The Rolling Stones are one of the biggest rock bands in the world and have been for over 50 years. During that time, among the millions of fans they’ve amassed, are a handful of filmmakers who decided to license their tracks to make certain scenes in their movies really pop.
Martin Scorsese and Wes Anderson, in particular, have a special affinity for the Stones, featuring at least one of their songs in almost all of their movies. Having a Rolling Stones song on the soundtrack doesn’t guarantee a great movie, but a great movie will always benefit from a well-placed Stones record.
“Doom And Gloom” In Avengers: Endgame
The highest-grossing movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame, has a breathtaking original score by Alan Silvestri that made the big finale of the Marvel Cinematic Universe feel suitably epic.
But it also has a couple of handpicked classic rock tunes in its soundtrack. The Rolling Stones’ “Doom and Gloom” plays while Rocket is fixing the ship. Also, the Kinks’ “Supersonic Rocket Ship” plays when Rocket and the Hulk travel out to New Asgard to recruit Thor.
“Gimme Shelter” In The Departed
Martin Scorsese has used “Gimme Shelter” a bunch of times throughout his career. There’s something about the song’s rough-and-tumble response to a violent world that fits right in with gangster stories.
Arguably Scorsese’s best use of the track is in the opening of The Departed as Jack Nicholson’s Frank Costello explains his business in voiceover narration.
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” In Apocalypse Now
There are a ton of iconic music moments in Apocalypse Now, from the Doors’ “The End” opening the movie against images of napalm tearing through a jungle to Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” setting the stage for a helicopter attack.
The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” creates the perfect mood for the scene in which Lance surfs behind the boat.
“Sweet Virginia” In Knives Out
Just as Marta is about to confess at the end of Knives Out, Benoit Blanc pieces the whole case together and Marta lies to get Ransom to it to murder. After Ransom is arrested, the will goes through and the house becomes Marta’s.
The Rolling Stones’ “Sweet Virginia” plays on the soundtrack as the Thrombey clan is locked outside the family mansion and Marta goes out onto the balcony of her new home to look down on them.
“Ruby Tuesday” In The Royal Tenenbaums
Wes Anderson has used Rolling Stones songs in a bunch of his movies. In The Royal Tenenbaums, “Ruby Tuesday” plays after adoptive siblings Richie and Margot kiss.
The song’s melancholic sound perfectly fits the tone of the story as Margot tells Richie that they can be together, but they’ll have to keep their love a secret.
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” In Mean Streets
The dynamic at the heart of Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets is Charlie, a conflicted Catholic mobster, and Johnny Boy, his reckless young friend whose messes he constantly has to clean up.
This is established when Charlie is sitting in the bar and Johnny Boy walks through the door in slow-motion with his arms around two girls, set to the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
“Out Of Time” In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
There are a ton of classic ‘60s tracks on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The Stones’ “Out of Time” plays at a crucial point in the film when Rick and Cliff are returning from Italy at the end of their working relationship and Joanna arrives at Sharon Tate’s house.
The heavy-hearted tone of the song fits perfectly with the looming tragedy as the sun sets on Los Angeles on the fateful night of the Tate-LaBianca murders.
“2000 Man” In Bottle Rocket
Wes Anderson’s debut feature Bottle Rocket was a crime comedy in the mold of Bande à part, telling the story of some regular people who decide to plot a crime and find themselves in over their heads.
When the robbery inevitably goes wrong and the cops arrive, Dignan races back into the building to save Applejack set to the sounds of the Rolling Stones’ “2000 Man.”
“Monkey Man” In Goodfellas
The helicopter sequence in Goodfellas is one of the most frantic, electrifying set pieces in movie history. Martin Scorsese beautifully translated Henry Hill’s frazzled, coke-addled mindset to the screen, and part of this was changing the soundtrack eight times with different song fragments.
One of those fragments is a chunk of the Rolling Stones’ “Monkey Man,” which plays as Henry and Karen stash their guns at Karen’s mother’s house.
“Paint It Black” In Full Metal Jacket
Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket is one of the greatest Vietnam War movies ever made. Rock ‘n’ roll tracks like “Surfin’ Bird” juxtaposed with the horrors of war contribute to the movie’s signature pitch-black comic tone.
The Rolling Stones’ timeless classic “Paint It Black” plays over the end credits, letting Kubrick’s haunting satirical message set in following the “Mickey Mouse March” finale.
