I don’t think Michael Mann is particularly interested in popular music.
It’s practically impossible to think of Phil Collins’ classic song “In the Air Tonight” without thinking of the iconic scene in the Miami Vice pilot when the song plays as Crockett and Tubbs are driving towards a fateful meeting with a narcotics kingpin. Throughout the series, popular music from artists like Peter Gabriel, Dire Straits, and Depeche Mode played an important role in the establishment of the show’s distinctive, pastel-driven style. And although Michael Mann helped create the show and served as its executive producer during the better part of its run from 1984 to 1989, it’s not apparent that he was intimately involved in the musical selection. When he remade Miami Vice as a film in 2006, Mann eschewed the opportunity to use period music and instead relied on more modern artists like Goldfrapp, Mogwai, and Moby.
The Film: Heat
The Song: “God Moving Over the Face of the Waters” (download)
The Artist: Moby
