Quentin Tarantino established his penchant for dropping the needle on classic songs with his debut movie, Reservoir Dogs. Q.T.’s first movie opens with “Little Green Bag” set to suit-clad gangsters walking in slow-motion, and later juxtaposes “Stuck in the Middle with You” against a harrowing torture scene.
Not only did the soundtrack of Tarantino’s next movie, Pulp Fiction, manage to live up to sky-high expectations; it’s now considered one of the most iconic movie soundtracks of all time. Pulp Fiction has plenty of memorable music moments, like the Jack Rabbit Slim’s dance contest.
Dick Dale’s “Misirlou” sets the tone for Pulp Fiction perfectly, strapping in the audience for a bold, operatic, high-energy thrill-ride. It kicks in on the freeze frame when Pumpkin and Honey Bunny stick up the diner in the opening scene.
“Misirlou” plays over the first half of the opening credits before being replaced by a neighboring radio station. Tarantino used this surf rock classic because it evoked the rock ‘n’ roll spaghetti western vibe he was going for.
Midway through the opening credits, there’s an unprecedented soundtrack change. After “Misirlou” plays over the first half of the credits, Jules switches radio stations and a completely different song plays over the second half of the opening titles.
Kool & the Gang’s 1970s funk masterpiece “Jungle Boogie” marks a radical tonal departure from the original soundtrack, and sets up the introduction of two new protagonists: Jules and Vincent.
After Jules recites the Ezekiel 25:17 speech and shoots Brett dead, the movie takes a breather as Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” takes over the soundtrack and mob boss Marsellus Wallace speaks to boxer Butch Coolidge.
Marsellus is essentially asking Butch to sell his soul, bribing him to take a dive in an upcoming fight, and the Al Green song helps to put him at ease as his dreams of being a champion are shattered.
As soon as he’s collected his cash for killing Brett and his roommates, Vincent goes straight to his drug dealer Lance’s house to buy some heroin. He decides to shoot up at Lance’s place before driving over to pick up Marsellus’ wife Mia for dinner.
The opening bass strings of the Centurions’ “Bullwinkle Part 2” blare onto the soundtrack as Vincent takes heroin against a stark black background.
Tarantino plays the Dusty Springfield classic “Son of a Preacher Man” over the introduction of the iconic Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction. When Vincent arrives at the house and Mia is still getting ready, she tells him via the intercom to make himself at home.
The romantic undertones of the song tie into the sizzling romantic tension that brews between Vincent and Mia throughout the night, despite the horrors that would await both of them if they had an affair and Marsellus found out.
Arguably the most iconic musical moment in Pulp Fiction involves diegetic music. In the middle of their dinner at Jack Rabbit Slim’s, Mia spontaneously volunteers herself and Vincent to take part in a dance contest.
They dance to another song about young love, Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell.” This dance sequence is a tasty cocktail of cinematic influences, blending similar dance scenes from 8½, Bande à part, and The Aristocats.
There’s a literal needle-drop when Vincent and Mia get back from Jack Rabbit Slim’s. Vincent goes to the bathroom and Mia goes over to her record player and plays “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon.”
As Urge Overkill’s cover of the Neil Diamond original invades the soundtrack, Mia breaks into song and dance and gets swept up in the music – until she finds a little bag of white powder in Vincent’s coat pocket.
After killing Vincent in his apartment and escaping with the gold watch, unscathed, Butch sings along to the 1975 version of the country classic “Flowers on the Wall” on the car radio.
Butch thinks he’s out of the woods, so naturally, he’s in a good mood. He drives away while gleefully singing along to the line “smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo” – and then he spots Marsellus at a red light and slams on the gas to run him down.
The Revels’ “Comanche” kicks in when Butch cycles through a few weapons in the pawnshop before returning to the basement with a katana to save Marsellus from Zed and Maynard. The bold instrumental sets the stage perfectly for Butch’s vengeful rampage.
The rising tempo of the song builds the tension of the scene beautifully as Butch slowly advances on an oblivious Maynard, sword at the ready, and slashes his chest as soon as he turns around.
After Tarantino opened Pulp Fiction with a classic surf rock track, it was only appropriate to end the movie on another one. Tarantino drops the needle on the Lively Ones’ “Surf Rider” just as the climactic diner stick-up is resolved.
After thwarting the robbery (but only saving their own wallets), Jules and Vincent put their guns back in their waistbands and head for the door. Vincent quips, “I think we should be leaving now,” and Jules replies, “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
