There are few directors who use pop music better than Martin Scorsese, and Who’s That Knocking At My Door puts this front and center. It’s practically a long-form music video. Sure there’s a very loose plot involving mischievous neighborhood slackers, true love, and Catholic guilt; but much of this is played out in quick-cut, dialogue free montages. The soundtrack’s mix of white rock and black soul is apparent in Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels’ opening cut, a mashup of Little Richard and Chuck Willis songs played at break-neck speed. Whether by desire or financial necessity, the soundtrack is largely comprised of one-hit wonders. The Bell-Notes and the Genies both came out of Long Island; and both groups lasted less than three years. The Searchers were a popular Liverpool group that was quickly overshadowed by the Beatles; and both the Channels and the Dubs had difficulty following up their late fifties doo wop hits. Ray Barretto had a lengthy session recording career punctuated by a single dance hit “El Watusi” in 1962. Jr. Walker is certainly well known in Motown circles for his sax work, but is best known for his hit “Shotgun” which he recorded with his own vocals when his singer didn’t show up for the recording session. While Scorsese expresses disappointment about certain parts of the soundtrack, he’s voiced genuine satisfaction about having the Chantels “The Plea” play over the closing credits. This fascination with girl groups no doubt carried over in Mean Streets.
An additional note: I hate the Doors. And their messy, rambling, incest and murder story “The End” is about as Doorsy as you can get. But I do take pleasure from the knowledge that it plays over nude scenes which were filmed two years after principal photography and were inserted so that the film could be marketed as sexploitation.