Line #18 Main/StockTrailerMusic


1	So you're leaning back in your comfy theater chair, next to your significant other, munching on overpriced lobby snacks, when the [[ComingAttractions previews]] come on. The first opens with some dramatic InAWorld narration about the EarthThatWas...but wait a minute. That music sure sounds familiar. "[[Film/RequiemForADream Requiem for]] [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers a Tower]]", again? The next trailer is for some run-of-the-mill PG-rated Creator/EddieMurphy ToiletHumor kiddy comedy. It's "I Feel Good" by James Brown! Again!
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3	This is a common movie trailer trope. Simply put, many editors of trailers find it easy to use famous songs to elicit a specific mood within a two- or three-minute duration.
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5	See also StandardSnippet. RecycledTrailerMusic is a close sister trope, but for film scores instead of songs.
6	----
7	!!Examples:
8	* "Bishop's Countdown" from ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' (also an example of RecycledTrailerMusic) has been seen in many action-oriented films that were released over the last three decades. This includes its sequel (''Film/{{Alien 3}}''), ''Film/TheAbyss'', ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy2005'', ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'', ''Film/{{XXX}}'', ''Film/DantesPeak'' and many more. According to [[http://www.soundtrack.net/trailers/frequent Soundtrack.net]], it is the fifth most-commonly used cue for a trailer.
9	* Listen to enough music from companies like Two Steps From Hell, Audiomachine, EpicScore, and Globus, and you'll start recognizing a LOT of the songs used in previews, both on TV and on the big screen.
10	** ''Series/AmericasGotTalent'' is particularly fond of using Two Steps From Hell, particularly Heart of Courage.
11	* As mentioned above, Music/JamesBrown's "I Feel Good" is the go-to song for inane kids' comedies based around ToiletHumor and Creator/EddieMurphy [[ActingForTwo playing all the characters]]. In fact, its status as a cliché was [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''Film/TropicThunder''.
12	* "I Wish" by Music/StevieWonder also shows up on a fairly frequent basis in trailers for animated films.
13	* And for kids' comedies that are less gross and more heartwarming, "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves is a popular choice.
14	* As also mentioned above, "Requiem for a Tower" is pretty popular for overwrought Sci-Fi/Action epics, ever since it was created for the trailers of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers''. Hell, even ''Film/TheDaVinciCode'' used it. It's an orchestral remix of the song "Lux Aeterna", which was written (by Clint Mansell) as the main theme for ''Film/RequiemForADream''. It's become the default action/sci-fi/epic/drama/pretty-much-any-genre music for trailers, despite the original being a depressing music for a depressing movie.
15	* "What's This?" from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' has made Creator/DannyElfman enough royalties for him to live on all by itself.
16	* Whimsical comedies like ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind'' and ''WesternAnimation/FlushedAway'' have used [[https://youtu.be/ewnPplgj5BQ Bottoms Up by Hermann Egger]] in their trailers.
17	* It's a little known fact, but U.S. law requires that a minimum of 75% of all RomanticComedy trailers every year use "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet. The answer to that question is inevitably [[StrictlyFormula yes]].
18	* Gary Jules' cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" is becoming popular for Horror/Action trailers during [[SoundtrackDissonance fast-paced montages of violence and/or desolation]], as evidenced by its use in commercials for ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' and ''Film/TheCrazies2010''.
19	* Up until the mid-2000s, a handful of tracks ("Name of the Game", for example) by The Crystal Method and Music/TheProdigy were very popular in ads for everything from energy drinks to action movies. The use of big beat has become a DeadHorseTrope in advertising now, and has contributed the [[GenreKiller death]] of classic, Music/FatboySlim-style big beat.
20	* Music/Blink182's "All the Small Things" is a popular choice for [[DawsonCasting teen comedies starring actors in their late 20s]]. Also, any comedy where something is small (e.g., ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'').
21	* Saliva's "Click Click Boom" is there for the prospective trailer editor who wants an [[TotallyRadical X-Treme atmosphere]] for chugging Mountain Dew.
22	* From 1999 until a few years into the TurnOfTheMillennium, "All Star" by Music/SmashMouth was in ''every'' ad for ''everything'' ever. Those ads included the trailers for the ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' movie, ''Film/InspectorGadget1999'', and ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1''.
23	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlAHZURxRjY "Song 2"]] [[{{Music/Blur}} by Blur]] - also a StandardSnippet in action scenes, particularly extreme sports.
24	* Want music for the trailer of your TV show? Is this week's episode particularly dramatic? [[Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine "You've Got the Love".]] Done.
