AFI's Top 100 Movie Songs

Squaredancecalling Steve · June-23rd-2004, 02:07 PM

List of 100 best movie songs

Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Posted: 9:05 AM EDT (1305 GMT)

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The American Film Institute's list of top 100 songs From U.S. movies, with film title and year of release:

1. "Over the Rainbow," "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.

2. "As Time Goes by," "Casablanca," 1942.

3. "Singin' in the Rain," "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.

4. "Moon River," "Breakfast at Tiffany's," 1961.

5. "White Christmas," "Holiday Inn," 1942.

6. "Mrs. Robinson," "The Graduate," 1967.

7. "When You Wish Upon a Star," "Pinocchio," 1940.

8. "The Way We Were," "The Way We Were," 1973.

9. "Stayin' Alive," "Saturday Night Fever," 1977.

10. "The Sound of Music," "The Sound of Music," 1965.

11. "The Man That Got Away," "A Star Is Born," 1954.

12. "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," 1953.

13. "People," "Funny Girl," 1968.

14. "My Heart Will Go On," "Titanic," 1997.

15. "Cheek to Cheek," "Top Hat," 1935.

16. "Evergreen (Love Theme From 'A Star Is Born')," "A Star Is Born," 1976.

17. "I Could Have Danced All Night," "My Fair Lady," 1964.

18. "Cabaret," "Cabaret," 1972.

19. "Some Day My Prince Will Come," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.

20. "Somewhere," "West Side Story," 1961.

21. "Jailhouse Rock," "Jailhouse Rock," 1957.

22. "Everybody's Talkin'," "Midnight Cowboy, 1969.

23. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.

24. "Ol' Man River," "Show Boat," 1936.

25. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')," "High Noon," 1952.

26. "The Trolley Song," "Meet Me in St. Louis," 1944.

27. "Unchained Melody," "Ghost," 1990.

28. "Some Enchanted Evening," "South Pacific," 1958.

29. "Born to Be Wild," "Easy Rider," 1969.

30. "Stormy Weather," "Stormy Weather," 1943.

31. "Theme From 'New York, New York,"' "New York, New York," 1977.

32. "I Got Rhythm," "An American in Paris," 1951.

33. "Aquarius, "Hair," 1979.

34. "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "Shall We Dance," 1937.

35. "America," "West Side Story," 1961.

36. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "Mary Poppins," 1964.

37. "Swinging on a Star," "Going My Way," 1944.

38. "Theme From 'Shaft,"' "Shaft," 1971.

39. "Days of Wine and Roses," "Days of Wine and Roses," 1963.

40. "Fight the Power," "Do the Right Thing," 1989.

41. "New York, New York," "On the Town," 1949.

42. "Luck Be a Lady," "Guys and Dolls," 1955.

43. "The Way You Look Tonight," "The Swing Time," 1936.

44. "Wind Beneath My Wings," "Beaches," 1988.

45. "That's Entertainment," "The Band Wagon," 1953.

46. "Don't Rain on My Parade," "Funny Girl," 1968.

47. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," "Song of the South," 1947.

48. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," "The Man Who Knew Too Much," 1956.

49. "Make 'Em Laugh," "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.

50. "Rock Around the Clock," "Blackboard Jungle," 1955.

51. "Fame," "Fame," 1980.

52. "Summertime," "Porgy and Bess," 1959.

53. "Goldfinger," "Goldfinger," 1964.

54. "Shall We Dance," "The King and I," 1956.

55. "Flashdance ... What a Feeling," "Flashdance," 1983.

56. "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," "Gigi," 1958.

57. "The Windmills of Your Mind," "The Thomas Crown Affair," 1968.

58. "Gonna Fly Now," "Rocky," 1976.

59. "Tonight," "West Side Story," 1961.

60. "It Had to Be You," "When Harry Met Sally ...," 1989.

61. "Get Happy," "Summer Stock," 1950.

62. "Beauty and the Beast," "Beauty and the Beast," 1991.

63. "Thanks for the Memory," "The Big Broadcast of 1938," 1938.

64. "My Favorite Things," "The Sound of Music," 1965.

65. "I Will Always Love You," "The Bodyguard," 1992.

66. "Suicide Is Painless," "M-A-S-H," 1970.

67. "Nobody Does It Better," "The Spy Who Loved Me," 1977.

68. "Streets of Philadelphia," "Philadelphia," 1993.

69. "On the Good Ship Lollipop," "Bright Eyes," 1934.

70. "Summer Nights," "Grease," 1978.

71. "The Yankee Doodle Boy," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.

72. "Good Morning," "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.

73. "Isn't It Romantic?" "Love Me Tonight," 1932.

74. "Rainbow Connection," "The Muppet Movie," 1979.

75. "Up Where We Belong," "An Officer and a Gentleman," 1982.

76. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Meet Me in St. Louis," 1944.

