3 of the Greatest Uses of 1970s Country Music in Film

When one thinks of great film soundtracks, they don’t necessarily think of films that lean heavily on the use of 70s country music. If you are one of those people, we don’t blame you, as country music in film is typically used to bolster the country theme that surrounds the film. In other words, the use of most country music in movies isn’t making any major creative leaps.

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While that previous comment is certainly true, nothing is ever that black and white. That being said, there are a couple of films that use country music exquisitely well. And these three use 1970s country music in arguably the perfect manner.

‘Honeysuckle Rose’ & Willie Nelson

If you’ve seen the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose, then you probably view this answer as a cop out. In the context of the previous statement, it kind of is. However, it’s a movie that primarily features Willie Nelson‘s music. So, it meets our criteria perfectly. Also, what country fan doesn’t like Willie Nelson?

We won’t divulge the details of when the songs appear in the film, but just know there are a lot of them, and they come at the perfect moments. Some of the staple 70s Nelson tracks included in the film include “A Song For You”, “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground”, and “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain”.

‘Hell Or High Water’ & “Dollar Bill Blues” by Townes Van Zandt

Hell Or High Water is arguably the best neo-western of all time. Now, you can disagree with that fact, but what you will surely have a harder time disagreeing with is the film’s use in country music. Of course, the country music in the film amplifies the western tones and downtrodden environment in which the protagonists live, and the song that arguably does it best is Townes Van Zandt‘s “Dollar Bill Blues”.

Van Zandt’s song appears in the opening credits of this Taylor Sheridan flick, and in a sense, it pretty much tells the surface-level story of the whole movie. In essence, it encompasses what the movie is and what it is about.

‘Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 2’ & “Southern Nights” by Glen Campbell

The Guardians Of The Galaxy franchise is certainly in the discussion for some of the best soundtracks of all time, and that’s not just because of the music selection, but also how they use that musical selection. One song that attests to the franchise’s creative use of unexpected songs is in Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 2 with Glen Campbell‘s “Southern Nights”.

We won’t spoil anything, but just know that if you haven’t seen this film, then you’re missing out on an epic fight scene. Hilarious, comically violent, and creatively absurd are just three phrases one could use to describe the scene, but again, you have to watch it for yourself.

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