Quentin Tarantino's music selection is dead on in Death Proof, his shrine to 1970s exploitation films. True to Tarantino form, the soundtrack is diligently crafted, carefully plucking away at the AM gold of seventies soul and sixties mod. Pacific Gas and Electric makes an appearance, as does Eddie Floyd and T. Rex.With feathered hair and vintage tees, the girls of Death Proof interact with the music in such beautiful ways that you are left completely shell shocked when, at one point in the movie, all you have left of them is a severed leg and the reverb of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich ringing in your skull. Never would one fathom that the boyish innocence of the British Invasion could provide the soundscape for such a chilling scene.
But in the end, it is that unthinkable bonding of the macabre with the unabashed debauchery of music that gives the stunning auteurism of QT its kick. While the touching melody of Joe Tex's voice may inspire most in the bar to reach out and dance with somebody, there are still those who are fueled to do something much more sinister. The songs of Death Proof are an excellent reflection of that very duality.
(As a sample, I've included 'Hold Tight' by the aforementioned DDDBMT below:)
