Screenwriting : Stop the music! (I almost did it in caps) by Harold Vandyke

Except in extreme cases, I find that it reads as amateurish. Beyond the copyright issues, yeah, it's a lousy way to set the mood. I too always read things like this in amateur screenplays: Joey lights a cigarette and puts on a vinyl record. It's Pullman Snake singing "Hell Yeah, Betty". And I'm thinking, huh? Dude, I'm not in your demographic. Either I've never heard of that song, or I have no idea what exactly it means to you. As a writer, convey mood with your words, not with the soundtrack that plays in your head (or your living room).

It's a practice taken from Tarantino lore. Unless the lyrics become part of the story and part of the script itself, like Blue Velvet or Clockwork Orange (there are other better examples), it'd be best to leave it out and near-universally is.

I completely agree with Kerry. And I almost never know the song.

Yeah, CJ, the Final Destination example would be an exception. Or, say, Casablanca. Where a song is used as a story element. In that case, I might mention the exact song (just for simplicity) knowing the production might change it later. (For Back to the Future [if you're talking about the rock and roll scene near the end?], I'd see know reason to mention an exact song, though it doesn't much matter. I was specifically advocating against it to set a mood, or when it doesn't matter at all. That's done surprisingly often.)

I used somg titles as an inherent element of a short script, they were visible to the characters and conveyed a shorthand for their thoughts... fortunately you don't need to secure the rights to show the titles.

A.C. the issue is when the music listed is expected to be part of the soundtrack. All-in-all it's probably best just to list the TYPE of music a person is listening to -- giving some insight into their character. If one gets lucky enough to go into production, then specific songs might be discussed, and their rights secured.

I always suggest people write..." Hank sings along to something like "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". That way the reader gets the full effect but no producer will be scared off by the $$ or BS of getting the rights.

@ Harold - sorry your original post said "I usually have time to read parts of, or completed scripts by other amateur writers and have noticed how many include song titles."... which mine does, but literally as titles ;-)

Hi Harold, I'm a literary editor and also a lyricist/songwriter, been writing for over 30 years. It's absolutely fine to quote song titles as there is no copyright on the titles of songs, so it is quite safe. Quoting actual lyrics from songs is another matter and I wouldn't do that without express permission, but you can quote titles. Just think of all the songs with the title 'Hero' for instance, people would be suing left, right and centre if it wasn't okay, so the answer to your question is yes, you can quote titles safely, but not the actual lyrics of a song. I think it's nice when writers do that and I don't think it's amateur at all. I believe it's a great way to bring attention to the public of great songs that they might not know otherwise and it's a way to get people to be curious about something they may not have heard before. If someone quoted a title of one of my songs in a manuscript, I would be honoured and privileged, but I do think an author should give credit to the writers of the song titles they use, not so much the artist, because a song can be covered by more than one artist, but writers of songs don't get the credit they deserve a lot of the time, so I think as long as an author is respectful to the song they are using, then there's no problem :)

I guess I should clarify: My understanding was that if you name a song in the body of your screenplay that you're telling the producer that THAT song is to be used in the movie. I guess if you do what Jess suggested it's a way of getting around it. The problem with that, as I mentioned, is that of the reader not being familiar with the song. Probably best to stay as generic as possible.

Harold, aaaah right, sorry, I misunderstood what you meant, got it now, yes, I can see the difficulty.

I would keep it vague unless there is a specific reason for that particular song. Also --- as a writer have a plan B, C, D in case you can't get the rights. Don't write yourself into a corner you can't get out of.

My understanding is that titles are free game. I have done that in several of my novels, and one screenplay, but if I'm wrong, I am, and so it goes.

Use of title for a story name is something else. There are many movies and books with similar names. I will use a title for a feature length screenplay if it has been used for a short or an obscure movie, one most people wouldn't know about.

Here's a similar conversation with some of my comments: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Music-is-a-screenplay

Btw, I 100% agree with CJ's Final Destination example in the above link.

FYI, I'm prepping to teach my final S32 Next Level class. Of the 15 feature film script openings we will discuss in class tonight, 2 of the 15 writers have chosen to include a song title within the first 4 script pages. I would never have thought twice about it when reading if not for these posts. Judicious song choice that adds to the story is just fine. But the screenwriter is not the Music Supervisor, so don't overdo it and don't do it when it doesn't add to the story! FYI my class page is https://www.stage32.com/classes/How-To-Hook-Your-Reader-In-Only-5-Pages, should anyone be interested in taking the class "on demand."