Most popular songs from movies
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Most popular songs from movies
Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray in the film ‘Ghostbusters’.
Since the days of silent film, music has been instrumental in setting the mood for moviegoers. It is one of the many ways audiences are able to determine whether a scene is meant to be serious, spooky, or hysterical. While many aspects of filmmaking have changed and modernized since the turn of the 20th century, the importance of songs has not. A perfectly placed track—whether it’s tear-jerking lyrics over a moving melody or a fast-paced power ballad that pulls audiences into the action—still helps to set the tone.
Think about the powerful scene where Barbie (Margot Robbie) meets her maker in her self-titled 2023 movie. The impact of the exchange owes a lot to Billie Eilish’s introspective “What Was I Made For?” which won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2024. Or what about the liberating final minutes of 2023’s “Saltburn”? Audiences could feel Oliver’s (Barry Keoghan) liberation as he giddily pranced through the halls of the titular country house to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 track “Murder on the Dancefloor.” The movie made the song go viral more than two decades after its initial release, climbing up the Billboard charts in early 2024.
To find other movie songs that have made it big, Stacker took a look at Billboard data and highlighted the top 50 songs from films on the Hot 100 charts, as of March 2024. In order to qualify, the song had to be explicitly made for and released around the time of the movie. Songs that were in movies but not made for them (like “Murder on the Dancefloor”) were not included. According to Billboard, the ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at #1 earning the greatest value and weeks at #100 earning the least. Time frames are also weighted differently to account for turnover rates in those years.
Keep reading to discover the most popular song in movie history!
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#50. ‘Cradle of Love’ by Billy Idol
Billy Idol.
– Hot 100 peak position: #2 (one week)
– Peak date: Aug. 4, 1990
– Movie: “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane”
Released as the first single off Billy Idol’s 1990 album, “Charmed Life,” “Cradle of Love” was also featured on the soundtrack for the comedy film “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane,” starring Andrew Dice Clay. David Fincher directed the music video, which features Idol singing in framed paintings, a clever means of working around injuries Idol sustained in a motorcycle crash. Though clips from the film also appear throughout the video, Dice Clay’s scenes were specifically removed since he’d been banned from MTV and the network wouldn’t air the video with him in it.
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#49. ‘Shakedown’ by Bob Seger
Bob Seger.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (one week)
– Peak date: Aug. 1, 1987
– Movie: “Beverly Hills Cop II”
The second installment in the Eddie Murphy comedy franchise “Beverly Hills Cop” features this fast-paced, catchy tune, sung by Bob Seger. Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey wrote the music, while Seger joined them to pen the song’s lyrics. “Shakedown” received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song but lost to the “Dirty Dancing” smash hit “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life,” sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
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#48. ‘Maniac’ by Michael Sembello
Michael Sembello interviewed by Don Cornelius on Soul Train episode.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (two weeks)
– Peak date: Sept. 10, 1983
– Movie: “Flashdance”
Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky originally wrote this synth-heavy song with horror movies in mind. But it was “Flashdance” star Jennifer Beals who made it a hit—all it took was a little lyric change from “He’s a maniac, he just moved next door / He’ll kill your cat and nail it to the floor” to “She’s a maniac, maniac on the floor / And she’s dancing like she’s never danced before.”
“Maniac” plays over a montage in the 1983 film as welder-by-day-dancer-by-night Alex (Beals) prepares for a ballet audition, featuring shots of her taped-up feet, leg warmers, high-cut leotard, and sweat-drenched curls. The movie and song were bonafide hits. But another track from the film (which is also featured on this list) managed to outdo “Maniac.”
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#47. ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling!’ by Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake posing with Trolls characters.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (one week)
– Peak date: May 26, 2016
– Movie: “Trolls”
In the summer of 2016, it was impossible to escape “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” written and produced by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin, and Shellback. It was released as a single in May of that year, six months before the film for which it was written, “Trolls,” debuted in theaters. For months the song dominated radio waves and the Billboard charts. Timberlake also lent his voice to the film as a voice actor, portraying Branch, a grumpy doomsday-prepping troll who’s been featured in all three movies of the “Trolls” franchise.
