Best film and television tracks of 2023
These are the top under-the-radar tracks used in movies and series last year.
By SANYA VERMA
This past year was a brilliant year for film and television, making awards season incredibly competitive. What’s even more exciting is that it’s been an impressive year for movie and TV soundtracks, from Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” as standouts on “Barbie” (2023)’s score to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” increasing in streaming popularity after being featured on Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell’s romantic comedy, “Anyone But You” (2023).
There was a lot of experimentation and many perfectly suited songs in 2023, so here are some of the best relatively underrated tracks that audiences added to their playlists.
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“Time to Pretend” — MGMT
“Saltburn” (2023) was one of the most widely talked about films of the year. While Emerald Fennell’s psychosexual thriller popularized “Murder On The Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor on social media, the song that stayed with the audience is this mid-noughties hit by American psychedelic duo MGMT.
While the lyrics feel a bit on the nose with, “Let’s make some music, make some money / Find some models for wives” — not to mention the song being titled “Time to Pretend” just as Oliver begins his long-term fraudulence — the track’s sound is unique and completely immerses the audience in the idle privilege and hedonism of the Catton estate.
The success of “Murder on the Dancefloor” also deserves a conversation, especially with the idea that commercial films these days can have TikTok-driven mass appeal and success if a song used in it gets sampled right, something that could also be seen with the surge in popularity of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” from 2022’s “Stranger Things 4.” For soundtracks to not only lend themselves to the art and immersion of media but also to bring new audiences in is an exciting place to be in the intersection between music and entertainment.
“P.I.M.P.” — Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band
In the opening scene of “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023), which took home the Palme d’Or at 2023’s Cannes Film Festival, this lively cover of 50 Cent’s 2003 hit plays repeatedly over an interview and potential murder. The track becomes a centerpiece of the movie and a vital element of solving the mystery of what happened to teacher and wannabe writer Samuel (Samuel Theis).
This steel drum-accented cover by the funk ensemble hailing from Hamburg, Germany, is a masterclass on how to sketch out and illustrate a character who doesn’t actively show up on screen as much but can be understood just by their taste and habits in art — including the kind of music they listen to or the volume at which they listen to it.
“Camp Isn’t Home” is silly, but has a touch of emotion directed toward anyone with a musical theater background. The track fits perfectly within the mockumentary, an ode to all theater kids. (Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)
“Camp Isn’t Home” — Cast of “Theater Camp”
“Theater Camp” (2023) was a largely improvised mockumentary with some of the brightest new actors emerging on the scene, including the exceptional co-director Molly Gordon, Ben Platt and Ayo Edebiri, who had one of the busiest years of anybody in film and TV in 2023.
In a gorgeous ode to musical theater nerds, the big finale number “Camp Isn’t Home” is a silly yet moving piece that the kids in the picture bring to life. While “Theater Camp” may not resonate as much with audiences who don’t have any sort of experience or love for musical theater, “Camp Isn’t Home” has a beautiful set of harmonies reminiscent of “Rent” and rings emotional for anybody watching the film.
“Blues Run the Game” — Jackson C. Frank
“Poker Face” released a phenomenal first season last year, every episode cleverer and more compelling than the last. Directed by Rian Johnson of “Knives Out” (2019) fame and helmed by Natasha Lyonne, the show wears its influences proudly, each episode a time capsule to a specific time, place and environment.
“Blues Run the Game” plays over an especially impactful and touching scene in the fifth episode of the season, “Time of the Monkey,” where complicated ’70s activists Joyce (S. Epatha Merkerson) and Irene (Judith Light) reunite with their lover, Ben (Reed Birney). This celebration of ’60s and ’70s folk iconography is a reminder of how influence can greatly affect the emotional beats of media.
While the song is also used as misdirection for the audience’s emotions, the more authentic song to the plot of the episode plays over the credits in the form of “Hold On” by Ngozi Family, a Zambian rock song from 1974, which speaks to the different use of soundtracks as a tool for contrast.
