Greetings, reader!
I'm still continuing the soundtrack posts, as today's list will focus on original songs composed for movies. Many difficult and somewhat arbitrary lines had to be drawn for this one: I ended up not including musical numbers, as they're difficult to compare to more soundtrack-y ones and they deserve their own list, and I also excluded all the James Bond theme songs because I've made a whole separate post about them (and honestly, they'd take up so much of the space on this list as they go so hard).
I'm also limiting this list to popular music, as a means of differentiating from tracks of a film's instrumental score - there were many grey areas, as movie scores often do have vocal parts, but I ended up ruling out a few songs that the Oscars have nominated for Best Original Song but that I personally felt were more a part of the score than a separate popular music song made for the soundtrack (such as Gonna Fly Now from Rocky and Somewhere In My Memory from Home Alone). Also, it should be noted that these aren't ranked just based on how good the song is, but rather how well the song fits the film, and how good the specific moment when the song hits is in the context of the film, whether it be the end credits or a specific scene.
Here are my honorable mentions:
Berlin - Take My Breath Away (Top Gun)
Counting Crows - Accidentally in Love (Shrek 2)
Enya - May It Be (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
Radiohead - Exit Music (For a Film) (Romeo+Juliet)
Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters (Ghostbusters)
15. Billy Boyd - The Last Goodbye (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)
Obviously, the Lord of the Rings films are vastly superior to the Hobbit trilogy in basically every regard - except for the category of end credit songs, in which both trilogies are neck to neck with greatness. Half of the six original songs composed for Peter Jackson's Middle-Earth films made it onto today's list, and kicking things off is The Last Goodbye.
Billy Boyd, the absolute legend who played Pippin in the LOTR films, wrote and performed this for the very ending of the franchise's final film - and oh boy(d), does it hit hard. The bittersweet lyrics, complemented by the beautiful composition, really resonate with the viewer's emotions and wrap up the saga in an elegant manner.
14. Survivor - Eye of the Tiger (Rocky III)
This f**king song is so good that it was made for something as culturally irrelevant as the third film of a boxing franchise, yet it became an overall iconic rock anthem that people associate with not just the film but the entire franchise (I can't be the only one who was confused about the absence of this song when watching the original Rocky for the first time, as the franchise's pop culture legacy had convinced me that it would be a part of it from the beginning).
But, yeah - ever since Rocky III, the franchise and the song have been inseperable in humanity's collective memory, and no wonder why. The song totally slaps regardless of context, but comes into its own on a whole new level when put into the context for which it was composed.
13. Tommi Läntinen - Jari Ja Minä (Kulman Pojat)
This was a thoroughly fascinating grey area for my list-making distinctions: last week's post was for the use of pre-existing songs used in a film's soundtrack, and this week's post is for original songs made specifically for a film - so where the hell do I put this one? I had ruled that even if a new cover of an existing song is made for a film, it belongs more on last week's list than this one (which is what I did for Rascal Flatts' cover of Life is a Highway for Cars), but leave it to the Finns to create an even weirder precedent: for those not familiar with this case, rock star Tommi Läntinen had a hit song called Kevät Ja Minä, and for the film Kulman Pojat, he made a new version with new lyrics specific to the film to play over the end credits.
Yeah, it's an odd and unique case, but honestly, I think Hollywood should start doing this on a regular basis, due to Jari Ja Minä being an incredible bop that makes the film about 150% better than it would be without it.
The new lyrics are such a blast, and my genuinely favorite part of the whole film is seeing Läntinen sing it together with the film's cast over the end credits. Goes f**king hard.
12. Ramones - Pet Sematary (Pet Sematary)
The backstory to this one is so f**king cool. Stephen King is a massive Ramones fan, and invited the band to visit him when they were gigging in New England. During the visit, he handed bassist Dee Dee Ramone a copy of Pet Sematary. Dee Dee disappeared with the book into the basement, and arrived an hour later with the lyrics to Pet Sematary.
The song was finished by the band in cooperation with the production of Mary Lambert's 1989 film adaptation, and oh man, the song is such a great fit for the film. Iconic stuff.
11. Ed Sheeran - I See Fire (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug)
This song was so overplayed in its heyday that it's easy to forget what a hard-hitting, world-shattering listening experience it initially was. It's not just that it's a great song for the end credits of the film, as is the case with all of Peter Jackson's Middle-Earth films, but that it fits the vibe of the specific tone the film ended on even better than its Hobbit and LOTR counterparts.
I remember so vividly what it felt like, sitting in that movie theater, when the credits started to roll after that massive Smaug cliffhanger, and this masterclass started to play. By itself, the song reads as a typical folk-pop ballad, but in the context of the film, it feels all sorts of cataclysmically gripping.
10. Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone (Top Gun)
I feel the need - THE NEED FOR SPEED! The transition from the intro-track version of Harold Faltermeyer's Top Gun Anthem into this energetic 80's rocker, in what is possibly my favorite movie opening sequence of all time, is such a f**king jolt of adrenaline every time. An all-time cool song for an all-time cool film.
9. John Legend & Common - Glory (Selma)
Like most of the songs on today's list, this won the Oscar for Best Original Song - and no wonder. Making a theme song for a Martin Luther King Jr. biopic can't have been an easy job, because there are such larger-than-life themes to deal with, but John Legend and Common sure were up for the job.
