Why the Earth Angel Scene in Back to the Future is a Masterpiece of Movie Music

I made a video essay, am I a film student yet?
But seriously, I've always known that I loved the music in this scene and my Movie Music class has given me the technical knowledge I needed to know WHY I love the music in this scene so much.
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WHAT IS THIS CHANNEL?
Well, I'm glad you've asked. This channel has been described as a lot of things - Martin Scorsese has described it as, "Alright, fine, Marvel movies count as cinema. I don't care anymore, I'll watch the Avengers movies. They've gotta be better than this hot garbage fire." And all I heard from that was him calling my channel "hot," so I'll take it.
But actually, it's sketch comedy, short films, commentary videos, a few video essays; so if any of those sound like a good time to you, check out my other stuff!

[@JonSorokin]

I've got other video essays! Check them out here: kzbin.info/aero/PL9NpjZrHIVuwkk8fWTdfY3NaPbSylF3Wz

[@TheDenzil95]

Great stuff! Could I ask what the music is you're using for the outro? It's groovin

[@alvexok5523]

I have also noticed that the middle section where that guy has cut in to Lorraine and Marty can't play, that weird sound effect with the evil laughter happening, that same sound effect was also thrown into a couple bits in "Teen Wolf" (including the very beginning). You ever notice that too? I wonder if it was Michael J Fox's idea to throw that into "Teen Wolf" as a reference to him in "Bttf"

[@HeyDuffy459]

Another little cherry on top at the end is the way Marty’s strumming is brought out a bit in the mix, no longer discordant, just reinforcing his return to full existence.

[@robc5852]

I don't understand music terminology. I just know this is my favourite scene in movie history because the music matches the moment so perfectly!

[@JonSorokin]

And that’s totally valid! It’s a great scene, the music definitely does everything it’s supposed to

[@VIRGOLEGACY]

Yea not many music in movies today have that tension

[@Jumpernot]

@@VIRGOLEGACY I heard because they didn't have the budget and the daylight for a lot of this movie they wanted to use the music to make it as powerful as could be. That's why it has a big score

[@Vi0letRay]

I am beyond obsessed with back to the future but never really thought about this scene in this way. Great video, great analysis, thumbs up from me!

[@kjamison5951]

The additional of a musical score will add another sense to the audience experience. It was first popularised in the silent movies where a pianist would accompany the movie by providing music suited for the scene. Military marching music for an army on the move, soaring music for a flight in a balloon or quiet contemplative music as the actors reflected on something previously seen. This is non-diegetic music. It’s music that exists outside of what’s happening on the screen. The band on the stage are playing music that is diegetic - it’s part of what’s happening. Careful blending of diegetic and non-diegetic music is a means to layer that audio sense and deepen the scene further. For such an important scene as George and Lorraine’s first kiss which ultimately seals their lifetime commitment to each other, the non-diegetic music snaps the audience back to their own reality, before the diegetic music from the band snaps the audience back into the scene as of they are a casual observer in the hall. Imagine getting up close to an event and as the tension builds, you are pulled away from it. You fight to get back it it’s not letting you, then at the crucial moment just before you are about to lose the connection, it snaps you right back in again to THAT moment. If you had to escape from a sunken car and you began to kick towards the surface without knowing how far down you are, you kick with all your might. As you rise your autonomous nervous system tries to kick in to force you to breathe but your conscious mind tells you you’re still enclosed in water, you teach up and up towards the surface and fresh air. A sense of burning pain in you lungs, yells at you to take a breath… And when you feel as though you are about to pass out, you expel the remaining air full of CO2 and then break the surface. It’s a bit like that for some folks.

[@ultron6051]

This isn't the point, but I want to say it... The cut between "unless u know somebody else play the guitar" to playing earth angel is genius, idk why its so good but, thats it

[@AWSVids]

It's probably the immediacy of it. Normally, you'd do something similar to that, but the punchline wouldn't come RIGHT AWAY quite like that. It'd take at least a few seconds to cut and lead up to it for a moment or something... maybe Marty would hesitate a moment and say "Well..." and then cut... but that cut is so immediate after the word "guitar", staying ahead of the audience so that before you've even registered the idea in your head that Marty could do it, it's already happening. You then have a reaction of "Oh yeah, that makes sense!" instead of feeling like it was a predictable cut before it happened. And it cuts on this very jarring introduction of the music that it's almost startling, and that helps boost the impact and humour of it. The impulse to get startled quickly shifts to the impulse to laugh, the way you always laugh a bit after a jumpscare gets you. Take away the scary part, and just suddenness tends to be funny to us. It grabs our attention.

