Hi there popcorn preaching fans and welcome to this special post in relation to my American Werewolf review.
I mentioned that the songs may bare some relevance to the events of the film. Today I am going to be taking a look at each song in terms of placement and also how relevant they are to the events taking place in the film at that current time. I wanted to do this because it is a feature that I have never seen in any film before and feel it should be further exercised.1. Blue moon
The first song is called Blue Moon. It accompanies the opening sequence in which we are introduced to not only our main character David, but also his soon to be zombie friend, Jack.One thing that struck me on the second previewing of this song was the way that it seemed to wave in pitch. As if emulating the howl of a wolf. The words in this opening song are a massive precursor to the opening 10 minutes of the film and compliment it perfectly.The Two lines that stood out the most were in the chorus and they go as follows:"I heard somebody whisper please adore meAnd when I looked to the Moon it turned to gold"Now I realize that there are various other lines you could pick out of this song but what made these so apparent was the way that not only do the lyrics convey his attraction and connection to the moon such as that of a wolf but also the way that his love of this object seems to be instinctive somewhat like a wolf also. The connection between wolves and the moon is believed to be one that has originated from neolithic times, for a more detailed break down on why we associate wolves with the moon and the reason that they howl upwards, you should read this article. To further my argument I would mention that they repeat this song during Davids transformation thus strengthening his relationship with the monster and more importantly the moon.2. Moon DanceOur second song comes up during Davids love scene with the beautiful nurse that has been given the task of looking after him during his recuperation period. There are two significant things about this song and its placement:For one The lyrics in the song Moon dance, talk of many different themes, Attraction, Obedience and desire to name but a few. Some of the lyrics I think best convey this are:"And all the leaves on the trees are fallingTo the sound of the breezes that blow "Secondly, it comes up during a scene where David is being intimate with a woman after he has been bitten, this is representing the idea that he is not devoted to the moon such as a wolf maybe and therefore is not yet in control. The song signifies his human sides last fight for survival before the monster that is brewing with in him takes over. After this song has been played, we are then told that David is only a day away from a full moon triggering his transformation. These lines describe how the leaves fall to the sound of the breeze much like that of how a wolf feels a compulsion to howl upon the appearance of a full moon. While there are various other lines in this song which relate heavily to the film, I think the most pertinent element with in this song is its title and the ambiguous meanings associated with the term 'Moon Dance.' You could interpret more literally in its translation to mean a dance under a moon, such as the one David is having with the nurse. Equally Moon Dance could be seen as a precursor to Davids transformation and how he writhes and changes from man to beast.3. Bad moon Rising
The final famous song of the film is called Bad moon rising and it basically represents the destructive nature of the Were Wolf itself. The song 'arises' just before Davids transformation as if foreshadowing the danger that is soon to be arriving. I feel that the most important lines in this song are in the verse. They are repeated a total of four times and they go as follows:
"Don't go around tonight,
Well, it's bound to take your life,There's a bad moon on the rise. "Although this verse may not tell us anything groundbreaking about the hidden Psyche of our wolf character or discuss the beasts relationship towards its carrier or the moon, the lines do act as a relevant precursor to the terrible events that are about to unfold. As a little side note I would say that although it is more likely to be a happy coincidence, when the singer of this song says the last line its sounds more like he is saying 'Der riese' a German term that translates to mean the Giant, thus relating back to beats and monsters which is the theme of this films narrative.I love this films raw nature towards horror and gory film making and also loved the way that the songs matched with the events taking place with in the film. So, If you haven't already I would urge you to go and see American Werewolf in London and maybe take a look my thoughts on the film for more of my thoughts on what makes this such an incredible horror film. Thanks for reading, ThePopCornPreacher.
If you think you have seen some striking connections between the songs and this film please let me know in the comments below other wise maybe show your appreciation by pressing plus 1 for the Google service.
