There are a few movies out there where I had my Shazam on standby at all times – it was just one great track after another. I remember just holding my phone in my hand the whole time, my finger hovering over that Shazam App waiting for the next song. In recent memory, there was Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof (2007), which is probably his worst feature film yet features some of his best music choices. From that slow-burning movie I discovered the song “Down From Mexico” by The Coasters, the music of Joe Tex, including “The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)”, and most importantly “Hold Tight!” by Beaky, Mick, Tich, Dave Dee & Dozy.
Then there’s the brilliance of the soundtrack on Baby Driver (2017), just released this summer. It’s a movie so uncanny in its fusion of soundtrack and cinematography that it deserves it’s own fully-rendered blog post. From Baby Driver (which had such great music I immediately went home and bought the soundtrack) I found songs such as “B-A-B-Y” by Carla Thomas, “Nowhere to Run” by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, and most especially “Harlem Shuffle” by Bob & Earl. Let’s just say my world was turned upside down upon realizing that the classic hip-hop song “Jump Around” by House of Pain completely and utterly ripped-off the opening of this classic soul song. Just listen below and tell me you aren’t leaning towards House of Pain until the percussion kicks in.
“Harlem Shuffle” (1966) by Bob & Earl
Then we have shows on Netflix like Love (2016-), which is like a dirty cocktail in my life – one part sweet and two parts sour. I find the chances of a hot blonde girl like Gillian Welch getting involved with a little nerdy dude like Paul Rust highly improbably, not to mention 90% of both of their attitudes are incredibly vexing. Yet, I watched the show in it’s entirety and generally enjoyed it, much like the soccer mom scanning the gossip magazines at the checkout aisle in the grocery store. Perhaps it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure, nevertheless, the music is undeniably good most of time. From Love I discovered music from artists like Blockhead and The Lemon Twigs.
Yet the show that trumps them all when it comes to the amount of Shazams Per Capita is Masters of None. Full disclosure, I wasn’t a big Aziz Ansari fan at first. His high-pitch and often grating voice led me to change the channel when I first saw Parks & Recreation. Needless to say he became an acquired taste, and by the time my brother turned me on to the first season of Master of None I had somehow inexplicably become a big fan. All I’ve got to say is the music in the first season is not only surprising in it’s depth and diversity, but also unexpectedly obscure. Aziz does hail from South Carolina, yet his use of deep tracks from the genre of country music, especially in the “Nashville” episode, is pretty surprising to me. That episode in particular had my Shazam doing overtime, and I am so thankful that Aziz used the tracks he did in that episode because it opened me up to the great pantheon of country musicians from a time when country music was actually good.
Most notably I discovered the artists J.J. Cale and Townes Van Zandt. Both were enigmatic characters in music during the 60’s and 70’s who released some fantastic albums that inspired other musicians like Neil Young, Willie Nelson, and Bob Dylan, among others. J.J. Cale’s first solo album Naturally (1972) has quickly become one of my favorite country-folk albums and Townes Van Zandt’s sophomore album Our Mother the Mountain (1969) is another one I turn to when I’m in the mood for the good ol’ twang and heartbreak that is classic country music.
However, it’s the soundtrack to the second season that is truly remarkable. Aziz’s character in the show, Dev, travels to Italy during a sort of midlife crisis, meets an Italian girl, reunites with her in America, and then falls in love with her. From that bridled and complicated romance (which to me seems about as improbable as the relationship devised in the other Netflix show Love) comes a collection of European pop-gems and classic R&B songs that are absolutely fantastic. The songs are perfectly selected for the scenes they accompany in Master of None and in most cases serve to enhance the scene in such a way that the emotional depth of the scene comes to a fever pitch. The music becomes a crucial aspect of the second season, whereas in the first season we only received a taste of how the music accompanying the show could propel the content to greater heights.
I particularly enjoyed Master of None’s use of the artist Mina, like in the song “Pie Di Te”, which harkens back to the American girl groups of the late 50’s and early 60’s.
Another choice use of Mina in this scene below:
Or the majestic use of the song “I Can’t Let It Happen To You”, an old R&B ballad by The Walker Brothers:
https://youtu.be/1ZKydwgNIH0
I am excited to see how Aziz’s knack for selecting great soundtrack music translates in the third season. If the second is any indicator, there will be a greater exploration into how the music can become intertwined, inextricably, with the mood and motion of the show. I love when shows are willing to make a leap and find some deep tracks that perfectly suit the content. The daring and brazen choices Aziz made in the first and second seasons kept me tuned-in, not to mention the great intro with its stylistic text and always spot-on music. The style and swagger of the show are uncanny, and his ability to bravely tackle taboo or controversial subjects with a sincerity and unexpected tenderness is something that we first started seeing with Louis C.K.’s FX show Louie (2010-) and are now seeing further expounded upon by talented comedians like Aziz Ansari.