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#46. ‘St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)’ by John Parr
John Parr.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (two weeks)
– Peak date: Sept. 7, 1985
– Movie: “St. Elmo’s Fire”
David Foster and John Parr wrote this title track for the Brat Pack movie “St. Elmo’s Fire.” Though the song was written with the film in mind, it had a different source of inspiration: the two-year Man in Motion world wheelchair tour that Canadian track and field athlete Rick Hansen did to raise awareness about people with disabilities and to help find a cure for spinal cord injuries. “St. Elmo’s Fire” is a reference to the ethereal light around a ship’s mast. But in the film, it more literally refers to the titular bar frequented by a group of recent college grads (played by Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham, and Judd Nelson).
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#45. ‘Kiss’ by Prince and the Revolution
Prince performing onstage.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (two weeks)
– Peak date: April 19, 1986
– Movie: “Under the Cherry Moon”
Arguably the most famous movie scene featuring Prince’s iconic song “Kiss” is in 1990’s “Pretty Woman,” where Vivian (Julia Roberts) sings along with her Walkman while taking a bubble bath at a posh Beverly Hills hotel. (“Don’t ya just love Prince?” she asks after getting caught in the act.) But the song was actually written for Prince’s directorial debut a few years prior, “Under the Cherry Moon.” “Kiss” was released on Prince’s album, “Parade,” which also served as the soundtrack for the film. It won the artist a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal.
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#44. ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ by Simple Minds
The Breakfast Club.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (one week)
– Peak date: May 18, 1985
– Movie: “The Breakfast Club”
Written for one of the quintessential coming-of-age movies of the 1980s, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” plays during the opening and closing credits of the beloved John Hughes’ film “The Breakfast Club,” which follows a group of teens who have nothing in common but are forced to spend a Saturday together in detention. Scottish new wave band Simple Minds sang the song for the soundtrack, which was written by English songwriter and producer Keith Forsey with the help of the band’s guitarist Steve Schiff. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” quickly climbed up the Billboard Hot 100 and stuck around for 22 weeks.
Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images
#43. ‘9 to 5’ by Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (two weeks)
– Peak date: Feb. 21, 1981
– Movie: “9 to 5”
Country queen Dolly Parton poured herself a cup of ambition when she took on the tasks of acting in and penning and singing the theme song for the comedy “9 to 5,” which also stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The title track traces the drudgery and misogyny of working in the corporate world with the opening chords inducing the anxiety of heading to the office each morning. Parton famously wrote the track—which was also featured on her album, “9 to 5 and Odd Jobs”—by tapping out the beat on her acrylic nails while on set. “9 to 5” earned Parton her first Academy Award nomination, as well as two Grammy Awards, for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
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#42. ‘Don’t Let Go (Love)’ by En Vogue
En Vogue.
– Hot 100 peak position: #2 (four weeks)
– Peak date: Jan. 18, 1997
– Movie: “Set It Off”
“Don’t Let Go (Love)” was recorded for the 1996 movie “Set It Off,” starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, and Vivica A. Fox. It was the last En Vogue single to feature Dawn Robinson, who sang lead vocals on the track but left the group shortly thereafter due to contract disputes. Sections of the song featuring Robinson’s vocals were re-recorded before it was released on the group’s album “EV3” in 1997.
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#41. ‘Stay (I Missed You)’ by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
Lisa Loeb playing guitar.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: Aug. 6, 1994
– Movie: “Reality Bites”
“Stay (I Missed You)” is the star of the soundtrack for the Gen X coming-of-age film “Reality Bites,” which was directed by Ben Stiller. Lisa Loeb was an unsigned artist at the time, and lived across the street from one of the film’s stars, Ethan Hawke, in New York City. Hawke passed “Stay (I Missed You)” onto Stiller and the film’s music supervisor, who featured it in the movie’s end credits. The song made Loeb the first ever unsigned artist with a #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the music industry.