77. "The Shadow of Your Smile," "The Sandpiper," 1965.

78. "9 to 5," "9 to 5," 1980.

79. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," "Arthur," 1981.

80. "Springtime for Hitler," "The Producers," 1968.

81. "I'm Easy," "Nashville," 1975.

82. "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead," "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.

83. "The Rose," "The Rose," 1979.

84. "Put the Blame on Mame," "Gilda," 1946.

85. "Come What May," "Moulin Rouge!" 2001.

86. "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," "Dirty Dancing," 1987.

87. "Buttons and Bows," "The Paleface," 1948.

88. "Do Re Mi," "The Sound of Music," 1965.

89. "Puttin' on the Ritz," "Young Frankenstein," 1974.

90. "Seems Like Old Times," "Annie Hall," 1977.

91. "Let the River Run," "Working Girl," 1988.

92. "Long Ago and Far Away," "Cover Girl," 1944.

93. "Lose Yourself," "8 Mile," 2002.

94. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," "The Big Chill," 1983.

95. "(We're Off on the) Road to Morocco," "Road to Morocco," 1942.

96. "Footloose," "Footloose," 1984.

97. "42nd Street," "42nd Street," 1933.

98. "All That Jazz," "Chicago," 2002.

99. "Hakuna Matata," "The Lion King," 1994.

100. "Old Time Rock and Roll," "Risky Business," 1983.

°°°°°°°°°°°°

Some thing of a mismatch, since some of these were pop hits before the movies came out, some were show tunes in movie remakes, and some were genuine movie-songs.

Clearly undervalued:

Long Ago And Far Away at 92
Luck Be A Lady at 42
High Noon at 25
Jailhouse Rock at 21

Long overvalued list, starting with My Life Will Go On&On, ad infinitum, ad naseum

Chris D · June-23rd-2004, 02:14 PM

Where's "Rock 'n' Roll High School," huh?

June-23rd-2004, 02:25 PM

Are they trying to tell us that the last 25 years or so have produced almost nothing memorable as far as movie music goes?

I was happy to see Streets of Philadelphia show up on the list. One of the only tunes from the "Boss" that I ever liked.

Agree with the wretched Celine Dion song being highly over valued. It truly cheapens this list, not only by being on it, but by being ranked so highly.

Gentle Giant · June-23rd-2004, 02:38 PM

In lists like these, once you get past the top 10 or 20, it's a crap shoot all the way down. There's not much difference, you would think, between a 59 song and 62 song (I just chose those numbers out of the air, without looking to see which songs were actually chosen).

Can't really argue with the top 3 in that they are so iconic; you can't really separate the song from the film. Hearing the song takes you right to that scene. That's the power of great movie songs, even if they're not originally written for the film; Unchained Melody and Born to Be Wild are prime examples.

It does, however, bug the living shit out of me that Bob Seger made the list.

And Kermit got ripped off!

stonemonkts · June-23rd-2004, 02:41 PM

#44 is a real stinker. Yikes

crawjo · June-23rd-2004, 03:26 PM

Where's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" from Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid?

Rob C · June-23rd-2004, 03:33 PM

At least 65% of those suck.

My favorite recent "song used in a movie" was The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" in the closing credits of Fight Club.

Hmm, and how about "Mad World" at the climax of Donnie Darko? Very moving.

Squaredancecalling Steve · June-23rd-2004, 03:57 PM

Missed top ten pick:

Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows," which was Christian Slater's theme song for his underground radio station in "Pump Up The Volume."

Pete C · June-23rd-2004, 04:07 PM

I think most of the picks are based on extramusical criteria.

If the criteria were purely musical, songs from Astaire films would dominate, and "Stella By Starlight" would be on the list.

Gentle Giant · June-23rd-2004, 04:15 PM

I just thought of an exclusion so noteworthy that it nullifies the entire list: the scene in Say Anything when John Cusack holds up the boombox and sends out Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" to his one and only love. You may hate the song and the movie, but you can't deny that is a truly powerful and iconic scene. I can't believe it's not anywhere on the list.

Squaredancecalling Steve · June-23rd-2004, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete C

If the criteria were purely musical, songs from Astaire films would dominate,

A Fine Romance, Let's Face The Music And The Dance... you may be right, Pete.

Rob C · June-23rd-2004, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

I just thought of an exclusion so noteworthy that it nullifies the entire list: the scene in Say Anything when John Cusack holds up the boombox and sends out Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" to his one and only love. You may hate the song and the movie, but you can't deny that is a truly powerful and iconic scene. I can't believe it's not anywhere on the list.

Good point. And I liked the song and the movie.

Chris D · June-23rd-2004, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

I just thought of an exclusion so noteworthy that it nullifies the entire list: the scene in Say Anything when John Cusack holds up the boombox and sends out Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" to his one and only love. You may hate the song and the movie, but you can't deny that is a truly powerful and iconic scene. I can't believe it's not anywhere on the list.

