Amazing songs/bands you discovered through TV shows/films

Bang Bang Miss America

There used to be loads of songs that I discovered through TV shows and films, but I can only remember two songs that stuck out.

Skins (TV series) - Bright Eyes - First Day Of My Life

Such a beautiful song. Has got me in to Bright Eyes, and I have quite a lot of their material now.

Plus, just yesterday:

Heroes (TV series) - Rouge Wave - Eyes

I only just like this one song, though it is sooooooo good. Heard it on Heroes, then heard it again in another episode of it and my heart melted. Such a beautiful and atmospheric song.

http://music.myspace.com/music/popup.cfm?num=2&time=undefined&fid=3284416&uid=1

There's a link to it.

saint2e

I got into Imogen Heap as a result of the SNL parody, "Dear Sister" which was based on a scene in The OC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cpSv2mNhhc

Kyle XY has been a bit source of songs that I've investigated in the past little while. Good soundtrack to that show.

Trevor

Let's see, I got the Caesars' CD after I heard their song Jerk It Out in some random car commercial and it was decent. I knew about Royksopp and the song Remind Me before the Geico commercial with the caveman, but I was able to tell three or four of my friends who it was and they went and got the CD. I think I might have first heard of Eels because they had a song in Shrek, but I'm not sure if that's really when I discovered them or not. If I didn't know about Chris Ballew's solo electronic music already I would have probably looked into getting it. It's in the background of a ton of cable shows. I'm pretty sure I've heard it in the background of two or three shows on VH1 and almost every episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.

VishNub

High Fidelity soundtrack.

ElJeffe

Pretty much every time Apple releases a new commercial for the iPod, I find a new band or song I like.

EmperorSeth

I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but I just got into the Dandy Warhols last year thanks to Flushed Away. Here's to you, less successful of the recent CG talking rat movies!

RandomEngy

The Bourne Identity got me into to John Powell (composer) as well as Paul Oakenfield (Ready, Steady, Go) and Moby. Though often I'll end up not liking anything else by the artist.

saint2e

RandomEngy wrote: »

The Bourne Identity got me into to John Powell (composer) as well as Paul Oakenfield (Ready, Steady, Go) and Moby. Though often I'll end up not liking anything else by the artist.

Good call. Every time I watch a bourne flick, I must add Moby - Strange Days to my mp3 player playlist. Great track.

mcp

Late Night With David Letterman introduced me to Flogging Molly.

real_pochacco

The House theme song got me into Massive Attack, and the Bones theme song got me into The Crystal Method.

astrobstrd

The only good thing about the second Crow movie is that The Deftones were in it. Garden State introduced me to several new bands.

Adrenaline

I discovered Tom Waits through his performance of R.M. Renfield in Coppola's Dracula... kind of interesting because his music wasn't even in the film.

Gosling

The only one I've got is from Pinks on the Speed Channel: 'Walk Away' by the Nadas. I get a lot more songs off of game soundtracks- All I Want (Offspring) came off of Crazy Taxi, Give It Up (Midtown) from Burnout 3, Will You Take Me As I Am (Seven Wiser) from MVP Baseball 200something, half the SSX3 soundtrack...

The Bigs added two songs to my list. Plush from Stone Temple Pilots and Millenium from Killing Joke.

Hermus

Not a really popular band, but the theme song for Kids in the Hall is done by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. Man I love that song (the show is fuckin' awesome too).

Gnasty

The O.C. soundtracks were pretty good. Grey's Anatomy has also featured some pretty good bands. One episode opened with Gold Lion by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and it made me very, very happy.

Loren Michael

ElJeffe wrote: »

Pretty much every time Apple releases a new commercial for the iPod, I find a new band or song I like.

Daft Punk is nine shades of incredible.

Loren Michael

Also, that Scrubs episode that featured the Polyphonic Spree.

Too bad that's like, the only good song the Polyphonic Spree has. But it's a good one.

TheBog

I discovered The Pixies from the end of Fight Club. It fit so perfectly, added sooo much, that I just had to hear it. The end of that movie IS the song. And The Pixies are one of my favorite bands now.

I discovered The Pillows from FLCL. Love em.

Um. I sort of discovered King Crimson from Children of Men. My friend recommended them to me, but the movie sealed the deal.

Discovered Air from Virgin Suicides.

bowtiedseal

I often like the songs on Scrubs. The one that springs to mind is Colin Hay's acoustic "Overkill."

Loren Michael

I always knew about him, but I was never really into him, but The Life Aquatic totally got me into David Bowie for a while. The songs from the Devo guy are also fucking amazing. Some of the highest-played stuff in my itunes collection.

UnbreakableVow

bowtiedseal wrote: »

I often like the songs on Scrubs. The one that springs to mind is Colin Hay's acoustic "Overkill."

Scrubs got me into Safety Dance.

Adrenaline

Oh yeah, M83 via A Scanner Darkly.

Mullitt The Wise

Emitt Rhodes from The Royal Tenenbaums. His song Lullabye was in it, and it got me into all his music.
Also, The Polyphonic Spree had a song in some commercial and I found out about them that way, but I like all their songs, not just one.

Kyougu

bowtiedseal wrote: »

I often like the songs on Scrubs. The one that springs to mind is Colin Hay's acoustic "Overkill."

Funny, I just downloaded that song the other day forexactly the same reason.

