While film is primarily a visual medium, the importance placed upon sound design and impactful audio in general cannot be understated when it comes to the enjoyment and memorability of a film. One of the most succinct and effective ways to make a meaningful impact on the audience is the usage of a striking and memorable song, playing in the background to complement what is happening on-screen with perfect timing. This is commonly recognized in both film and television as a “needle drop”, and has created a wide array of iconic movie moments since the early days of film.
This method of blending music and film into a powerful and effective combination is widely celebrated well into the modern era of filmmaking, with 2024 having an exceptionally high number of great needle drops. From the biggest blockbusters of the year that were able to afford massively acclaimed and beloved songs from the world’s greatest artists to humble independent films that created music of their own, there is no wrong way to do a needle drop.
10
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’
‘MacArthur Park’ by Jimmy Webb
Combining a needle drop and a musical number together while subsequently paying tribute and evolving one of the most beloved jokes from the first film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice delivers an exceptional needle drop during its final act. Acting as a modern evolution of the classic ‘Banana Boat’ scene from the original film, the despicable demon Beetlejuice forces the human characters to once again partake in a chaotic dance number against their will, this time to the somber and romantic ‘MacArthur Park’ by Jimmy Webb.
It’s difficult to top such a classic needle drop from the original film, yet this scene manages to up the ante and improve upon the original scene while still keeping the charm and wit of the original. The choreography is more ridiculous and fun to watch, characters have faces of shock and fear while forcefully singing the song, and the spotlight lighting treats the whole scene like a theatrical production. The movie goes all out for what is easily the best scene in the film, cementing it as one of 2024’s best sequels.
9
‘Venom: The Last Dance’
‘Memories’ by Maroon 5
Venom: The Last Dance is far from an exceptional blockbuster experience, having a wide array of pacing issues and strange choices in its screenplay, yet the film undeniably ends with an instantly iconic, almost unintentionally hilarious needle drop. In the final scene of the film, Eddie Brock reminisces about his memories with Venom in New York City, looking on at the Statue of Liberty while Maroon 5’s ‘Memories’ plays out the film. This emotional sendoff for Venom as a character is immediately undercut by a post-credits scene that reveals that he’s still alive, but that is beside the point.
There is something about the distinct combination of this cheesy Maroon 5 song and shots of New York City and Tom Hardy as he says “I won’t forget you buddy” that makes this scene such a hilarious, strange way to end the trilogy. It’s far from what could truly be considered an exceptional scene, yet this needle drop absolutely transforms the scene and gives it an iconic stature, as this sequence has been in the back of my head ever since I saw the film.
8
‘The Substance’
‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ by Richard Strauss
After its iconic usage in Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey as an opening to the film, Richard Strauss‘s iconic orchestral ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ has been the go-to song in film for awe, comedy, and everything else in-between. Considering the legacy that Kubrick’s masterpiece still holds in film culture to this day, most plays of the song are used ironically in a comedic sense, with one of the best in recent memory being its use in The Substance. The song plays when Monstro Elisasue takes the stage at the New Year’s Eve show, shocking the audience in the process with its disfigured appearance.
Featuring all the awe of the previous iconic uses of the song with the distinct comedic edge and wit that The Substance had been establishing for the entire film, the use of this legendary song is the perfect way to lead into the blood-soaked finale of the film. While far from breaking new ground, it’s a simple yet greatly effective needle drop that goes a long way in terms of leaving an impact on the audience, further cementing the film as one of 2024’s most entertaining watches.

The Substance
- Release Date
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September 20, 2024
- Runtime
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140 Minutes
- Director
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Coralie Fargeat
7
‘Kinds of Kindness’
‘Rainbow in the Dark’ by Dio
Strange, otherworldly facets that create confusion, charm, and dark comedy have been staples of Yorgos Lanthimos‘s filmmaking style ever since the beginning, yet Kinds of Kindness features easily some of the director’s darkest and most absurdist comedic moments yet. This is perfectly shown within the pristine and hilarious usage of ‘Rainbow in the Dark’ by Dio, acting as a prolific needle drop that plays during the second of 3 stories in the anthology film.
The actual visuals of the needle drop are absurd enough, showing black and white footage of a society run by dogs, doing dark human actions like a cold somber shower and suicide by a noose as the credits roll. What makes this sequence that much more memorable is the buildup during the second anthology film, as Emma Stone‘s character Liz speaks of a dream where she was kept prisoner as a pet in a world where dogs were dominant over humans. It overall makes for such a striking clash of tones and styles that further adds to the chaos and mind-melding that is Lanthimos’s style.
6
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
‘Like a Prayer’ by Madonna
Deadpool & Wolverine did not shy away from having a wide array of exceptional needle drops, continuing the legacy of both previous Deadpool films and the MCU as a whole by having some of the best needle drops in the entire franchise. While other great needle drops in the film include the use of ‘Iris’ by the Goo Goo Dolls and the legendary ‘Bye Bye Bye’ by NSYNC, the most effective needle drop in the film has to be the repeated usage of Madonna‘s legendary ‘Like a Prayer’.
The song is used at two different times during the film, first as an intro when Deadpool and Wolverine are walking out to face the army of alternate universe Deadpools, with the song playing as they lay waste to the army. This already great needle drop is further amplified soon after when an orchestral choir remix of the song is used when Deadpool and Wolverine are using their bodies as catalysts to keep the timeline safe, sacrificing themselves in the process.
5
‘Civil War’
‘Say No Go’ by De La Soul
One of the biggest strengths that a needle drop can provide is establishing a completely different tone and message than what is being shown on-screen, as the inherent strength of contrast can be further amplified by the right music choice. No 2024 film quite succinctly showed this off like the grueling and destructive modern war film, Civil War, showing the hardships and pain of real-time war journalism, but giving it a new meaning thanks to the use of ‘Say No Go’ by De La Soul.
The song plays just as rookie journalist Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) gets her first real taste of the hardships of war, seeing the gruesome execution of a man pleading for his life before cutting to the cherry tunes of the song. The needle drop helps further establish in the moment that, while Jessie is new to this world of pain and destruction, for the soldiers and other journalists around her, these war crimes and violence are simply part of just another day in this messed up world.

