What song plays during the dance scene in Pulp Fiction?
Answer
You Never Can Tell
The song that plays during the dance scene in Pulp Fiction is “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry.
The song appears during Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace’s twist contest at Jack Rabbit Slim’s, the retro-themed restaurant where Mia takes Vincent. Their dance became one of the film’s most recognizable sequences, blending 1950s television-dance-show imagery with Tarantino’s pop-culture style.
Chuck Berry recorded “You Never Can Tell” in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. It was also known as “C’est la vie” and “Teenage Wedding,” and its lyrics tell a playful story about a young couple building a life together. The references to “Pierre” and “mademoiselle” helped give the scene a French New Wave flavor.
A common mix-up is “Misirlou,” the Dick Dale surf-rock instrumental that opens Pulp Fiction and is strongly associated with the movie. “Jungle Boogie” and “Let’s Stay Together” also appear in Tarantino films, but neither is the song used for Vincent and Mia’s dance.