[@alvexok5523]

@@AWSVids Yes, that is a great way to put it, and you're right

[@ckmoore101]

Its a shame this was not even nominated for best editing.

[@Loogaroo1]

@@ckmoore101 The film industry is a bunch of snobs, that's why.

[@marasmusine]

​@@ckmoore101 It was nominated for Best Editing at the BAFTAs (also won the Oscar for "best sound effects editing").

[@ryandeffley7652]

The shared wave between Marty and George is one of my favorite moments. The concept of not connecting with your father and then being able to change that is emotional to me.

[@setaside2]

100% agreed. I feel the same.

[@adamnoble1689]

Yeah, the parental/son connection exploration in this movie is just so amazing

[@ThomasFoolery8]

Never gave that too much thought as a child, but yeah man, I feel it now as an adult with a father who wasn’t never quite there.

[@antorini-hj3tm]

Absolutely! The part in the song when Marty springs back up, after seeing his siblings reappear in the photo, almost always makes my eyes begin to leak

[@abstractdaddy1384]

Same

[@AdrianJayeOnline]

too much over analysing, God

[@RasLion]

Technically he sees himself reappear first then his siblings.

[@razorfett147]

One of my top 3 moments from the entire trilogy. George taking Lorraines cheek as Marvin's voice echoes in the distance...rolling into a beautiful crescendo between the 2 music tracks as the kiss happens and Marty springs to his feet. Film making magic

[@sunshine_tidings6983]

since you've proven yourself to have good taste, I kind of want to know the other two in the top 3 lol

[@socope17]

I like how this video didn’t drag out so long to explain a great movie scene like this. KZbin is so saturated with long-winded movie/show reviews with unnecessarily long back stories. It’s become even the backstories have backstories. This was excellent, high quality work explained in a reasonable amount of time. Thanks for posting!

[@DaGahbageMan]

I also like that the music was allowed to finish the video. None of the usual "Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and click the little notification bell, blah, blah, blah."

[@syfyserpent6465]

I always knew there was something special about this.

[@dsscam]

Everything about Back To The Future is incredible. STILL my favorite movie of all time. I used to think it was perfect, which it's not. But its strengths are so vigorous that they overwhelm any minor flaws by 1000%. It's amazing how quickly this masterpiece was put together. The sequels were disappointing to me when they first came out with their flaws not as overwhelmed by the same originality as the GOAT (Greatest (film) of ALL TIME) but they have grown on me over the years. In fact, Part 3, in my opinion gets very close to the highest score of all time level of the original especially with the extra bonus points it receives from that amazing, climactic train sequence. This music themed video essay just adds to the greatest of the GOAT.

[@iceyplayz3388]

I love all of them. I think that if I could only choose 1, it would be part one, but I think that if part 1 is a 10/10, then part 2 and 3 are 9.4/10. Overall, I would say that it’s my personal favorite movie franchise of all time.

[@Infiniti25]

I couldn’t stand BTTF 3 when it first came out and for quite a few reruns that I saw, but I was young and innocent and ignorant. It has definitely grown on me over the years, even though it is still a it’ll be slow in parts. BTTF 1 is still the best of the trilogy, followed by 3 then 2 in last place...don’t care for future Jennifer and the future Biff/Griff storyline. What was before it’s time in BTTF 2 was the picture in picture when they can have multiple channels on the TV at once.

[@chaztitan6457]

If I had a dollar for everytime I watched this on vhs I could, have the same bank account. Went through 3 vhs tapes and began my obsession with time travel. No other trilogy has come close. But I'm partial

[@throatwobblermangrove8510]

I'm not sure how you mean "how quickly" it was put together. It was rewritten extensively over 5 years, and there were 107 filming days after Michael J. Fox joined the cast, twice the average number of filming days for a feature film. It's my all-time favorite movie, but I wouldn't say it was done quickly.

