Soundtrack To Psycho

“Never Going Back Again” - Fleetwood Mac

I chose this song for the scene where Marion Crane is driving away from Phoenix, where she just stole $40,000. I chose this song because it explains what is going on in the scene and creates an almost happy feeling. Marion has just stolen an abundant amount of money and is “never going back” to Phoenix, just like the song says. This scene is one of the first scenes in the film. It is before any of the suspense or creepy feelings. This song would make the viewer feel safe and calm before the plot thickens. This song is also very relaxing, as I imagine the drive would be. However, much like other songs in this Fleetwood Mac album, the song is about betrayal and endings. This scene is also about betrayal as Marion is betraying her sister and leaving everyone behind. Overall I would include this song in the film for the calm aspect for the beginning of the film and to create the sense of betrayal and fleeing.

“Will You Be My Love” - The Four J’s

In the film Psycho the main character, Norman Bates, meets Marion Crane at the motel he runs with his mother. Norman eventually falls for the girl. This love song references a rather lonely love life with a kind of creepy vibe to it. It further fits the vibe of the movie because it is from the same time period. I chose this song to go with the scene of Norman flirting with Marion while she was eating. This song could be used to show Norman’s feelings for Merion while still creating that suspenseful, eerie feeling you get while watching horror films. Also a quote from the song is, “ will you stand by me when things go wrong,” which could be used as foreshadowing for the scene since things do indeed go wrong for Marion and Norman.

“Where Is My Mind?” - Pixies

I believe that this song is a good representation of the scene where you hear Norman talking to himself as the mother and he looks up to the camera and does his iconic smile. This scene is after you find out the two personalities going on in Norman’s head. In the song the lyrics read “Where is my mind” as if to say the narrator has lost their mind, much like Norman in this scene. The audience fully understands the backstory and craziness of Norman. This song would help create a deeper meaning and connection to the two personalities in Norman’s mind. The song itself also has a very unsettling tone to it. The song uses minor chords which are regularly connected to the feeling of suspense and creepiness. There are also parts of the song where the music suddenly cuts out creating more suspense. Additionally the majority of the song has someone eerily singing in the background. This eerie singing was actually recorded in a bathroom to create more echo, much like the iconic scene from the film.

“A-State” - GRLwood

This song has a very scary vibe to it. In fact the Album cover to this song Is a cartoon of blood running down the shower drain much like the famous scene from Psycho. Towards the end of the song all you really hear is a woman screaming over and over. I believe this song would go well with the scene where Norman is cleaning up after the murder of Marion. It gives off a very sad yet creepy feeling and reminds you of the life that could have been Marion’s. The sound of the girl singing is muffled and sounds rather distant. This would be a good choice for the scene since it references both the suspense and loss of life.

“Another One Bites The Dust” - Queen

I chose this song for when the private investigator is murdered by who appears to be the mother in the house. This song is upbeat, especially compared to the other songs on my list. However this song has a lot of rises and falls which keeps it suspenseful while still building intensity. The song chorus and name,” Another one bites the Dust” quite literally references another life taken. As this is the second murder in the film this song goes well with the storyline. The song also ends abruptly just like the sudden loss of the private detective. Also the quote from the song,” You can beat him You can cheat him You can treat him bad and leave him When he’s down” I think it correlates well with Norman’s tragic backstory and relationship with his mother in some ways.