Which Song Does Patrick Bateman Call His “Undisputed Masterpiece” in American Psycho?

In the 2000 film American Psycho, Patrick Bateman calls Huey Lewis and the News’ “Hip to Be Square” the “undisputed masterpiece” from the band’s album Fore!. The song and speech occur in the Paul Allen scene. That makes it the memorable answer to which song tops Bateman’s playlist in the film—not proof that it is his single favorite across every musical passage in the novel or movie.

The song Bateman praises

Bateman’s speech names Huey Lewis and the News’ “Hip to Be Square” and introduces it as a track from Fore!, which he calls the band’s most accomplished album. Those are the character’s judgments, not an objective ranking of the group’s music. The PBS transcript of American Psycho reproduces the dialogue, including Bateman’s line: “I think their undisputed masterpiece is ‘Hip to be Square.’”

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He also remarks, “A song so catchy, most people probably don’t listen to the lyrics.” The film places this music commentary in the Paul Allen scene, where the monologue gives the upbeat song a distinctly unsettling context.

Why the music review became a monologue

Bret Easton Ellis’s novel includes standalone music criticism, but screenwriter Guinevere Turner says those passages were difficult to translate directly to film. The adaptation’s solution was to let Bateman deliver the material aloud. In an On Story discussion, Turner described the breakthrough as making the criticism cinematic by having him pick up a CD and start talking about it.

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American Psycho [Blu-ray]

• Patrick Bateman is a handsome, well-educated, executive who works days on Wall Street. His nights are spent in ways we cannot begin to fathom. A 26 year- old living his own American Dream - as a serial rapist and killer preying upon the young and trendy in 1980s Manhattan. Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis.

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Director Mary Harron later explained the suspense built into that choice: once Bateman first delivers a music monologue before killing someone, viewers may begin to fear what will follow whenever he starts discussing music. In this scene, the contrast between his polished pop analysis and the threat around him makes the speech part of the film’s tension, not just a recommendation of a song.

Harron has also described the novel’s music criticism as parodying rock criticism while revealing Bateman’s apparent capacity to find meaning and emotion in upbeat mainstream pop. That is the director’s interpretation of the character, rather than a definitive explanation of every musical reference in the story.

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The film scene and the soundtrack album are different

“Hip to Be Square” is used in the film, but that does not mean it appears on the proposed film soundtrack album. In a later interview with The Recording Academy, Huey Lewis said the band licensed the song for the movie but declined its inclusion on the album. He also disputed the public explanation that he had pulled the track because of the film’s violence, calling that account “bulls—” and saying it was publicity.

So, if you are looking for the song heard in Bateman’s speech, seek out Huey Lewis and the News’ “Hip to Be Square”—not the film soundtrack album on the assumption that it contains the track.

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American Psycho [Blu-ray]

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American Psycho [Blu-ray]

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American Psycho (Uncut Version) [Blu-Ray]

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American Psycho [4K UltraHD + Blu-ray]

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American Psycho [4K UltraHD + Blu-ray]

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American Psycho (Uncut Version) [Blu-Ray]

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