[@MNbenMN]

@@Infiniti25 I'd watched 2 channels with PiP before BttF2 came out, but yeah, not the full grid of different video streams/channels at once until about 7 years ago, right on schedule!

[@VIRGOLEGACY]

Remembering even as a kid without any formal knowledge or education on music terminology I Definetly FELT the tension here !! And I feel this is the most I felt worried for marty throughout the whole trilogy due to the stakes

[@rrice1705]

That's a neat analysis. I've seen that scene a dozen times, heard the music as many, but I never realized how the two compositions were layered like that. Thank you!

[@taykitrleevitt4314]

Saw this movie at the Liverpool Philharmonic, with their orchestra playing the soundtrack live, just before covid kicked in...it was magical; the kiss/ tension piece was electric.

[@avivalerman9259]

I have returned to rewatch the masterpiece

[@duncanb1981]

I like how the guitar is actually a model first released in 1958 yet he is supposed to be in 1955.

[@angrykermit3192]

Well Marty obviously traveled to 1958 to get the guitar and brought it to 1955, duh.

[@duncanb1981]

@@angrykermit3192 🤔 maybe lol

[@ricomajestic]

Gibson gave the prototype (which became the 1958 model) to Chuck Berry but Chuck didn't like it so he gave it to his cousin Marvin! The rest is history!

[@HeyDuffy459]

As a composer and film score buff, I’ve always appreciated what the music does for this scene, but I never before heard the Earth Angel and Tension/The Kiss played back to back separately like that. It’s amazing how neither one alone really gets you there, but together they make the whole scene.

[@twistynoodles]

I always just thought this was one of the most wholesome parts of the film. This really proves my point.

[@sunshine_tidings6983]

Thank you for putting into words what I haven't quite been able to for decades. This is one of the all time big goosebumps scenes for me.

[@AIex_Kidd]

I love how the redhead guy simple DISAPPEARS IN A BLACK HOLE after being pushed on the floor

[@CassieLopez]

Thank you for explaining this!! I remember going to listen to Earth Angel after seeing the movie, and it was pleasant, but not so rich and satisfying like in the movie. And I didn't understand why. You make it all so clear!

[@ungas_systemsasmr]

Same!

[@martin1b]

The two scenes create different emotions. The earth angel scene does exactly what you're saying and the JBG scene is synonymous with taking a victory lap as the whole movie has led up to this moment. Great job on the analysis of this scene.

[@iceyplayz3388]

I personally love the JBG scene because Marty’s band was rejected by Huey Lewis, and then Marty got his chance to play at the dance.

[@lexkanyima2195]

@@iceyplayz3388 ohh ok

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Man how do people recognize such intricacies like this. As a kid there I was just anticipating the next cool special effect to cheer for. Even NOW I wouldn’t have the mind to focus so deeply on something like this.

[@Pyke_]

I can watch this movie a thousand times, It always hit me like the first time watching

[@Yezpahr]

Spot on. I didn't know it were two pieces blended together, makes perfect sense to blend two pieces of music together for two people coming together.

[@ojmusic1154]

I get chills when that music comes in and Marty springs back to life just awesome

[@ungas_systemsasmr]

Whoa! All this time i was thinking it was only "earth angel".. this is an eye opener.. best kiss scene in movie history

[@dynamicdave2647]

This is my favorite scene in the movie! Thanks for discussing it. Wow, I didn't know they combined two songs for that kiss scene and when marty could play guitar again

[@rowanmelton7643]

It speaks volumes of the quality of film of this era that a light, fluffy, family friendly teen comedy has these sorts of moments of cinematic mastery

[@kgpspyguy]

It’s what you get when you hire ARTISTS instead of ACTIVISTS.

[@jeromesnail]

I can't believe this movie is 36 years old. Well, as old as me. No other movie has ever come close since.

[@Rachael8989]

This scene is so wonderfully perfect, the climax just touches you and makes you smile so much. Then I saw the ‘back to the future musical’ and I was almost crying like a baby! It’s honestly brilliant and takes the movie to a whole new level! Just being in the theatre and seeing the action unfold live was amazing!

[@KennyRubenis]

Agreed! This has been my favourite scene from the movie for a looooong time, and seeing it live on stage really made me well up. The spectacle that comes next at the clocktower is the exciting climax, but this moment is definitely the emotional end of the film/musical.