Yes. It's in the Stalker's Handbook as Favorite Movie Scene.

Squaredancecalling Steve · June-23rd-2004, 07:10 PM

"Bohemian Rhapsody" from Wayne's World

"Stand By Me" from the picture of the same name

Gentle Giant · June-24th-2004, 09:45 AM

"Every Sperm Is Sacred" from Monty Python's Meaning of Life.

Composers: David Howman & Andre Jacquemin
Authors: Michael Palin & Terry Jones

DAD:
There are Jews in the world.
There are Buddhists.
There are Hindus and Mormons, and then
There are those that follow Mohammed, but
I've never been one of them.

I'm a Roman Catholic,
And have been since before I was born,
And the one thing they say about Catholics is:
They'll take you as soon as you're warm.

You don't have to be a six-footer.
You don't have to have a great brain.
You don't have to have any clothes on. You're
A Catholic the moment Dad came,

Because
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

CHILDREN:
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

GIRL:
Let the heathen spill theirs
On the dusty ground.
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can't be found.

CHILDREN:
Every sperm is wanted.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood.

MUM:
Hindu, Taoist, Mormon,
Spill theirs just anywhere,
But God loves those who treat their
Semen with more care.

MEN:
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.

WOMEN:
If a sperm is wasted,...

CHILDREN:
...God gets quite irate.

PRIEST:
Every sperm is sacred.

BRIDE and GROOM:
Every sperm is good.

NANNIES:
Every sperm is needed...

CARDINALS:
...In your neighbourhood!

CHILDREN:
Every sperm is useful.
Every sperm is fine.

FUNERAL CORTEGE:
God needs everybody's.

MOURNER #1:
Mine!

MOURNER #2:
And mine!

CORPSE:
And mine!

NUN:
Let the Pagans spill theirs
O'er mountain, hill, and plain.

HOLY STATUES:
God shall strike them down for
Each sperm that's spilt in vain.

EVERYONE:
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood.

Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite iraaaaaate!

Squaredancecalling Steve · June-24th-2004, 01:21 PM

Sheila: Times have changed
Our kids are kids are getting worse
They won't obey their parents
They just want to fart and curse!
Sharon: Should we blame the government?
Liane: Or blame society?
Dads: Or should we blame the images on TV?
Sheila: No, blame Canada
Everyone: Blame Canada
Sheila: With all their beady little eyes
And flappin' heads so full of lies
Everyone: Blame Canada
Blame Canada
Sheila: We need to form a full assault
Everyone: It's Canada's fault!
Sharon: Don't blame me
For my son Stan
He saw the darn cartoon
And now he's off to join the Klan!
Liane: And my boy Eric once
Had my picture on his shelf
But now when I see him he tells me to fuck myself!
Sheila: Well, blame Canada
Everyone: Blame Canada
It seems that everything's gone wrong
Since Canada came along
Everyone: Blame Canada
Blame Canada
Copy Guy: They're not even a real country anyway
Ms. McCormick: My son could've been a doctor or a lawyer, it's a-true
Instead he burned up like a piggy on a barbecue
Everyone: Should we blame the matches?
Should we blame the fire?
Or the doctors who allowed him to expire?
Sheila: Heck no!
Everyone: Blame Canada
Blame Canada
Sheila: With all their hockey hubbabaloo
Liane: And that bitch Anne Murray too
Everyone: Blame Canada
Shame on Canada
The smut we must stop
The trash we must smash
Laughter and fun
must all be undone
We must blame them and cause a fuss
Before someone thinks of blaming uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus

Enforcer · June-24th-2004, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

It does, however, bug the living shit out of me that Bob Seger made the list.

What's wrong with Bob? Much bigger cause for consternation is the presence of Wind Beneath My Wings on the list.

Brian Olewnick · June-24th-2004, 01:42 PM

Oy, the way the Bee Gee's played,
Movies John Travolta made,
Guessing how much Elvis weighed,
Those were the days!

And you knew where you were then,
Watching shows like "Gentle Ben",
Mister, we could use a man like Sheriff Lobo again!

Disco Duck and Fleetwood Mac,
Coming out of my eight-track,
Michael Jackson still was black, those were the days!

Root Doctor · June-24th-2004, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Olewnick

Oy, the way the Bee Gee's played,
Movies John Travolta made,
Guessing how much Elvis weighed,
Those were the days!

And you knew where you were then,
Watching shows like "Gentle Ben",
Mister, we could use a man like Sheriff Lobo again!

Disco Duck and Fleetwood Mac,
Coming out of my eight-track,
Michael Jackson still was black, those were the days!

Genius!

Brian Olewnick · June-24th-2004, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Root Doctor

Genius!

Credit the Simpsons, not me.