He’s Sure the Boy I Love

The Crystals (feat. Darlene Love)

When I think of Billy Batts — which happens way too often than it probably should — it’s hard not to hear this unbelievable pop song from ‘61 that plays during his “get-out-of-jail” party. But, it’s the last one for Batts because this is Henry’s joint and he’s about to get whacked.

I love the way Scorsese uses popular music in his films. He was the first one to make it an art form — almost subverting and reinventing the song in the process. But all done to serve the film, without being guilty of style over substance type of choices. Somehow his song placements seem to cement so many of these Goodfellas sequences in legendary status.

As great as this song is alone, it’s really hard for me to not to connect it back to Billy Batts. After all it was this very song playing at his party that gave Batts the confidence and swagger to mouth off and push Tommy around.

It cost him his life.

But what vocals and what a song. What a spell it casts — that Phil Spector wall of sound.