[@insanitypepper1740]

I saw the film 3 times in theaters when it was out. I remember how that final climax gave me chills. Thanks for the analysis!

[@jamessockman5971]

This is easily the best description of what this amazing scene makes me feel 25 years after seeing it for the first time. This whole movie uses music so well, I get chills just thinking about it. The theme playing when doc slides down the cable and connecting it at the last second!! Sooooo good!

[@darrellburnside9368]

I love that song! Especially when they have the 1st kiss. Music is the language of emotions, and that scene does it very well.

[@InfluenSol]

Dude this is a truly marvelous breakdown of how powerfully the Audio was crafted with the visuals to create magic

[@ScarredRomeo]

This scene always makes me smile, get chills, and often tear up, especially the scene’s denouement point that you rightly pointed out is emphasized in the kiss with the two songs juxtaposed together. It just etches itself into the heart of hapless romantics, including this one. I have this scene on my own channel which I uploaded years ago because it is one of my all time favorites.

[@artzreal]

I like the part where you explain it shortly and conclusively without giving yourself any extra personal time beyond the strictly needed, like most youtubers do

[@ThomasFoolery8]

Right. His consideration for what his audience probably wants to hear and experience is really excellent. Like how he lets us finally hear the combined music and let’s it play out to its conclusion without speaking anymore. Very high empathy score.

[@artzreal]

​@@ThomasFoolery8 precisely. Good expansion.

[@rufelestrada9791]

Brilliant! That's why I watch this scene over and over again. Now it makes sooo much sense! Thanks for the clarity!

[@reeanimationgaming1034]

The movie is a masterpiece. It just never gets old

[@frameofmindfom]

Thank you for your analysis! I actually analysed this exact scene almost 15 years ago for a school project and I always thought this was one the best comibinations of "on screen music" and the orchestra which in this case alan silvestri utilised to perfectly. The moment of "...the vision of you happiness.." and the immediate combination after of the two songs is so incredible!

[@lucashouse3299]

Add to that in the sequel Marty runs into the room listening to not just Earth Angel on stage but the melody with The Kiss as if he ran into the tail end of that scene. (Which he did)

[@lucashouse3299]

When it re watched the scene from part 2 it doesn’t sound like it plays all The Kiss, just the last bit. 🤔

[@opiejaye]

Yes, I've always *loved* that bit at the end where the strings merge with Earth Angel, it works so well.

[@TheSpriteStory]

Thank you so much for explaining the musical motifs and strategies used to make this scene so memorable

[@drewtodd4129]

I watched all those movies as a kid and keep finding new things about them. And all the actors were great too. It's a small thing, but when Marvin looks at Marty playing and kinda shakes his head, wow. And Tom Wilson playing Biff in about four different ways, than Griff, then Buford.. damn. My favorite though was the Wild Gunman payoff in part 3.

[@cunt5000]

I love that look. "you're gonna play it like THAT?! Okay..."

[@iluomobravo]

Phenomenal video of one of my favorite scenes in any movie

[@Storystein]

Thank you for making this. This scene always brings tears to my eyes, because if its intense beauty, but I hadn't figured out that was because of the combination of the songs.

[@reyvgm]

Nice job. I never noticed this. It really does elevate the scene!

[@bujin5455]

Back to the Future is one of the best case studies in story telling to come out of Hollywood, and especially for the period.

[@tabbytacocat]

great video about one of my favorite movies! you’ve gained yourself a subscriber today, my good sir

[@thomaslong8401]

I saw this in the theater when it came out. Watched it a few months ago and it’s still just as good. Well done.

[@kaleloz2868]

How amazing is this movie ! I love this scene , I love this song. Thanks for the video . Very well done

[@RVREVO]

Wow, that was awesome. Very clever to meld the two together.

[@Nick-kz6dg]

Then the fact that they chose to return to this scene in Part II from a different perspective was just perfect 👌

[@lexkanyima2195]

And using the footage from the 1st movie with added scene in the 2nd

[@JediBunny]

Wowwww YES! Excellent job with this! Beautifully done 👏

[@alanrobertson4544]

Love your analysis 👍

[@bhaveshpatel9626]

Nice take on the scene. Love it. Thx

[@Dragon-Slay3r]

No when I was a child this song was used on me to convince me I'm an earth angel and I should join Dajjaal in which I declined. It's nice to start getting my memory back which they tried so hard to fry so I couldn't remember my childhood.

