A melancholy piano ballad about the breakdown of a relationship, in the film it accompanies a montage which explains the tragic backstory of tough cowgirl Jessie, abandoned by her former owner Emily. MA, Written by Holger Czukay, Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli, Irmin Schmidt, and Damo Suzuki; performed by Can, German krautrock legends Can released a compilation album of their various contributions to the world of film – a disc handily titled ‘Soundtracks’. Seen on Sky News; featured in The Guardian, NY Times, The Independent and more. Some songs are created for movies to be played in the end credits, while others, like this one, become the glue. Playground Love is the first track on the album, although it compliments the pastel-hued slowness of Coppola’s teenagers perfectly, the song resonates with a more universal feeling of a dreamlike, careless youth outside the film. Mia and Vincent twisting to Chuck Berry. We believe in Truth & Movies. The best-selling status of the Super Fly soundtrack might suggest that the film was universally lauded, but in fact it was condemned by the Black community for supposedly glorifying the lifestyle of a Harlem pimp. From there, the process of writing a movie is vastly different from writing a book. Performed by Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson in the film, it encapsulates the feeling of falling in love after so long alone, and that joint understanding that comes from finding someone who feels like home. Listen free to Movie Soundtrack All Stars – 55 Greatest Movie Love Songs (All I Want Is You (From "Reality Bites"), Young and Beautiful (From "The Great Gatsby") and more). AW, With one of the catchiest riffs ever written, this song has become an indelible part of popular culture. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and, along with Charles’ song, continues to resonate today. DJ, Written by John Barry with lyrics by Hal David; performed by Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong’s final ever recording is a Bond theme unlike any other; a straightforward testament to the joys of falling in love. These are some of the best Prince songs that became hits for others. Wayne and Garth headbanging to Queen. Smith’s performance at that year’s Oscars ceremony never fails to send a shiver down our spine. DJ, Written by Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel; performed by Air, There’s a unique cocktail of sensations to experience when you watch The Virgin Suicides. As a songwriter and musician, his claim to fame was that in 1956 he recorded the original version of ‘All Shook Up’, which became a number one single the following year for a certain Elvis Presley. A masterful blend of music and imagery. Delivering passionate and comprehensive entertainment coverage to millions of users world-wide each month. We’ve also limited ourselves to one Bond film, just to keep things interesting. They may have shared little in common with the film’s teenage protagonists, but the Glaswegian New Wave group proved a perfect fit for this quintessential high school movie. But the biggest hit of 1982 could have turned out very differently. ‘I’ve Seen it All’ marks a melancholy centrepiece in which our readily self-sacrificing heroine claims that she believes her eyes have served their physical purpose, and all the beauty and horror in the world can just go away now. It was written for the soundtrack to 1996’s Set It Off, a film which deserves to be more well known in that it is one of a small handful of female-fronted heist movies – predating the likes Ocean’s 8 by more than two decades. 1. HW, Written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb; performed by Bee Gees, If you haven’t strutted down the street with this song blaring in your headphones, emulating John Travolta in the opening scene of Saturday Night Fever… have you truly lived? Cole’s timeless version, though, remains untouchable. MA, It may not be anyone’s favourite David Bowie song, but ‘Absolute Beginners’ has aged better than a lot of his mid-’80s output. Yes yes, we know that the doling out of little gold-plated statuettes is essentially meaningless, but we can’t think of a more deserving recipient than this achingly beautiful acoustic elegy, which closes out Gus Van Sant’s indie crowd-pleaser. 10 Greatest Songs Written For Movies. HW, Written by Lady Gaga, Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson; performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, For the fourth big screen version of A Star Is Born, director Bradley Cooper prevailed upon one of the most recognisable stars in the world to play his leading lady. Although Julien Temple’s adaptation of Colin Macinnes’ ode to the British youth culture explosion of the 1950s was derided by critics, Bowie’s hopelessly romantic theme song – with its earnest lyrics and massive saxophone crescendo – peaked at number two in the UK singles chart. Incidentally, it was robbed of the Best Original Song Oscar in 1980, where Irene Carter’s ‘Fame’ triumphed. The track plays like an alternative sister cut to another of the band’s long-and-winding masterworks, Halleluwah, and its air of fuzzy delirium perfectly chimes with the film’s commitment to wallowing in the shabby dereliction of the Soho side-streets. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You" sung by Bryan Adams ("Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves") DJ, Written by Quincy Jones with lyrics by Don Black; performed by Matt Monro, A beautiful red Lamborghini Miura thunders through the Italian Alps, snow-capped peaks fluttering past as a mysterious driver expertly winds his way through picturesque, labyrinthine roads. On a hazy, sticky evening, a train rolls into town and off it steps a sharply-dressed man carrying a suitcase: it’s Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a black detective from Philadelphia who’s been assigned to a murder investigation in smalltown Mississippi. And yet it was first and foremost a track – arguably the best – on the soundtrack to Sam Peckinpah’s western drama, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. - 1. Pat Pemberton Pat Pemberton Reporter. EK, Written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston; performed by Nat King Cole (Charlie Spivak and Tommy Lynn in the film), This gentle ballad owes its existence to the persistence of a little-known music publisher named Larry Shayne. Christmas Songs Written For Movies. Thankfully, this country-western tune is so charming that it doesn’t feel forced, providing a perfectly judged moment of respite in the film’s action. Originally given only a few days to write the track, Ray Jay Parker Jr. found inspiration in late-night TV commercials and duly produced a composition in the style of an advertising jingle. Perhaps the most famous title song for any movie, it was written on condition that Hayes receive an audition for the title role, which never happened. AW, If ever one needed to define the term “cool”, this song would be the obvious answer. Revolutionary in every sense of the word, this scorching musical protest fixed middle America firmly in its crosshairs while issuing an urgent rallying cry to Gen Xers to stand up and take action. But how could we resist the combination of Joseph “Lucky” Scott’s strolling bassline and “Master” Henry Gibson’s crisp rototom beat which kicks off ‘Superfly’. Share. Check out the themed music video if you haven’t – it’s aged better than the film. M ia and Vincent twisting to Chuck Berry. ‘Rainbow Connection’ has since been covered by everyone from Willy Nelson to Weezer, but Jim Henson’s earnest, nasal rendition as the little frog with big dreams is obviously still the best. AW, Written by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer; performed by Audrey Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn’s turn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of cinema’s most enduring performances, her image plastered on the bedroom walls of university students across the globe. But it’s this ambling, eerie folk ballad for which he deserves to be remembered. The use of a brilliant song can turn a movie scene from 'good' to 'iconic'. Songs written by Rick Nelson Original songs. HW, Composed by Michel Legrand with English lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman; performed by Noel Harrison, Thomas Crown is an almost entirely impenetrable character; an impeccably debonair millionaire played with icy indifference by Steve McQueen. From the opening credits, where Rosie Perez dances furiously to the track, teeth gritted in silent indignation, to Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) blasting it around Brooklyn on his boombox, this is a song that simply demands to be heard. Sometimes, of course, a filmmaker will reach out to a musician they admire asking them to contribute to a specific project. In doing so, he encapsulated the surreal and madcap nature of the film whilst creating a song which exists as a phenomenon in its own right. Kris Kristoffersen and Bob Dylan were both, ahem, “busy” when approached to record the track. His final appearance as Brian O’Conner in Furious 7 was marked with a touching tribute at the film’s close, in which O’Conner bids farewell to long-time friend Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel. A film about musicians needs good music, so Lady Gaga’s casting was a perfect choice, and the power ballad penned by Gaga (with assistance from Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson) has become as popular as the film. "Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon Written by: John Lennon For: Sean Lennon Julian, Sean’s older half-brother, had some of his father’s most well known songs written for him – “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was allegedly about one of his nursery school drawings (yeah right), and “Hey Jude”, initially “Hey Jules”, was a cheer-up from McCartney in the midst of his parents divorce. Bairi Piya. MA, Written by Angelo Badalamenti with lyrics by David Lynch; performed by Julee Cruise, Alongside Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’, this