What song do you associate with your favorite book or movie?

I don't think I do this, I don't think I pair songs with books or movies, not outside of the soundtrack of a movie, or a song mentioned in a book.

For the Rebus novels, there is invariably a mention of some 70s rock song somewhere, and naturally movie soundtracks are an easy association —just think how many John Williams tunes you know and instantly conjure up the associated Spielberg movie— but my brain treats those things separately.

So, instead I'll call out one of the best uses of song in a movie.

It was a Tuesday evening, there were four of us in the cinema. We were there to see a newly released, and as yet unheralded, movie called The Matrix. I'd read reviews that it was good but the effects, the concept, the colouring, the camera effects, all of it kept me glued to the screen.

Then, in the final scene as Neo talks into the phone you are wondering where this will go. Then as he finishes his announcement, he clicks the receiver down, and in drops this epic track of noise and anger and a core message that has been softly burbling away in the background the whole time.

Wake up. The matrix has you!