[@jamiecoates377]

One of my favourite scenes. But I always thought it would have been made better if an extra sibling was revealed on the photograph, to emphasise a stronger link between Marty’s folks.

[@flowerpt]

Very cool idea but Marty remembers his timeline's past due to time travel so he would have had a very challenging time integrating that. Imagine having a kid brother who idolizes you but you've never met him!

[@jamiecoates377]

@@flowerpt I’m not sure he would. Because it would be an alternative timeline, similar to BTTF2 with the Biff timeline. But it would be a strange one to suddenly have a sibling you never knew you had.

[@timy9197]

I like how you split the song separately to show why it was important to combine them both

[@TheBrandonShepherd]

I think this movie is the best! everytime i watch this, im always on the edge of my seat! the stakes are so high in these films!

[@threwthelookingglass7194]

hot tube time machine sense yall been good ! you get this one from the furture!!

[@SANDSCORCHER]

A masterful dissection of a brilliant scene😎👍🏻 It’s true the two pieces work so perfectly together. There’s not much that can’t be improved by the addition of the magnificence of strings, or brass, or both 😎👌🏻👍🏻

[@CompoundProjects]

Wow, I love this movie and thought I knew everything about it. Great job, instant subscribe.

[@NatRomanoff58]

I don't usually give a whole lotta thought to the Earth Angel performance, but combining the scores really did create the perfect tone for the scene.

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

The kiss moment is some of my favorite music of all time. It's just wonderful.

[@deeznuts23yearsago]

The back to the future trilogy is the movie I could watch over and over for the rest of time and never get bored

[@hpswagcraft]

I just happened upon this video while watching one about what would happen if Marty got stuck in 1955. This channel is legit, and I was extremely surprised to find out the criminally small amount of subscribers it has. You did an amazing job on this video, and I PROMISE you that if you keep making more video essay videos like this, your channel will 100% blow up and you can do this full-time. Mark my words. I hope to see you back on my feed soon and even more around KZbin as a whole... You're good at this, I promise you that if you keep making videos like this, the internet will recognize that. I just subscribed to you as well. Anyway, thanks for distracting me from my problems for 5 minutes. Great video.

[@Fetrovsky]

Excellent commentary.

[@adamnoble1689]

Woooowww. I didn't know the climactic music was an overlay of both songs at their most pristine. Genius

[@JacobHarvietheSinger]

every time that part comes around i wish it could last a lifetime. epic moment.

[@eobardthawne5246]

Sounds like a violin at the end of the song to make it more romantic. Probably they used more orchestra instruments to enhance the song. Really brilliant.

[@Nnubbs]

So underrated of a scene

[@petercarlsson6606]

Fantastic scene, wonderful song, a perfect movie.

[@mikejaygreen]

Earth angel! Great song

[@wjatube]

Brilliant analysis.....Speaking of music, popping in a cassette of Eddie Van Halen shredding to simulate an alien takeover was pretty cool too.

[@mrmogensen]

The most important thing in this scene is that the Shermanator actually can time travel

[@Plaguereaper]

Great analysis.

[@claframboise]

I just Subbed after seeing you only have 211 subscribers. Your content is worth easily a thousand times that. But also adjust your volume levels, so that I don't have to crank up my volume compared to the rest of youtube.

[@jefftucker201]

Yeah you get a Thumbs up, you just gave me another reason to love my favourite movie even more! :)

[@dennisanderson3895]

I'd like to think I felt the shifts/progressions. TBH, I'm so much more willing-suspension-of-disbelief-and-enjoy-the-show that I have previously overlooked the blend at the "Marty lives" moment. What an amazingly produced and developed film!

