THE MUSIC OF TERRA FIRMA: REMEMBER (WALKING IN THE SAND)

 

Martin Scorsese did it. I am innocent. You know how Scorsese (or someone in his camp) always has the perfect, most evocative pop or rock tune accompany scenes in Goodfellas? He does this in other films too but there's something about scenes in that iconic film where music and the emotional punch of the scene lifts both image and score. 

The scene I'm talking about is when Henry, Jimmy and Tommy are about to bury the murdered Billy Batts and they struggling with the body over a sandy patch of ground. The score? Not some dreaded moody notes, not some dark orchestral sweep but The Shangri-las "Remember (Walking In The Sand)." It shouldn't work. It shouldn't fit. But it's a WOW all the way. It doesn't just work, it staggers the imagination. It's haunts and thrills simultaneously. 

I was going to go with the film's version for Gunz's intro in The Knockoutz' showcase but then I stumbled across this rendition by a group I knew nothing of styled The Nylons. My mouth dropped. 

Gob-smacked I thought here's the version Gunz and Lucky could play with--mash up, torch out, stretch and bend--in the way that only The Knockoutz could! Song: A++. Nylons A++. Scorsese's team: A+++. Goodfellas? You already know! 

You can "read" Gunz and Lucky's take in Terra Firma!