And I'm embarassed to say it, but WWE has turned me into alot of rock bands when they use them to promote feuds/ppv's. Trust Company is one that jumps at me right away as an example.

Buddy Lee

Yeah, Zack Braff has a pretty fantastic taste in music. The Garden State soundtrack is excellent; that movie got me into The Shins.

Also, Grey's Anatomy introduced me to Regina Spektor.

PiRaTe!!!

A lot of the music that I listen to has been from groups that I heard in a movie or TV show such as:

Massive Attack - First heard them in Antitrust along with House of course
Imogen Heap - Garden State (AKA Frou Frou)
Crystal Method - The Replacement Killers
Bear McCreary - Battlestar Galactica, brilliant work
The Dandy Warhols - Antitrust (yes I'm one of the few who likes this movie)


and many more...

Gnasty

I knew of the Dandy Warhols before Veronica Mars, but the fact that they had the music for the opening credits made me happy. And I really liked the version they had for season 3 (I should try to find it, now that I think about it...)

Tachos

I got really into Jon Brion from the scores he did for Eternal Sunshine and I Heart Huckabees. Other examples would be Elliot Smith from the Richie Tenenbaum shaving scene in Royal Tenenbaums and as other people have mentioned, shins and frou frou from garden state.

Bionic Monkey

The Scream 3 soundtrack introduced me to Finger Eleven.

Psycho Internet Hawk

I remember hearing "Days Go By" on that Mazda commercial and finding the song online.

Then a few weeks later the advertisement starts airing like fucking mad, the song is everywhere, and I get sick of it.

mcdermott

Loren Michael wrote: »

I always knew about him, but I was never really into him, but The Life Aquatic totally got me into David Bowie for a while. The songs from the Devo guy are also fucking amazing. Some of the highest-played stuff in my itunes collection.

Yeah, I had been a fan since I was a kid but hadn't actually listened to any Bowie for a few years until that movie came out. Then I found myself both listening to Bowie and absolutely needing to own the Seu Jorge versions as well.

And shit, there must be at least a dozen songs I've picked up from Scrubs. Can't for the life of me name one right now.

Bob The Monkey

Has to be Alabama 3 through The Sopranos.

Absolutely excellent music.

Judge-Z

Buddy Lee wrote: »

Yeah, Zack Braff has a pretty fantastic taste in music. The Garden State soundtrack is excellent; that movie got me into The Shins.

Also, Grey's Anatomy introduced me to Regina Spektor.

Garden State did the same for me.

Most recently, I dug into the Mates of State song "For the Actor" after hearing about 3 seconds of it on an AT&T wireless commercial. Took some digging to find out if the band in the commercial was even real.

Tofystedeth

Ravenous got me into Michael Nyman.
There was a car commercial like, 8 years ago or whatever that had a bit from Last Dance by Ozma in it. I listen to a lot of Ozma now, because a friend introduced me, but I remember the first time I heard the full version of Last Dance I was so weirded out until I could figure out where I'd heard it before.

Edit: ++ to Pillows. And also Yoko Kanno.

the Togfather

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah. Gorgeous song. I can't believe it hasn't come up on here yet, I've heard this from at least 3 seperate tv shows/movies, though the only one I can remember right now is Lord of War. I think there was a different version of it on the OC too, after Marrissa died...

In fact, there might have been yet another version on Scrubs once, I want to say there was. But the Jeff Buckley version is where it's at, and I know I've heard it on several shows...

Werewulfy

Second Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah, I heard it first on House, then on some movie about a kid in a marathon. (Saint something)

And yeah, Scrubs had a cover of it, don't remember who's though. There are so many covers of that song, but Buckley's is the best.

Mmmm... Cocks...

Ah thank you for mentioning Scrubs! I think I love just about every song on that show except that Fray song but it worked for the episode quite well.

To this date the only song I've downloaded off iTunes has been The Blanks (Teds band) version of Over the Rainbow.

the Togfather

Werewulfy wrote: »

Second Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah, I heard it first on House, then on some movie about a kid in a marathon. (Saint something)

Heh, that's nuts. I've never watched House and sure don't recognize that movie, so that make two MORE places where that song's been used in addition to at least 3 that I'm pretty sure I heard it in. That's gotta be some kinda record damn near...

though I guess it kinda makes sense, as he drowned back in 1997, so why wouldn't the people in charge of his estate continue to promote his one most recognizable work, and earn a bit o' dough w/ it...

Just Like That

The entire soundtracks for The Big Lebowski and Kill Bill (vol. 1). Examples:

From The Big Lebowski

"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" — written by Mickey Newbury; performed by Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
"The Man In Me" — written and performed by Bob Dylan

From Kill Bill vol. 1

"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Nancy Sinatra
"Battle Without Honor or Humanity" by Tomoyasu Hotei

Note: the links to these songs are from music blogs, obtained through The Hype Machine. If there is a problem with posting them, let me know and I'll take them down.

Tav

Another post about how awesome Zach Braff's music taste is. Garden State got me into the Shins, and Scrubs got me into The Coral.

Dreamin' of You ~ The Coral

Gim

I came across 'Some Velvet Morning' in Morvern Callar. That was a rad implementation.

The repeated use of Popol Vuh's Brothers Of Darkness/Sons Of Light in 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' captivated me, even if it only uses the first few minutes of the song. What a great mood music for the film.