Unlike a film’s original score, a "needle drop" is when a movie uses a pre-existing recording of a song either as background music or music diegetically in the scene itself. There are many aspects that make up a movie; after all, it is an audio-visual medium, and needle drops are behind some of the most memorable scenes of cinema.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography is known for its distinctive trademarks — flawed and desperate characters, carefully choreographed long takes, and an unforgettable soundtrack. Anderson imbues each of his movies with their distinctive rhythm, where elements of the scene harmonize (or disharmonize) in a beautiful cohesion. With Anderson’s intentional music choices, his needle drop moments make for memorable scenes and reveal a lot about what the movie is conveying.
1 ‘Magnolia’ (1999) — “One” by Aimee Mann
The opening credits slowly fade in and out of a black screen, and the gentle repetitive piano taps of Aimee Mann’s “One” sets up Anderson’s ensemble film Magnolia. For the first seven minutes, we’re introduced to each of Magnolia’s characters — Frank T.J. Mackey (Tom Cruise), pickup artist and motivational speaker; Claudia (Melora Walters), a woman struggling with addiction; Jimmy (Philip Baker Hall), an aging quiz show host; Donnie (William H. Macy), a former quiz show champion; Linda (Julianne Moore) and Phil (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), the wife and nurse looking after Linda’s husband; and Jim (John C. Reilly), a police officer trying his best.
As the song goes, “one is the loneliest number,” but as we’re introduced to each of the characters that make up Magnolia, Anderson highlights the separate lives that are soon to crossover in unexpected ways.
2 ‘Boogie Nights’ (1997) - “Boogie Shoes” by KC and the Sunshine Band
With his success in breaking into the adult film industry, the young star Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) revels in his new-found fame. His success sees him splurging on Italian reptilian shoes and shirts made of imported Italian nylon in limited-edition silk prints — a fact he makes known to everyone he comes across.
With its 1970s setting, the soundtrack of Boogie Nights brings audiences back to the discotheque era. With KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Boogie Shoes” playing over this scene, it emphasizes the materialistic joys Dirk relishes due to his newfound success.
3 ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ (2002) — “He Needs Me” by Shelley Duvall
After following her to Hawaii, Barry (Adam Sandler) tries to reach Lena’s (Emily Watson) hotel room from a phone booth during a street parade. As his call is finally transferred to the correct room, the light of the phone booth illuminates, and the two make plans to meet up. Barry reaches out for a handshake as Lena pulls him in for a kiss, silhouetted against a sunny Hawaiian backdrop.
Anderson’s unconventional romantic comedy Punch-Drunk Love underscores the romantic meetup of the two social outcasts with Shelley Duvall’s “He Needs Me” from Popeye. The scene is full of whimsy and hope as two lonely people finally find each other.
4 ‘Licorice Pizza’ (2021) — “Let Me Roll It” by Paul McCartney and Wings
Reconciling after narrowly escaping a terrifying motorcycle stunt, Gary (Cooper Hoffman) and Alana (Alana Haim) walk to the waterbed store. Lying side by side on the waterbed, “Let Me Roll It” by Paul McCartney and Wings starts to play as the tension between them grows.
Set in 1970s Los Angeles, Licorice Pizza follows the development of a young couple’s unconventional relationship. As Gary glances longingly at Alana while respecting her distance, the song's message echoes throughout the scene as Gary laments his unrequited love.
5 ‘Inherent Vice’ (2014) — “Journey Through the Past” by Neil Young
Upon receiving a postcard from Shasta (Katherine Waterston), Doc (Joaquin Phoenix) recalls a memory of when they once used an Ouija board, hoping to find their next score. As Neil Young’s “Journey Through the Past” plays, we’re transported to a time when Doc and Shasta ran hand-in-hand in the rain, illuminated by the streetlights, carefree.
Inherent Vice is a neo-noir mystery following Doc as he tries to track down his missing ex-girlfriend Shasta. With flashbacks calling back to a distant and untroubled past, Neil Young’s song encapsulates the sense of beauty and loss found in nostalgia and the pain of holding onto a past that is no longer there.
6 ‘The Master’ (2012) — “Get Thee Behind Me Satan” by Ella Fitzgerald
As Ella Fitzgerald’s “Get Thee Behind Me Satan” plays, we are introduced to the lavish world of a post-war department store. Women, businessmen, young couples, and families pose in front of a camera under Freddie’s (Joaquin Phoenix) direction. All is calm and perfectly curated. Meanwhile, a salesgirl in a lavish coat strolls through the department store showcasing her outfit.
The Master follows Freddie, a World War II Navy veteran struggling to adjust to post-war society. As Fitzgerald’s song plays over our first time seeing Freddie in a post-war setting, we can feel the weight of Freddie’s violent past looming over him.
7 ‘Boogie Nights’ (1997) — “Do Your Thing” by Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band
At a New Year's Eve party in 1979, Bill (William H. Macy) storms into the event looking for his wife. In one continuous camera shot, Bill makes his way through the party with “Do Your Thing” by Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band playing in the background. He finds his wife in a room, cheating on him once again. With the countdown to new year’s ticking closer, Bill retrieves a gun from his car, heads back inside, and shoots his wife, the man she was with, before shooting himself right as the song ends and the clock strikes midnight.
Anderson’s use of “Do Your Thing” to underscore this scene, in particular, disrupts the carefree disco-loving 1970s that was the first half of Boogie Nights. It ushers in a new era violently and unexpectedly.
8 ‘Boogie Nights’ (1997) — “Jessie's Girl” by Rick Springfield
Dirk (Wahlberg) and Reed (John C. Reilly) turn to local drug dealer Rahad (Alfred Molina) in a time of need as they hope to scam him out of his supplies. The pair walk into a chaotic scene, while Rahad’s bodyguard inspects the scam drugs Dirk provided, Rahad sings and dances along to “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield while firecrackers go off in the background. When the bodyguard catches on to the scam, in an explosive turn of events, the stereo transitions into Nena’s “99 Luftballons” as a gunfight ensues.
The disastrous drug deal scene from Boogie Nights signifies a coming of age moment for Dirk. With not one but two needle drops in this scene alone, Anderson uses the soundtrack to craft chaos through an eruption of needless violence.
9 ‘Licorice Pizza’ (2021) - “Life on Mars?” by David Bowie
During the 1973 oil crisis, Gary is in need of gas and sprints towards a petrol station. With David Bowie’s “Life on Mars?” underscoring the scene, he meanders through a long line of idling cars stuck on the road, signs indicating “no gas,” and children on bikes without a care in the world.
Licorice Pizza's unconventional relationship is likewise portrayed in unconventional ways where a desperate dash for gas becomes a romantic gesture. As 1970s youth surrounded by turmoil and turbulent times, Bowie’s iconic song in this moment helps reflect the youth's sense of powerless surrounded by world events, and the carefree joy that comes with it.
10 ‘Magnolia’ (1999) — “Wise Up” by Aimee Mann
As Phil administers a powerful drug to his elderly patient, Claudia is back on her addiction while listening to Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up”. Her voice quivering, she sings along to Mann’s emotional song. As the scene cuts to a melancholic Jim, a defeated Jimmy, a forlorn Donnie, a remorseful Phil, Linda, and Frank — each singing along to the same song across time and place.
Anderson beautifully brings all the characters from his ensemble film Magnolia together in one scene of shared sorrow. Although not all the stories overlapped, this scene along with Mann’s song allows the characters to experience a shared moment of emotional pain in a haunting way.