MaXXXine Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Maxxxine.MaXXXine is the perfect entry in Ti West's X trilogy to include several popular songs, and the film makes great use of music throughout. Ti West is the hands-on creative behind the X movie trilogy, which began with X in 2022, followed by Pearl later that year, and 2024's MaXXXine. Each film features Mia Goth as the protagonist, and she occasionally appears as multiple characters. Meanwhile, Ti West has taken on the role of director, writer, producer and editor, while bringing in Tyler Bates as the composer for each entry, along with some additional help along the way.

Considering the fairly tight-knit production, the films rely on every element performing at its best in order to deliver a satisfying final product. Fortunately, the music team has proven their capability and created critically acclaimed entries throughout the X series. MaXXXine also features some of the most popular songs in the franchise, which perfectly complements the Hollywood setting as the central character, Maxine Minx, pursues her dreams of becoming a world-famous actress.

When Every Song On The MaXXXine Soundtrack Plays In The Movie

All 11 Popular Songs Which Appear In MaXXXine

"Gimme All Your Lovin’’ by ZZ Top: At the start of the film, Maxine attends an audition for a leading role in a horror movie. After delivering an outstanding performance, this track begins to play loudly, following Maxine out to her car as the film's opening credits roll. The song continues to play in its entirety as Maxine drives through Hollywood and only stops when she reaches her destination, The Landing Strip bar, where she enters the backroom to start working one of her more adult jobs.

"In My House" by Mary Jane Girls: Immediately after ZZ Top rings in the movie, "In My House" begins to play for a brief moment. This song is much more subtle, and accompanies Maxine getting dressed for another of her jobs, while she also speaks to some friends from work who get ready alongside her.

"I’m Insane" by Ratt: Shortly thereafter, Maxine enters a video store next to her apartment where she speaks to her friend Leon with this song playing in the background.

"Obsession" by Animotion: Once again, the music takes a prominent role in moving along the plot, with "Obsession" playing loudly over a montage of street performers. Then, it continues to play as the focus moves in on a seedy little establishment called Hollywood Show World. As the music fades and turns darker and more sinister with the sounds of the score, yet another of Maxine's quick money gigs is shown on screen.

"Self Control’" by Laura Branigan: Maxine and Leon fall asleep watching a fictional horror movie called The Puritan. Maxine wakes up to hear a knock at the door and the movie's credits rolling. When she goes to answer a man is briefly seen disappearing into an elevator, and Maxine finds a videotape on the ground. The tape is marked "For Maxine," and she takes it inside to watch, which is when this song plays quietly in the background.

"St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)" by John Parr: "St. Elmo's Fire" is a diagetic song which is given pride of place in the movie. Earlier in MaXXXine, the song title appears on a large lit-up sign, and later, when Maxine is driving in her car and being followed by the seedy private investigator (Kevin Bacon), her radio plays this song. It continues to play as she stops her car, approaches the PI, and repeatedly hits him with her keys in her hand.

"Prisoner of Your Eyes" by Judas Priest: At one of the lowest points in the film, when Maxine spots a crowd outside Leon's video shop, "Prisoner of Your Eyes" begins to play loudly. The song drowns out Maxine's screams as she attempts to cross the police barrier and go to her friend, but he has been dead for some time, with significant injuries and the color drained from his face.

"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood: As another montage plays out, this time showing Maxine preparing to deal with the pushy PI, "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" plays loudly. It continues to play out as Maxine gets dressed, applies makeup, and then lures the PI into the backroom at the club.

"Shellshock" by New Order: At the film's climactic face-off between the murderous father and Maxine, helicopters fly overhead demanding she drop the gun. The screen fades to a future where Maxine is seen walking the red carpet for her new movie, The Puritan 2, but this is soon revealed to be a dream sequence. The song continues to play as Maxine stands facing her father on the ground, before raising the sawed-off shotgun and killing him for good.

"There’s No Business Like Show Business" by Carol Burnett: As the movie leaps ahead a month, the real outcome is seen, and it appears that Maxine's choice to kill her murderous father did not inhibit her career. Maxine can be seen indulging in drugs in her trailer ahead of shooting a big final scene for The Puritan 2.

"Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes: Finally, the last song, "Bette Davis Eyes," plays out loud and proud at the end of the film and rings in the final credits. The song begins with the image of a prosthetic head, in the likeness of Maxine Minx, severed from her body, in a shot that appears to call back to Pearl's ending. The song continues as the camera zooms out from the scene, out of the studio lot, up into the hills where the Hollywood sign has been replaced with "MaXXXine," and up into space, all while the credits continue rolling.

Where To Listen To The MaXXXine Soundtrack

An Original Score By Tyler Bates

At present, the official soundtrack for MaXXXine, which is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music only includes the score of the film, which was created by Tyler Bates. The popular songs which appear throughout the film are not included in MaXXXine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). However, there are 20 short pieces of atmospheric music that encapsulate the movie and provide an eerie tone throughout. All the songs listed above can be found on all popular streaming platforms.

The Role That Music Plays In MaXXXine

The Soundtrack Establishes The Movie's Tone And Setting

As with many period movies, the MaXXXine soundtrack is a fun and effective way to set the era of the movie. With certain songs, MaXXXine is able to transport the audience back to the 1980s and put them in the right mindset for the story. While this is a technique used by many movies, it can be tricky to pull off well. Using songs that are too synonymous with a certain era can feel lazy and give the movie a cliche feel, such as the overuse of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" in Vietnam War movies.

Luckily, Ti West seems to understand that trap that other movies have fallen into in the past. The selection of songs in MaXXXine is effective in establishing the time period, but they are also not the typical songs that are always heard in 1980s movies. They simply capture the synthesized sound of the time and the poppy energy.

That pop music sound also works incredibly well for the film. West's trilogy of horror movies has all delivered plenty of gore and blood, but they are also darkly comedic in their own way. MaXXXine seems to lean into this more than any of the other movies in the trilogy and the soundtrack helps with that. The fun and high-energy song choices are often juxtaposed with grisly violence and intense horror. Once again, this is not a new technique, but the smart choices in songs for the MaXXXine soundtrack help to set it apart.

In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx lands her big break, but her rise to stardom is jeopardized by a mysterious killer targeting starlets. As the body count rises, secrets from Maxine's past threaten to surface, intertwining her quest for fame with a deadly game of survival.

Director Ti West

Release Date July 5, 2024

Runtime 103 Minutes