Of Monsters and Men already has a cult following, but it's Ben Stiller that the band should be thanking for some big time exposure. The band's "Dirty Paws" was used prominently in the trailer for Stiller's forthcoming movie, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," a boost that Billboard reports increased song sales from a stagnant 1,000 a week to 6,700 a week since the trailer's release.



The twist is that "Dirty Paws" was released in April of 2012 as the second single off their debut studio album, "My Head Is an Animal." Without much radio support or, as Billboard reports, even a radio campaign, the song didn't really make much of an impact outside the band's fanbase. Things have changed: Republic Records and Universal Music Group are now looking to capitalize on the "Walter Mitty" sunlight and may work the song for radio, more than a year after its original release.


More good news for Of Monsters and Men: The song not only underscores the entire trailer, it's also appearing in the movie itself. As we've previously noted, many trailers use songs that aren't in the movies the previews are promoting. "We Found Love" works well in the trailer for "Magic Mike" but doesn't appear in the film, and the same goes for M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" and "Pineapple Express." A gallery of further examples is available below.



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  • "Magic Mike"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "We Found Love," Rihanna<br>
    The worst part of "Magic Mike"? That Rihanna's "We Found Love," which basically made the "Magic Mike" trailer <em>the "Magic Mike" trailer</em>, was nowhere to be found in the finished film.




  • "Pineapple Express"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Paper Planes," M.I.A.<br>
    An egregious bait and switch if there ever was one: Thanks to "Paper Planes," the trailer for "Pineapple Express" was one of the best of 2008. The movie, which didn't feature the song, was decidedly not.




  • "The Social Network"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Creep," Scala & Kolnacy Brothers<br>
    Unlike "Magic Mike" and "Pineapple Express," not including a killer trailer song didn't negatively affect "The Social Network." (That has a lot to do with Trent Reznor's Oscar-winning score.) In fact, using the Scala & Kolnacy Brothers chorale cover of Radiohead's "Creep" was a stroke of marketing genius: Before the first trailer debuted, no one knew just how seriously director David Fincher would take the story of Facebook.




  • "Big Miracle"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Moth's Wings," Passion Pit<br>
    Funny thing about "Big Miracle": Its use of Passion Pit's "Moth's Wings" was an anachronism. The film takes place in the late '80s (which explains the Russian jokes in the trailer); the song was released on the 2009 album <em>Manners</em>. Nice try on getting the hipster audience, though!




  • "Rachel Getting Married"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Everyday," Rogue Wave<br>
    Jonathan Demme's noisy family drama features a <em>ton</em> of music. (Tunde Adebimpe, of TV on the Radio fame, even has supporting role.) Unfortunately, it doesn't include the one song that actually made this messy slog look worthwhile.




  • "American Gangster"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Heart of the City," Jay-Z<br>
    <a href="http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/08/jay-z-kanye-west-movie-trailer-music_n_1264171.html" target="_hplink">Jay-Z songs</a> have a long history of appearing in movie trailers. Like "Big Miracle," however, including "Heart of the City" in the promo for "American Gangster" was false advertising of the anachronistic order. The film begins in 1968, one year before Jay-Z was even born. (Still, you can understand the decision: nothing makes Denzel Washington look cooler than having <a href="http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/08/jay-z-kanye-west-movie-trailer-music_n_1264171.html" target="_hplink">Jay-Z blasting behind him</a>.




  • "It's Kind of a Funny Story"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Oh My God," Ida Maria<br>
    This slight indie dramedy needed all the help it could muster in the fall of 2010. That was provided in trailer form by Ida Maria's rousing "Oh My God." You're still waiting to hear that one in the finished product.




  • "Inception"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOJqicM6x84" target="_hplink">"Mind Heist," Zack Hemsey</a><br>
    The trailers for "Inception" basically gave birth to modern movie marketing; the famed "Inception" Horn (BRAMMMM) has been used in almost every blockbuster trailer over the last two years. Many credit composer Hans Zimmer with the trend, but the "Inception" <em>trailer</em> actually used a piece of horn-heavy music written by Zack Hemsey. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zack_Hemsey" target="_hplink">BRAMMMM</a>. (That was the sound of your mind blowing up.)




  • "Bad Teacher"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Beggin'," Madcon<br>
    "Bad Teacher" was a bad movie (ding), but the Madcon cover of the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons song "Beggin'" played in the trailer masks its stink. "Look how much fun Justin Timberlake is having dancing to that song! One ticket please!" said a person who made a terrible mistake in the summer of 2011. The cover of "Beggin'" does not feature in "Bad Teacher," not even when JT is <strike>bringing sexy back</strike> dancing.




  • "Where The Wild Things Are"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Wake Up," Arcade Fire<br>
    Arcade Fire recorded a new version of "Wake Up" for the trailer to Spike Jonze's "Where The Wild Things Are." The track didn't appear in the film, making it one of the many instances where a Jonze film used the perfect song to get people to the theater. (There are more coming; you're crafty, Mr. Jonze.)




  • "Adaptation."


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Under Pressure," Queen & David Bowie<br>
    Jonze strikes again. To his credit, "Adaptation." does include the best use of "Happy Together" by the Turtles ever put to film. So, let's call this bit of trickery a wash.




  • "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Mr. Blue Sky," ELO<br>
    JONZE!




  • "The Fighter"


    <strong>SONG</strong>: "Reaching," Audiomachine<br>
    "The Fighter" used a wonderful score by Michael Brook and some great pop songs ("How You Like Me Now?" by The Heavy, for instance) to create the mood onscreen, but its trailer went for something different: A stock music cue from the company Audiomachine. Spoiler: IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY YOUR EYES OUT. Maybe it was good the finished film didn't include this track? (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDk3ZjRnWLE" target="_hplink">Listen here</a> with tissues.)