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#40. ‘Blaze of Glory’ by Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (one week)
– Peak date: Sept. 8, 1990
– Movie: “Young Guns II”
This track for the Western film “Young Guns II” was also featured on Jon Bon Jovi’s debut solo studio album of the same name. The music video sees Bon Jovi singing and playing guitar in the middle of both a canyon and a rock-filled desert while a movie screen plays clips from “Young Guns II” in the background. The rocker not only had a cameo in the film, but he also earned his first and only Oscar nomination for “Blaze of Glory” in the Best Original Song category.
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#39. ‘Kiss From a Rose’ by Seal
Seal.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (one week)
– Peak date: Aug. 26, 1995
– Movie: “Batman Forever”
“Kiss From a Rose” was featured in the film “Batman Forever,” starring Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, and Nicole Kidman. The meaning of the song has been heavily debated, with no one seemingly able to understand the intent behind the lyric, “Kiss from a rose on the grey,” not even Seal himself. Like many other ’80s and ’90s movie songs on this list, the music video follows the artist-plus-movie-clip recipe with Seal singing on a rooftop over Gotham in front of a bat signal intercut with clips from the film.
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#38. ‘Magic’ by Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John performing.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (four weeks)
– Peak date: Aug. 2, 1980
– Movie: “Xanadu”
“Magic,” performed by Australian singer Olivia Newton-John and written and produced by John Farrar, was a hit song off the soundtrack for the 1980 musical fantasy film “Xanadu.” Newton-John also starred in the film, along with dancing legend Gene Kelly, and while “Xanadu” didn’t do well at the box office, the song flew to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for four weeks.
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#37. ‘La Bamba’ by Los Lobos
Los Lobos.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: Aug. 29, 1987
– Movie: “La Bamba”
“La Bamba,” a traditional Mexican folk song often played at weddings, was featured on the B-side of singer Ritchie Valens’ hit song “Donna.” But the version on this list was performed by Los Lobos for the 1987 movie about Valens, who was 17 when he died in a 1959 plane crash along with Buddy Holly and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. The cover scored Los Lobos a #1 Billboard hit and gave Valens’ music a surge in popularity nearly three decades after his death.
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#36. ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder performing.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: Oct. 13, 1984
– Movie: “The Woman in Red”
Sometimes, a great song doesn’t just make a film—it outshines it entirely. Such is the case with Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and the 1984 romantic comedy “The Woman in Red,” directed by and starring Gene Wilder, alongside Kelly LeBrock. The song shot up to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and also won an Oscar for Best Original Song. A few years after the film’s release, two artists sued Wonder, claiming that he stole “I Just Called to Say I Love You” from them; the court ruled in Wonder’s favor in 1990.
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#35. ‘Ghostbusters’ by Ray Parker Jr.
Ray Parker Jr.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: Aug. 11, 1984
– Movie: “Ghostbusters”
“Who ya gonna call?” Ray Parker Jr., of course. He wrote and produced the theme song for the 1984 smash hit “Ghostbusters” in only a few days. The music video was also a smash, featuring a host of celebrities lip-syncing to the theme, including Chevy Chase, Danny DeVito, Carly Simon, and Teri Garr. But it wasn’t all good news for Parker Jr.—Huey Lewis soon filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that the “Ghostbusters” theme borrowed the melody from his 1983 song “I Want a New Drug.” The two settled out of court, but Parker Jr. later sued Lewis for breaching their agreement.
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#34. ‘The Power of Love’ by Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis & The News.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (two weeks)
– Peak date: Aug. 24, 1985
– Movie: “Back to the Future”
Speaking of Huey Lewis and the News… The creative team behind “Back to the Future”—producer Steven Spielberg, director Robert Zemeckis, and writer Bob Gale—asked Lewis to write a song for their film for a very simple reason: They believed the movie’s main character, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), would have been a big fan of the ’80s band. The result was “The Power of Love,” and Lewis even had a brief cameo in the movie as a school administrator who dismisses Marty’s band after a talent show audition.