[@tonynardella1646]

This was a very special scene and they do the song Earth Angel and the lyrics of that song are very touching for George and Lorraine because the lyrics are basically saying I will love you for all time and I fell for your loveliness I'm just a fool in Love with you because isn't that what we all are a fool and love In the scene where Marty stands up after getting his existence back and the splash drum comes into play and his guitar that scene and those two sounds along with Marvin Berry's voice or almost like the crescendo of this entire scene and somehow you just knew that everything was going to be ok. When George shoves that dude to the ground ,that in a way was even more powerful than him slugging Biff, with that particular scene and then the lead up to the kiss and then the kiss has to be the most powerful romantic scene in movie history and then the musical crescendo as I mentioned before right after that it's almost like the gold at the end of the rainbow Earth Angel was a very appropriate song for the situation

[@JasonRasmussen]

Gets me every time. Genius filmmaking we just don't see anymore.

[@ojc147]

Brilliant analysis!

[@retrotheft]

I watched Stranger Things season 4 a few days ago and the ending to one of the episodes reminded me of this video. I think they do a similar thing with the mixing of a song and a theme during a climactic moment.

[@SinjinTaidjeKhan]

brilliant analysis! thanks! 👏👍

[@jal2550]

Love that climax!

[@Jaynesslessly]

love that family guy's rendition of this is pretty much identical, down to the the combing the two track for the climax

[@tape500]

thank you!

[@amyharth5446]

This is great analysis! I love the idea that Marty can’t play because he gets his musical creativity from his dad being a writer, even though it doesn’t actually work like that and I’m sure Loraine was creative too, thematically it’s great.

[@edwardianed]

Interesting theory, but where are you getting it from? It's quite clear that Marty can't play because he's literally disappearing from existence, not because he's losing his ability to play guitar. I'm not bashing your theory, I just want to know what it is that suggests that to you.

[@amyharth5446]

@@edwardianed I’ve heard it a lot in other commentaries on the film. It’s not my original idea. Unfortunately, I don’t know who came up with it. I’ve read a book about the making of the movie and several articles and videos and I various discussions with friends so I can’t remember where I heard it first.

[@David-dz3ig]

what a surreal moment for a young high school teenager to play Earth Angel for his parents so they can kiss, fall in love and Marty is the fruit of their love. :) You have to love romance, imagination and Hollywood visual and musical effects! (sighing)

[@Adarkane325xi]

It would’ve been cool/interesting if when Marty’s brother and sister reappeared in the photo, another new sibling appeared too. Lorraine and George were pretty frisky in the new 1985. That might’ve been confusing for the audience, but i like being challenged to figure things out on my own.

[@NativS2002]

Giving Marty a younger sibling would've been nice, but ultimately pointless. Also, consider that Lorraine had a lot of Siblings. She probably felt three was enough, and either she or George removed their fertility after Marty was born.

[@Adarkane325xi]

@@NativS2002 Go away.

[@James_Bee]

@@Adarkane325xi You propose a pointless addition to the film for your own amusement in a public comment section and are then presented with a logical counter argument and your response is "Go away"?

[@Adarkane325xi]

@@James_Bee Logical counter? To a SPECULATORY OPINION? Do you know how “challenged” you sound? I didn’t make my homeboi respond. I proposed a “science fiction” addition to a time travel movie. Yeah, “pointless.” Stay at home dad, aka, “i’m too lazy to work.” Well, thanks to you, i’m upgrading to “fuck off.” So, off with you now, toad.

[@incub8]

What they could have done was come back in the photo with slightly different clothes on; e.g., instead of a Mickey Mouse T-shit on his brother, maybe a polo shirt (more preppy) because his brother was no longer a flunky. That could provide a bit of interesting foreshadowing that history had changed somewhat.

[@gordondahle7844]

That guy sure had a nice voice!

[@thealy2630]

This video is awesome!

[@EdgyNumber1]

As perfect a movie as you can get.

[@gabacan5652]

Why am I watching this, I have a 1500 words essay due in 4 hours

[@Ambienfinity]

Brilliant scene that is the crucial point of the whole film.

[@spurton9556]

Now lets do something that really cooks!

[@davidlewis3072]

great video!!!

[@MrApolloTom]

I learned from Ebert's commentary that there's something similar in Casablanca: when they start La Marseillaise it's just the band, but by the end there's a full orchestra playing.

[@Regeor]

I’ve always loved this scene, especially when the music kicks back in when they kiss

[@congydave]

Never let Haans Kloepeck steal your girl

[@ricomajestic]

Malachi!

[@hatednyc]

Earth Angel was always my favorite, too.