2019 Jim Jarmusch horror comedy The dead don't die It's now streaming on Netflix, but what's going on with Sturgill Simpson's music in the film? The dead don't die stars Adam Driver in its incredibly star-studded cast, which also includes the likes of Selena Gomez, Bill Murray, Austin Butler, and Tilda Swinton, among others. Although The dead don't die is technically a zombie movie and follows some familiar beats, but it also breaks from that genre in countless ways because, in essence, The dead don't die It's actually a parody of zombie movies.
The dead don't die it also provides considerable social commentary – after all, in this film, the zombies are created due to fracking – which is sometimes heavy-handed, albeit intentionally so. Overall, these elements of The dead don't die give the film a slightly bizarre tone, which likely contributed to its mixed reception. This absurdist approach is also seen in the film's song, “The Dead Don't Die,” which is prominent throughout the film and plays a unique role in the story.
The reference in Adam Driver's film to music sets the tone
The dead don't die is full of dry humor and meta satire, and this song is no exception. In fact, Adam Driver's character, Officer Ronnie Peterson, offers a meta-commentary on this song early in the film. As Officer Ronnie and Chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) patrol in their police car, Ronnie turns on the car radio and “The Dead Don't Die” starts playing. After a while, Cliff says: “Wow, that sounds so familiar. What song is that, Ronnie?” To which Ronnie responds, “It's 'The Dead Don't Die' by Sturgill Simpson.”
Adam Driver's character, Officer Ronnie Peterson, offers a meta-commentary on this song early in the film.
Cliff says again: “Sturgill Simpson… Why does it look so familiar?” At this point, Ronnie becomes completely self-referential, saying: “Well, because it's the theme song.” The two then listen to the song in a somewhat awkward silence. However, this is far from the only inclusion of “The Dead Don't Die” in the film. The song plays so frequently throughout the film, in fact, that by the end of the The dead don't diepolice officer Mindy Morrison (Chloë Sevigny) hears the music playing once again and shouts: “Oh, God! Not this again.”
Evidently, Mindy wasn't alone in this feeling. Shortly after Mindy's comments (and Ronnie's dry rebuttal, “Sturgill Simpson. It's a great song”), Cliff told Ronnie, “I can't take it anymore” and not only turned off the music, but also picked up the CD and threw it out the window of the moving car. Despite this movement by Cliff, the song plays again one last time, during the credits.
This early reference to Ronnie's film theme song sets the tone for the meta nature of The dead don't die more widely. Driver's character Ronnie especially provides meta commentary, including his consistent statement, “This is going to end badly.” This really comes to a head when Cliff angrily asks Ronnie how he manages to know everything before it happens, and Ronnie says: “I know because I read the script.”
This strange music and references to it are a way of signaling to the audience that this will not be a typical zombie film.
This conversation continues beyond that, with Ronnie specifically referencing Jim (Jarmusch) giving him the full script and Cliff saying he only had the scripts for his scenes. In that sense, this strange song and the references to it are a way of signaling to the audience that this will not be a typical zombie film. Instead of, “The Dead Don't Die” reinforces that the film is not taking itself seriously and was also not made to be taken so seriously by the public.
Sturgill Simpson's “The Dead Don't Die” was recorded specifically for the 2019 film
The song was always intended to be a long-running joke
Unsurprisingly, “The Dead Don't Die” was written and recorded specifically for the filmwhich makes sense not only because of the shared titles, but also because of the prominence that the song has in the The dead don't die. This also makes the mention of Sturgill Simpson that much funnier. Just as director Jim Jarmusch was being referenced directly in the film as the creator, Sturgill Simpson was, in a sense, a part of this world himself.
Given the meta nature of The dead don't dieThere really was no choice but to create original music for the film. Not only did this give the creative minds behind the film more agency in crafting a song that fit the story, but it also made the long-running joke with the song work. In a way, the music and the film were intertwined, and the music – and its lyrics – had to be right.
What the lyrics to Sturgill Simpson's “The Dead Don't Die” mean and how they connect to the film's plot
The film has a specific message
.jpg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1)
In addition to “The Dead Don't Die” being important in the narrative sense in The dead don't die, the lyrics of “The Dead Don't Die” are also significant. In truth, The dead don't die has a lot to say about the nature of today's society and its many problems, best captured in the song's lyrics:
“In a somewhat familiar town
That you saw once when you looked up from your phone
Nobody bothers to say 'Hi'
And you can save all your goodbyes
Stop trying to pretend we're not all alone”
Although dark, this message underscores the entire film.
The reference to someone who rarely looks up from their phone is, of course, a direct reference to the current culture around screens and the lack of interaction between people. The idea that, in the face of this, everyone is truly isolated, is also present in both the film and the music. The dead don't die is certainly an unusual zombie film, but this song, created just for the film, reveals so much more about its message.