The 30 Best Movie Songs of All Time That'll Have You Singing Along
Audrey Hepburn singing "Moon River" in Breakfast at Tiffany's is pure gold.
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So many factors go into making the best movies, some of which you might not even notice. First, there's the plot that will excite your imagination and keep you engaged from the title screen all the way through the credits. Then, there's choosing the right actors to fit the look and feel of the story, and putting them in the setting and costuming that make the story come alive. But even though many of us gloss right over the background music in our favorite flicks, soundtrack also plays a pivotal role in keeping you on the edge of your seat, strumming your heartstrings and getting your toes tapping, sometimes all in the same film. Of course, some movie soundtrack songs have stepped out of the background and risen to even greater popularity than the movies in which they originally appeared. Many people who missed out on watching Saturday Night Fever still love "Stayin' Alive," for example. There are certain songs that will instantly remind us of the movies they were featured in and the scenes they helped to set. Here are a few of the most iconic musical moments to take you back to your favorite moments on the silver screen.
No matter what clique you rolled with in high school, chances are you've seen this movie and can picture exactly when this song played. The members of the titular weekend detention crew exchange keepsakes to memorialize the day they changed each other's lives. Any time this song plays, it's impossible not to picture John Bender (Judd Nelson) pumping his fist into the air on the football field.
We learn pretty much everything we need to know about John Travolta's Tony Manero in the movie's first scene as he parades around Brooklyn while "Stayin' Alive" plays over the opening credits.
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Sixpence None the Richer didn't make much of a musical impact beyond this song, which played when Rachael Leigh Cook's character walks down the stairs of her house to show off her new appearance. Life would be so much more fun if we all had our own entrance music.
Everybody needs a little motivation to really pump up their workout. The Rocky series perfected the whole training montage thing and made this song essential listening for when you're trying to push through that last few reps of a difficult gym session.
Dirty Dancing has several big moments featuring songs we've come to love. Obviously though, the biggest moment (the one that gets Baby out from her corner) comes when this song plays and they have their final dance together.
Irene Cara's "What a Feeling" may have been this movie's official theme, but "Maniac" is the musical moment that reeled us all in. Jennifer Beals taping up her foot and then working up a sweat while rehearsing her routine is undeniably one of the most iconic movie montages of all time.
The image of John Cusack holding a giant '80s boombox over his head as this song plays is seared into our collective memory. Decades later, this song and that moment are still what people associate with the whole rom-com trope of trying to win someone back after you did them wrong.
The tension between Charlie (Kelly McGillis) and Maverick (Tom Cruise) finally gave way as this song played in the background. It was a toss-up between this and "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, but the Berlin track is tagged as the film's "love theme" which gave it the edge.
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Rupert Everett leading the whole wedding party in a sing-along of this hit song is still as entertaining to watch now as it was when My Best Friend's Wedding was released in 1997. A lot of what Julia Roberts' character does in this movie is reprehensible, but moments like the brunch scene give the film some heart.
Pottery has never been so sexy. The moment when Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore get a little messy working with the wet clay would probably seem strange without this soulful love song setting the mood. It's hard to imagine any other tune working as well.
Just reading the title of the song evokes flashbacks of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet carrying on their love affair on the doomed ship. The lyrical version doesn't actually play in the film, but an instrumental version plays throughout the entire film, including the drawing scene.
A movie about a teen who brings the love of music and dancing back to a small town coping with tragedy better have a solid soundtrack. Kenny Loggins certainly delivered on that. The title track will definitely get you up and out of your seat.
Almost Famous follows a music journalist traveling with the fictional rock band Stillwater who have a bunch of hits under their belts and yet it's an Elton John song that brings everyone together in the end. The group sing-along comes at a time in the film when everyone is exhausted and stressed out from being on the road. The movie injected new life into Elton's 1972 single.
This song took home an Oscar and two Grammys thanks to Hepburn's performance as Holly Golightly. The song provided some depth to the larger-than-life character as she sang on her fire escape. Few actresses could pull that off quite like the iconic Hepburn.
Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) begs the pianist Sam (Dooley Wilson) to play her this song so she could take a trip down memory lane. It's one of the most quoted moments in the highly quotable classic film from 1942. The track was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010.
Dolly Parton did it first, but Whitney Houston made it her own for this 1992 film. It remains the highest selling movie soundtrack of all time and for good reason. The final scene when this song plays will make you tear up (without fail) every single time.
Before the movie was even released, people were salivating over the trailer thanks to the snippet of Gaga singing this song. When that moment actually comes in the film, audiences are completely fixated on the chemistry between Ally and Jack. The chemistry feels so real that fans were clamoring for Gaga and Cooper to get together in real life.
This classic song sets the wistful tone as Dorothy wishes for the wider world in "The Wizard of Oz." It's been covered countless times since, taking on a life of its own outside the film. The Muppet version sung by Kermit the Frog might be the most memorable.
This gorgeous song from the 2014 film "Selma" is performed by John Legend and Common, who also stars in the movie. Selma depicts one of the pivotal moments in the Civil Rights Movement and the song sets the tone for the whole journey. No wonder it won an Academy Award and a Grammy.
Mrs. Robinson is the name of the character who seduces a young student in this controversial film, but it's also a song that outshone the movie. The Simon & Garfunkel song was the first to win Record of the Year at the Grammys and topped the Billboard charts.
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