The Needle and the Lens: Pop Goes to the Movies from Rock 'n' Roll to Synthwave

The creative use of pop music in film has shaped and shifted music history since the 1960s, with Nate Patrin's book exploring the phenomenon through the past fifty years. Music in movies has become a form of interpretive commentary, legitimizing pop and rock music as art forms. Patrin examines how these moments have shaped and shifted music history, recasting source material and stirring wider interest in previously niche pop genres.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 28 November 2023
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

The captivating relationship between film and music has been a dynamic force in shaping and transforming music history since the 1960s. In his comprehensive and invigorating book, Nate Patrin explores this intricate connection, highlighting the profound impact of music in movies on popular culture.

Throughout the past fifty years, film and music have coexisted as a cultural symbiosis, mutually influencing and shaping each other. Patrin traces this phenomenon, examining how music has been deployed as an interpretive commentary in movies, legitimizing pop and rock music as art forms worthy of serious consideration.

This musical commentary spans a wide range of emotions, from comedic irony to thrilling excitement to deeply felt drama. Patrin delves into iconic pairings, such as American Graffiti and "Do You Want to Dance?", Saturday Night Fever and "Disco Inferno," Apocalypse Now and "The End," Waynes World and "Bohemian Rhapsody," and Jackie Brown and "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time?"

What gives these individual moments their power and how have they shaped and shifted music history? As Patrin surveys the musical and cinematic landscape across decades, he expands into the deeper origins, wider connections, and echoed histories that come into play. The Needle and the Lens offers a fresh perspective, allowing readers to see and hear these iconic soundtrack moments in a new light.

Through his meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Patrin sheds light on the symbiotic relationship between film and music, demonstrating how it has played a crucial role in shaping the cultural landscape and influencing the evolution of music genres. This book is a must-read for music enthusiasts, film lovers, and anyone interested in the intersection of art and culture.

Weight: 374g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517913243