25	** Also [[Music/{{Adele}} "Set Fire to the Rain"]], especially on Lifetime.
26	* For a while around 2005-2006, any song by The Fray ("Over My Head", "How to Save a Life") was common in trailers for dramatic shows like ''Series/GreysAnatomy''.
27	* "Firework" by Music/KatyPerry was used in the trailers for both ''Film/{{Prom}}'' and ''Film/SoulSurfer'', two films released within months of each other, making for some amusing moments when both trailers were played back to back.
28	* At one point during the early 2000s, almost every single kids movie involving dogs had "Who Let The Dogs Out" by the Baha Men play in the trailer. The rest used "Atomic Dog" by Music/GeorgeClinton -- specifically, the "bow-wow-wow-yippee-yo-yippee-yay" refrain.
29	* In around 2013 ''every'' TV drama trailer started using ''Outro'' by M93, until networks started to realise how annoying it was getting.
30	* When it first came out, "Tik Tok" by Music/{{Kesha}} was popular in trailers for kids movies. A rather peculiar choice considering the song is about hardcore partying and drinking.
31	* A slew of films have used the Music/DavidBowie[=/=]Music/{{Queen}} collaboration "Under Pressure" in their trailers -- namely ''Film/{{Stepmom}}'' (also used in the film's opening sequence), ''Film/{{The Girl Next Door\|2004}}'', the ''Film/{{Arthur 1981}}'' remake (that trailer also used Bowie's "Rebel Rebel"), and ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}''. Never mind that the pressure the song is discussing is that of dealing with a world gone mad, rather than raising stepkids or romantic travails. Finally, ''Series/GoodOmens'' used it more appropriately.
32	* "Solsbury Hill" by Music/PeterGabriel seems to be the go-to song for "feel good movie" trailers. Odd, since it's a rather bitter song about Gabriel leaving Music/{{Genesis\|Band}}.
33	* Music/KTTunstall's "Suddenly I See" was used in ''Literature/TheDevilWearsPrada'', and ever since has been used in various trailers for movies, TV, and commercials, usually in scenes where women are empowered. It was even parodied by ''Best Week Ever'' in 2008, which played it with scenes of women working in sweatshops.
34	* Films with a comedic existential theme to them seem to favor "Once in a Lifetime" by Music/TalkingHeads. Examples include ''Film/TheTrumanShow'', ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'', and ''Film/{{Downsizing}}''
35	* It seems now of days if you want some Epic, thematic music to go along with your Action / Sci-Fi trailer, just use a track from Music/NineInchNails' ''Music/TheFragile1999''. Most notably, the track ''Just Like You Imagined'' was used for the trailer to ''Film/ThreeHundred''.
36	* Danny Cocke's "Sinister Intent" got some mileage, being used in the ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' and ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' trailers, and in promos for Season 3 of ''The Walking Dead''.
37	* Imagine Dragons' song "Radioactive" has started showing up in a great deal of advertisements, such as things for ''VideoGame/{{Defiance}}'', ''Series/{{Graceland}},'' and other media.
38	* Since ''Film/{{Inception}}'' popularized it, a lot of movie trailers now use [[PreviewsPulse the BWONG noise]]. It's even popped up in a few soundtracks here and there.
39	* Music/SleighBells' "Crown on The Ground" --- among many other tracks of theirs --- seem to pop up in various movie trailers these days.
40	* Music/EllieGoulding's "Explosions" was used as Creator/{{ITV}}'s soundtrack to their "Where Drama Lives" series of adverts, and even starting charting highly on the UK Singles Chart as a result.
41	* Music/TheHeavy's "How You Like Me Now" has been used in many trailers, particularly a favorite for comedies.
42	* Nero's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QqY-8mohxo Doomsday]]" is used for a high action trailer that needs some dubstep to add hipster gravitas.
43	* Since its use in the ''Film/FantasticFour2015'' Trailer #2, Immediate Music's piece "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vvJdr0McXk Apocalypse]]" has been reused in TV spots and trailers for ''Film/JurassicWorld'', ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjay'', ''Film/GodsOfEgypt'' and ''Film/TheJungleBook2016''.
44	* "Runaway Baby" by Music/BrunoMars is incredibly popular for fast-paced trailers. An example that comes to mind is ''WesternAnimation/EscapeFromPlanetEarth'', which heavily featured the song in its promotional packaging.
45	* The trailers for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcpWXaA2qeg ''Toy Story 3'']], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bskgNOXbdiE the English dub of ''Ponyo'']], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9vRrYrgjAk ''Furry Vengeance'']] all feature the same piece of background music. Considering these were all released around the same time (late-2009 to mid-2010), maybe that piece was a popular and easy option to use.
