Another successful film that has spawned a successful single is Philadelphia (1994, directed by Jonathan Demme, and though "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen was obviously used to promote the film, the idea of using contemporary music to promote a contemporary film makes the song's use less incongruous than those used in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Bram Stoker's Dracula, This is probably because these two films are historical in nature, while Philadelphia is based very firmly in modern day reality.

Again, the promo clip for Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" owes much to the film. The opening title sequence of the film features footage of everyday life in Philadelphia, some of which are included in the promo clip to lend some visualisation to Springsteen's lyrics. In fact, the only difference between the promo clip for the single and the opening title sequence of the film is the absence of Springsteen lip-synching the lyrics during the opening titles, and the inclusion of the titles themselves. It may be interesting to note that the vocal track used on the video promo clip is different to the one used in the film and on the single and soundtrack album releases. The vocals for the video clip were actually recorded on the streets of Philadelphia, and it is possible to hear the "imperfections" of Springsteen's vocal performance, as well as background noise from the images we see on screen (children playing, traffic driving past etc.). This "live" recording of the song strengthens the ties between music video and the way film sound blends music with sound effects.

We are never allowed to forget that Bruce Springsteen's song is meant to promote the film. Apart from the song title being an extension of the film's title, the song itself is played in its entirety (to fade) before the film's narrative actually begins. The single's promo clip is included before the film on the official video release of Philadelphia, as well as an advertisement for the soundtrack album, which also features an excerpt of the song. The result is that we hear Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" three times before the film's story actually begins.

Another song used to promote the film is Neil Young's "City of Brotherly Love" (perhaps used ironically given the nature of attitudes towards HIV and AIDS portrayed in the film) and is heard during the final scenes of the film, just before the end titles. This song is used for more dramatic impact than Springsteen's song, since we have come to sympathise with the characters by this point, and the song is meant to provoke an emotional reaction when used in combination with the images that we see at the end of the film. Following Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks)'s death from an AIDS-related disease, there is a memorial gathering at his home. The bare piano chordal accompaniment fade up as Beckett's lawyer is informed of his death, then the scene cuts to an exterior shot of Beckett's home, where family and friends are gathering. The number of people at the memorial seems to contrast sharply with the bare solitude of Neil Young's voice, which sings in a high register to the accompaniment of a solo piano. As the strings join in the second verse, we see that a home video is playing, a compilation video of Beckett as a young boy. During this second verse the camera closes in on the TV screen and the music drowns out all sound of the gathered crowd. By now we hear only Neil Young's song and the background sounds heard on the videotape (children laughing and playing etc.). The film freezes with the final chord of the song, then blacks out, leaving a short gap of silence and darkness before the end titles begin, accompanied by Howard Shore's orchestral underscore.

The blending of image and sound during this final scene of Philadelphia gives it the air of a promo clip - a popular song accompanied by a short visual narrative, and its attempt at an evocation of emotions and poignancy makes the scene similar to the promo clip for Annie Lennox's "Every Time We Say Goodbye" (taken from the AIDS awareness album of Cole Porter cover versions Red Hot and Blue, 1990), directed by Ed Lachman. The instrumentation of the song is similar to Neil Young's - voice and piano, but this time the instrumental solo is provided by an accordion, and the visuals are similar to those of the closing scenes of Philadelphia - Annie Lennox is watching home videos of a young boy and girl playing, one of whom, we assume from the lyrics, is her, and the boy has probably died of AIDS, judging by the use of the song within an AIDS awareness project. What does differentiate this promo clip from the final scenes of Philadelphia is the presence of a central character that is lip-synching the lyrics. The function of lip-synching in this particular video may be to make the situation more personal, or to create empathy, while there is an element of detachment between the audience and the artist who sings the song at the end of Philadelphia.

"Every Time We Say Goodbye" is one example of how pop video and film are artistically linked, but as music videos continue to become more complex, both in visual and textual narrative, and as there are more films available for the promo director to plunder, more serious research is needed to explain just how and why music video is influenced by film.

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