In the second installment of our Sofia Coppola retrospective, we discuss how Heart's 1976 hit single "Magic Man" is used in a pivotal scene in The Virgin Suicides (1999). We also discuss other needle drops featured in the film including The Hollies' "The Air I Breathe," Electric Light Orchestra's "Strange Magic," Styx's "Come Sail Away" and 10cc's "I'm Not in Love." To quote Jordan, let 2024 be the year of the Hartnettissance!

We kick off our 4-episode spotlight on director Sofia Coppola with the film that won her an Oscar! We discuss how The Jesus and Mary Chain's 1985 song "Just Like Honey" is used in the final sequence of her 2003 film Lost in Translation. We also discuss other needle drops featured in the film including Roxy Music's "More Than This," Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket," My Bloody Valentine's "Sometimes" and Peaches' "Fuck the Pain Away."

We conclude our spotlight on 2023 movies with an emotional fantasy-romance! We discuss how Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 1984 ballad "The Power of Love" is used in Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers. We also discuss another pivotal needle drop: the Pet Shop Boys' "Always on My Mind." We also reveal our next set of episodes towards the end!

Join us for a fun and lively discussion of how Avril Lavigne's 2002 smash hit is used in Emma Seligman's teen comedy Bottoms (2023). We also talk about the other big needle drop in Bottoms - Bonnie Tyler's classic 1983 power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Join us as we discuss how Cat Stevens' "The Wind" is used in a pivotal scene in Alexander Payne's comedy-drama The Holdovers (2023). Other needle drops discussed include Labi Siffre's "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying," Badfinger's "No Matter What," and Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Knock Three Times."

This week we take a trip to Barbieland and talk about the most successful movie of 2023: Greta Gerwig's Barbie. We discuss how Gerwig uses the Indigo Girls' timeless 1989 song "Closer to FIne" so effectively in pivotal scenes throughout the movie.

We also discuss other songs featured in Barbie including Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?," Dua Lipa's "Dance the Night," Lizzo's "Pink," Ryan Gosling's "I'm Just Ken," Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and Matchbox Twenty's "Push."

The next installment of our spotlight on 2023 films is among the most acclaimed and well-awarded works of last year: Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall. We discuss how the Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band's instrumental cover of 50 Cent's 2003 smash hit "P.I.M.P" is used so effectively in perhaps the most unexpected context imaginable.


Please note: we recorded this episode the night before the 2024 Oscars nominations

This week on Needle Drops, we discuss how Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 2001 hit "Murder on the Dancefloor" is used in the final scene of Emeald Fennel's Saltburn, one of the most popular and discussed films released in 2023.