Lorde – “Yellow Flicker Beat” from the Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 soundtrack (2014) – Lorde’s newest song, which serves as the first single from the upcoming soundtrack, is exactly what fans would expect from her: eery vocals, a hip-hop-influenced beat and a crazy, catchy chorus. The lyrics of “Yellow Flicker Beat” reference the main character of The Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss Everdeen. The song starts with a slow, a cappella beginning, with Lorde singing, “I’m a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm / And the scars that mark my body, they’re silver and gold” in reference to Everdeen’s evolution as a heroine. Gradually, more and more instruments come in, leading up to an explosive chorus. “Yellow Flicker Beat” has reached No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 4 on the Rock Songs chart.
Jack White – “Love is Blindness” from The Great Gatsby: Music From Baz Luhrmann’s Film (2013) – Overshadowed by the successes of other songs on the soundtrack, such as Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” and Fergie’s “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got),” White’s impressive cover of U2’s 1991 song “Love is Blindness” is a hidden gem. In the movie, the song begins playing when Myrtle is run over by a car. With desperate and soaring vocals, White’s rendition of “Love is Blindness” portrays the emotion of such an incident well.
Daft Punk – “Derezzed” from TRON: Legacy soundtrack (2010) – Released as the first and only single off the impressive soundtrack, “Derezzed” encapsulates the electronic-heavy album and is perfect for the movie. “Derezzed” is among Daft Punk’s most successful singles to date, unsurprisingly reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Songs soon after it was realeased. “Derezzed” features a midtempo dance beat for a build-up and electronic sounds very reminiscent of those in old video games.
