ELO is definitely one of those bands that you need to hear to remember. Their songs are all over the place in TV and films, but they’re the type of tracks that get remembered once they’re played and then forgotten about by a lot of people afterward. It’s not an insult to the music, it’s simply that they’re a softer sound and tend to get overlooked all too often. Once you hear them it’s easy to groove to and remember that they are an important note in music history.
Here’s a few tracks you’re bound to recognize.
5. Mr. Blue Sky – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy is a film that likes to use the classics and it definitely includes ELO on that list. There’s something catchy about a scifi superhero film that likes to stick to the older songs. It almost brings back a sense of nostalgia that makes the film that much cooler for its respect of the time period in which a lot of comic books were starting to get noticed. It also gives a different kind of feel to the film that is refreshing and witty.
4. Long Black Road – American Hustle
The opening beat alone fits into this film so perfectly that you couldn’t imagine it without the track. The gritty, almost desperate feel of American Hustle at times brings about the feeling that the characters are just doing what they can to get by each and every day. That’s part of what makes this song so poignant within the film and why it fits without any issue.
3. Don’t Let Me Down – Jack and Jill
It’s not really common that you hear ELO in Adam Sandler movies, but maybe this means he’s branching out. The film wasn’t one of his best but it had some unique laughs and gags that Sandler hadn’t yet explored. This is great because it shows that he’s at least trying to grow as an actor. The premise was a little silly and the execution made a lot of people wonder if it was going to reach the level of Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore eventually, but in truth it just needed to be its own movie.
2. Living Thing – Chaos Theory
This has got to be one of the most underrated films of Ryan Reynolds’ career. It’s simple and moves kind of slow but the plot and the story line are far more masterful than most people would guess. Imagine a guy that lives by the clock and has everything in his life measured down to the minute. Then think about what happens when one thing goes wrong, which then causes another thing to go wrong, and then another, and then so on and so forth. Chaos Theory is the story of a man that has to realize sooner or later that life doesn’t follow much of a pattern at times, and must be embraced no matter what happens.
1. Showdown – Kingpin
Sheer ridiculousness at its best. When Roy and McCracken go at it in this film it’s almost a cringe-worthy moment when their hair starts to become the star of the scene. Roy has so little to start with that it immediately begins to fray and wander everywhere but his head, while McCracken’s eventually starts to drift away, as though it’s making an attempt to slowly part ways with its owner. That scene alone kind of sums up the movie, as you can’t help but laugh, but you definitely feel the need to keep your distance.
ELO is probably one of the most underrated bands in the music industry despite being so prevalent in film and TV. Thankfully it’s easy to recognize their sound when they come on.
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