10 best hard rock songs used in movies

The difference between a good and a bad movie often comes down to its score. While some films like No Country For Old Men benefit from the bare minimum of sound design, it’s still nice to hear a big orchestral swell to accompany the grandiose narrative that is presented. On the other hand, sometimes the perfect musical accompaniment for your movie has already been written.

Instead of bringing together epic and radical orchestral music behind these films, the choice to use thrilling hard rock music ended up giving each of these scenes a boost. Instead of the usual grandiose strings, hearing an epic rock guitar solo or a double bass groove really sets the tone much more effectively. While most of these examples are not diagetic, the most interesting versions of these are when they are actually relevant to the plot of the film, whether in the lyrics or the actual placement of the melody in the film. the universe.

In this regard, the song becomes less of an adornment for the listener and more rooted in the universe of the film. Unlike the usual sheet music, these songs actually feel interconnected with these characters after hearing them in their true context.

Using George Thorogood’s Bad to the Bone in a movie seems like a really tired cliché at this point. While the original could sense rebellion at first, the idea of ​​using it in children’s movies these days often feels cheap and ruins any dangerous attitude the original once had. However, James Cameron managed to get it right at least once in Terminator 2.

Compared to other blockbuster sequels, Arnold’s second round as a cyborg is one of the biggest sequels around, dramatically increasing the stakes on the first installment. While a lot of people tend to remember something like the regenerating T-1000 in the movie, there is actually a shot of Arnold riding his motorbike containing the greatest use of this badass blues tune. As he puts on his leather jacket and walks out of the parking lot, those early guitar chords work surprisingly well, almost like they’re preparing you for more serious things on the horizon.

Admittedly, that was also a period before it got as overexposed as this, with all the other directors having the same idea and using the Thorogood classic to accompany scenes that have nothing to do with being described as dangerous. However, that doesn’t stop the original version from being a great moment in action movie history. Even though Arnold had promised to return, this song proved he was coming with vengeance.