A song can spark such an emotional response, letting someone relive a moment in time as fully as when it first occurred. Paired with the right imagery, a song can also evoke a complex emotional response in otherwise disparate viewers to build real enthusiasm for that with which it is paired. Not surprisingly, this is a pretty useful thing to achieve when releasing a trailer you hope will attract hordes of movie-goers. Sometimes the movie doesn’t live up to the trailer’s promise (and sometimes the box office falls short even when the movie delivers—hello, Edge of Tomorrow), but that doesn’t mean that perfect combination of a song and visuals doesn’t deserve credit. Here’s a look at some of the best uses of songs (so far) in the trailers of 2014.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy: Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling”
“Oogachaka!” It’s the familiar chant that can be heard in Marvel’s impending summer blockbuster. The song obviously connected with audiences—its digital sales went up 700 percent after the first trailer aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this year. The catchy tune is no stranger to pop culture references, but pairing it with a talking raccoon adjusting his junk? Hmmm … that’s the stuff.
2. Edge of Tomorrow: Fieldwork’s “This Is Not the End”
Tom Cruise has to live, die and repeat in this Groundhog Day-meets-potential-alien-apocalypse film. But even if the box office returns were anemic, this melodramatic song pushes the trailer through the high and low notes. It cuts out when a dramatic moment happens, and kicks back in harder with an even more action-packed scene. (And considering the film’s plot, having a song that just repeats “this is not the end” was rather perfect.)
3. Wish I Was Here: Radical Faces’ “The Mute”/The Shins’ “Untitled”