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One factor that can help a movie’s success is the music. A hit song can do the work of 100 publicists and can make people curious about a film. In early November 1992 “I Will Always Love You” from the film The Bodyguard was released as a single ahead of the movie’s premiere. The Dolly Parton-penned song, sung by leading lady Whitney Houston, became the number one song in the country just as the film was being released in theaters. Despite many unfavorable reviews for the movie, which also starred Kevin Costner, it became a huge hit. As did the soundtrack, becoming the best-selling soundtrack of all time.
This wasn’t the first time a movie soundtrack helped propel a movie into box office gold. There was Barbra Streisand’s version of A Star is Born that went quadruple platinum in 1976 and gave her a second Academy Award for writing the love theme from the movie, “Evergreen,” with Paul Williams. In 1977 Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta was released. Also released earlier was the disco soundtrack to the film, heavy on Bee Gees tunes. Travolta became a phenomenon, and the album became the best-selling album of all time until Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” came along. Footloose, the 1984 “no dancing allowed” drama with Kevin Bacon, charted six top 40 hits with two reaching number one on the Billboard chart. Let’s hear it for the boy and the music.
One of the first hit songs from a film was “Over the Rainbow,” sung by Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. It reached number five on the Billboard chart and is still a staple today in many singers’ repertoires. The Oscar-winning ‘’When You Wish Upon a Star” from the 1940 Disney animated Pinocchio also did well and was a million-selling record for Cliff Edwards (Jiminy Cricket). In 1942 Dooley Wilson sang “As Time Goes By” in the Bogart classic Casablanca and it became a hit. Due to a musician’s strike a new version could not be recorded, so RCA Victor released a 1931 version sung by Rudy Vallee that was successful.
I was exposed to music from movies by my parents. I remember hearing the theme from Exodus playing downstairs while I was supposedly sleeping upstairs. This tradition continued with Henry Mancini’s “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. “A Summer Place” by Percy Faith, from the teen angst flick of the same name, was another. No wonder I’m a light sleeper. And what was up with their love of instrumentals?
The right song can set the mood in a movie and elevate a scene. Who didn’t want to see Shaft after hearing Isaac Hayes’ percolating rhythms and that risqué (for the time) lyric in his theme for the movie? Look at the pottery scene in Ghost with “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers playing, or Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides, Now” in Love Actually. They helped amplify the characters’ feelings. “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion was a wistful coda for the ending of James Cameron’s blockbuster Titanic.
“Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. exuded the fun of the film. “The Way We Were” from the Redford/Streisand film of the same name, the acceptance of loss. For inspiration, “Gonna Fly Now,” the theme from Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky, does the trick. In Rocky III Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” continued the trend. Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” perfectly explains the message of its eponymous workplace comedy.
Even a nun got into the act with the chart-topping song “Dominique” from the Debbie Reynolds starrer The Singing Nun. Dirty Dancing produced “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”(Oscar winner). Eminem’s first starring role in the drama 8 Mile featured “Lose Yourself” (Another Oscar winner). And the Brat Pack ensemble St. Elmo’s Fire gave us John Parr’s “Man in Motion,” which was a number one hit.
Rock stars seem to do well writing for the silver screen. Carly Simon gave Working Girl the rousing “Let the River Run” and was rewarded with a Golden Globe as well as the Academy Award (In her Ocar acceptance speech she thanked second husband James Hart for giving her a few lines for the song. I always thought his name should have been on it as a co-writer then). Bruce Springsteen won an Oscar for the haunting “Streets of Philadelphia” from Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia. One of his competitors that year was Neil Young, who also wrote a beautiful song for the film. Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell earned two Oscars for their compositions for the James Bond flick No Time to Die and the megahit Barbie.
Broadway composer and certified genius Stephen Sondheim penned “Sooner or Later” for Madonna to sing in Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy and took home the gold. Lady Gaga did the same for “Shallow” from her 2018 take on A Star is Born. The 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason, however, did not reap the prize for “The Man That Got Away,” losing to “Three Coins in the Fountain.” In fact, that A Star Is Born lost in all six categories it was nominated!
Songs not written expressly for the big screen have also fared well. Imagine Say Anything without Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” It’s an integral part of the story. “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Stealers Wheel enhanced Reservoir Dogs. The same with Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” in Almost Famous. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” was utilized in Wayne’s World to great comedic effect. In Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. the cheerful “Singin’ in the Rain” is used as lead character Alex (Malcom McDowell) violently assaults people. Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” was perfect for Easy Rider. “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazarus was employed as background in a creepy scene in The Silence of the Lambs. “Tequila” by The Champs helped Pee-wee Herman show off his dancing skills in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and made for a memorable movie moment.
Weirdly, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” from The Graduate did not start out as a song for the movie. It was originally titled “Mrs. Roosevelt” when director Mike Nichols heard it. He then asked songwriter Paul Simon to change the lyrics so it could be used in the film. Coo coo ca-choo!
What cinematic songs hold special memories for you? Please leave a comment.