Brooklyn Soundtrack Playlist: Songs from Films Shot in the Borough

October 27, 2025

Music plays such an important role in film—it can define a moment, set the mood and make a scene unforgettable. And as New Yorkers, the emotional connection hits even harder when we see our own familiar streets and neighborhoods on screen backed by iconic tracks.

Think of this genre-crossing playlist as a part two to our post about 10 movies set in Brooklyn, since we cover some of those films here too. This time, we’re looking at the soundtracks—songs that shaped the mood of films shot in our own backyard.

Goodfellas

Then He Kissed Me — The Crystals

Martin Scorsese’s mob classic was filmed all over NYC, including the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Red Hook, Prospect Park, Bensonhurst and Sheepshead Bay. Goodfellas tells the story of Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, his family, friends and fellow mobsters. This song appears during a legendary scene when Henry takes his girlfriend to the Copacabana club on a date and reveals his VIP status as the camera follows them through the back entrance to a front table.

Moonstruck

That’s Amore — Dean Martin

This romantic comedy stars Cher as a Brooklyn bookkeeper, Danny Aiello as her fiancé, and Nicolas Cage, as his estranged brother. Somewhat like The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cher takes turns loving two brothers. Filmed in Brooklyn Heights and Carroll Gardens, the opening credits paired with That’s Amore immediately set the tone for an Italian-American love story filled with humor and heart.

Saturday Night Fever

Stayin’ Alive — Bee Gees

John Travolta’s Tony Manero struts through Bay Ridge to the beat of the Bee Gees’ disco anthem, pizza in one hand, paint can swinging in the other—a scene so iconic it’s impossible to separate the song from the film. Beyond Bay Ridge, filming also took place in Bensonhurst. Written specifically for the soundtrack, Stayin’ Alive remains one of the most recognizable opening songs in film history.

Crooklyn

People Make the World Go Round — The Stylistics

Spike Lee’s semi-autobiographical story about a Bed-Stuy family in the 1970s opens with this soulful track, which captures the film’s tone. Shot mostly in Bed-Stuy with a few scenes in Fort Greene, Crooklyn blends nostalgia, warmth and realism into one of Lee’s most personal films.

The Squid and the Whale

Drive — The Cars

Noah Baumbach’s Park Slope-set drama follows two brothers navigating their parents’ divorce, starring Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline. Filming also took place in Flatbush and Midwood. Drive appears in a NSFW scene that underscores the film’s unflinching honesty.

Do The Right Thing

Fight the Power — Public Enemy

Another Spike Lee classic, this time set during the hottest day of the year in Bed-Stuy. The film explores racial tension, particularly between Black residents and Italian-American pizza shop owners. Fight the Power is more than a soundtrack choice—it’s practically a character in the film, blasting from Radio Raheem’s boombox as he walks through the neighborhood.

Frances Ha

Modern Love — David Bowie

Greta Gerwig stars in this Noah Baumbach-directed dramedy about a struggling dancer trying to find her place in New York. While filmed in multiple locations, the NYC locations include Prospect Heights. One of the most joyful sequences shows Frances running and dancing through the streets of Chinatown to Modern Love, a perfect mix of whimsy and grit.

The rest of our playlist covers songs from: