Matching the right song with a scene is an art — especially when you consider that filmmakers have to deal with things like budgets and rights issues. After the jump we’ve rounded up 35 of our all-time favorite movie music moments; scenes made instantly memorable thanks to a talented DJ. By no means are we going to pretend this list is definitive, it’s just meant to be a jumping off point. (In fact, we could have done 35 moments from Wes Anderson’s films alone.) Do us a solid and add your personal faves in the comments.
1. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) – Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini, “Moon River”
2. The Graduate (1967) – Simon & Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence”
3. Harold and Maude (1971) – Cat Stevens, “Trouble”
4. Animal House (1974) – Otis Day & the Knights, “Shout”
5. Apocalypse Now (1979) – The Doors, “The End”
6. The Muppet Movie (1979) – Kermit the Frog, “The Rainbow Connection”
7. Rocky 3 (1982) – Survivor, “Eye of the Tiger”
8. The Big Chill (1983) – The Rolling Stones, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
9. Risky Business (1983) – Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, “Old Time Rock and Roll”
10. Sixteen Candles (1984) – The Thompson Twins, “If You Were Here”
11. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) – The Champs, “Tequila”
12. Top Gun (1986) – Berlin, “Take My Breath Away”
13. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – The Beatles, “Twist & Shout”
14. Pretty in Pink (1986) – Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness”
15. Dirty Dancing (1987) – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”
16. Beetlejuice (1988) – Harry Belafonte, “The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)”
17. She’s Having a Baby (1988) – Kate Bush, “This Woman’s Work”
18. Say Anything (1989) – Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”
19. Ghost (1990) – The Righteous Brothers, “Unchained Melody”
20. Goodfellas (1990) – Cream, “Sunshine of Your Love”
21. Wayne’s World (1992) – Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
22. Dazed and Confused (1993) – Aerosmith, “Sweet Emotion”
23. Pulp Fiction (1994) – Urge Overkill, “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon”
24. Reality Bites (1994) – The Knack, “My Sharona”
25. Dangerous Minds (1995) – Coolio, “Gangsta’s Paradise”
26. Empire Records (1995) – Coyote Shivers, “Sugarhigh”
27. Rushmore (1998) – The Rolling Stones, “I Am Waiting”
28. Velvet Goldmine (1998) – Placebo, “20th Century Boy”
29. Fight Club (1999) – The Pixies, “Where Is My Mind?”
30. Office Space, 1999 – The Geto Boys, “Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta”
31. Almost Famous (2000) – Elton John, “Tiny Dancer”
32. American Psycho (2000) – Huey Lewis & the News, “Hip to Be Square”
33. The Royal Tenebaums (2001) – Nico, “These Days”
34. Garden State (2004) – Simon and Garfunkel, “The Only Living Boy in New York”
35. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) – Sigur Ros, “Staralfur”
Comments (33)
well, i couldn’t find the exactly clip so you’ll just have to take my word for it…but Everybody’s Stalking by Badly Drawn Boy, in Igby Goes Down, is super perfect.
the song plays in the trailer at 1:13
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqIVIFdmaUU&feature=youtube_gdata
By that same token, the Hamptons party scene in Igby Goes Down when the Dandy Warhols’ “Bohemian Like You” starts blaring.
Gary Jules cover of Tears for Fears’ Mad world in a wicked montage in Donnie Darko
The War Films Top 3
3. Platoon – Smokey Robinson and The Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears”
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2up8b_platoon-tracks-of-my-tears_music
2. Forest Gump – Creedence Clearwater’s “Fortunate son”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqEJTVGKcdo
1. Full Metal Jacket – Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S7WGfoBa3I
I actually think Head over Heels in Donnie Darko is the better sequence, but both are great! Nice list.
My all-time favorite is the scene from The Virgin Suicides with The song Crazy On You by Heart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSRmWTeSDng
That’s not Eye of the Tiger! It’s Gonna Fly Now by Bill Conti.
“Stuck In the Middle with You” used in Reservoir Dogs would be a nice addition to the list. The song never sounded the same to me after I saw the movie.
Also, Asia’s song in The 40 Year Old Virgin should’ve made the list too.
“Lust for Life,” Iggy Pop, in Trainspotting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koP4O6QAzx4&feature=related
“Street Hassle,” Lou Reed, in The Squid and the Whale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B4Sxu_0Q-U&feature=related (music starts at 3:18 but it’s a good scene)
Zero 7 – In The Waiting Line during the ecstasy party scene in Garden State
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuR8FAxsW98
at 1:10, such a dope scene
Willie Nelson did not write “The Rainbow Connection”. Please correct that.
the doors x1
Alice In Wonderland/Looking Glass (1985)
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIKPsyTdrgg
Napoleon Dynamite vs. Jamiroquai
Ferris Bueller – Yello “OW YERRR”
x1
Also “Ride of the Valkyries” from Apocalypse
“Born to be Wild” – Steppenwolf – Easy Rider
Thus Spoke Zarathustra in 2001
Woo hoo by 5,6,7,8′s in Kill Bill 2
Claudine Longet singing “Nothing To Lose” in “The Party” of Blake Edwards with Peter Sellers.
Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn5W_0jFVRA
Yes! I was going to say “Stuck in the MIddle With You”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLTqecGbdCc
[...] See the T0p 20 Movie Music Moments at Flavorwire [...]
This list is spot-on! I’d only want to add “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon” by Neil Diamond in Pulp Fiction.
OMG. Please scratch my last comment! I see that you ALREADY do have that song listed, only I didn’t see it because it doesn’t have a video attached. Perfect list!
eye of the tiger wasn’t in rocky, it was in rocky 3. that clip is from rocky but isn’t eye of the tiger….
@sly Thanks. I must have been having a senior moment; it’s fixed now.
Southland Tales…Justin Timberlake sings Killers song’ things i did’…his character a damaged vet sings it with mtv fantasy background …..brought tear to my eye….and i’m not Timberlake fan
some of these are terrible… and very cliched (in particular Dirty Dancing and Top Gun… ew!)
Labyrinth – ‘Dance Magic’ by David Bowie
Marie Antoinette – ‘Hong Kong Garden’ by Siouxsie and the Banshees
[...] Como todas las listas, se trata sólo de una opinión más. Puede que sobren o que falten, pero siempre resulta confortante descubrir coincidencias como el ‘Shout’ de Otis Day & the Knights en ‘Desmadre a la americana’, el ‘Twist and Shout’ de los Beatles en ‘Todo en un día’ (Ferris Buller’s Day Off) o el ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ de Queen en ‘Wayne’s World’. La recopilación completa en Flavorwire. [...]
That was not the actual Dazed & Confused dawg.
I can’t believe Morris Day and the Time in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” was overlooked! I am disappointed in this list.
im with bishop joey. In southland Tales the killers sequence was amazing. Too bad the rest of the movie wasn’t. I also really liked UNKLE’s burn my shadow in Repo men.
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