By Salim Garami
What's good?
In memory of the musical legend Tom Petty, I couldn't help thinking about how the movies essentially introduced me to my love for his music (much as movies happen to introduce me to a lot of music I come to hold close to my heart) and I wanted to have something to say about it.
So I looked to two wildly different films that utilize the quintessential Heartbreakers classic "American Girl", the jangly pumping tune about a young girl looking out in hopes of a world outside her balcony. It was his second big hit, riding on the success of previous single "Breakdown", and it's instantly recognizable in the Diddley-esque high chords strumming and the sort of bass drum kick-snare pattern that makes one pop up and ready to move. It's no less infectious than any pop song of the day in its simplicity. So it only makes sense that so many films and tv series would be eager to use it in their soundtracks.
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In truth, my very first introduction to Tom Petty was through the movies which only makes sense out of evaluating what made "American Girl"'s presence in the establishing high school montage of Fast Times at Ridgemont High hit me so well. The visuals are exactly the sort that compliment Petty's words about somebody who hasn't made it out into the real world just yet but has it right out her window, the sort of wistful looking-forward that anybody at their adolescence or teenage years could relate to (and I was just starting high school when I saw Fast Times for the first time). It's the sort of romanticized naivete that may not be exactly Petty's target when he wrote down the lyrics for the song, but still hits right at the heart of any kid already feeling like he's capable of being his own person and what he thinks those encompass - rebellion, sex, driving, higher literature.
But even that doesn't account for how springy and fun the music underneath the lyrics is while the montage just indulges in showing us all of these ridiculous and youthful pranks busting up the kids on their first day of the rest of their lives. It's an extremely peppy song that ironically plays against the victims' deflated pep while still selling how fun it is to watch them miss the water fountain or throw toilet paper around.
2017 took another great from us in director Jonathan Demme earlier this year and I don't think I need to argue how Demme had music in his soul. I think his vast concert film resumé (including my all-time favorite concert film Stop Making Sense), his strong ability to bring soulful or memorable acting performances from musicians even in bit parts, and his soundtrack selection illustrated that. When it comes to The Silence of the Lambs, "American Girl" isn't even the song that comes to mind as its most memorable track. It's "Goodbye Horses" that suddenly took on an irrevocably darker tone for American audiences.
Still "American Girl" gives a darkly ironic apearance in one of the earlier scenes of tension and terror as Petty's harmless good-toned tune disarms us and the character of Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith) as she sings along with it not knowing she's being cased by Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) as his next victim. We can even still hear "American Girl" playing outside of her car as we watch from Bill's night-vision point of view, disabusing us of the safety that such a familiar tune would give us knowing that something predatory is out there.
And in no time, Howard Shore's dark and alarmed score takes over where "American Girl" left off as we watch Martin get lured, beaten unconscious, and kidnapped so soon after Petty assured us everything will be alright. It's not subtle but it's a strong use of music to bring us to a state of unease before we're hit with something hard to watch, something Demme does all throughout his Best Picture-winning horror film.
Did you get introduced to Tom Petty through the movies? Any particular film or TV shows' usage of Tom Petty on the soundtrack (or as actor) that you admired?