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#33. ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ by Starship
Starship performing.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (two weeks)
– Peak date: April 4, 1987
– Movie: “Mannequin”
The romantic comedy “Mannequin,” starring ’80s heartthrob Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall, featured the #1 hit “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship, a continuation of the successful band Jefferson Starship. The song, co-written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond, came as a follow-up to Starship’s 1985 debut album “Knee Deep in the Hoopla,” which birthed “We Built This City” and “Sara.” It also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, the first of many for prolific songwriter Warren.
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#32. ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by UB40
UB40 onstage.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (seven weeks)
– Peak date: July 24, 1993
– Movie: “Sliver”
UB40’s cover of the 1961 Elvis Presley song was featured in the 1993 film “Sliver.” It became one of the band’s biggest hits (usurped only by “Red Red Wine”) even though the movie for which it was written didn’t have the same reception. Writing about “Sliver” for Den of Geek, Simon Brew noted, “The only thing to break out of ‘Sliver’ was UB40’s cover version of ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.’“
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#31. ‘Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)’ by Phil Collins
Phil Collins singing.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: April 21, 1984
– Movie: “Against All Odds”
After being asked by director Taylor Hackford to write a song for his 1984 film “Against All Odds,” Phil Collins sent over a song he hadn’t used for his 1981 debut solo album “Face Value,” and made some adjustments to the track for the film. The legendary love ballad received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Song and won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
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#30. ‘Footloose’ by Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: March 31, 1984
– Movie: “Footloose”
The title track for the 1984 movie “Footloose,” written by Dean Pitchford and Kenny Loggins, was released ahead of the movie’s debut. By the time “Footloose” the film came out, the song was already a Billboard hit. The track plays several times throughout “Footloose”: in the opening credits; at a bar where the central characters sneak off to dance; and in the final epic dance sequence after Kevin Bacon screams, “Let’s dance!”
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#29. ‘Separate Lives’ by Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
Phil Collins behind a piano.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (one week)
– Peak date: Nov. 30, 1985
– Movie: “White Nights”
Though Phil Collins sang “Separate Lives” with Marilyn Martin for the soundtrack for the 1985 film “White Nights,” Collins didn’t pen the song. Its author was Stephen Bishop, who sang such hits as “On and On” and “Save it for a Rainy Day.” The song was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song, but Lionel Richie’s “Say You, Say Me,” also from “White Nights,” won the honor.
Kevin Mazur // Getty Images
#28. ‘Crazy for You’ by Madonna
Madonna onstage.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (one week)
– Peak date: May 11, 1985
– Movie: “Vision Quest”
Madonna recorded “Crazy for You” for “Vision Quest,” a 1985 coming-of-age film about a high school athlete who falls for an older woman. Madonna makes a cameo in the film as a singer who belts out the song at a bar while the two main characters (played by Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino) dance slowly. “Crazy for You” earned Madonna her first Grammy nomination, for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, but she lost to Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You.”
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#27. ‘Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)’ by Christopher Cross
Burt Bachrach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross, and Peter Allen holding their Oscars for the song from the movie Arthur, 1981.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: Oct. 17, 1981
– Movie: “Arthur”
Christopher Cross’ romantic melody set the tone for the 1981 movie “Arthur,” which tells of a playboy millionaire who finds love with a down-to-earth server. The theme song took home an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 1982 Academy Awards. Dudley Moore, who starred as the title character in the film, was also an accomplished pianist, and he and Christopher Cross performed the song together on TV on multiple occasions.
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#26. ‘Lonely Boy’ by Paul Anka
Paul Anka singing onstage.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (four weeks)
– Peak date: July 13, 1959
– Movie: “Girls Town”
Paul Anka wrote “Lonely Boy” for “Girls Town,” a 1959 drama about a rebellious teen (Mamie Van Doren) who is sent to a girls’ school as a result of her involvement in an accidental death. The movie marked one of Anka’s first feature film roles, playing a famous teen idol named Jimmy Parlow, who performs “Lonely Boy” in the movie.
