiences that Edward Norton thought up Durden as his alter ego. The final scene where Norton and Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) are standing in a high-rise apartment with gigantic windows holding hands as they watch explosions go off all over the city while The Pixies’ song Where Is My Mind? plays is a fitting example of just how needle drops & the relevance of a song & its lyrics to a movie’s premise fit perfectly. The song is titled Where Is My Mind? which is rather aptly pertinent to the concept of the entire film.

13 Watchmen—Simon & Garfunkel: Sound Of Silence

Zack Snyder’s noir superhero comic book spin-off Watchmen has a predominant & resoundingly old-school classic rock & ‘60s folk music soundtrack to it. Snyder hit the big time after Dawn Of The Dead & 300 and Watchmen soon followed after their success. The entirety of Watchmen has several needle drops by artists like Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin & Jimi Hendrix to name a few. However, the most stand-out needle drop used in the film which a multitude of fans of the film agree with is the use of Simon & Garfunkel’s electric version of Sound Of Silence. The song plays in the scene that depicts the Comedian’s funeral as he’s draped in a US flag & lowered into his grave while his friends and fellow Watchmen pay their respects.

12 The Departed—Dropkick Murphy’s: I’m Shipping Up To Boston

Martin Scorsese’s highly acclaimed crime drama The Departed is a movie that showcases the director’s renowned storytelling style as the plot evolves, twists & turns throughout the film. The movie also has an all-star cast who deliver some critically acclaimed performances from Jack Nicholson to Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon & Mark Wahlberg. Irish rock band Dropkick Murphy’s anthem Shipping Up To Boston serves as a perfect theme for the film considering it’s primarily centered around Boston & the Boston underworld. It plays a few times throughout the movie, from the intro to a handful of pivotal scenes, and is a fitting theme song for the film as Scorsese explores the Irish mob & the crooked venality of Boston.

Related: The Best Needle Drops In Martin Scorsese Movies, Ranked

11 21—MGMT: Time To Pretend

“Winner, winner, chicken dinner.” Another Boston-themed film is the Blackjack-based movie 21. The movie tells the story of a handful of MIT students who are recruited by their teacher to travel to Las Vegas & count cards at the Blackjack tables & win big. The needle drop used at the beginning of the film is an electro-pop song by MGMT called Time To Pretend. It plays through the opening scenes as the lead character Ben (Jim Sturgess) bikes his way to class as the camera cuts to shots of the Boston cityscapes & MIT. It makes for an enthralling start to the film & is an electro-pop song that echoes what it’s like to be young & free.

10 Django Unchained—2Pac feat James Brown: Unchained (The Payback/Untouchable)

Yet another Tarantino film & track on this list. This one is particularly interesting because the needle drop used is a hip-hop track which is usually a rarity, although that's changing these days. Tarantino’s Django Unchained quickly became another one of his highly celebrated films as Jamie Foxx, who plays the lead character Django, puts in a stellar performance apart from Leonardo DiCaprio who also does an impressive job in his role in the movie. The track used in the film is a reworked song that’s a mashup between 2pac’s Untouchable & James Brown’s The Payback. The song plays during a gruesome shootout scene where Django shoots his way out of the mansion that’s under siege. It fits the scene extremely well & makes the entire shootout seem way more intense and explosive as Foxx goes berserk with his pistols while the music plays near the end of the whole action sequence.

9 The Matrix—Rob Dougan: Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Remix) & Rage Against The Machine: Wake Up

The concept of the film The Matrix was revolutionary in its era. The Wachowskis changed cinema forever after the release of the highly experimental film, the original The Matrix that released in 1999. The soundtrack to The Matrix had to be bang on to make the film even more riveting to watch. The two standout songs used in the film are Rob Dougan’s Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Remix) which plays as Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) explains the Matrix to Neo (Keanu Reeves) as they walk through the streets in the Matrix program as the lady in the red dress passes by. The song was downloaded considerably all over the world at the time and was a rare electronic track that became a runaway hit after the film’s release. The other standout track from the movie is surely Rage Against The Machine’s Wake Up which plays at the end of the film and also suits the premise of the film in its title which is to “wake up” (from the Matrix).

8 Vanilla Sky—Radiohead: Everything In Its Right Place

Alternative rock band Radiohead are masters of experimentation & pushing technology to create their niche & unique sound. The hit track from their critically acclaimed 2000 album Kid A Everything In Its Right Place involved unique synth sampling and was chosen for the film Vanilla Sky starring Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz & Cameron Diaz. The song plays in Tom Cruise’s opening dream sequence in the film where Cruz’s voiceover repeats “open your eyes”. It makes the entire sequence seem surreal & plunges audiences into the headspace of Cruise’s dream. For a generation of film and music lovers, the movie, in particular, was their introduction to alternative-rock pioneers Radiohead.

