Movies to Watch for Songs by David Byrne, Post Malone and The Weeknd Before Their South Korea Concerts Later This Year

The summer festival season is over, but many overseas musicians are set to perform in South Korea in the second half of the year. Here are films where you can hear the music of three of the most eagerly anticipated acts: David Byrne, Post Malone and The Weeknd.

"Sax and Violins"

Talking Heads

〈Until the End of the World〉

Until the End of the World, 1991

Wim Wenders's ambitious 〈Until the End of the World〉 is a road movie that unfolds across France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Japan, the United States and Australia. The soundtrack features a star-studded lineup — Lou Reed, R.E.M., Elvis Costello, Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, U2 and others. Talking Heads' "Sax and Violins" plays immediately after the opening credits, during the scene in which Claire (Solveig Dommartin) awakens in a daze at a party in Venice. It’s not just the music that appears: a screen within the scene shows David Byrne's face. Wenders asked the artists contributing to the soundtrack to imagine what music they would be making in 1999, the year in which the film is set; Byrne completed "Sax and Violins" by taking a piece he had started while working on Talking Heads' final album, Naked (1988), and writing new lyrics. The track was also made into a music video. Wenders directed the music video.

"Road to Nowhere"

Talking Heads

〈Reality Bites〉

Reality Bites, 1994

Among 1990s coming-of-age films, 〈Reality Bites〉 is often praised for its music, and it includes Talking Heads. Lelaina (Winona Ryder) makes a documentary — a film within the film — that uses Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere." The graduation-march sequence features the lyric "We're on the road to nowhere," a line that fits the film’s themes of young people facing an uncertain future and the metaphor of a path that goes nowhere. Talking Heads' sixth album, Little Creatures (1985), closes with "Road to Nowhere," and David Byrne later said he wanted to write a song that treated apocalypse with a resigned yet oddly joyful perspective. Byrne co-directed the song's music video with Stephen R. Johnson.

"I Zimbra"

Talking Heads

〈Spider-Man: No Way Home〉

Spider-Man: No Way Home, 2021

In the third installment of Marvel's Spider-Man series, 〈Spider-Man: No Way Home〉, the film uses Talking Heads' "I Zimbra" near the start, as Mysterio exposes Peter Parker's identity and Peter (Tom Holland) and MJ (Zendaya) try to push through the crowds in Times Square. "I Zimbra," the opening track of Fear of Music (1979), produced by Brian Eno, shows the strong influence of African popular music that Byrne was listening to at the time. The song's lyrics, inspired by a poem by German Dadaist Hugo Ball, are delightfully nonsensical and oddly match the chaos confronting Peter and MJ. Talking Heads and Brian Eno went on to collaborate again on the next album, Remain in Light (1980), deepening their engagement with African music, including influences like Fela Kuti.

"I Had Some Help"

Post Malone (feat. Morgan Wallen)

〈Venom: The Last Dance〉

Venom: The Last Dance, 2024

Post Malone's song "I Had Some Help," featuring country singer Morgan Wallen, was released as the lead single from Malone's sixth album and his first full-country LP, F-1 Trillion (2024). The track spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was one of the biggest songs in the United States in the summer of 2024. When 〈Venom: The Last Dance〉 opened in October of that year, the song was used in the end credits after the first post-credits scene. That placement reflected the single's months-earlier blockbuster success, and many listeners also noted that lyrics about "making a mess together and taking responsibility together" seemed to metaphorically echo the fraught bond between Venom and Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy).

"Sunflower"

Post Malone (feat. Swae Lee)

〈Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse〉

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, 2023

"Sunflower" is arguably the biggest hit of Post Malone's career and might even be better known than the film 〈Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse〉 itself. The song, by Post Malone and Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd, appears twice early in the film — when Miles Morales hums while drawing with headphones on in his room, and again during the sequence when Peter teaches Miles how to cling to walls — giving the track a presence that viewers of 〈Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse〉 are unlikely to forget. The sunflower's ability to grow even in harsh conditions makes it a fitting emblem for Miles, a boy thrust toward Spider-Man's fate, making the song a natural and memorable match for the character.

"Earned It"

The Weeknd

〈Fifty Shades of Grey〉

Fifty Shades of Grey, 2015

The Weeknd contributed to 〈Fifty Shades of Grey〉 from the early stages of the project. The filmmakers wanted new songs to shape the film's atmosphere rather than relying on older hits, and The Weeknd was central to that effort. After some trial and error, the completed song "Earned It" was placed in the drive scene where Christian (Jamie Dornan) takes Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) on a hike in the woods — a placement that helped not only the film but also The Weeknd's rise to superstardom. Having emerged with three mixtapes, The Weeknd followed the success of "Earned It" with his second studio album, Beauty Behind the Madness (2015); together with 〈Fifty Shades of Grey〉, the album helped cement his image as a sensual icon. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson directed the music video for "Earned It," which also features a cameo from Dakota Johnson.

"The Morning"

The Weeknd

〈Uncut Gems〉

Uncut Gems, 2019

The Safdie brothers' masterpiece 〈Uncut Gems〉, starring Adam Sandler, is set in 2012 and centers on the real-life playoff brilliance of NBA superstar Kevin Garnett as a key part of its narrative. The 2012 setting also allows the film to cast The Weeknd as his younger self. The protagonist Howard (Adam Sandler) attends a Weeknd show to confront Demany (LaKeith Stanfield), who has taken Opal. At the time, The Weeknd was gaining attention with three consecutive mixtapes, and he performs "The Morning" from his debut mixtape House of Balloons in the club sequence, where Howard's girlfriend Julia (Julia Fox) dances along. That club scene descends into chaos when Howard bursts in on The Weeknd and Julia having sex in a bathroom.

"Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)"

〈Avatar: The Way of Water〉

Avatar: The Way of Water, 2022

Thirteen years after James Cameron's record-breaking 2009 hit 〈Avatar〉, its sequel 〈Avatar: The Way of Water〉 featured The Weeknd on the end-title song. The project began when James Cameron named The Weeknd; the singer worked with Swedish House Mafia, a producing team he had collaborated with before, and the film's music director/composer Simon Franglen to complete the theme "Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)." The song departs from the 1980s-style synth-pop The Weeknd explored in parts of the 2020s, instead highlighting Simon Franglen's signature grand, cinematic approach. The ending-credit version of "Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)" differs significantly from the soundtrack version: the film version pares back instrumentation to foreground more immediate vocals.