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#25. ‘I Wanna Sex You Up’ by Color Me Badd
Color Me Badd.
– Hot 100 peak position: #2 (four weeks)
– Peak date: June 8, 1991
– Movie: “New Jack City”
R&B group Color Me Badd’s hit song “I Wanna Sex You Up” was featured on both their 1991 debut album, “C.M.B.” and on the soundtrack for “New Jack City.” The song, which heavily samples the 1978 track “Tonight is the Night” by Betty Wright, quickly shot up the Billboard Hot 100 chart, though it fell just short of the #1 spot. These days, it’s one of those relics of a certain time that hasn’t aged well—it landed at #40 on Blender’s ranking of the 50 worst songs ever.
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#24. ‘To Sir, With Love’ by Lulu
Lulu band members dancing.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (five weeks)
– Peak date: Oct. 21, 1967
– Movie: “To Sir, With Love”
“To Sir, With Love” was written for the 1967 film of the same name, starring Sidney Poitier as a man who takes a position as a teacher at an inner city school while he waits for an engineering job to open up. Singer and actor Lulu performed the song in the film. Despite its stellar performance on the Billboard Hot 100, the ballad was snubbed for an Oscar nomination in the Best Original Song category.
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#23. ‘It Must Have Been Love’ by Roxette
Roxette.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (two weeks)
– Peak date: June 16, 1990
– Movie: “Pretty Woman”
Originally a holiday song with the subtitle “Christmas for the Broken Hearted,” “It Must Have Been Love” was reworked by Swedish duo Roxette for the 1990 movie “Pretty Woman,” starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. It was featured on the film’s soundtrack and plays toward the movie’s final moments when Vivian’s (Roberts) time with Edward (Gere) comes to an end. “It Must Have Been Love” spent two weeks at the top of the Billboard chart and was the band’s most successful song.
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#22. ‘Evergreen’ by Barbra Streisand
Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: March 5, 1977
– Movie: “A Star Is Born”
This love theme from the 1976 film “A Star is Born” was a collaboration between Paul Williams and Barbra Streisand, who also starred in the film. Of his initial meeting with the actor, Williams told The Tennessean: “She picked up a guitar and (played the melody). I said, ‘Oh my god, it’s beautiful.’ … She was like, ‘You really like it?’ I said, ‘Like it? It’s our love theme.'” Williams wrote the lyrics and the job was done. “Evergreen,” which Streisand sings in the film with Kris Kristofferson, went on to take home the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making Streisand the first woman to earn an Oscar for composing music.
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#21. ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem
Eminem and Brittany Murphy.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (12 weeks)
– Peak date: Nov. 9, 2002
– Movie: “8 Mile”
A rare hip-hop track on this list, “Lose Yourself” from “8 Mile” earned rapper-turned-actor Eminem a ton of success on the charts and in the industry. He won two Grammys for the song and an Oscar for Best Original Song, making him the first rapper to claim that honor.
However, Eminem was so sure the song wouldn’t win that he refused to perform it at the Oscars ceremony, eschewing a longstanding tradition for Best Original Song nominees. Co-producer Luis Resto accepted the award while Eminem fell asleep at home with his daughter. Seventeen years later, in 2020, the rapper finally performed “Lose Yourself” at the Academy Awards. Turns out, some people have more than one shot to seize everything they ever wanted.
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#20. ‘Because You Loved Me’ by Céline Dion
Celine Dion.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (six weeks)
– Peak date: March 23, 1996
– Movie: “Up Close & Personal”
“‘Because You Loved Me” was written by Diane Warren, produced by David Foster, and performed by Céline Dion for the 1996 film “Up Close & Personal.” Warren said that the inspiration behind the song was her father and his support of her music career. In 2018, she told Billboard: “I felt that when I wrote that song, it was better than I was at the time, if that makes sense. I was like, ‘Whoa, this is probably my best song.’ There’s something lyrically about it.” Though it did win Warren her first and only Grammy to date, the song did not take home the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Paul Bergen // Getty Images
#19. ‘Independent Women Part I’ by Destiny’s Child
Destiny’s Child.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (11 weeks)
– Peak date: Nov. 18, 2000
– Movie: “Charlie’s Angels”
“Independent Women Part I” is the kind of movie song that the ’80s invented: a track so tied to the film it was written for, the music video mimics its scenes and the lyrics even mention its stars. This Destiny’s Child favorite was written for the 2000 film adaptation of “Charlie’s Angels,” starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu, who are all mentioned at the start of the song. The girl-powered anthem dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for nearly three months but didn’t win any major awards, like a Grammy, Oscar, or Golden Globe.
