Opening credits sequences are often one of the most effective tools that a filmmaker has at their disposal to introduce the style, themes, or basic concepts of their work to the viewer. A particularly unique, daring, or jarring title sequence can stick in the mind of the audience well after their memory of the story details have faded, and the right song used in the right place can make that opening all the more memorable.
For years, filmmakers have used popular music and performers to accompany their opening credits, and some have crafted the scenes so well that the title sequences became some of the best moments in the entire movie.
8 Watchmen - "The Times They Are A-Changin" (Bob Dylan)
Though the film was met with mixed critical and popular reception, Zack Snyder's 2009 adaptation of the seminal graphic novel Watchmen features a clever and effective opening credits sequence. Snyder succinctly sums up the sociopolitical shifts in American and global affairs at the time. But because Watchmen takes place in an alternate timeline where superheroes exist, the credits simultaneously establish the role of heroes in this world and how their presence has affected history the audience is already familiar with.
In homage to Alan Moore — who concluded several issues of Watchmen with quoted Bob Dylan lyrics and even used them as chapter titles — Snyder selects the thematically appropriate "The Times They Are A-Changin" to accompany the slow-motion flashbacks, reinforcing the nostalgic sense of lost innocence conveyed by the progressively darker tone of each scene.
7 Grease - "Grease" (Frankie Valli)
One of the most influential movie musicals ever made, Grease deftly combines the vision of the '50s that it presents and the unequivocally '70s styling of the film itself. The opening credits sequence embodies that blend more than any moment in the film, with its retro-style 2D animated short overlaid with an original song performed by Frankie Valli.
The opening credits sequence throws together caricatures of vintage 1950s pop artifacts such as hair grease, Ford Thunderbirds, and "I Like Ike" pins, and sets them against a funk-infused, disco-rock anthem sung by one of the most recognizable voices of the '60s and '70s, creating a wildly fun genre and era mashup.
6 Pulp Fiction - "Misirlou" (Dick Dale)
Everything about the 1994 film Pulp Fiction exudes an irreverent, rock-and-roll style, and the opening credits sequence is certainly no exception.
As Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer's characters erupt in a fit of screaming and gun pointing in a sedate Los Angeles diner, the opening scene reaches its climax and freezes. The film rockets into Dick Dale's quintessential surf-rock hit "Miserlou" just as the credits start to roll. The opening sequence that follows is simple yet thrilling, as electrifying guitar riffs reel in massive, bright red and yellow block letter title cards announcing the name of the film and its creator.
5 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 - "Mr. Blue Sky" (ELO)
While James Gunn's original Guardians of the Galaxy reimagined what a superhero film could be in terms of content and tone — featuring plucky, off-beat "heroes," comedy, and a wide variety of popular '60s and '70s period music seamlessly woven into the narrative of the film — the sequel refines this unique combo into a movie that embraces the outlandishness of its science-fiction elements instead of relying on a more classic superhero setup.
This is perfectly demonstrated by the opening credits of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which features an adorable and appropriately named "Baby Groot" hooking a walkman up to an amplifier and a pair of speakers in order to blast ELO's classic 1977 symphonic rock ballad "Mr. Blue Sky". As Groot dances, his cohorts desperately attempt to avoid being eaten alive by a thrashing, enormous, tentacled monster amidst a cloud of multicolored neon explosions.
4 Baby Driver - "Harlem Shuffle" (Bob & Earl)
Perhaps one of the most memorable continuous-take scenes in recent cinema history, the opening credits sequence of Baby Driver seamlessly blends every element of the acting performance and set design into the music that plays over it.
The scene follows Baby as he walks through the streets of the city, purchases an order of coffees, and returns to the building from which he originally exited, all the while listening to the "Harlem Shuffle" in his earphones and dancing along to the song. Director Edgar Wright transforms this mundane coffee run into a mesmerizing sequence. The scene incorporates the music with the environment, with graffitied words and posted signs literally spelling out the lyrics as Baby dances along.
3 Army Of The Dead - "Viva Las Vegas" (Richard Cheese ft. Allison Crowe)
The opening credits of Zack Snyder's 2021 zombie horror extravaganza Army of the Dead are nothing short of spectacular — in the most literal meaning of the word. The opening scene has all of the hallmarks of director Zack Snyder's classic style, and it establishes the blend of comedy and horror that the film embraces wholeheartedly.
The audience already knows what to expect from a Zack Snyder zombie film, but Army of the Dead celebrates the wild irreverence and absurdity of an undead-overrun Las Vegas landscape. The cover of Elvis Presley's classic "Viva Las Vegas" that plays out the opening sequence immediately establishes the atmosphere of the movie in its first five minutes.
2 Full Metal Jacket - "Hello Vietnam" (Johnny Wright)
Simple in comparison to some other examples, the opening credits sequence of Stanley Kubrick's classic 1987 film Full Metal Jacket quickly and effectively sums up the tone of the film and demonstrates the attitude of the filmmaker towards the events that are about to transpire.
The sequence is a series of shots from the same camera position showing soldiers having their hair cut in preparation for basic training, set to the rather somber and resigned-sounding "Hello Vietnam" by Johnny Wright. The despaired, empty expressions of the privates echo the forlorn chorus of the song and reflect the tragic and often senseless cost that war takes on those who are sent to wage it.
1 The Graduate - "The Sound Of Silence" (Simon & Garfunkel)
Mike Nichols' seminal 1967 film The Graduate opens with a subdued, pedestrian series of shots showing Dustin Hoffman's somewhat aimless character getting off an airplane and making his way through the terminal. The opening credits are laid over a prolonged near-profile shot of Hoffman standing on an (out-of-frame) moving walkway, with the camera moving alongside him to create the illusion of static framing.
The simplicity of Nichols' composition is its greatest asset — the stark, almost monochromatic image works in tandem with Simon and Garfunkel's folk-rock masterpiece "The Sound of Silence" to capture the directionless boredom of the protagonist.
source https://screenrant.com/best-pop-music-opening-movie-titles/
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