Each song and when they play

Notice! This article contains spoilers for Maxxina.MaXXXine It’s the perfect starter at Ti West’s X trilogy to include several popular songs, and the film makes great use of music. Ti West is the hands-on creative behind X trilogy of films, which began with X in 2022, followed by Pearl later that year, and 2024 MaXXXine. Each film features Mia Goth as the protagonist, and she occasionally appears as multiple characters. Meanwhile, Ti West took on the role of director, writer, producer, and editor, while also bringing in Tyler Bates as composer for each entry, along with some additional help along the way.

Considering the very united production, the films rely on the best performance of each element to deliver a satisfactory final product. Fortunately, the musical team proved their ability and created critically acclaimed entries across the world. X series. MaXXXine also features some of the most popular songs from the franchise, which perfectly complements the Hollywood setting while the central character, Maxine Minx, pursues her dreams of becoming a world-famous actress.

When all the songs from the MaXXXine soundtrack play in the film

All 11 popular songs appearing on MaXXXine

“Gimme All Your Lovin” by ZZ Top: At the beginning of the film, Maxine auditions for a lead role in a horror film. After presenting an excellent performance, this track starts playing loudly, following Maxine to her car as the film’s opening credits roll. The song continues playing throughout as Maxine drives through Hollywood and only stops when she reaches her destination, The Landing Strip bar, where she goes into the back to start working on one of her more adult jobs.

“In My House” by Mary Jane Girls: Immediately after ZZ Top plays the movie, “In My House” starts playing for a brief moment. This song is much more subtle and follows Maxine getting dressed for another of her jobs, while she also talks to some work friends who are getting ready next to her.

“I’m Crazy” by Ratt: Shortly thereafter, Maxine enters a video store next to her apartment where she talks to her friend Leon with this song playing in the background.

“Obsession” by Animation: Once again, music plays a prominent role in the progression of the plot, with “Obsession” playing loudly over a montage of street artists. Then, he continues to play as the focus turns to a small, seedy establishment called Hollywood Show World. As the music fades out and becomes darker and more sinister with the sounds of the score, yet another quick money show by Maxine is shown on the screen.

“Self-Control'” by Laura Branigan: Maxine and Leon fall asleep watching a fictional horror movie called The Puritan. Maxine wakes up and hears a knock on the door and the movie credits rolling. When she goes to answer, a man is seen briefly disappearing into an elevator, and Maxine finds a videotape on the floor. The tape is marked “For Maxine,” and she takes it inside to watch, which is when this song plays softly in the background..

“St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” by John Parr: “St. Elmo’s Fire” is a diagetic song that features prominently in the film. Previously on MaXXXine, the song title appears on a large illuminated sign, and later, when Maxine is driving her car and being followed by the seedy private investigator (Kevin Bacon), her radio plays this song. The playback continues as she stops the car, approaches the private detective and hits him repeatedly with the keys in his hand.

“Prisoner of Your Eyes” by Judas Priest: At one of the film’s lowest points, when Maxine spots a crowd outside Leon’s video store, “Prisoner of Your Eyes” starts playing loudly. The music drowns out Maxine’s screams as she tries to cross the police barrier and go to her friend, but he has already been dead for some time, with serious injuries and no color in his face.

“Welcome to the Pleasuredome” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood: As another montage plays out, this time showing Maxine preparing to deal with the insistent PI, “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” plays loudly. The scene continues as Maxine gets dressed, applies makeup, and then lures the private detective to the back of the club.

“Shellshock” by New Order: In the film’s climactic confrontation between the murderous father and Maxine, helicopters fly overhead demanding she drop the gun. The screen fades to a future where Maxine is seen walking the red carpet for her new film, The Puritan 2but it is soon revealed to be a dream sequence. The music continues playing as Maxine stands facing her father on the ground, before raising the sawed-off shotgun and killing him for good..

“There’s No Business Like Show Business” by Carol Burnett: As the film progresses a month, the real outcome is seen and it appears that Maxine’s choice to kill her murderous father did not inhibit her career. Maxine can be seen taking drugs in her trailer before filming a big final scene for The Puritan 2.

“Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes: Finally, the last song, “Bette Davis Eyes”, plays loud and proud at the end of the film and plays over the end credits. The song begins with the image of a prosthetic head, similar to Maxine Minx, separated from her body, in a scene that seems reminiscent of Pearl end. The music continues as the camera pans away from the scene, out of the studio, up into the hills where the Hollywood sign has been replaced with “MaXXXine,” and up into space as the credits continue to roll.

Where to listen to the MaXXXine soundtrack

An original soundtrack by Tyler Bates

Currently, the official soundtrack for MaXXXinewhich is available on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music only includes the film’s soundtrack, created by Tyler Bates. Popular songs that appear throughout the film are not included MaXXXine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). However, there are 20 short pieces of atmospheric music that encapsulate the film and provide an eerie tone throughout. All of the songs listed above can be found on all popular streaming platforms.

The role music plays in MaXXXine

The soundtrack establishes the tone and setting of the film

As with many period films, the MaXXXine the soundtrack is a fun and effective way to define the film’s era. With certain songs, MaXXXine is able to transport the audience back to the 1980s and put them in the right mindset for the story. While this is a technique used by many films, it can be difficult to execute well. Using songs that are very synonymous with a certain era can seem lazy and give the film a clichéd feel, like the overuse of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” in the Vietnam War films.

Fortunately, Ti West seems to understand the trap that other films have fallen into in the past. The selection of songs in MaXXXine It’s effective in establishing the time period, but it’s also not the typical songs you always hear in 1980s movies. They simply capture the era’s synthesized sound and poppy energy.

The pop music sound also works incredibly well for the film. West’s trilogy of horror films brought a lot of blood and gore, but they are also darkly comedic in their own way. MaXXXine it seems to lean into this more than any other film in the trilogy and the soundtrack helps with that. Fun, high-energy song choices are often juxtaposed with gruesome violence and intense horror. Again, this is not a new technique, but rather clever song choices for the MaXXXine the soundtrack helps set it apart.