Rob Verhorst // Getty Images
#18. ‘When Doves Cry’ by Prince
Prince.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (five weeks)
– Peak date: July 7, 1984
– Movie: “Purple Rain”
“Purple Rain” was the defining project of Prince’s career. Not only did he write all of the music for the film, but he also made his feature film acting debut in the movie, which is loosely based on his life. However, the biggest song wasn’t the title track but rather “When Doves Cry,” which covered many of the film’s themes and played during a mid-movie montage. It also became Prince’s best-performing track of all time. When he died in 2016, “When Doves Cry” found its way back to the Billboard Hot 100 after a more than 30-year hiatus.
Columbia Pictures // Getty Images
#17. ‘The Way We Were’ by Barbra Streisand
Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: Feb. 2, 1974
– Movie: “The Way We Were”
“Memories, like the corners of my mind” is the powerful first line of “The Way We Were,” which appears in the 1973 romantic film of the same name, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The track won an Oscar for Best Original Song for composer Marvin Hamlisch, who once said he often prayed for Streisand to sing one of his songs.
Paul Natkin // Getty Images
#16. ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head’ by B.J. Thomas
B.J. Thomas.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (four weeks)
– Peak date: Jan. 3, 1970
– Movie: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”
This catchy song from the 1969 revisionist Western “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The track plays over the classic bicycle scene in the Robert Redford and Paul Newman blockbuster and was considered a controversial choice to include at the time. In his autobiography “Anyone Who Had a Heart: My Life and Music,” Bacharach said, “I wrote the entire melody, and the only words that kept running through my mind from top to bottom were ‘raindrops keep fallin’ on my head.'”
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#15. ‘See You Again’ by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth
Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth performing.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (12 weeks)
– Peak date: April 25, 2015
– Movie: “Fast & Furious 7”
During production of the seventh movie in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, actor Paul Walker died tragically in a car accident unrelated to the movie. The installment, which ultimately included a CGI-ed Walker, became a tribute to the man who’d played Brian O’Conner for 12 years. “See You Again” struck just the right chords to deliver those feelings of gratitude and loss, with the track becoming a career-best hit for both Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. As of July 20, 2024, the music video for “See You Again” is the fifth most-watched video in YouTube history with 6.3 billion views.
Jim Steinfeldt // Getty Images
#14. ‘Say You, Say Me’ by Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (four weeks)
– Peak date: Dec. 21, 1985
– Movie: “White Nights”
Written for the 1985 film “White Nights,” “Say You, Say Me” won the Oscar for Best Original Song as well as the Golden Globe. The song plays as the film’s credits roll, and it’s one of the only movie songs on this list that was not included on the soundtrack of the film for which it was written. Richie’s label, Motown Records, did not want another label to release his song, so they withheld it from the soundtrack. Richie wound up releasing “Say You, Say Me” on his 1986 album “Dancing on the Ceiling,” via Motown.
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#13. ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ by Coolio feat. L.V.
Coolie performing.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: Sept. 9, 1995
– Movie: “Dangerous Minds”
“Gangsta’s Paradise” was released on both the soundtrack for the 1995 film “Dangerous Minds,” starring Michelle Pfeiffer, and Coolio’s album that came out that same year, also called “Gangsta’s Paradise.” To create the track, producer Doug Rasheed and singer Larry Sanders (who goes by L.V.) reworked Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Pastime Paradise,” and sent it to Coolio. The song received Stevie Wonder’s approval (once some profanity was removed), as well as winning a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. The song also enjoys a music video featuring Coolio and Pfeiffer and a Weird Al Yankovic song parody, “Amish Paradise.”
