Since he spent the majority of the budget of his breakout hit Mean Streets on licensing pop hits for the soundtrack, Martin Scorsese has been known for the needle-drop moments in his movies. Over the years, Scorsese’s soundtracks have featured such legendary artists as Cream, Tony Bennett, and the Rolling Stones.
Scorsese often uses existing music to set the tone and rhythm for his movies, like “Rags to Riches” in Goodfellas, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” in The Departed, and “In the Still of the Night” in The Irishman.
10 “Rags To Riches” By Tony Bennett (Goodfellas)
To establish the rapid pacing of Goodfellas, Scorsese opens the movie in media res with Henry, Tommy, and Jimmy driving to the outskirts of New York to bury Billy Batts’ corpse.
This sequence culminates in one of the greatest opening credits transitions of all time. Henry tells the audience, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster,” and the camera pulls in on the orchestral opening bars of the Tony Bennett hit “Rags to Riches.”
9 “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” By Dropkick Murphys (The Departed)
Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” acts as a sort of theme song for The Departed. It sets the Celtic punk rock tone for the movie and the song is repeated a bunch of times throughout the soundtrack.
Scorsese’s gangster movies usually focus on the Sicilian Mafia in New York City, but this song signified The Departed’s shift to the Irish Mob in Boston.
8 “Mrs. Robinson” By The Lemonheads (The Wolf Of Wall Street)
The Lemonheads’ rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” kicks in at the climax of The Wolf of Wall Street when FBI agents ransack the offices of Stratton Oakmont and Jordan Belfort’s empire comes crumbling down in spectacular fashion.
This isn’t the first time that Scorsese has used a punk rock cover of a ‘60s classic to represent the hammer of justice. Sid Vicious’ version of “My Way” plays over Henry’s miserable suburban witness protection life at the end of Goodfellas.
7 “Be My Baby” By The Ronettes (Mean Streets)
The opening titles of Mean Streets use intimate home movies to humanize the gangsters (the same technique Scorsese used with Raging Bull’s only color sequence). The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” fits perfectly.
This Ronettes classic was later used to great effect in Dirty Dancing, but Mean Streets’ use of the song is still the most memorable.
6 “In The Still Of The Night” By The Five Satins (The Irishman)
In stark contrast to the blood-soaked murder at the beginning of Goodfellas, the more reflective The Irishman opens with former mob hitman Frank Sheeran alone and miserable in a nursing home.
This tracking shot is underscored by the Five Satins’ “In the Still of the Night,” whose somber rhythm sets the somber rhythm for the rest of the movie.
5 “Layla” By Derek And The Dominos (Goodfellas)
After Goodfellas’ Jimmy Conway decides to have everybody involved in the Lufthansa heist killed so he can keep all the money for himself, his greed becomes his downfall.
The “piano exit” of Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla” plays over a montage of the bodies being discovered. The second half of the song isn’t as memorable as the first, but the lighter melody is more appropriate for this haunting sequence.
4 “House Of The Rising Sun” By The Animals (Casino)
Since it arrived just five years later and shared many of its predecessor’s stylistic hallmarks (and actors), critics instantly compared Casino to Goodfellas. But Casino is an underrated gem hidden away in Goodfellas’ shadow.
It has plenty of memorable moments of its own, like a montage of mob hits with voiceover narration by Joe Pesci, set to the Animals hit “House of the Rising Sun.”
3 “Baby Blue” By Badfinger (The Departed)
Jack Nicholson’s eccentric villain in The Departed, Frank Costello, was heavily inspired by real-life gangster Whitey Bulger, who similarly acted as an FBI informant while ruling the criminal underworld of Massachusetts.
Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” provides terrific musical accompaniment when undercover cop Billy Costigan learns that Costello is an FBI informant. This song was also used brilliantly in the Breaking Bad finale.
2 “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” By The Rolling Stones (Mean Streets)
The central dynamic that drives Scorsese’s breakout movie Mean Streets is Harvey Keitel’s Charlie constantly cleaning up the messes created by the reckless behavior of his friend Johnny Boy, played by Robert De Niro.
This dynamic is established beautifully when Johnny Boy walks into the bar with two women and Charlie watches dubiously from the bar, set to the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” The whole thing is drenched in red light, foreshadowing the grim fate of this tumultuous friendship.
1 “Sunshine Of Your Love” By Cream (Goodfellas)
When Morrie nags Jimmy for his share of the loot one too many times, Jimmy decides to have him whacked, allowing him to just take his share of the money. Then, he realizes he could kill everybody involved in the heist except for Henry and Tommy.
This is all conveyed in a single look as Jimmy smokes a cigarette at the bar, the camera slowly pulls in, and the opening guitar riff of “Sunshine of Your Love” takes over the soundtrack.
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