The combination of gospel and hip hop elements, the key points of MLK's philosophy being cleverly interpreted in the lyrics, and the empowering general vibe that colors the end credits in a truly pallet-cleansing manner to make sure that the ideas presented in the film stay with the viewer - it's cool, touching and historically fascinating all at once. Amazing stuff.
8. Annie Lennox - Into the West (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)
My overall ranking of the six Middle-Earth films is extremely different from my ranking of their end credit songs, but there is one clear correlation - The Return of the King takes the coveted #1 spot on both lists. Built off of one of Howard Shore's best melodies in the trilogy's instrumental score, this soaring masterwork creates just the perfect atmosphere for the end credits of the greatest film ever made.
It always hits extra hard when you marathon the entire LOTR trilogy - the feeling you get from this song fits ridiculously well with the feeling of sitting on the couch after 12 hours of sheer high-fantasy epicness, tears in your eyes and an empty yet fulfilled cacophony of heroic themes playing in your mind.
7. Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On (Titanic)
If you asked 100 random people to name the first song made for a movie that comes to their mind, I'm guessing that this would very likely be the most-named one - and what a legacy that is to have. It's also a very well-earned one, because let's be real - this song is such a f**king diamond. It's also one of the best examples of a popular music song written for a film cooperating with the film's instrumental score - and fittingly, the film won the Oscars for Best Original Song and Best Original Score (and, like, nine other Oscars as well, because Titanic f**king rules).
James Horner and Celine Dion wrote the song together, and Titanic's score is largely as fantastic as it is because it gets to coast off the melodies and chords of My Heart Will Go On, making the most out of its emotionally charged chord progressions in various arrangements while teasing the eventually heard full song. Brilliant stuff, and one of those cases where it's absolutely impossible to imagine what the film would be like without the song.
6. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes - (I've Had) The Time of My Life (Dirty Dancing)
It doesn't get much better than this. Written for the climactic scene of this 80's classic, this banger of historical proportions is quite frankly the best part of the film, and boosts the end result to a whole other level. While the song has gained a reputation and lots of usage outside the film (especially as a wedding band mainstay), it still very much is "the song from Dirty Dancing" at heart, and no wonder why.
5. Public Enemy - Fight the Power (Do the Right Thing)
Do the Right Thing is the best movie from Spike Lee's impressive catalogue, and one of the most important movies ever made. One of the many reasons for my high regard for Do the Right Thing is its signature atmosphere, and this masterpiece by Public Enemy does so much work in its creation. The vibe of the song goes together beautifully with the imagery at hand - it's revolutionary, it's counter-culture, and accomplishes its heavy message in a groovy, colorful and fun package. Which is just what the film itself does.
4. Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me) (The Breakfast Club)
This song is so good that it appeared twice on my list from two weeks ago, where I ranked the best uses of licensed songs in TV soundtracks - to the context of certain episodes from Community and Futurama, it found whole new meanings. But still, at the end of the day, you can't beat the original context of this Simple Minds classic.
When this starts to play at the end of the film, to the visual of Judd Nelson's iconic fist pump right after the sweet ending monologue, the sensation is unreal. The viewer has just experienced a roller coaster of emotions, heard the words that tie it all together, seen one of the most iconic visuals in cinema history - and the only thing that could make this combination even sweeter is this all-timer among movie songs.
3. Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
This melancholic and reflective slow-rocker sets the mood right in the opening montage of this remarkable movie. Director Jonathan Demme wanted an artist like Springsteen to make the song, because as outspoken as the singer has always been, a large chunk of his core audience probably were the kinds of Americans who could use a lesson about prejudice and the gay experience in the early 90's.
Springsteen was happy to lend his songwriting and voice for such a project, and the rest is history - not only is Streets of Philadelphia one of the greatest songs written for a movie, but it's one of the very best songs by America's arguably greatest songwriter.
2. Andy Williams - Where Do I Begin (Love Story)
Ah, right in the feels. Technically, this one shouldn't count, as the movie doesn't feature the song in this form, but I decided to make an exception for this rather unique case. The chords, melody and atmosphere of the song are introduced as the main theme of the film's Oscar-winning score, composed by Francis Lai. However, a need for a version of "Theme from Love Story" with lyrics was felt, and such a version was recorded and released shortly after the film. Culturally, it has become very intertwined with the film, so much so that there's somewhat of a Mandela effect of people remembering Williams' version being in the movie.
Anyhow, as far as songs composed for films go, this one right here is heart-wrenching perfection. Composing a tune that is appropriately heartbreaking for what is one of the most emotionally powerful romantic films ever made cannot have been an easy task, but they sure got it done. Tears, man.
1. Eminem - Lose Yourself (8 Mile)
This right here is the gold standard. Not only is Lose Yourself the first-ever hip hop song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song - it's also the #1 best song in Eminem's entire discography, which is quite the accomplishment when looking at his multiple decades of iconic bangers. The use of Lose Yourself in 8 Mile follows the classic Stand By Me structure - the beat is teased and built throughout key moments in the film, until we finally hear the full version as the credits roll.
It works incredibly well, and makes the film so much greater than it would be without it. When considering the film's story, themes and premise as a semi-autobiographical Eminem film, the lyrics of the song - especially the emotional burst of flames that is the third verse - hit so much harder, and really color the viewing experience in that magical way that only movie music can do.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for a silly one: my list of the movies with the most misleading titles.
No comments:
Post a Comment