GG: With those very loose parameters agreed on, let’s launch into it. Who wants to start at the beginning, all the way back when cinema’s main problem was the original title of Birds of Prey?

EK: seeing movies on the big screen? I saw—draws breath—Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) in the cinema and was so wonderfully entertained and charmed by all of it. Yes, it’s flashy and violent and energetic and all those good things but it’s also loud, and is very clever with its volume. A personal standout moment is Jurnee Smollett-Bell fully arriving as Black Canary as she sings ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’. Obviously the meanings couldn’t be more on the nose, but the fact that Smollett-Bell’s voice is so elegant and powerful, perfect for a character whose greatest weapon is her voice, just elevates this way beyond any easy wink to camera about how the women are in charge now. There’s just no denying the beauty and power in this musical moment.

JM: Since we’re talking about needle drops that are performed by movie characters, can I talk about the build-up to the big needle drop in the finale of One Night in Miami? Leslie Odom Jr.’s Sam Cooke is treated as entertainer first, artist second, with Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Malcolm X spending much of their shared screen time encouraging Cooke to use his platform—one popular among whites—for the greater good. When Cooke finally delivers ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ on The Tonight Show, thus defining his career from that point forward, the impact is tenfold and the film finds its magic in the nick of time.

If Odom Jr. is a future Best ing Actor winner, this scene will go down as his showcase (and ultimately free of the goodwill from Hamilton’s afterglow). Yes, a civil change did come in the years after the song’s 1964 debut, but we obviously still have a long way to go. And yet, there’s something reflective in the way this moment is about the responsibility of powerful Black voices, and how this idea is executed by director Regina King is profound. It definitely hints without much subtlety that One Night in Miami is but a whisper of what’s to come from her in of using her own platform to encourage others to further spread the message. It’s possibly the year’s most important and historic needle drop.

GG: Obviously we need to talk about Steve McQueen’s Small Axe collection, specifically Lovers Rock—a film that’s all about literal needle drops.

JM: ‘Kung Fu Fighting’, I think, is the most essential needle drop in the film because the song, even if nostalgic, has become such a novelty tune, but within seconds McQueen brings back the fresh and exciting communal atmosphere that song creates and is famous for. And it is a subversive moment, because we anticipate Lovers Rock to be comprised primarily of the deep cuts that were coming fresh from Jamaica at the time—but then they drop this one-hit-wonder disco banger that we used to listen to all the time as kids, so it has this sardonic playful tone that’s just pure, non-judgmental joy. It cuts through the tension bubbling outside the house with immediate mock fighting, everyone free to show off their best moves without a sincere threat. You’re already in the door, but the moment the song starts is the film’s true invitation to party down and let loose.

AY: Sadly I have yet to experience that Lovers Rock euphoria, but would consider the two big drops in Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round closest to the feeling than any other movie I’ve seen this year. Danish pop outfit Scarlet Pleasure’s ‘What A Life’ sends the film off perfectly to an explosively cathartic and hopeful finish—aided in no small part by Mads’ glorious dancing. But I almost prefer the slinky way The Meters’ ‘Cissy Strut’ (literally a needle drop) shifts the film to its next level, ushering Mads and his teacher pals into one hot boozy mess of a night to (mis). Bob my head I did.

GG: I want to shout out the folk whose job it is to craft a soundtrack that elevates a film. Music supervision is some kind of insane superpower. Supervisors need to know everything about music—not just what’s been, but what’s coming. They get clearance for the best songs, often on tiny budgets (weirdly, there’s no industry standard for the price of music in films, and the budget rides on some mysterious “favored nations” math), and it’s more often than not about relationships. They also make suggestions about who should cover a song, if they’re not using the original, and in doing so, they have the power to launch new artists with a perfect needle drop. They revive careers, and make stars of unknowns. In the documentary about the Dawn Raid music label, there’s an amazing story about the use of the song ‘Swing’ by Samoan-New Zealand hip-hop/EDM star Savage in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up, which changed everything for Savage. It literally changed his life. Basically, somehow, music supervisors exist in the swirl of the zeitgeist, even though a film may be a year or two from release.

