All of Human Activity Lies Within The Artists Scope
An ode to using modern tracks in period films
Hello there, and welcome to Edition 14 of Laughing Stock. This week, Sam Hartford delves deeper into the affect of anachronism through the prism of the masterpiece that is A Knight’s Tale
It’s nothing novel to state that I love David Bowie, nor would it be particularly niche to declare ‘Golden Years’ as my best loved of his songs. A funk and disco belter that spearheaded the icon’s recording sessions for Station to Station, during the peak of his Los Angeles coke binge, it sounded more at home on the proceeding Young Americans than the Kraftwerk inspired infusions that followed. Watch him performing it on the pioneering hit show Soul Train and there is so much to take in. The colour of the staging, the moves of the crowd, the fact that a lip-singing Bowie (who recollects little of this period) is clearly inebriated yet delivering a masterpiece in cool as he shuffles round like a strawberry blonde alien beamed onto the stage. Yet I didn’t come to Golden Years via YouTube. I didn’t come to it a few years back when I properly got into his back catalogue or watched the excellent BBC archival series. I didn’t even pick it up via the sound system in my Dad’s Vauxhall Vectra; the home to so many discoveries as he ferried me to yet another footy game across Warrington. Nope, I first came across this soul-tastic classic via a medieval dance hall in the film A Knight’s Tale, which also happens to be my all-time favourite.
I might be bias but It’s a glorious scene in a brilliant film, I could dedicate a whole piece to how it’s continued to capture my imagination since first watching it aged 7, and still have room to spare for an epilogue on Paul Bettany’s portrayal of Geoffrey Chaucer. But I’m not Peter Bradshaw and you’re here for the music. The reason I bring it to your attention is because this moment is the standout example in a film that is absolutely littered with anachronism, namely (but not exclusively) owing to its soundtrack. Director Brian Helgeland sets his stall out early with an opening scene that sees the crowd at a medieval tourney chanting and bashing the ramparts to the beat of We Will Rock You. There’s even a Mexican wave in there, which were apparently still cool in 2001 and the 14th century alike. Whilst Helgeland clearly has a tendency for rock (glam and heavy alike) there is a smorgasbord of genres that compliment our boy Heath Ledger’s journey from peasant to prize jouster. An early training montage is brought to us by War’s ‘Low Rider’; their progressive fusion of funk, rock, blues and soul works perfectly to capture the tempo and playfulness of Will’s improving attempts at hitting the target. As he emerges on horseback in the evening sun, all freshly shaven, blonde locks and channelling some Jack Grealish levels of sexual energy, Low Rider’s saxophone led outro oozes with all the sultry cool required.
Next up Will can be seen battering some nobles in the sword ring to ‘Taking Care of Business’. A song that helped popularise the term often used by modern day athletes, it seemingly has an industrious and individualistic mantra that would come to dominate US politic attitudes to work in the era following it’s release. The fact that, like Huey Lewis and the News’ ‘Hip to Be Square’, this is done in irony can be lost but at this point in the film Will is ‘climbing the ladder’ with speed so it’s suits nicely. Regardless of whether Hangeland was attempting to convey that specifically, it’s another 70s banger that somehow feels totally at home among the armour and paupers of its backdrop. One of the score’s biggest and best paradoxes to the medieval northern European setting is ‘Take Me Higher’ by Sly & The Family Stone which soundtracks Will’s return to jousting form. He’d previously been swallowing his pride and losing on purpose to prove his love, but now Jocelyn’s telling him to get back to twatting those nobles off their horses. He’s grappling with the frustration of it all but is utterly intoxicated with love, and the pure rousing soul and psychedelia of the song carries that beautifully. Who’s to say this feeling should be prohibited to the real summer of love, as opposed to the one taking place for Will in La Rochelle 1372. This is the notion that brings us back to the Dance From Gelderland scene. The genius in this is the transition, from bard to Bowie a rigid formal dance explodes into life and suddenly the banquet looks like a venue you’d happily throw shapes at deep into your Saturday night. Garments aside it isn’t a world away from the vibe that’s running through the crowd circling Bowie on Soul Train. This is where an anachronistic soundtrack comes into it’s own; it can make the historic accessible, relatable, more palatable, and ultimately cooler.
Films can land it as a one off, use throughout, go ultra-modern or classic (i.e. deeper within the 20th century) but most period films that use modern tracks are playing with historical accuracy and conventions from the offset. Hearing Frank Ocean drop amid a Ridley Scott biopic would break all sorts of tension on the grounding the film had worked hard to establish. Quentin Tarantino is a big and typically defensive fan of employing any tune he likes in his historical films Django Unchained and Inglorious Basterds. In both instances he uses it to emblemise characters with an additional layer of style that would otherwise be restricted to the conditions of their setting or a more traditional score. See Django escape from his captors to John Legend or David Bowie again, take us through Shoshanna’s plot to burn the Nazi high command to the ground. Peaky Blinders uses this to great effect as well. Love the show or loathe the co-opting of Tommy Shelby by British lad culture, he’s undoubtedly made more imposing, stylish and full of flair through Nick Cave’s stirring ‘Red Right Hand’.
At it’s deepest level a good anachronistic track reminds us that despite the blaring differences in look, values, language, architecture or technology we are seeing on screen versus the modern world, humans throughout history have been stimulated by the same emotional forces we recognise or go through today. The songs bridge the dissonance in our heads. When the self-indulgence of Kirsten Dunst’s Marie Antoinette (which would help perpetuated the need for real life revolution) is trivialised into a brilliant bubble-gum rock montage the traits of her character come into more relevant focus for our understanding. Likewise when the 1978 release ‘Hong Kong Garden’ plays out over a ball party, she’s essentially on a payday binge of new purchases and Friday night on the town. This is something nearly most of us can attest to, though admittedly not quite to the scale of a French Queen who possess no job to require a payday. The Great Gatsby gets closer still when the famous decadence of the roaring 20s takes place in a hotel room party to Jay Z & Kanye’s Who Gon’ Stop Me. If you watch the scene they’re not actually doing anything more ‘scandalous’ than you’d expect to see at a rowdy afters nowadays but that’s the point. The track elevates their experience to a level of debauchery we could all relate to, whether within ourselves or the society you recognise. Jay Z & Kanye may quite literally and fleetingly soundtrack plenty of people’s own post-corona restriction roaring 2021.
In truth, you need register non-of the above for an anachronistic soundtrack to enhance your viewing experience of a historical film. Sometimes it’s just fun to hear a song you recognise playout in a setting you don’t (not truly anyhow). History can seem dull, people can be indifferent to its teachings or blind to its relevance but using this tool in film can, no matter how briefly, help bring it to life. We are all borne back ceaselessly into the past and modern music can help us understand that, just like us, those throughout history were also living out what they perceived to be their Golden Years.
Each week we will share some tracks that the contributers to Laughing Stock currently have on heavy rotation. You can follow the rolling playlist on Apple or Spotify.
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Edition 10 - Connah Roberts on culture wars, and Kes
Edition 9 - Rich Walker on trains, music, music on trains, and HS2
Edition 8 - Connah Roberts channeling Adiran Chiles on Karaoke
Edition 7 - Rich Walker on nihilism in music
Edition 6 - Connah Roberts on producers of imagination
Edition 5 - Sam Hartford on Spotify’s all seeing eye
Edition 4 - Rich Walker on how amazing organ music is
Edtion 3 - Will Palmer on Music as Muscle Memory
Edition 2 - Connah Roberts on Arctic Monkeys and Quantitative Easing
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