There are books where you start reading and you can entirely tell this was someone's PhD thesis. Those books are ostensibly interesting, but are not written in such a way as to be readable by a general audience. In the case of The Needle and the Lens, I really should have been a perfect reader, however, it never did grab me. (I have a Masters in Broadcast Communication specializing in sound.)

I couldn't really get a handle on what this book was trying to say. It is laid out chronologically, with a movie and one of the famous songs that it is associated with. First Patrin writes a summary of the movie. Then he introduces the song. Then he describes the world and music scene when the movie came out. However, each section isn't just about one song. In many cases the entire soundtrack is discussed. You'd think that would make the book that much more interesting, but IMHO it does not.

I think if this book wanted to be more traditionally published and gather more readers, it would need to be re-edited to either focus on the movie, the music, and/or the historical background of the time period the movie was made. I would have even preferred a description of the exact "needle drop" in the movie (or maybe only movies that actually have a "needle drop" in them), the song and where it is placed in the movie. This book gives you more than that simple format, and it doesn't add anything to the overall discussion. In the current format it's just all over the place. Even with movies I watched and songs I enjoyed, the discussion kept getting off track. I hope this thesis got Patrin his degree, but if he wants to publish it as a standard book marketed to the masses, it needs to be reimagined.

I received an advanced promotional copy and am giving an honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Author for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC.

This book goes into quite detailed analysis of a number of movies and the key music that accompanied them. It delves into the social scene surrounding the movie and music as well as the impact of each of the elements on the other. In all honesty, it's probably a little more what I would call "artsy" than I would normally be interested in. But has some interesting insights that film and music lovers should enjoy.

Author Patrin defines the “needle drop” in a movie that moment when an already existing song (that is, one that wasn’t written specifically for the film) starts playing to give meaning, weight or emphasis to a scene. Thus, his book concerns itself with some of the best of those moments from the 1950s to the 2010s. Can you imagine Blackboard Jungle without “Rock Around the Clock”? Easy Rider without The Pusher? Apocalypse Now without “The End”? Blue Velvet without “In Dreams”? There are many, many more perfect pairings analyzed here, and many of them will surprise you in their selection. Patrin gives much background about the movies and the songs, and explains why they work so well and why, in some cases, they are etched so clearly in our minds. Thanks to the University of Minnesota Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to have a sneak peek at this enlightening study.

A deep dive into the connection between music and movies was bound to be interesting, but Nate Patrin goes above and beyond to detail just how intertwined the two types of media truly are. A must read for music and film historians alike.

This book is comprised of essays about a film and a song that is prominent in the soundtrack. The writing is very good and compelling. The variety of films is incredible -- from Kenneth Anger to Wes Anderson etc. Some of the films I have not yet seen (and look forward to watching) and the appendix also lists other brief notes on additional movies and songs since it is difficult to cull the list down to just a few. I was inspired to create a playlist with the songs mentioned. Each essay provides background on the film (with a plot synopsis) as well as the behind the scenes creative process making the music and making the film. The author skillfully weaves all of this into these essays. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and University of Minnesota Press for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

How much does the soundtrack of a movie affect your enjoyment of a particular movie? What about your memory of a movie, does a particular song stick in your head as emblematic of the movie? That is the question Nate Patrin chose to explore in The Needle and the Lens.

Nate Patrin defines a "needle drop" as using a preexisting song to provide context for the film. He takes sixteen movies that use songs not written/recorded for the movies and explores the interaction between the movies, the songs, and the audience. Some of the combinations are very well known - Easy Rider/"The Pusher," The Graduate/"The Sound of Silence ," or American Graffiti/"Do You Want to Dance?" Others are a bit off the wall (but then I have not seen all of these movies) such as Killer of Sheep/"This Bitter Earth," Blue Velvet/"In Dreams," or Drive/"A Real Hero." Then there are ones I just had not thought of in this fashion - mainly Apocalypse Now/"The End" and Wayne's World/"Bohemian Rhapsody" that just work well. While individual chapters may be less of a treat, the book as a whole is a good read.

Nate Patrin enjoys exploring the intersection of movies and music and sharing his findings with an appreciative audience. If you think you might be in that crowd, pick up The Needle and the Lens and join the conversation!