is a song that’s tough to listen to without wanting to shed a single salt tear. It was Shayne who pestered Nat King Cole to make ‘Mona Lisa’ his next single for Capitol Records (“I did that song just to get that Shayne fellow out of my hair,” the American jazz pianist and vocalist later confessed), the song having gone through multiple revisions en route to being used in the World War Two-set Alan Ladd vehicle Captain Carey, USA. HW, Written by Randy Newman; performed by Sarah McLachlan, Country crooner Randy Newman is as much a part of the Toy Story films as Tom Hanks or Tim Allen, but his greatest contribution to the franchise is the song he wrote for Sarah McLachlan to perform in the second film. While these songs were being written and recorded, there was no way to know how they might eventually be used in a film or TV show. The story on the upbeat track is told from the perspective of the main character in the film, a male prostitute played by Richard Gere. The anthem for a generation of women who kick ass and take names while also paying their own mortgage, it’s eclipsed its origins, but also speaks to a time when a lot more effort was made generally with the compilation of film soundtracks. For the sake of brevity, we’ve chosen to omit orchestral scores and music from Disney films (sorry, Frozen fans), as well as songs featured in conventional musicals, both classic and contemporary. The title is a reference to 9to5, the National Association of Working Women, which in part inspired Jane Fonda’s idea for the film, but this country anthem is all Parton. A countdown of the greatest chart-toppers, floor-fillers and musical curios ever composed for film. Assuming you already have an idea for a movie, your next step should be to carefully craft a logline. The original contributions he supplied for the soundtrack to Roberto Begnini’s The Tiger in the Snow are easily the best thing about this maudlin, misfired shocker. Interscope. Songs like this are a rarity in superhero cinema. Initially appearing at the opening of The Muppet Movie, Kermit the Frog sings and plays his banjo at home in his Florida swamp, dreaming of stardom. Ironically, it signalled the beginning of the end of Bowie’s foray into mainstream pop, having been proceeded by 1987’s experimental, overstuffed art rock fiasco ‘Never Let Me Down’. You’ll never be able to shake it. 40,000+ articles posted by thousands of contributors spanning the entire cultural spectrum. As with the rest of the film, the enduring impact of this sequence is owed, in large part, to the Bee Gees’ iconic soundtrack. Share. The late David Hess may not be a household name but he was a regular fixture of ’70s and ’80s exploitation fodder, appearing in the likes of Hitch-Hike, The House on the Edge of the Park and Swamp Thing. Ella Kemp, Indie folk darling Sufjan Stevens has been quietly enchanting fans with his spirituality-tinged melodic lo-fi pop since he began his career in 1995, and in 2016, filmmaking fan Luca Guadagnino approached him to ask if Stevens would be interested in narrating his film Call Me By Your Name. It’s a simple, folksy cowboy ditty, accompanied by the sight of Tim Blake Nelson’s titular Buster Scruggs slowly ascending to Heaven, strumming a lyre. From the Oscar-winning Three 6 Mafia song "Hard Out Here for a Pimp" to Will Smith's "Men in Black" theme song, … Here are the 50 best original songs written for movies, embedded below so you can listen as you peruse the list. Apparently, Mann’s past discography inspired Anderson while writing the script, which would explain why the final soundtrack feels so integral to the film’s core. Really, director Gordon Parks, Jr intended the film as a wake-up call to both black and white America over the ghettoisation of its urban centres. It’s a heartbreaking song that could just about muffle the choked up tears that escape you while watching the film. ‘You Can Never Hold Back the Spring’ is a gorgeous, tear-jerking example of one of those scratchy, Weimar-inspired, street-corner serenades that Waits seems to write with the same ease the rest of draw breathe. EK, Written by Carlton Ridenhour, Eric Sadler, Hank Boxley, Ralph Andrei Duay and Keith Boxley; performed by Public Enemy. Hannah Woodhead, Written by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch; performed by Tim Blake Nelson and Willie Watson, One of the most surprising moments in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was this little ditty, which kicks in about five minutes into The Coen Brothers’ anthology western. The powerful ballad is simple and searing, illustrating the gun blazing climactic moment with a sense of heartbreaking finality. For as many movies tend to fill out their soundtracks with score, these artists have stepped up to the plate with songs that fit perfectly within the context of the movies they're in. Cultural Impact - Songs that have captured the nation's heart, echoed beyond the walls of a movie theater and, ultimately, stand in our collective memory for the film itself. DJ, Written by Debbie Harry and Giorgio Moroder; performed by Blondie, When Blondie were approached by Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder to help compose and perform the theme for 1980’s American Gigolo, they were already second in line after Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac declined the offer. articles The Boss is an exception, as he proffered one of his biggest ever hits to the great Jonathan Demme, for a film that became one of the director’s biggest ever hits. Includes a sublime assist from Thom Yorke on duet duties, plus sensational use of swooning orchestral arrangements. Is David Lynch’s warped Tinseltown satire from 2001 a contemporary riff on one of Hollywood’s classic-era staples? DJ, ‘If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out’ features twice in Hal Ashby’s gently subversive odd couple comedy: first up, it’s intentionally butchered by Ruth Gordon (aka Maude), the actor turning Cat Stevens’ uplifting melody into a jaunty music hall singalong; second, it’s heard at the very end of the film, as Bud Cort’s Harold skips along a grassy cliffedge, banjo in hand, having moments earlier slammed his car into the rocks below. (Remember the Spider-Man and Batman soundtracks of the ’90s and early 2000s? "Let It Go," made Idina Menzel (or Adele Dazeem, according to John Travolta), is now one of the most popular songs in the world. This rendition of ‘Moon River’, a song composed specifically for Hepburn by Henry Mancini and Jonny Mercer, is a testament to the immense talent which made her an icon of the screen. Songs must have been written (or at least reworked) for the film and not just used in it. It sees Prince assuming the guise of an abused, albeit nattily-dressed chancer named The Kid who just wants to make a name for himself in the music biz. MA, Written by Paul Simon; performed by Simon & Garfunkel, The story goes that Paul Simon was reluctant to get involved in the music-for-movies game, viewing it as ‘selling out’, but when he met director Mike Nichols, he was impressed enough by him and his little script for a little film called The Graduate that he gave him the benefit of the doubt. Shootouts come and go in movies, but Dylan’s music gives a haunting emotion, heavy with sadness to the scene. Win-win. DJ, Written by Quincy Jones, Marilyn Bergman and Alan Bergman; performed by Ray Charles, It is surely one of the greatest introductions to a lead character in cinema history – and we only ever see them from the waist down. If you can overlook the fact that this is the cinematic equivalent to torturing kittens, it’s an unforgettable and pioneering work, not least for its extraordinary soundtrack album, ‘Selmasongs’. Top Ranking, Mark Allison, David Jenkins, Ella Kemp, Hannah Woodhead, Adam Woodward. 4 Christmas Songs Written for Classic Movies. Whether it's music, movies, TV, or just other reviews, I absolutely adore this stuff. In just four-and-a-half minutes, the song encapsulates the ecstasy, tragedy, and wrath of a forbidden romance, arguably with greater poignancy than the preceding two hours of film. Is Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's Shallow the best movie single ever? From Spotify to the Screen. When Spike Lee and producer Bill Stephney approached Chuck D about collaborating on the writer/director’s tale of simmering racial tensions in New York City, they weren’t looking for a theme song so much as an anthem – and that’s precisely what Public Enemy delivered. After carefully thumbing through our 7” collection, we’ve hand-picking 50 choice cuts for your delectation. As such, this might represent pop music at its most corporate and coldly manufactured by pop legend Giorgio Moroder – but if it results in synth beats like this, who cares? The soundtrack album became a classic, and is often credited with popularising reggae in the West. "Unforgettable" - Finding Dory 3. When writing a piece of music, the artist really has their pick of where to pull from. Epic . Years of marriage, ambition and an intertwined love of the city and the music all resurface over Although the song was written for and originally performed by Minelli, it only rose to popularity two years later, when crooner Frank Sinatra started performing it during his live performances at Radio City Music Hall. Both songs speak to the character of the Rocky films they appeared in. White Christmas by Bing Crosby. A longer studio edit of ‘Fight the Power’ appears on Public Enemy’s 1990 album ‘Fear of a Black Planet’ – complete with a vocal sample lifted from a speech by Chicago attorney and civil rights activist Thomas N Todd – but the version that plays throughout the film is arguably punchier and still more direct. The 2016 film remake brought with it a misguided cover version by Fall Out Boy, which has so far failed to make such an impact. 10 Amazing Rock Songs Written For Movies. Musicians can really be inspired by anything. Shaft was a landmark moment in the portrayal of black identity in mainstream cinema, and Isaac Hayes’ soundtrack was similarly influential. Written for "Once," the musical love story for people who are way too cool for musical love stories, "Falling Slowly" is just about as pretty as songs get. Given the confident energy and slick production values of Black Panther, it’s only right that it has an end credits song to match. Today, I'm exploring the history of four of these songs and the films that introduced them to us. MA, Written by Harry Nilsson; performed by Shelley Duvall, The very idea that Disney would make a gorgeous, lived-in film folly like Popeye now seems absurd and fanciful – all the more reason to treasure the memory. They were right – ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ knocked Madonna’s ‘Crazy for You’ off the top of the US Billboard chart. 2 Batman: "Batdance" By Prince But music was my first love, and I love having the opportunity to share it with you good people. The ranking of these songs was, naturally, a subjective exercise, but in many instances wider cultural relevance was as much a deciding factor as personal taste. Paul Thomas Anderson’s blossoming emotional odyssey presents and picks on 12 alienated souls, all battling loneliness and searching for happiness. Some of our most popular Christmas songs were actually written for the movies. MA, Written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock; performed by Kenny Loggins, A whole host of flavour-of-the-month artists (including Toto, Bryan Adams, REO Speedwagon and Corey Hart) were approached to perform this song before the honour finally fell to Kenny Loggins. MA, Written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach; performed by BJ Thomas, BJ Thomas is probably known for two things: his track, ‘Hooked on a Feeling’, which was re-recorded (sullied, some might say?) Irving Berlin’s ubiquitous holiday ballad is just one of the many Christmas tunes that originated on the big screen. The story goes that when Sylvester Stallone sent the band an initial edit of Rocky III on VHS, the training montage sequence over which ‘Eye of the Tiger’ would eventually be placed had been cut to Queen’s ‘Another One Bites The Dust’. Although Cruise is best known for her contributions to David Lynch’s TV serial, Twin Peaks, providing its tonally crucial opening theme song, this celestial cut from 1986’s Blue Velvet (and her excellent LP ‘Floating Into the Night’, penned and produced by synth godhead Angelo Badalamenti) offered a moment’s divine grace in a film which forcefully exposes an underbelly of putrid nihilism and grotesque sexual violence in picket fenced small-town America. Thankfully for Survivor, Freddie Mercury and Brian May had already turned Sly down, paving the way for the crowning of a new hard rock champion. MA, Written by Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik; performed by Survivor, There’s a good reason why it’s nigh on impossible to listen to ‘Eye of the Tiger’ without air boxing along to its punchy beat: Survivor’s Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan wrote the song’s rhythm guitar and drum parts to be synchronised with Rocky’s jabs. Bryan Adams - … "Broken" is an amazing superhero movie song because its tragically romantic lyrics fit perfectly into both the real world and into the devastation of Frank Castle's world after his family was taken from him. Reluctant to record someone else’s material, Kerr was nevertheless persuaded by his bandmates who felt the song would help them break the American market. Easy Rider may have captured the free-wheeling spirit of the 1960s thanks in part to its prominent use of Steppenwolf’s ‘Born to be Wild’, but a piece of popular music can take on different meanings over time. HW, Written and performed by Dean Martin, accompanied by Ricky Nelson, With popular crooners Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson occupying lead roles, Rio Bravo didn’t have much choice but to include a couple of musical numbers amidst the gunfights and frontier-spirit bravado. Ballad of Easy Rider. In a break from series tradition, the song doesn’t accompany a title sequence of writhing female silhouettes, but a touching montage of James Bond and his future wife, Tracy, frolicking through a summer romance. HW, On the laundry list of head-slammingly bad decisions made by the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is there any more egregious than the awarding of Best Original Song to Celine Dion’s syrupy karaoke staple ‘My Heart Will Go On’ over Elliott Smith’s ‘Miss Misery’? You can listen to the song here. You can almost feel the heat emanating from the thick yellow filters, and the hazy nostalgia is increased tenfold by the film’s original score by French electronic duo, Air. This was the first of two features from the Jamaican director Perry Henzell, and it’s a vital and unflinching document of hardscrabble lives and thwarted ambition in Kingston during the early ’70s. Rarely has a song set the tone for a film more aptly: “And the road leads to nowhere…” Adam Woodward, Tom Waits is one of those rare, decade-spanning artists whose work just gets richer with time. Here are songs from Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper and more that paid tribute to and were inspired by some of their favorite horror movies. Happy listening! Produced by Keith Forsey, who also co-wrote ‘Flashdance… What a Feeling’ and ‘The Heat is On’ from Beverly Hill Cop, ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ was initially passed on by a number of singers including Annie Lennox and Chrissie Hynde; the latter instead suggesting it to her husband, Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr. EK, In The Harder They Come, we get to hear Jimmy Cliff’s jaunty reggae standard many, many, many times. I'm just a junkie for all things media. Its longevity is a testament to the timeless relevance of Womack’s lyrics and, of course, that irresistible ’70s beat. His jazzy, barroom lullaby phase ended, and his creatively fecund, “bang-a-radiator-with-a-croquet-mallet” phase began. Newman himself doubted that the scene would work, suspecting children would not be interested, but after observing how an audience reacted in an early screening, he changed his mind – to this day, it’s widely regarded as one of Pixar’s finest moments. The acoustic strings-and-piano ballad kicks in on screen when young Elio and Oliver take a trip together, and its hopeful, heartfelt sentiment reflects the purity of first love. You’ll no doubt recognise many of the songs listed below from now iconic scenes, and hopefully there’s one or two more obscure tracks you’ll be discovering for the first time. Art film stalwart Robert Altman takes the Mouse House cash and runs with this druggy relic which stars a wholly indecipherable Robin Williams plays the spinach-quaffing seaman of the title, and the incomparable Shelly Duvall is perfectly cast as his lanky paramour, Olive Oyle. The pulsing title track remains, to this day, a 24-carat banger. Written while Stevens was recording his fourth studio album, ‘Tea for the Tillerman’, this is the most poignant cut from a soundtrack comprised of existing and original music by the renowned British folk artist – a song about new beginnings and learning to let yourself be free. Songs must qualify as pop music so no film score instrumentals or classical interludes. Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at Last.fm. Rather than be a straight retelling of the story, these songs help put you in the correct mindset for the horror, adventure, or comedy that's going to be playing right before your eyes. MK, Written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, You might be forgiven for thinking that any musician who’s appeared on the cover of a magazine would save their A material for the album, not for use on the closing credits to some sappy Hollywood movie. But this bold experiment, with its simple drum machine beat and layered synths combined with touching lyrics that explore the lives of Aids sufferers, saw Bruce double-dipping on the award circuit, taking home silverware in both film and music fraternities. The 50 Best Original Songs Written for Movies A countdown of the greatest chart-toppers, floor-fillers and musical curios ever composed for film. She shines in a fire engine-red suit (which is now emblematic of her version of the song) while a young Robert De Niro watches on. Well, let’s just say that some songs work better than others. Some of our most popular Christmas songs were actually written for the movies. We've picked some of the all-time greatest songs which were written specifically for a film (not counting musicals), to remind us of the moments where movies and music fit together perfectly. 5 Taylor Swift Songs Written For Other Artists; From 'Better Man' To 'Babe' Taylor Swift has evidently emerged as one of the most successful pop icons globally. It could be about the characters being played on screen or be completely removed from the premise altogether, but that's not really the point of these songs. Baby It's Cold Outside by Esther Williams. AW, Written by Ivan Matias, Andrea Martin and Marqueze Etheridge; performed by En Vogue, Sometimes, a song written for a movie can end up becoming an artist or band’s defining statement. HW, Written by Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen; performed by Christopher Cross, Yacht rock standard bearer Christopher Cross possessed a face for radio, so when MTV came to rule the roost, he was out on his professional ear. S lyrics and, along with Charles ’ song, continues to resonate today Babyface with... Mainstay of karaoke booths around the world, it ’ s an emotional but never cloying Goodbye, plus use. Anderson ’ s Curtis Mayfield ’ s ‘ Fame ’ triumphed ever written, this song since... Music for creeps credited with popularising reggae in the Guardian, NY Times the. Written ( or at least reworked ) for the big screen as well 12 alienated souls, all loneliness! From Thom Yorke on duet duties, plus sensational use of swooning orchestral arrangements originating year. To resonate today Ranking, Mark Allison, David Jenkins, Ella Kemp, Hannah Woodhead, Adam Woodward when! 'S music, the process of writing a piece of music, movies, TV, or other! 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