Top 10 Music Moments in David Fincher's Films

One of the many things I adore about Fincher's movies is how perfectly the man uses the music in them. He directed music videos before the became the movie director so he certainly understands the rhythm and how to make the footage go perfectly with the music. Not only are the soundtracks for his films brilliant, it's also about those particular songs that fit the movie so well, that frame this particular scene so superbly, you cannot possibly imagine anything else accompanying them. Here are my favorite music moments from Fincher's movies.

(click on the x to listen to the song/watch the scene)

HM: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from The Social Network, Baby, You're A Rich Man by The Beatles from The Social Network, Goin' Out West by Tom Waits from Fight Club

10. Immigrant Song by Karen O from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The song featured both in the trailer and amazing opening credits takes a bit of time to love it, but once you do you can't forget it. It is like the soundtrack to Lisbeth - fast, frantic and fascinating.(x) (x)

9. White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane from The Game
You may not like The Game. Hell, I think it's one of weaker Fincher's movies too. But that is a great song and it's fantastically used in the movie. The whole soundtrack by Howard Shore is pure class and so is that song.  (x)

8. She by Richard Butler from Gone Girl (trailer)
While I do think this particular rendition of the song sounds like a dying cat parade, this is such an inspired choice. The beautiful lyrics actually strike sinister as they describe the character of Amy so well and the shot of Nick discovering the contents of the shed as the song reaches the end is fantastic. (x)

7. A Thousand Details by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (trailer)
I'm not sure, but I do believe Fincher himself cut the trailers for both this and Gone Girl. What I do know for sure is that this song is specifically made for this trailer as it's on the soundtrack and appears nowhere in the movie. It's just brilliant and it made for one of the better movie trailers in recent years. It fits the footage so well and gets you pumped for the movie.(x)

6. Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan from Zodiac
This is the creepiest use of the song in Fincher's film, other than the famous Enya moment in Dragon Tattoo. It was also used in the trailer and it even inspired the use of this same exact song in last year's trailer for The Conjuring (x)

5. Closer by Nine Inch Nails from Se7en

The opening credits to Se7en remain one of the most famous and memorable opening credits in the history of film. One thing that makes them so perfect is the use of the remix of the song,  just the melody with the line "You get me closer to God" being the one heard clearly by the end, fitting the story in the film so well. (x)

4. Orinoco Flow by Enya from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The superb use of Orinoco Flow in the film's intense scene was all thanks to Daniel Craig who suggested the first song from his ipod that starts playing should be used here. It certainly made for memorable moment and it definitely immortalized the song in the mind of every movie fan. (x)

3. Air by Johann Sebastian Bach from Se7en
This is just so classy. It's when the movie takes a deep breath. As Somerset looks for clues in library and Mills looks at the evidence, the most beautiful from Bach's pieces, at least for me, plays in the background. It's stunning. (x)

2. Where is my Mind? by Pixies from Fight Club

If it was the most iconic image list, it would win, no contest. But here it must take the second place. It is a brilliant moment - with the song fitting the movie so well and being one of the most legendary moments from the 90's. In a movie as fantastic as Fight Club it's hard to choose the most memorable scene but largely thanks to the song, this one takes it. (x)

1. What if we Could? by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

This shouldn't work. The delicate, gorgeous lullaby shouldn't work in a movie like that. But it does. Twice. It's first used in the lovely sex scene between Mikael and Lisbeth and then it is featured in the film's tragically beautiful ending where Lisbeth's dream, the one she finally allowed herself to have, dies and she puts on her armor again. (x) (x)