Music — whether songs are specifically made for a film or just added to certain scenes — is the emotional undercurrent of movies. It can make people cry, laugh, sympathize, or feel displaced. Whatever the case, many songs become inseparably linked to the movies they are featured in, becoming part of entertainment history.
24/7 Tempo reviewed the American Film Institute rankings to list the 50 greatest songs from movies in the last 100 years.
The majority of the best songs from movies over the past century are from films released more than 50 years ago. The newest movie on the list is “Titanic,” which came out in 1997. The most popular song from the movie — “My Heart Will Go On” — earned Céline Dion several Grammys, including Record of the Year in 1999.
Four movies appear twice on the list of the 50 greatest songs from movies. Perhaps not surprisingly, one of them is the musical “West Side Story.” “A Star Is Born” is another movie title that shows up twice, but each is a different remake — the one from 1954 with Judy Garland and the one from 1976 with Barbra Streisand.
Both of these actors appear in record numbers on this list of iconic movie songs. Barbra Streisand has the most songs, with four of the 50 best songs from films, two from her “Funny Girl” movie. Judy Garland appears three times — with songs from different movies. Garland is tied only with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, though both have a song on this list that they sing with other people.
Several of the songs on this list are not the original versions but were made famous by the movies in which they were featured. For example, the song “Everybody’s Talkin’,” originally recorded in 1967 by Fred Neil, became a hit when it was featured in the 1969 film “Midnight Cowboy.” Harry Nilsson performed the song in the film and even won a Grammy.
Movies will not be the same without music. In some cases, songs are arguably more popular than the films themselves — here is the most popular soundtrack every year since 1964.
50. Rock Around the Clock
> Performed by: Bill Haley ï¼ His Comets
> Movie: Blackboard Jungle (1955)
49. Make ‘Em Laugh
> Performed by: Donald O’Connor
> Movie: Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
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48. Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)
> Performed by: Doris Day
> Movie: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
47. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
> Performed by: James Baskett
> Movie: Song of the South (1947)
46. Don’t Rain On My Parade
> Performed by: Barbra Streisand
> Movie: Funny Girl (1968)
45. That’s Entertainment
> Performed by: Jack Buchanan, Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray, and Oscar Levant
> Movie: The Band Wagon (1953)
44. Wind Beneath My Wings
> Performed by: Bette Midler
> Movie: Beaches (1988)
43. The Way You Look Tonight
> Performed by: Fred Astaire
> Movie: Swing Time (1936)
42. Luck Be A Lady
> Performed by: Marlon Brando
> Movie: Guys and Dolls (1955)
41. New York, New York
> Performed by: Gene Kelly, Jules Munshin, and Frank Sinatra
> Movie: On the Town (1949)
40. Fight the Power
> Performed by: Public Enemy’
> Movie: Do the Right Thing (1989)
39. Days of Wine and Roses
> Performed by: Andy Williams
> Movie: Days of Wine and Roses (1963)
38. Theme from Shaft
> Performed by: Isaac Hayes
> Movie: Shaft (1971)
37. Swinging on a Star
> Performed by: Bing Crosby
> Movie: Going My Way (1944)
36. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
> Performed by: Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke
> Movie: Mary Poppins (1964)
35. America
> Performed by: Rita Moreno and George Chakiris
> Movie: West Side Story (1961)
34. Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off
> Performed by: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
> Movie: Shall We Dance (1937)
33. Aquarius
> Performed by: Ren Woods
> Movie: Hair (1979)
32. I Got Rhythm
> Performed by: Gene Kelly
> Movie: An American in Paris (1951)
31. Theme from New York, New York
> Performed by: Liza Minnelli
> Movie: New York, New York (1977)
30. Stormy Weather
> Performed by: Lena Horne
> Movie: Stormy Weather (1943)
29. Born To Be Wild
> Performed by: Steppenwolf
> Movie: Easy Rider (1969)
28. Some Enchanted Evening
> Performed by: Giorgio Tozzi
> Movie: South Pacific (1958)
27. Unchained Melody
> Performed by: Righteous Brothers
> Movie: Ghost (1990)
26. The Trolley Song
> Performed by: Judy Garland
> Movie: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
25. High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin)
> Performed by: Tex Ritter
> Movie: High Noon (1952)
24. Ol’ Man River
> Performed by: Paul Robeson
> Movie: Show Boat (1936)
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23. Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head
> Performed by: B. J. Thomas
> Movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
22. Everybody’s Talkin’
> Performed by: Harry Nilsson
> Movie: Midnight Cowboy (1969)
21. Jailhouse Rock
> Performed by: Elvis Presley
> Movie: Jailhouse Rock (1957)
20. Somewhere
> Performed by: Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood
> Movie: West Side Story (1961)
19. Some Day My Prince Will Come
> Performed by: Adriana Caselotti
> Movie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
18. Cabaret
> Performed by: Liza Minnelli
> Movie: Cabaret (1972)
17. I Could Have Danced All Night
> Performed by: Audrey Hepburn
> Movie: My Fair Lady (1964)
16. Evergreen
> Performed by: Barbra Streisand
> Movie: A Star Is Born (1976)
15. Cheek to Cheek
> Performed by: Fred Astaire
> Movie: Top Hat (1935)
14. My Heart Will Go On
> Performed by: Céline Dion
> Movie: Titanic (1997)
13. People
> Performed by: Barbra Streisand
> Movie: Funny Girl (1968)
12. Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend
> Performed by: Marilyn Monroe
> Movie: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
11. The Man That Got Away
> Performed by: Judy Garland
> Movie: A Star Is Born (1954)
10. The Sound of Music
> Performed by: Julie Andrews
> Movie: The Sound of Music (1965)
9. Stayin’ Alive
> Performed by: Bee Gees
> Movie: Saturday Night Fever (1977)
8. The Way We Were
> Performed by: Barbra Streisand
> Movie: The Way We Were (1973)
7. When You Wish Upon A Star
> Performed by: Cliff Edwards
> Movie: Pinocchio (1940)
6. Mrs. Robinson
> Performed by: Simon & Garfunkel
> Movie: The Graduate (1967)
5. White Christmas
> Performed by: Bing Crosby
> Movie: Holiday Inn (1942)
4. Moon River
> Performed by: Audrey Hepburn
> Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
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3. Singin’ in the Rain
> Performed by: Gene Kelly
> Movie: Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
2. As Time Goes By
> Performed by: Dooley Wilson
> Movie: Casablanca (1942)
1. Over the Rainbow
> Performed by: Judy Garland
> Movie: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
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