Music often plays a crucial role in the opening and closing moments of a film, so I highlighted my favorite usages of this technique this week. No closing credits songs (except the track from Hereditary because it was too good of a usage to pass up). Got lots of classic rock, funk, soul, indie, new wave, folk and more. Playlist is below, and I’ve also indicated whether the song is heard in the opening, closing or both. 
1. Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion from Dazed and Confused (1993, opening)
2. Talking Heads – Road to Nowhere from Little Monsters (1989, closing)
3. The Beatles – Baby You’re A Rich Man from The Social Network (2010, closing)
4. The Mamas & The Papas – Dedicated To The One I Love from The One I Love (2014, closing) 
5. Led Zeppelin – Tangerine from Almost Famous (2000, closing)
6. Joe Cocker – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood from Layer Cake (2004, closing)
7. The Emotions – Best Of My Love from Boogie Nights (1997, opening)
8. The O’Jays – Love Train from The Last Days of Disco (1998, closing)
9. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – This Land Is Your Land from Up in the Air (2009, opening)
10. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough from Remember The Titans (2000, closing)
11. Lana Del Rey – Born to Die from Mommy (2014, closing)
12. The National – About Today from Warrior (2011, closing)
13. Liz Phair – Explain It To Me from Thirteen (2003, closing)
14. Aimee Mann – Save Me from Magnolia (1999, closing)
15. Beck – Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometimes from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, closing) 
16. Sufjan Stevens – Visions of Gideon from Call Me By Your Name (2017, closing) 
17. Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World from Real Genius (1985, closing)
18. The Go-Go’s – We Got The Beat from Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982, opening)
19. Moby – First Cool Hive from Scream (1996, closing)
20. David Bowie – I’m Deranged (edit) from Lost Highway (1997, both)
21. When in Rome – The Promise from Napoleon Dynamite (2004, closing)
22. Paul McCartney and Wings – Live And Let Die from Live And Let Die (1973, opening) 
23. Michael Cera & Ellen Page – Anyone Else But You from Juno (2007, closing)
24. Simon & Garfunkel – El Condor Pasa (If I Could) from Wild (2014, closing)
25. Bon Iver – The Wolves (Act I and II) from The Place Beyond the Pines (2012, closing) 
26. Judy Collins – Both Sides Now from Hereditary (2018, closing)
27. The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony from Cruel Intentions (1999, closing)