And this is how it all starts, ladies and gentleman. The worst blogger ever here, delivering the goods, just as promised. Low Rider is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable songs in popular culture, despite being over forty years old. This is probably due to the fact that it's been featured in a total of eighteen films since it was released. It's one of those songs that, even if you don't know the name, you've heard the tune before.
Low Rider is great –allow me to clarify–, so this one was pretty fun, but also quite challenging. Starting from the movie choice, "Gone in 60 Seconds", is definitely one of my teenage years favorites. This is an american action-heist film about a retired master car thief called "Memphis" that must come back to the industry and steal fifty cars with his crew in one night to save his brother's life.
Now, the scene. We got Memphis (Nicholas Cage) and his crew ready to roll. The list with the "girls" is on the board, the adrenaline's high, and the objective is clear. In the original sequence, Low Rider plays a very specific role, and it does it beautifully. In such a tense atmosphere, Memphis needs to find a way to calm everyone down and give them some inspiration to accomplish such an odyssey. A ritual of the old school thieves, it seems: may the funk be with ya. After a few words, the recognizable bass line kicks in and the old boys move along with the groove of this classic masterpiece, as the young ones seem a little disconcerted by the strangeness of the situation:
My take for this scene was a bit different, though. I focused more on the "inspirational" role that the song must play, hanging onto that "nervousness" the crew must have felt. Tension is something that can definitely be used in one's advantage, if managed correctly, so that's what I appealed to. I kept the key, the scale and the funky beat of "War's" Low Rider, but with a faster tempo and a bluesy feeling to it. There's also some overdrive and fuzz on the lead guitar that lean it towards the "hard rock" side when the beat drops, and it definitely has a few more layers than the original. It's a much more aggressive approach, for sure, but I think it suits it very well:
The crucial elements are kept, as it still feels organic how the old boys enjoy their precious ritual, whereas the more inexperienced thieves can't wait to just hop into their cars and get over with the job at once. It's a bit of a kick in the ass this time; like "go and be the baddest you've ever been", and I really like how it sounds and feels. They're onto something big, so the soundtrack should be just as big and robust.
Did you like my take on "Low Rider" for Gone in 60 Seconds? Did you absolutely hate it? Let me know in comment section down below, or in any of my social media. Until next time, folks, and remember: choose life, choose a real career.
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