Christopher Polk/BET/Getty Images for BET // Getty Images
#12. ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams performing.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (10 weeks)
– Peak date: March 8, 2014
– Movie: “Despicable Me 2”
It’s hard to imagine “Happy” being sung by anyone other than Pharrell Williams. But Williams actually wrote the song for Cee Lo Green. Green did record a version of “Happy,” but his record label, Elektra Records, ultimately turned down the project for “Despicable Me 2” because Green was about to release a Christmas album. Williams told Today that Green wasn’t bitter about “Happy’s” success. “He was one of the most gracious people about it when (‘Happy’) came out,” Williams said. In 2014, Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Happy,” but lost out to an unbeatable force from another children’s movie: “Let It Go” from “Frozen.”
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#11. ‘Sunflower’ by Post Malone & Swae Lee
Post Malone performing.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (one week)
– Peak date: Jan. 19, 2019
– Movie: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
The newest song to make the list, “Sunflower” was written for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which centers on the character Miles Morales. The song doesn’t just play in the background either; Miles (voiced by Shameik Moore) sings along to it while working on some art and jamming out in his room. “The main character sings ‘Sunflower’ and uses my vocals to calm him down in a certain situation—like my music was therapeutic for him,” Swae Lee proudly told Billboard in 2018. “Sunflower” earned Lee and Post Malone two Grammy nominations.
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#10. ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by Bee Gees
Bee Gees onstage.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (four weeks)
– Peak date: Feb. 4, 1978
– Movie: “Saturday Night Fever”
This song from “Saturday Night Fever” plays during the opening credits as a young John Travolta cruises the streets of New York. The first scene follows Travolta’s Tony Manero and shifts focus between the red shoes he wears and shots of him bringing a can of paint to his father’s hardware store, setting the tone for the rest of the film. “Stayin’ Alive,” which would later become the title of the film’s sequel, helped the soundtrack become one of very few to win Album of the Year at the Grammys.
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#9. ‘Call Me’ by Blondie
Blondie singing onstage.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (six weeks)
– Peak date: April 19, 1980
– Movie: “American Gigolo”
Italian producer and the grandfather of disco Giorgio Moroder approached Debbie Harry from Blondie with an instrumental version of “Call Me,” which he’d composed as the theme song for “American Gigolo.” Harry added the lyrics and changed the name from “Man Machine” to “Call Me,” and the result was a hit. The chart-topper was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the Grammys.
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#8. ‘End of the Road’ by Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (13 weeks)
– Peak date: Aug. 15, 1992
– Movie: “Boomerang”
“End of the Road” was featured in the 1992 comedy film “Boomerang,” starring Eddie Murphy, and was co-written by Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons. “At the time, Kenny had been through a divorce, and I was going through a divorce. So here we go with this concept, thinking about [how things were at] the end of the road. That’s how the concept came along,” Simmons told Songwriter Universe of the track’s origins. The song remained at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks, setting a new record at the time.
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#7. ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (14 weeks)
– Peak date: Nov. 28, 1992
– Movie: “The Bodyguard”
This Whitney Houston love ballad accompanied her feature-film acting debut in the 1992 romantic thriller “The Bodyguard,” opposite Kevin Costner. In a scene at the tail end of the film, Houston’s character Rachel performs the song on stage. “I Will Always Love You,” which is a cover of a 1974 Dolly Parton country hit, topped the charts, and it even returned to the Billboard Hot 100 when Houston died in 2012. The song also won a slew of awards, including Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Michael Putland // Getty Images
#6. ‘Night Fever’ by Bee Gees
Bee Gees onstage.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (eight weeks)
– Peak date: March 18, 1978
– Movie: “Saturday Night Fever”
“Night Fever” is the second of three Bee Gees songs in the top 10, and they’re all from the same film. The band’s manager, Robert Stigwood, produced the disco coming-of-age story “Saturday Night Fever” and was in need of some music.