46	* "Fireball" by Music/{{Pitbull}} has been used in trailers and TV spots for ''[[WesternAnimation/ShaunTheSheep Shaun the Sheep: The Movie]]'', TV spots for ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' and the international trailer for ''WesternAnimation/TheEmojiMovie''.
47	* Practically every childrens' movie trailer will feature "The Walker" by Fitz & the Tantrums.
48	* The trailer for ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'' uses... well, the title is [[Music/GunsNRoses pretty self-explanatory]]. That song was also used in the trailers for ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater'' (which teased an appearance by Music/{{Slash\|Musician}} that [[MissingTrailerScene never appeared in the final film]]).
49	* The trailer for ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' featured Music/ThinLizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town". Nowhere to be found in the film, though. It's sung in the [[RecycledInSpace on-ice version]]. "The Boys Are Back in Town" would become the trilogy's signature trailer song, being reused to promote ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 3]]''.
50	* Guaranteed, if there is a zany comedy or a light-hearted fantasy movie, you will hear Music/TheCancanSong from ''Orpheus in the Underworld''.
51	* Trailers for ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' utilized "Let's Groove" by Music/EarthWindAndFire.
52	* Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" is common in movie trailers such as those for the ''Film/DieHard'' and ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'' films, and is sometimes used when a film is financially and/or critically successful.
53	* Music/RagNBoneMan's "Human" is slowly becoming this, already having been used in trailers for ''Series/{{Inhumans}}'', ''Series/{{SSGB}}'', ''Thank You for Your Service'', ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', ''WesternAnimation/Cars3'' and ''Series/JackRyan''.
54	* Music/IggyPop's "Real Wild Child (Wild One)" was a particularly popular choice for 80s-90s family films and/or other films with "rambunctious" kids/teens as the protagonists, including ''Film/AdventuresInBabysitting'', ''Literature/HarrietTheSpy'' and ''Film/ProblemChild''.
55	* Music/TheCranberries were ''everywhere'' [[https://www.bustle.com/articles/42519-the-cranberries-ruled-90s-movie-soundtracks-from-empire-records-to-youve-got-mail on film and TV]], mostly in Gen-X-centric fare. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yam5uK6e-bQ "Dreams"]] takes the cake, having been in trailers for ''Film/ChungkingExpress'', ''Film/MilkMoney'', ''Film/YouveGotMail'', and ''Film/MissionImpossible'', as well as episodes of ''Series/MySoCalledLife'', ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'', ''Series/GossipGirl'', and ''{{Series/JAG}}''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vvHeKUK-9g Patrice O'Neal]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-GNgV32Cu4 poked fun at it]] on an Radio/OpieAndAnthony appearance, while improving a crummy romcom trailer.
56	-->'''Patrice O'Neal''': Creator/ReneeZellweger. Creator/JohnCusack. ''The Warmest Blanket''.
57	* [=DJ=] Shadow’s “Nobody Speak” became a standard stock track for R-rated and raunchy comedies in the late 2010s, notably being featured in the trailers for ''Film/{{Suburbicon}}'', ''Film/{{Booksmart}}'' and ''Film/GoodBoys''[[labelnote:*]]in the latter two examples, it also appeared in the actual movies[[/labelnote]]. ''Booksmart'' and ''Good Boys'' opened in the same summer season, which meant it wasn’t uncommon to get the trailers for both films at the same screening - or even back-to-back.
58	* The trailers for ''Film/AtomicBlonde'', ''Film/WonderWoman1984'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' used remixes of Music/NewOrder's "Blue Monday" to underline that they are set in TheEighties. The song is also briefly used at the beginning of ''Atomic Blonde''.
59	* The main theme of 1981's ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans\|1981}}'' by Laurence Rosenthal was used in the trailers of a couple of other adventure-themed films from TheEighties, including ''Film/RedSonja''.
60	* Music/{{Woodkid}}'s "Run Boy Run". For all the scenes where protagonist needs to run a lot (''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'', ''VideoGame/DyingLight'', ''Film/TheMazeRunner'', ''Film/{{Divergent}}'') and advertisements of extreme sports-adjacent gear like the [=GoPro=] cameras. Hell, ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy'' uses it as a TitleDrop for the second episode.
61	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTMrlHHVx8A Kings and Queens by Thirty Seconds to Mars]] has been used in trailers for ''Film/{{Hugo}}'', ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheGuardiansTheOwlsOfGaHoole'', and many more.
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Context Main / StockTrailerMusic