Under Supervision with Colleen Devine
"I love to dance and I love to laugh. All the better if I can do both at the same time."
For the return of Under Supervision, an interview series about people’s favorite use of song in visual media, we have none other than good friend, prolific poster, and Black Eyed Peas scholar/apologist Colleen Devine. She reflects on a wholly unexpected needle drop from an early 2000s coming-of-age tragicomedy.
What’s your favorite use of a song in film or television? I
CD: Ok, this is my second attempt at an answer. I wrote about 500 words about the use of “Heads Will Roll” (A-Trak remix) in the 2012 cult classic film Project X and, while that’s an amazing and objectively perfect needle drop, it isn’t my favorite needle drop. I think I was trying to sound cool for the readers of Mushmouth, but I realized I need to follow my heart. And my heart says “Superfreak” by Rick James (1981) in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), famously performed by Abigail Breslin.
What is it about this song choice that speaks to you?
It doesn’t just speak to me, it grabs me by the shoulders and screams “Let’s Dance!” Even though I assume everyone with a pulse has seen this movie, I would like to set the scene: after following a dysfunctional family drive across the country so their quirky 10 year old daughter can compete in a beauty pageant that she’s (spoiler) not likely to win, we’re finally settling in at her performance in the talent show. The routine was choreographed by the late coke-fueled grandpa of the family who (another spoiler) died in the car on the way to the beauty pageant. This performance is essentially an homage to him and his legacy, so a lot is riding on this.
By now, this dance routine has been mentioned many times, so when the needle finally drops on ‘Superfreak” and we see young Abigail Breslin (again, she’s 10) perform what amounts to a strip-tease to the track, it all comes together and everything comes crashing down. The family joins her in dancing on stage while the judges try to unsuccessfully chase them off stage. No chance of winning, but every chance to have fun for the 3:22 duration of the song. A perfect scene.
On its own, the song ‘Superfreak’ is so good that it essentially crowned Rick James as the “king of funk ‘n’ roll”. But when you add in the pre-teen performance, it serves as a comical trainwreck you can’t look away from and can’t help but sing along to.
There’s a whole additional conversation that one could probably argue about how the young pageant contestants are deliberately oversexualized and how the use of this sexual song suddenly goes “too far” because it’s overt in its intention, but I’m not smart enough to make the full dissertation. Again, this is my second go at a needle drop so I think I just need to move on.
Outside of the scene, what’s your relationship with this song or artist?
I had probably heard this song before seeing the movie, because it is a commercial 80’s hit (419M streams on Spotify at the time of writing), but I don’t really acknowledge life before seeing Little Miss Sunshine. And because this scene went triple platinum in my head, it was my go to karaoke song for many years, and still is when I’m exceptionally hammered.
What do you think this choice says about your taste—musically, cinematically, or otherwise?
That I love to dance and I love to laugh. All the better if I can do both at the same time.
Put yourself in the director’s chair: if you were making something, is there a song you already know you’d want to use?
The song “Break Well” by Mount Kimble has been lodged in my brain for years as a sync. King Krule sings the vocals on the song, uncredited. It has a 2 minute 36 second intro/build up, which is crazy cause the song itself is only 3:46. I’ve always loved the idea of using the full song in a movie or show. I think that’s the only way it can be consumed. The beat drop does stand on its own but the build up makes it that much more rewarding, so it’s all or nothing for me.
Honorable or dishonorable mention:
Yippie, I was hoping you’d ask for more recs!
The use of Alt-J’s Fitzpleasure in the first ever episode of Broad City, when Ilana and Abby are wrecking Fred Armison’s apartment after he said he “doesn’t have any money, cause he’s a little baby”. I felt like that scene was specific for me.
Oceans 11 - Clair de Lune, fountain scene. chefs kiss
This Time Tomorrow - The Kinks in The Darjeeling Limited.
While weaker minds might be inclined to mention the Twilight soundtrack, I’m gonna say that the Great Gatsby (2013) had one of the best soundtracks of all time. Lana, Black Eyed Peas, Andre 3000, and so many others.
I liked in the show Beef (2023) that the opening credits used the first note in the song Genesis by Justice. But it always left me wanting to hear the rest of the song, so half a point off.