One thing I've heard in the wake of the A.J. Brown trade that is driving me crazy: "The Patriots are a top 5 offense now."
New England's 2025 rankings:
Points: 2nd
Yards: 3rd
EPA/play: 3rd
EPA/DB: 1st
TD/Dr: 3rd
Pts/Dr: 4th
Passing yards: 4th
Passing TDs: 5th
Pass success%: 1st
Explosive play%: 1st
Explosive pass% 1st
Want to say it was the schedule?
Offensive DVOA: 3rd
Passing DVOA: 2nd
Patriots were already comfortably in the top 5.
About $1.5 million was spent securing the music rights for Goodfellas, and every dollar of it paid off.
When Goodfellas hit theaters, what truly separated it from other crime films wasn’t just the performances or the story — it was the music. Martin Scorsese reportedly spent around $1.5 million securing music rights, a massive gamble at the time, but it became one of the film’s greatest strengths.
Rather than relying on a traditional score, Scorsese built the movie around real songs from the eras it moves through. As Henry Hill climbs deeper into the mob world, the soundtrack evolves with him — shifting from upbeat doo-wop and girl groups of the 1950s into darker rock tracks of the ’70s and ’80s as his life begins to unravel.
Songs from artists like The Rolling Stones, Cream, and Derek and the Dominos don’t just sit in the background — they shape the scenes themselves.
One of the best examples is the famous “Layla” piano outro sequence. As Layla plays over the discovery of bodies after the Lufthansa heist, there’s barely any dialogue, yet the music communicates everything: the paranoia, the fallout, and the deadly consequences of greed.
Then there’s the legendary Copacabana tracking shot, where Henry leads Karen through the back entrance of the club. The smooth, dreamlike music makes the entire moment feel seductive and glamorous, pulling the audience directly into Henry’s world.
That’s why the $1.5 million wasn’t just an extravagant expense — it was part of the storytelling itself. The soundtrack acts almost like a narrator, marking shifts in time, mood, and character without ever needing exposition.
A lot of films have great soundtracks, but Goodfellas uses music with precision. Every song feels purposeful rather than simply chosen. Decades later, it remains one of the clearest examples of how the right soundtrack can elevate a film from great to unforgettable.
Goodfellas is 140 straight minutes of the greatest needle drops ever, but playing The Crystals “Then He Kissed Me” as Henry and Karen walk through the kitchen of the Copacabana, Scorsese reached a higher state of existence