Stuck in the 70's: Quentin Tarantino and songs

With a knack for some odd, little-known choices, Tarantino is a big music lover with an eclectic taste. The 70's are undoubtedly his favourite music era. These are the best examples of his perfect use of songs in his movies.

"Across 110th street" - Bobby Womack (Jackie Brown, 1997)

With a knack for some odd, little-known choices, it is obvious he is a big music lover with an eclectic taste. The 70's are undoubtedly his favourite music era.

Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street

This dark soul-funk epic plays throughout the opening sequence where we follow air hostess Jackie Brown (played by Pam Grier) as she's walking leaving an airport. 
The song sets perfectly the tone for the whole movie, a homage from Tarantino to the blaxploitation movies of the 70's. As a matter of fact, the song was also featured in the 1972 movie of the same name, whereas Pam Grier was a star of that subgenre at that time.




"Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" - Urge Overkill (Pulp Fiction, 1994)

Urge Overkill - Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon

These one-hit wonders covered a Nel Diamond song and thanks to that scene they entered eternity.




"Stuck in the MIddle with You" - Stealers Wheel (Reservoir Dogs, 1992)

Stealers Wheel - Stuck in the Middle With You

I know nothing about the song or the band. This is the most famous scene about an ear in cinema history - with the exception of the opening sequence from Blue Velvet.



"Shura no Hana (Flower of Carnage)" - Meiko Kaji (Kill Bill vol.I, 2003)

Meiko Kaji - Shura no Hana ("Flower of Carnage")

Another song used in another film before Tarantino immortalised it (like "Across 110th Street"); this one was featured originally in the 1973 Japanese film Lady SnowBlood starring Meiko Kaji, who also sang the song's haunting melody. In Kill Bill it played right in the end of the epic final sword fight between The Bride and O-Ren Ishii (played by Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu respectively). I could not find a video from the scene with the song so here's a video of the anime scene in the middle of the movie. Tarantino brilliantly shows us here the tragic childhood story of O-Ren, making us sympathise with the villain.