Civil War
- Release Date
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April 12, 2024
- Runtime
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109 Minutes
- Director
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Alex Garland
4
‘Robot Dreams’
‘September’ by Earth, Wind & Fire
It takes a truly special film to be able to transform and give new meaning and passion to an already widely beloved and acclaimed song, yet Robot Dreams masterfully utilizes Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’ not just for a great needle drop, but as a core for its entire message and themes. The legendary song plays when the cheery duo of Dog and Robot are enjoying a beautiful summer day together, furthering their bond as unbreakable best friends and making the most of their time in New York City.
The scene itself is already a joy to watch on its own, combining beautiful animation and the ear candy of Earth, Wind & Fire’s masterpiece to create one of the best feel-good moments of the year. However, what cements Robot Dreams‘s use of the song above other needle drops is how it consistently calls back and uses this song as a symbol for the memories and good times that Robot and Dog had together. Even as more and more time passes and these two are further and further apart, Robot still whistles the tune of the song to himself throughout the film, joyously clinging to these once bright memories.

Robot Dreams
- Release Date
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December 6, 2024
- Runtime
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102 Minutes
- Director
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Pablo Berger
3
‘Anora’
‘Greatest Day (Robin Schulz Rework)’ by Calum Scott, Robin Schulz, and Take That
While the inevitability of pain is something that is ever-present throughout the miraculous Cinderella story of Anora, the use of ‘Greatest Day (Robin Schulz Rework)’ proves to give an aura of high hopes like nothing could go wrong in the world. The song plays when Ani and Ivan’s relationship is at their absolute peak, getting married in Vegas and feeling on top of the world as they party and enjoy their lives together as bright young newlyweds.
Before all the chaos and deception that would ensue, this song creates a distinct rallying cry energy full of hope and cheer that makes it difficult not to feel joyous and excited. It acts as a rampant rallying cry for Ani on her journey as a whole, with the song’s apt title being exactly what she’s feeling at this moment of pure unadulterated bliss. This exceptional needle drop is simply the latest in a long and varied history of Sean Baker putting exceptional and multi-faceted needle drops in his films.

Anora
- Release Date
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October 18, 2024
- Runtime
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139 Minutes
- Director
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Sean Baker
Rent on Amazon Prime
2
‘Queer’
‘Come as You Are’ by Nirvana
With an exceptionally crafted rock song by one of the most acclaimed rock bands of all time, it’s hard to necessarily go wrong for any film to use Nirvana’s ‘Come as You Are’, yet Queer goes above and beyond in perfectly utilizing the legendary song. The song plays as William Lee (Daniel Craig) wanders the nighttime streets of Mexico City, lost and without care, until his attention is placed on a wild cockfight. It’s at this moment when Lee first puts his sights on Eugene (Drew Starkey), the young expat who would dominate his attention from this point onward.
Many different movies have used Nirvana to amplify emotions and filmmaking in the past, yet the combination of purposeful slow motion and exceptional cinematography makes this easily one of the best uses of a Nirvana song in film history. It allows the strength and power of the song itself to do the vast majority of the talking in terms of audio while fully delivering a beautiful display of visual acuity to complement the song in the best way possible.

Queer
- Release Date
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November 27, 2024
- Runtime
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135 Minutes
Rent on Amazon Prime
1
‘I Saw the TV Glow’
‘Starburned and Sunkissed’ by Caroline Polachek
A massive inherent strength to many needle drops in film is that they are using songs that, by and large, already have an established audience, no matter how small, that enjoys the song before its use in a film. This makes it all the more exemplary when an original song made for a film is used in such an exceptional way for a needle drop, such as the case with I Saw the TV Glow, which features one of the best original soundtracks in recent memory. Of this wide selection of great musical moments in the film, the needle drop highlight by and large belongs to the sequence featuring ‘Starburned and Sunkissed’ by Caroline Polachek.
The song plays as Owen (Justice Smith) has fully dedicated and fallen in love with The Pink Opaque, showing him aimlessly wandering the hallways of his high school while various doodles and messages from Maddy (Jack Haven) about the show are written on the screen. The song only further amplifies these feelings of strength found within the relatively mundane and ordinary, allowing the themes and resonating energy of the film to simmer with the audience as Owen walks through the barren halls.

I Saw the TV Glow
- Release Date
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May 3, 2024
- Runtime
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100 minutes
- Director
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Jane Schoenbrun