top movie songs of all time in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs

[JNA]

Anybody watch / listen to the American Film Institute (AFI) 100 movie song program last night.

The Criteria - Feature-Length Fiction Film, American Film, Song,
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 of the film itself.
Legacy:
Songs that resonate across the century, enriching America's film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today.

Since we love music lists, so here are the top 10 -

1 Over the Rainbow; THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939
2 As Time Goes By; CASABLANCA 1942
3 Singin' in the Rain; SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952
4 Moon River; BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S 1961
5 White Christmas; HOLIDAY INN 1942
6 Mrs. Robinson; THE GRADUATE 1967
7 When You Wish Upon A Star; PINOCCHIO 1940
8 The Way We Were; THE WAY WE WERE 1973
9 Stayin' Alive; SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER 1977
10 The Sound of Music; THE SOUND OF MUSIC 1965

Their website: http://afi.com/tvevents/100years/songs.aspx

 

[michaelskis]

What the.... all of the movies were made before I was born.

Lets put a spin on this, Top Movie Songs since 1978!

 

[freewaytincan]

Those fools! Numbers one and two are backwards, as far as I'm conderned...

 

[biscuit]

Yep, the wife and I watched it last night. 150 channels and were watching a show about songs from film.... What has happened to us!?!

I don't know if I should admit this or not, but growing up (without cable) I watched the Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music once a year (as they came on annually) for at least ten years in a row and I know every song from both movies word for word. :-$

My favorites from the list have to be Moon River and Mrs. Robinson.

 

[Floridays]

I don't know if I should admit this or not, but growing up (without cable) I watched the Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music once a year (as they came on annually) for at least ten years in a row and I know every song from both movies word for word. :-$

That's OK Biscuit...you're not alone! I love the Sound of Music. When I was in Salzburg, I went on the cheesy "Sound of Music" tour. We saw a lot of the places where they filmed the movie, including the church where the wedding took place. It was up in the mountains in a small town that was full of little chalets.
And the best part....they piped in "The Sound of Music" soundtrack the entire bus ride! :-D

 

[Zoning Goddess]

That's OK Biscuit...you're not alone! I love the Sound of Music.

Me, too. I have it on tape and watch it at least once a year.

 

[biscuit]

That's OK Biscuit...you're not alone! I love the Sound of Music. When I was in Salzburg, I went on the cheesy "Sound of Music" tour. We saw a lot of the places where they filmed the movie, including the church where the wedding took place. It was up in the mountains in a small town that was full of little chalets.
And the best part....they piped in "The Sound of Music" soundtrack the entire bus ride! :-D

LOL! I too did the cheesy tour in Salzburg. We even visited the "catacombs" and the monastery featured in the film. I somehow have a feeling however that everyone who visits there gets the same cheese-fest ttour treatment. And yes, they did play the soundtrack in the bus as we were driving ito the city.

 

[Planderella]

I saw just a portion of it. They need to lose Eminem off that list and put the royal purple one - Prince - on there for "Purple Rain."

 

[mgk920]

Anybody watch / listen to the American Film Institute (AFI) 100 movie song program last night.

The Criteria - Feature-Length Fiction Film, American Film, Song,
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 of the film itself.
Legacy:
Songs that resonate across the century, enriching America's film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today.

Since we love music lists, so here are the top 10 -

1 Over the Rainbow; THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939
2 As Time Goes By; CASABLANCA 1942
3 Singin' in the Rain; SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952
4 Moon River; BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S 1961
5 White Christmas; HOLIDAY INN 1942
6 Mrs. Robinson; THE GRADUATE 1967
7 When You Wish Upon A Star; PINOCCHIO 1940
8 The Way We Were; THE WAY WE WERE 1973
9 Stayin' Alive; SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER 1977
10 The Sound of Music; THE SOUND OF MUSIC 1965

Their website: http://afi.com/tvevents/100years/songs.aspx

They gotta be kidding! :-0

I'm Alright; CADDYSHACK 1980
Theme from Mahogany; MAHOGANY1975?
You're the One That I Want; GREASE 1978
and
Never Ending Story; NEVER ENDING STORY 1986?

are not on it. I'm appalled :-@ (heheheheh)

Mike

 

[mendelman]

I saw the end (25-1), and I feel that Singing in the Rain needs to be at least #2 not #3.

I don't know about movies after 1978 though. Are they really any that had songs that were intergal to the legacy of the movie and not just a tag for the beginning or ending (ie: Caddyshack, Neverending Story, etc.)

 

[Big Easy King]

I think Simple Minds' song, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from The Breakfast Club (1985) had a cultural impact by standing in our collective memory, continuing to captivate audiences, and continuing to resonate that film.

 

[otterpop]

Didn't see the show. When it comes to musicals, I loved "Paint Your Wagon", "Little Shop of Horrors" and "True Stories."

Last weekend we rented "Mary Poppins" for my three-year-old. I enjoyed it more than him. When that movie came out I must have seen it six or seven times. Seemed like every time I went over to a friend's house, the parents would take us.

 

[nerudite]

I used to love musicals growing up... so a lot of my favourites are on there. South Pacific, West Side Story, etc. I'm really happy to see that Summertime from Porgy and Bess is on there. That has to be one of my favourite movie/musical songs of all time. I have never seen the movie though... only seen live performances.

 

[teshadoh]

What? No Foreignor!

 

[DecaturHawk]

How could they leave off "A Summer Place (Theme from Summer of '42)"
And "A Time for Us (Theme from Love Story)" aka "Nadia's Theme."
Two tunes that stick in your head and won't go away, kind of like "It's a Small World, After All."

 

[donk]

Biscuit, ZG and Floridays

I take it you would probably like to attend one of the sing along versions of "Sound of Music" that is touring the country?

Don't dare go looking for a link at work, I'll try to find one later for you.

As for songs, what about "rock and roll high school"?

 

[boiker]

2 As Time Goes By; CASABLANCA 1942

3 Singin' in the Rain; SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952

4 Moon River; BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S 1961

5 White Christmas; HOLIDAY INN 1942

6 Mrs. Robinson; THE GRADUATE 1967

7 When You Wish Upon A Star; PINOCCHIO 1940

8 The Way We Were; THE WAY WE WERE 1973

9 Stayin' Alive; SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER 1977

10 The Sound of Music; THE SOUND OF MUSIC 1965

Would you believe that I have never seen ANY of these movies in their entirety? I've probably seen 15-20 minutes at most of each.

What about the score from Star Wars?

The only movie I saw fully was Wizard of Oz.. but that was while listening to Pink Floyd....not 'over the rainbow.'

 

[Zoning Goddess]

I agree, Boiker, Star Wars makes more sense than "The Rose" and "Wind Beneath My Wings" (retch, retch...)

 

[biscuit]

Biscuit, ZG and Floridays

I take it you would probably like to attend one of the sing along versions of "Sound of Music" that is touring the country?

LOL! Thanks, but no thanks. I'm honostly not a fan of movie musicals. I just have fond memories of these two from childhood. Kind of like how I still watch the stop-action animation version of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer every Christmas....pure nostalgia

 

[Maister]

I think Simple Minds' song, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from The Breakfast Club (1985) had a cultural impact by standing in our collective memory, continuing to captivate audiences, and continuing to resonate that film.

100% agree. That song was (is) one of the anthems of our generation. The movie was sort of a Big Chill for folks born in the 60's

I loved the movie but haven't seen it for 19 years. Probably really lame if I saw it today. I saw part of Godzilla v the Smog Monster for the first time in 32 years and it turns out that perhaps the special effects weren't quite what I remembered. B-)

 

[nerudite]

100% agree. That song was (is) one of the anthems of our generation. The movie was sort of a Big Chill for folks born in the 60's

And 70s! Don't make me feel older than I am, okay!?

 

[tsc]

I agree with Purple Rain, and the Breakfast Club. I movies are decent on the list...just so many of them older. I don't think I saw the Theme from Dr. Shivago (sp?)

What about some good horror movie themes...like Halloween, Psycho, the Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs, or Jaws?

 

[teshadoh]

There are plenty of movies that are not musical's but where music plays an integral part of the film. I'm thinking of Rushmore or almost any Coen Bros. film like Big Lebowski. Then there are the Tarantino films of course.

 

[JNA]

Sound tracks were not considered.

:-$ Sorry for not listing the definition of the
SONG Criteria:
Music and lyrics featured in an American film that set a tone or mood, define character, advance plot and/or express the film's themes in a manner that elevates the moving image art form. Songs may have been written and/or recorded specifically for the film or previously written and/or recorded and selected by the filmmaker to achieve the above goals.

 

[Cardinal]

They have the song from Goldfinger, but not Live and Let Die?
Nothing from The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
How about the theme from Victory at Sea?

Once again, a "top ___" list fails to recognize the great ones.

 

[Planderella]

What about "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins or "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin from "Top Gun?" I think they were pretty definitive songs.