7 Coach Carter—Citizen Cope: Let The Drummer Kick

Coach Carter tells the true story about Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) who takes up the role of a basketball coach at his former high school Richmond High where he was a star basketball athlete in his playing days. As coach, he motivates his team to win the state championships undefeated while also maintaining sufficient academic grades despite their troubled lives outside of school. The song that plays as he makes his way to the basketball court & holds the basketball in his hands looking up at the board of honors is a song by Citizen Cope called Let The Drummer Kick. It’s an emotional scene in the film & the music sets the mood for the rest of the plot of the movie after it.

6 Goal!—Kasabian: Club Foot

A film about the world’s most popular sport, football or soccer, whatever you’d like to call it, Goal! is the quintessential movie about the beautiful game. Interest in the Premier League in England and soccer in the UK & Europe has slowly increased in the US as well. Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds & It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia actor Rob McElhenny recently bought the UK-based club Wrexham United as of 2021, apart from several new American owners of clubs in the UK. Goal! depicts the dream of every kid who wants to make it as a professional footballer.

The movie follows the story of a Mexican teenager named Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) who gets signed by the English club Newcastle United & explores his life on and off the pitch. Brit band Kasabian’s song Club Foot makes for a staggering sequence in the movie where Santiago visits his first Newcastle game against Chelsea in the stands. The song runs through shots of Newcastle’s stadium, fans entering the stadium & in pubs & cuts to shots of an actual game between both teams. The music & the cinematography complement each other superbly making Club Foot the perfect anthem for the movie and the sport in general.

5 American Pie 2—Sum 41: Fat Lip

Teenagers with raging hormones & a road trip with your high school friends, it doesn’t get any more reminiscent of your adolescent years than with the American Pie series of movies. This scene from American Pie 2 is when the gang hit the road to travel to a beach house and invite their friend Steven Stifler (Sean William Scott) for the trip to cover their expenses. The song that plays while they’re traveling on the road to Great Harbor is the punk rock band Sum41’s song Fat Lip. Stifler is his obscene self & the crew dish out insults to each other among other banter as they eye the women in bikinis while they make their way to the beach house. It’s a classic.

4 Rocknrolla—The Subways: Rock & Roll Queen & Black Strobe: I’m A Man

Guy Ritchie’s 2009 film Rocknrolla is one of the most evocative explorations of crime & mobsters from the London underworld that collide with a rock and roll star’s life, amidst the money, fame, drugs, booze, sex, felony & notoriety. The songs in the film are used brilliantly as they invigorate the scenes. Two stand-out needle drops from the film are I’m A Man by Black Strobe which plays in the title sequence as the monologue about what a "Rocknrolla" is, goes on. The other song that’s perfectly used in the movie is the song Rock & Roll Queen by The Subways which plays through a sequence of a gig at a nightclub and a fight outside it. Both songs typify Ritchie’s hallmark directing abilities and work appealingly through the course of the movie.

3 Rush Hour—Edwin Starr: War (What Is It Good For?)

Jackie Chan & Chris Tucker are now famous for the Rush Hour series of movies; it’s perhaps Hollywood comedy at its best. The film, however, wouldn’t be complete without the scene with a song that’s synonymous with the first Rush Hour movie, Edwin Starr’s War (What Is It Good For?). In the movie, Chan begins singing the song making funny faces, which is rather comical, as Tucker proceeds to correct him on the way to sing it. The pair then groove & dance to the song on the sidewalk near their parked vehicle & also begin to do some karate moves as the song plays & the whole scene is just hilariously executed. The scene has now become famous for its hilarity & it’s one of those scenes that linger on in your memory after watching it.

2 Reservoir Dogs—George Baker Selection: Little Green Bag

Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs starts off in smooth fashion with his choice of the rare ‘60s pop-rock song called Little Green Bag by The George Baker Selection; an obscure band from the Netherlands who released the song in 1969. After the scene in the diner as the main characters stroll out on the sidewalk and the street as the movie’s opening credits kick in, Little Green Bag begins & adds some finesse to the scene. The song has become a seminal introductory needle drop that is an archetypal Tarantino song choice.

1 Constantine—A Perfect Circle: Passive

Keanu Reeves’ cult classic film Constantine depicts Reeves as John Constantine—a chain-smoking demonologist & exorcist who can see demons and angels on Earth and who acts as a protector & gatekeeper who banishes demons back to hell. Shia LaBeouf and Rachel Weisz also star in the film which is due for a sequel in the near future as per the latest reports that Reeves has been pushing studios to make the follow-up Constantine 2. The scene in Constantine that remains rather memorable is when Reeves enters a club called Midnite’s Club owned by Papa Midnite(Djimon Hounsou) where half-demons & half-angels meet.

The song director Francis Lawrence picked is Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan’s alternative-rock side band, A Perfect Circle’s Passive from their 2004 album Emotive. The song plays as Reeves enters the club as the camera cuts to shots of the half-demons & half-angels drinking, feasting & frolicking with their glowing eyes all fixed on Constantine as he walks through the club. The scene’s color grading alongside the song playing makes for a perfect congregation of music & cinematography that intensifies the entire sequence of shots.