The 50 best uses of songs in movies

20. "Goodbye Horses," Q Lazzarus, The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

When cross-dressing serial killer Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb primps and sashays in a strange interlude from Jonathan Demme's suspense classic, he's listening to this enrapturing pop song. The queasy scene became a pop-cultural touchstone, parodied by everyone from Kevin Smith to Family Guy.—Keith Uhlich

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Watch the video for "Goodbye Horses" by Q Lazzarus

19. "Be My Baby," the Ronettes, Mean Streets (1973)

From the moment the wall-of-sound drums kick in to Harvey Keitel's head hitting his pillow, Martin Scorsese's 'hood opera takes personalized-jukebox cinema to a new level. When the song's harmonies sync up with the Super-8 credits, it's like Scorsese's career in miniature: movies and mobsters, street culture and pop culture.—David Fear

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Watch the video for "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes

18. "Where Is My Mind?," Pixies, Fight Club (1999)

"Trust me, everything's going to be fine," says Edward Norton in the final seconds of David Fincher's unclassifiable thriller, as the skyline explodes outside the window. Buildings fall, two hands clasp tenderly, and the future is uncertain. The keening voices of Frank Black and Kim Deal seal the mood.—Joshua Rothkopf

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Watch the video for "Where Is My Mind?" by Pixies

17. "Bela Lugosi's Dead," Bauhaus, The Hunger (1983)

The classic opening of Tony Scott's horror film forever linked goth rock, smoky NYC clubs and vampires. Dancing behind a grate, Peter Murphy lip-synchs to his band's ominous single as bloodsuckers David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve scope out the gyrating bodies for the night's prey.—Joshua Rothkopf

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Watch the video for "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus

16. "Tequila," the Champs, Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

What's a manchild like Pee-wee Herman to do when he knocks over a group of hulking bikers' motorcycles? Lace up a pair of platform shoes, hop atop the bar and get down to the horn-bleating cocktail-lounge staple, of course.—Keith Uhlich

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Watch the video for "Tequila" by the Champs

15. "Ride of the Valkyries," Richard Wagner, Apocalypse Now (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola's hijacking of this operatic leitmotif to score a chopper attack is a stroke of demented genius: Wagner's German Romantic bombast mocks the notion of American militarism in Vietnam, even as it makes Col. Kilgore's air-calvary strike sound like a blow from the hammer of the gods. (The specific scene isn't available online, but this trailer has a large chunk of it starting at 1:30.)—David Fear

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Watch the video for "Ride of the Valkyries" by Richard Wagner

14. "Gassenhauer," Carl Orff, Badlands (1973)

For a story about criminal lovers on the run, Terrence Malick's 1973 debut achieves a rare degree of innocence, largely due to this German composer's shimmering, percussive masterwork (also used in True Romance). Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen create an Edenic paradise in the woods; you hope it lasts forever.—Joshua Rothkopf

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Watch the video for "Gassenhauer" by Carl Orff

13. "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)," Harry Belafonte, Beetlejuice (1988)

Most onscreen possessions lead to screaming. But singing? In this hilarious sequence from Tim Burton's inventive horror-comedy, an uptight dinner becomes an exhilarating musical number set to Harry Belafonte's calypso standard. All meals should be like this, jumbo-shrimp bogeymen and all.—Keith Uhlich

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Watch the video for "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" by Harry Belafonte

12. "The Rhythm of the Night," Corona, Beau Travail (1999)

A black-clad Denis Lavant bursts into ecstatic dance with this 1994 club hit—and in one fell swoop, Claire Denis nudges her modern Billy Budd adaptation into the sublimely surreal, turning a cheesy Italian techno-disco song into an expression of repressed gay desire finally finding its form. (The song kicks in at the 0:50-second mark.)—David Fear

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Watch the video for "The Rhythm of the Night" by Corona

11. "Born to Be Wild," Steppenwolf, Easy Rider (1969)

Steppenwolf's classic-rock staple became a hippie anthem once Dennis Hopper included it his tale of two dudes hitting the open road. Blasting over Hopper and Peter Fonda tooling down the highway on their Harleys, the song set off an explosion of soundtracks featuring the music of the '60s counterculture.—David Fear

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Watch the video for "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf