The term “needle drop” in film usually refers to when an already existing, mostly famous song is used in a sequence to underscore that particular scene or bigger aspects of the film. In this article, we will look into some examples of how popular music was used in film.

This is the very first scene, the opening sequence of the film Ready Player One(2018) directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is set in 2045, where VR technology has become so advanced that people technically spend almost all of their lives inside a virtual world called the OASIS. The creator of the OASIS, James Halliday and Ogden Morrow, were deeply into the culture of the 1980s, and therefore the film itself is also a kind of love letter back to those times. The song, which is Jump(1984) by Van Halen, fills up the sound in this opening sequence. However, contrary to the 80s song in the background, the screen shows a somewhat futuristic looking slum, with drones flying around and various people in their homes wearing VR goggles. In this sequence, while the background shows the futuristic, high-tech yet dystopian living spaces and environment, the song gives a hint to the viewer about the main identity of the film; A futuristic blast to the past.

This time, let us look into a more famous film. This is an excerpt from Thor : Ragnarok(2017), directed by Taika Waititi. In this scene, Thor, upon summoning his hammer, starts obliterating Surtur’s soldiers, and finally defeats Surtur himself, too. In this action-packed scene, the song Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin plays. This same song plays again in this sequence, later on in the film :

(song plays from 2:00)

Thor, after awakening his true powers as The God of Thunder, starts obliterating the enemy soldiers again, just like the scene where he was fighting Surtur. However, these are the only times where this song plays in the film. Until Thor awakened his powers, he and the citizens of Asgard(the world where he lives and rules) were under the rule of Hela, Thor’s evil and ambitious sister. Therefore, the viewers can imply that Immigrant Song only plays when Thor is using his godly powers to their fullest extent.

This kind of song or tune is called a “leitmotif,” which has the definition of a “recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.” Leitmotifs in films act as a signature for a character. In this example, Immigrant Song acts as Thor’s confidence and power as a mythic being. Also, the lyrics of this song, such as “Valhalla I am coming” reinforce his epic journey and the legacy of Asgard. Another example could be “Come and Get Your Love” in Guardians of The Galaxy, where the music also connects to Peter Quill(the protagonist)’s character and provides emotional continuity to it. The song is from a cassette tape his dead mother left behind, and therefore it serves as an indicator of how Quill’s personality was shaped from his mother.

In conclusion, famous songs in movies, or, “needle drops,” are frequently used in films to create and present the film’s identity to the audience, or make stronger connections with the character and music in the form of a leitmotif. Popular music as leitmotifs are more effective, since they are more familiar to the audience.