The quote 'You talkin' to me?' is perhaps the most famous improvised line in movie history. To underscore Travis Bickle’s descent into madness, composer Bernard Herrmann used the saxophone. However, instead of a jazzy, upbeat sound, Herrmann used the alto saxophone to play slow, bluesy, and 'sleazy' melodies that reflected the grit of 1970s New York. The instrument became the 'voice' of the city’s night life and Bickle's loneliness. This was Herrmann's final score before his death, and it remains a legend for how it balanced high-tension strings with the soulful, wandering saxophone. The instrument’s ability to sound both beautiful and broken perfectly matched the duality of the movie legend and his deteriorating mental state as expressed in his iconic monologue.