EK: Music supervisors have really pulled out all the stops this year. One of my favorite romantic scenes was seeing ‘Honey’ by Robyn pop up in Levan Akin’s gorgeous And Then We Danced—to which he credited music supervisor Jen Malone when we chatted about the film last year. What I loved was that the song really hadn’t come out that long ago, so it always feels particularly visceral and alive to me to recognize a song that, first of all, is incredible, but also so fresh in my mind that it feels like we very much exist in the same reality as these characters. Especially considering the boys in Akin’s film are exploring their sexuality and Robyn’s music has helped so many people come to with theirs, and the lyrics of her song are also felt in the golden light that colors the scene in the film. It’s such a special moment that you can tell comes from the very simple fact that everyone holds Robyn so close in their hearts, and you just know when it’s the right fit. I’m so glad it paid off.

GG: There are many more songs on our playlist that we could talk about, but since we’re supposed to be on holiday and this is a no-rules competition, can I finish by nominating David Byrne’s American Utopia as the overall 2020 winner for most best needle drops?

JM: You probably need to choose at least one song from that Broadway sensation to talk about.

GG: Fine, then it can only be the cover of Janelle Monáe’s ‘Hell You Talmabout’. Say their names.

The Best Needle Drops of 2020

Where the movie version is unavailable, we have included the original. Enjoy the full playlist on Spotify.

• Charlie XCX—‘Boys’ (Promising Young Woman)
• Paris Hilton—‘Stars Are Blind’ (Promising Young Woman)
• The Weather Girls—‘It’s Raining Men’ (Promising Young Woman)
• Bee Gees—‘Stayin Alive’ (Undine)
• Janet Kay—‘Silly Games’ (Lovers Rock)
• Carl Douglas—‘Kung Fu Fighting’ (Lovers Rock)
• Toots & The Maytals—‘Pressure Drop’ (Mangrove)
• Bronski Beat—‘Smalltown Boy’ (The Nest)
• Gerry & The Pacemakers—‘Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying’ (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)
• Patrick Cowley—‘Megatron Man’ (Palm Springs)
• Kate Bush—‘Cloudbusting’ (Palm Springs)
• Sam Cooke—‘A Change is Gonna Come’ (One Night in Miami)
• Marvin Gaye—‘Got to Give It Up’ (Da 5 Bloods)
• Marvin Gaye—‘What’s Going On’ (Da 5 Bloods)
• Doja Cat—‘Boss Bitch’ (Birds of Prey)
• Jurnee Smollett-Bell—‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ (Birds of Prey)
• The The—‘This Is the Day’ (Love and Monsters)
• Wyld Stallyns—‘Face The Music’ (Bill & Ted Face the Music)
• Angel Olsen—‘Mr. Lonely’ (Kajillionaire)
• Tears for Fears—‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ (Tesla)
• Travis Scott—‘The Plan’ (Tenet)
• Cast—‘Song-A-Long’ (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga)
• Dido—‘White Flag’ (Bad Education)
• Aurora—‘Running with the Wolves’ (Wolfwalkers)
• Bonga—‘Mona Ki Ngi Xica’ (Farewell Amor)
• Moby—‘In This World’ (Bad Education)
• Robyn—‘Honey’ (And Then We Danced)
• Pet Shop Boys—‘Always on My Mind’ (Matthias et Maxime)
• Kid Cudi—‘Pursuit of Happiness’ (The King of Staten Island)
• The Meters—‘Cissy Strut’ (Another Round)
• Scarlet Pleasure—‘What a Life’ (Another Round)
• Vashti Bunyan—‘Just Another Diamond Day’ (Babyteeth)
• Janelle Monáe—“Hell You Talmabout” (David Byrne’s American Utopia)
• Aretha Franklin—‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ (I’m Your Woman)