10 Songs That Made Iconic Movie Scenes

3. Lou Reed – Perfect Day (Trainspotting)

Reservoir Dogs Ear Scene
Polygram

The late great Lou Reed achieved a lot throughout his storied musical career, but unintentionally, he also helped contribute to an incredibly iconic scene with his euphoric classic ‘Perfect Day.’

The movie which that scene appeared in was the Danny Boyle directed Trainspotting. The film, with its stellar cast of characters, wowed movie audiences with its gritty and raw portrayal of the inner city drug scene, featuring standout performances from Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle. And for the disturbing scene featuring Rent Boy going into a heroin-induced coma, no song could have been more fitting than the anthemic ‘Perfect Day.’

Not only because of how well the delicate piano strokes and Reed’s rousing vocal delivery compliments the character’s mental transformation, but also because the song is rumoured to be about heroin too. And with lines like “You just keep me hanging on,” and “You’re going to reap just what you sow,” there’s certainly a strong case to be made for it.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Music Journalism graduate and freelance writer from Northern Ireland, who enjoys scouring the music archives for the best sounds from the past and present. Writer for the awesome publications WhatCulture, Metal Injection, Scribol, The Gamer, and Prefix.