Hootie's now shilling for Burger King in commercials reminiscent of the 2005 NBA All-Star Game halftime show.

Meanwhile…

015: Clint Mansell and The Kronos Quartet
"Summer Overture"
[Requiem for a Dream; 2000]
Just as Requiem for a Dream isn't for the squeamish or easily nightmared, its soundtrack is not for those who enjoy light musical accompaniment. Familiar to many as the song in the trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, "Summer Overture," a steadily intensifying instrumental haunt, opens the film and reprises throughout, each time sounding more sinister as the characters fall further down.

014: Jon Brion
"Here We Go"
[Punch-Drunk Love; 2002]
Recorded in The Beatles' old Abbey Road studio, the hipster multitalent's pop-waltz love song echoes nothing less than the Fab Four in their Rubber Soul/Revolver prime. The rich soundscape of vintage piano, strings and oboe effortlessly captures the pathos of Barry Egan's hapless existence.

013: Aaliyah
"Try Again"
[Romeo Must Die; 2000]
Timbaland deftly sets Aaliyah's police state of emotion against rhythmically obtuse but still mad funky programming. The analog synth loops are, well, to die for. Seemingly fearful of the track's inherent groove, however, Timbaland muffles his brain-grabbing production with B-movie ambience.

012: The Mooney Suzuki / The School of Rock
"The School of Rock"
[The School of Rock; 2003]
Film star Jack Black and his Tenacious D partner Kyle Gass struggled to come up with a song that had the right gravity for the Battle of the Bands. In search of a big finale, Black tapped The Mooney Suzuki after the band impressed him opening for The Strokes. Screenwriter Mike White sent them a sheet of lyrics and they sent back a rock 'n' roll revelation that, in turn, sent audiences out of theatres feeling good.

011: Elliott Smith
"Needle in the Hay"
[The Royal Tenenbaums; 2001]
Elliott Smith will forever be associated with suicide — his own tragic demise as well as Richie Tenenbaum's memorable shave and slit scene. Fusing the Beatles' pop sense with Neil Young's sense of doom, this quietly devastating acoustic catharsis chillingly underscores Richie's lovelorn desperation in the moments leading up to his suicide attempt.

Thursday: #010-006