Happy to include this title in my recent thematic round-up “Cinephiles,” in the Holiday Gift Books package of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see mini-review at link)

"This book is not just about that context, it is about genuinely examining the subject in a way that it deserves. It is easy to dismiss a work about popular film and music as frivolous or unworthy of scrutiny. The author proves this to be incorrect. Culture is a part of us, and it can be brought to life in a unique way through a film’s use of new or familiar songs. Combined with the powerful imagery of a film’s vision, that music can imprint upon and leave us forever marked by them: giving us emotions we would never have experienced otherwise, emotions that can be recaptured as an echo when we listen to the song alone."

-Review excerpt from piece featured on Open Letters Review

Centered on the 'needle drop' moments in films, where "a pre-existing song is used in a film to underscore a particular scene" Nate Patrin uses these moments as entry points to discuss a wide variety of topics about film making, popular culture and the lives, works and careers of musicians. The Needle and the Lens: Pop Goes to the Movies from Rock 'n' Roll to Synthwave looks at about forty films, 16 in great depth, the others truncated in an afterword. Some of the featured films and artists include: The Graduate/ Simon & Garfunkel, Apocalypse Now / The Doors, Wayne's World / Queen and many others.

After a brief introduction laying out the methods for this study, Patrin moves movie to movie heading each section with the name of the film, director, song feature and the artist that recorded it. All the sections detail the rational in choosing that song as well as how the artist(s) or band created the song. Otherwise, the conversational style of the writing moves off in many directions, discussing trends in music or film making, success or failure of the detailed film versus their soundtracks, cultural norms, gender politics, the careers of specific individuals or the legacy of the choice of song.

Overall it's a compelling look out how filmmakers find inspiration and build their world's and the ramifications for artists to have their work subverting in to new and unintended contexts. Some, eventually, accept the new interpretations and enjoy the career boost while others are left to wonder what might have been, if the film had been more successful.

It is most engrossing when you've seen the film for the given section, but might encourage you to watch (or avoid) one's you haven't, though it is heavy on spoilers.

*As explained on IMDB's "Most Iconic Needle Drop In Movies".

Music and film, film and music, as the author says from the beginning, we can’t think of a movie without recalling its soundtrack. This volume is about the use of commercial songs in cinema (a “needle-drop”). Each chapter is devoted to a movie, with its history and background placing it in context. Then, it focuses on one of the songs that made it memorable, giving it its framework. Who wrote it/performed it, what is the story behind it, etc. The concept is fascinating, and it is very well executed but it is hard to know how many stars to give this book. Reading about movies that I’m familiar with, or the ones that include songs I know, was very entertaining. For instance, I’m not a fan of Apocalypse Now, but I like The Doors so I enjoyed reading about how “The End” got used in the way it did. I also love Tarantino’s Jackie Brown but didn’t remember the music. Then, there is Wayne’s World which, I’m embarrassed to admit, I enjoyed when I saw it as a teenager, and that features one of my favorite songs ever. These chapters rated higher for me. The ones about the movies I’ve never seen or the ones I hadn’t even heard of were not interesting at all. I also love the cinema, but not the music business, so I didn’t care about the professional trajectory of these musicians. I would also add a spoiler alert if you haven’t seen a movie but intend to, since the author mentions all the endings. So, my suggestion to potential readers is to check out the index, figure out if you’re interested in these particular movies (or music artists), before picking up this book.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Univ Of Minnesota Press!

The Needle and the Lens will be published on November 28, 2023. The University of Minnesota Press provided an early galley for review.

I am both a fan of music and movies, and a great soundtrack is something I always enjoy. So, this look at the impact of certain songs in key scenes of films was definitely of interest to me as well.

Admittedly, I have not seen all of the sixteen films Patrin discusses in these pages. Still, for the ones I have seen (some several times), the discussion offers an insightful way of looking into those films through the focal point of selected songs from their soundtracks. The longer essays are followed by a final section in the back which lists an additional twenty-four films and songs with brief commentaries (the ones that did not make the cut due to length of the project). Again, some were more familiar to me than others.

Overall, Patrin knows his stuff. He is clearly a student of both film and music and can speak well to the symbiotic relationship the two can have. Recommended for fans of the two mediums.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher University of Minnesota Press for an advance copy of this book on film, music, and how certain songs can be used to tell us a much about a character or a situation as dialogue and acting can.

