I was watching the new FX show Trust about the Getty family. It opens with a truly absurdly on-the-nose song that just hits you over the head with the show's theme : Pink Floyd singing "Money".

This isn't the actual scene, but it gives you a good idea
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SZljl3vdRwc" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>


I listened to a podcast with the creators of The Americans and was happy to hear that they'd never use Sting's "Russians" in their show since it's way too on-the-nose.

It got me thinking -- what are some other heavy-handed music cues you remember?

Two that jump out at me

In Ron Howard's Rush they decide to show how Formula 1 Champion James Hunt loses his edge with his new-found fame by playing this number :

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7K4WDWUhaPA" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

In The Conjuring 2, the filmmakers want to make it abundantly clear that the story is now moving to London England. I'd say they succeeded.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6PVv497n0i4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Any time a movie takes place in Veitnam and Creedence's "Run Through the Jungle" starts playing. The most recent example was Kong: Skull Island.

We get it, they're running through the jungle.

“Life on Mars” in The Martian.

Every time we need to cut to the Vietnam War, cue up Hendrix's cover of "All Along The Watchtower".

Lord how I fucking loathe that song...

Indeed Vietnam is always Credence and Watchtower.

Billy Elliot used London Calling in a similarly obvious manner I recall.

In the 1996 movie Bound, there’s a scene where a woman walks into a lesbian bar, and she looks around and sees all the lesbian couples sitting everywhere. And as she’s doing this, the song “I Never Loved A Man The Way I love You” by Aretha Franklin is playing in the background.

Can't believe I forgot the Forrest Gump running sequence that uses The Doobie Brothers "It Keeps You Running", Jackson Brown's "Running on Empty" and Bob Seger's °Against the Wind" back to back. That's an all timer.

Forrest Gump also uses every single l Vietman cliche song in the book (including SIX songs from The Doors) and "Sweet Home Alabama" when he returns home to Alabama. It's the Heavyweight Champion of On The Nose music cues.

It will always annoy me that the stupid film won the best picture Oscar over Pulp Fiction.