Watching David Fincher’s Netflix show Mindhunter
I was reminded how thoughtful he is when choosing popular music.
He’s not the most obvious director
that comes to mind in this regard.
Though you could argue that Fincher’s background in music video
makes him more of an authority on the use of pop music in film.
In this sequence set to
"Fly Like An Eagle" by The Steve Miller Band
he uses the track to comment on one of his recurring themes
the passing of time.
You wouldn’t necessarily make that connection
were it not for the song.
And in this instance it highlights these
FBI agent's repetitive daily grind,
which is distracting, and delaying them
from their true calling.
In "Fight Club"
Tom Waits' "Goin' Out West" is used to
introduce the first underground basement venue
a place for this new cult
to unleash their repressed masculinity.
The track mirrors this in terms of lyrics
as it’s Waits inhabiting an almost
cartoonishly alpha male alter-ego.
Contrast this with the more celebrated use
of the Pixies "Where Is My Mind?"
Lyrically, it’s a fairly obvious choice
for a film about a man with a split personality disorder,
whose alter-ego even manages to travel without our protagonist’s knowledge.
He literally doesn’t know where his mind has gone.
Though tonally, the song sets itself apart
from the rest of the film’s music.
It was done by the The Dust Brothers, and it's all this mechanical stuff.
you know, and hard rhythms
And when the poop was hitting the fan
the building started collapsing
You would think it would be something like
but what's the first thing you hear?
Acoustic guitar
It's like what a juxtaposition.
I'm getting goosebumps right now.
The track plays a similar role in the album it stems from, "Surfer Rosa".
It’s laid back, anthemic tone
is a release from the abrasive tracks that precede it.
Fincher will often choose a track for the end of his films
that comments on what we’ve just seen.
Like David Bowie’s "The Hearts Filthy Lesson" at the end of Se7en,
a song where Bowie inhabits a detective character who’s reaching out to his partner,
in a state depression and hopelessness.
When looking at the track’s music video,
for me it instantly brings to mind the video for the Nine Inch Nails track "Closer",
which just so happens to be the song that was remixed for Se7en’s opening credits.
Closer also has similar lyrics of pleading despair.
So there’s a real consistency of tone between the opening and closing tracks.
These lyrics feel apt, as by the film’s end, Detective Mills has lost his way.
His once youthful, idealistic spirit is now crushed,
just like Detective Somerset's.
At the end of "The Social Network" Mark Zuckerburg appears to be suffering from his own spiritual emptiness.
The scene is underscored with the The Beatles "Baby, You’re a Rich Man".
The song’s meaning is somewhat tricky to decode.
Yet by putting it in this context,
Fincher creates his own interpretation.
As the title card reads, Zuckerburg is the youngest billionaire.
This success was something he was intensely focussed on throughout the film.
And he was willing to be ruthless to get there.
So how does he feel, the song asks
now he’s gotten everything he desires.
By the looks of it unhappy, because he’s alone.
The track was originally released as a B-side to "All You Need is Love"
where The Beatles proclaim that it’s love, not wealth, or fame,
that truly provides spiritual fulfillment.
Often Fincher will use music that jars with the images on screen.
Whether it’s using Enya’s blissful "Orinoco Flow" as a prelude to torture.
Or Donovan’s "Hurdy Gurdy Man"
a song about a travelling musician who...
to introduce the Zodiac killer, a harbinger of death.
Though this contrast fits with the general concept of the film,
which is about San Francisco's hip, cosmopolitan oasis
being terrorised by a serial killer.
And in the final episode of Mindhunter, he uses the track "In the Light",
from Led Zeppelin’s double album "Physical Graffiti"
in a conflicted way.
These lyrics echo the first episode of the series.
When we first met FBI Agent Holden Ford
it's during a hostage negotiation that resulted in a suicide,
and Holden felt despondent that he was unable to talk him out of it.
On top of this his boss assigns him to a new teaching position,
which only makes him feel more inept.
You're putting me out to pasture.
His fortunes do improve though,
as he ends up leaving the office and going on trips with his new partner.
But still, when confronted with a real life case - he freaks out.
I don't know.
You're kiddin' me?
I don't understand it. We can't help you with this.
We need more time to go over this.
We, are in the dark here.
However, by the end of the season he has conquered these fears, and become confident in his new expertise.
Holden pulled himself out of the darkness,
and found the light at the end of the road.
But that light, just so happens to be a murderous psychopath.
Thanks everyone for watching
this was a fun one to edit as besides I guess Enya I'm a fan of the music Fincher tends to use
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