The first movie I saw in the movie theaters was Disney's Robin Hood, a movie I still enjoy though it has been awhile since watching it. The movie has music and songs, but I can't remember them off the top of my head. The first movie where I really noticed music was of course Star Wars. The music was so perfect and just hearing it I know when and where it was played. So I was into soundtracks early, but it wasn't until years later, on either Showtime or HBO, that music and movie came together for me. In fact it is mentioned in this book, far better than I can relay, but it was the opening to Apocalypse Now, with the Doors playing The End. I was young but that moment still stays with me. I knew the movie was going to be bad news for my mind. Nate Patrin in his book The Needle and the Lens: Pop Goes to the Movies from Rock 'n' Roll to Synthwave which discusses how sometimes a song in a movie can tell the watcher far more than dialogue, acting, or story can sometimes relay. A taking of one kind of art to create another sometimes beautiful, or horrific, or telling work of art.

The book begins with an introduction about the history of music in movies from the early days of silent movies shown with a live musician or band. A brief discussion about soundtracks follows, but this is book about sometimes a scene, sometimes a movie that works with music created without any thought of being in a movie. 16 essays follows, starting with Kenneth Anger's Scorpio Rising, a short movie told without dialogue but using 50's songs about cars, rebels, leaders of the pack to give more background to the characters. An odd movie but the idea of music like that blew a young Martin Scorsese away, since he was always told not to use existing music, as it wouldn't work. The Graduate of course is discussed, along with a history of how the music of Paul Simon had such an influence on the film. Some of the movies will be known, some are surprises, like the movie Belly or Killer of Sheep. What is great is as one reads, one gets a list of movies to watch or rewatch, or songs to listen to.

I real enjoyed this book, a mix of two things I enjoy music, and movies. Patrin is a very good writer with a nice way of setting the essays, explaining the movie, the director, why the song was chosen, along with information on the singers, and their careers. There is a lot of information and Patrin is very good at conveying it, be it music or film. One can understand why many people felt that using songs wouldn't work in a visual medium, as one would hear the music and leave the film, as one singer is quoted as saying in the book. Patrin explains why this could work, and also how the artists felt about their songs being in a way co-opted in a way that they might not have thought. Even with the thought of royalties from soundtrack collections, or even the Songs That Inspired the Movie, that seemed to come out so often.

A really great and interesting book for both film and music fans. Something that would be a perfect gift around the holidays as this is a subject that I have no read much about, but really enjoyed. I am excited to read more by Nate Patrin.

I am both a fan of music and film, so discussing the soundtrack comes with the 2 territories.
This book does a great job explaining some of the best pairings of film and music. Patrin does a great job with his explanations and choosing the song in the film he wants to discuss before he dives into how it impacts the narrative despite the fact that the song itself was not written for the film it is being used in. One of my favorite examples of this is The Punisher being used for Easy Rider.
The "Outro" of the book is the part I have to admit I had the most fun with. The outro lists 24 song-film pairings and talks about them for only a paragraph, it truly felt like the author had so many more examples to talk about but not enough time.
I plan on genuinely scrolling through the references again and reading some of them.
this is perfect for people who are film and music nerds just like me.
I learned a lot from this, and immediately ran to my friend and told her she needed to read it as soon as it came out, especially because the book itself covers a lot of ground in both the film and music department. I feel like everyone can find at least one part of the book that'd interest them, I know it definitely added some stuff to my watchlist.
It's easy to read (which I don't find often when it comes to non-fiction) and great for people who usually stick to fiction only.

Thanks netgalley and UoM Press for letting me review this book!

The interplay between songs and music is indelible- a few bars can be inextricably tied to the memory of one cinematic experience. Nate Patrin's book explores the music/movies that changed pop culture and the story of how they got there.

The premise of this book spoke to me, as i think it speaks to everyone- we love a movie going exhorted and music is what ties those emotional scenes to your psyche forever. I learned a lot from this book and added a few movies to my to watch list, and i loved thar it covered all genres of music and movies- from blockbusters to indies and arthouse, from the door to r&b and basement punks. Its clear that this subject is a true passion of Patrin's- i really loved the section on repo man and the la punk scene.. Sometimes however, in the way of the truly passionate, he seems to run wild and didn't carry the casual reader with him. Overall, i enjoyed the read, even if sometimes i had to walk away from it for a little.

This is a great non-fiction if you’re someone like me who normally sticks to fiction. It’s easy to read and engaging, and the pop culture subject matter makes it fun and interesting.

ARC provided by NetGalley.