“Stigwood rang from L.A. and said, ‘We’re putting together this little film, low budget, called “Tribal Rites of a Saturday Night.” Would you have any songs on hand?’ And we said, ‘Look, we can’t, we haven’t any time to sit down and write for a film.’ We didn’t know what it was about,” Bee Gees member Robin Gibb later recalled in “The Bee Gees,” a book about the band. Ultimately, the trio managed to put pen to paper for an impressive six songs on the album, including “Night Fever.”
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#5. ‘Flashdance … What A Feeling’ by Irene Cara
Irene Cara.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (six weeks)
– Peak date: May 28, 1983
– Movie: “Flashdance”
The title track for the 1983 Adrian Lyne film “Flashdance,” which tells of a welder and adult entertainer who dreams of being a ballerina, was Irene Cara’s only chart-topping song. Disco king Giorgio Moroder composed the melody for “Flashdance … What a Feeling” and Cara co-wrote the lyrics with Keith Forsey. The song starts off slow and soft, crescendoing to an exuberant chorus which makes audiences want to get up and dance.
“When you first heard it, you said, ‘It’s a hit.’ It’s one of those things you just heard, and you just couldn’t get it out of your head,” producer Jerry Bruckheimer recalled on a “Flashdance” special edition DVD. “It just got us all so excited. We kept playing it over and over and never got tired of it.” “Flashdance … What a Feeling” went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1984.
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#4. ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor
Survivor.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (six weeks)
– Peak date: July 24, 1982
– Movie: “Rocky III”
Written for the third film in the “Rocky” franchise, “Eye of the Tiger” instantly soared up the charts and made the band Survivor one of the most famous one-hit wonders of all time. With its pulse-pounding power chord opening, the track found its way into several sections of the movie, including the introduction, the closing credits, and an iconic training sequence. Survivor keyboardist Jim Peterik and guitarist Frankie Sullivan wrote the Grammy-winning song, which remains instantly recognizable (and prompts enthusiastic fist-pumping).
Michael Putland // Getty Images
#3. ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ by Bee Gees
Bee Gees onstage.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (three weeks)
– Peak date: Dec. 24, 1977
– Movie: “Saturday Night Fever”
The biggest movie hit from the Bee Gees—made up of brothers Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb—is “How Deep Is Your Love,” which was also created for the film “Saturday Night Fever.” The Grammy-winning pop ballad plays over a scene where a beat-up Tony Manero rides the subway late at night. The band didn’t just create six tracks on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack for themselves, however—they also wrote another hit song, “If I Can’t Have You,” for Yvonne Elliman.
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#2. ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It for You’ by Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (seven weeks)
– Peak date: July 27, 1991
– Movie: “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”
This quintessential early ’90s power ballad was released on the soundtrack for the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” as well as the Bryan Adams album “Waking Up the Neighbours.” Adams wrote the song with composer Michael Kamen and producer Robert “Mutt” Lange in a mere 45 minutes.
“We knocked it out, then sat back to listen to it for the first time, and we looked up at one another and grinned,” Adams told The Daily Mail in 2015. “Straight away we knew we’d written something beautiful, but I had no idea of the impact it would have.” The song went on to garner an Oscar nod for Best Original Song (but was beat out by “Beauty and the Beast”), as well as taking home three Grammy nominations and one win (for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television).
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#1. ‘Endless Love’ by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.
– Hot 100 peak position: #1 (nine weeks)
– Peak date: Aug. 15, 1981
– Movie: “Endless Love”
Written by Lionel Richie and performed as a duet with Diana Ross, “Endless Love” was featured in the 1981 movie of the same name that starred Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt. The love ballad was nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars but lost to “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross. Though plenty has been written about the reported tension Richie and Ross had behind the scenes (rumors that still persist in late 2023), there’s no denying the track’s romance and beauty. “It was one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever recorded,” Ross said in her biography.
Data reporting by Luke Hicks. Additional writing and story editing by Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Meg Shields. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
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