In Hear This, A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well—some inspired by a weekly theme and some not, but always songs worth hearing. This week, in honor of our best films of 2013, songs we discovered through movies.
I had probably heard 10cc’s “I’m Not In Love” before I saw The Virgin Suicides, but I’m not sure that I really heard it before it popped up during the movie. For whatever reason, the soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides stuck with me as an 18-year-old girl who really, really liked the movie when it came out way back in 1999. The movie is still one of my favorites, but for better or worse, the songs on the soundtrack have become so entwined with the visuals in my head that even now when one comes on the radio, I can’t help but think, “Oh, this plays when Trip and Lux do such-and-such in the movie,” which fills me with a sort of wistful sadness. It’s not that I’m sad that fictional characters died, but rather that I’m a little disappointed that I can’t appreciate these songs as standalone tracks anymore. Of course, it’s a testament to director Sofia Coppola’s vision and curation that I can’t, so it’s kind of a double-edged sword. Either way, the beauty, sadness, and modern-sounding clarity of 10cc’s “I’m Not In Love” hurt me so good every time I hear it. It’s a damn fine track from a downright amazing movie.