Top 10 Songs That We Can't Separate from Movie Scenes

Few directors use music in their films to such iconic success as does Quentin Tarantino. It’s because of him that we can no longer hear “Stuck in the Middle With You” without thinking about a guy getting his ear cut off. And it’s also because of Mr. Tarantino, that whenever Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell” starts to play, our body automatically starts to do the twist (followed by some pretty impressive hand swipes in front of our eyes moves as well). Not only did “Pulp Fiction” rejuvenate John Travolta’s career, it also gave audiences a chance to see him dancing again. And that dance and that song are now forever linked.

Without doubt the greatest performance of Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness” is by Andrew Strong and the rest of the band in the 1991 film “The Commitments”. However, as amazing as it was, our forever connection to this song had already been imprinted in our movie minds 5 years earlier with the release of the film “Pretty in Pink”. And while Jon Cryer - unlike “The Commitment” band - doesn’t actually sing the song, his lip-synch performance around the record store was one for the ages. As if we needed another reason to love “Duckie”, right?

For some people it’s jarring in musicals when characters randomly break into song. So imagine when it happens in a film that isn’t a musical. Well, at least in the case of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 masterpiece “Magnolia,” it’s both jarring and mesmerizing - and completely unforgettable. At first it appears like it might just be one character singing in her apartment. But then, as we cut to another person, and another and another - the “reality” of the situation dissipates and the cinematic artistry grabs hold. Hearing Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up” will always bring to mind the images of this grief-filled sing-a-long.

Did you know that the famous boombox scene from “Say Anything…’ was originally scored with the song “Question Of Life” by the brilliant band Fishbone? And while it might be a good song, we agree with Cameron Crowe who, after watching the scene, decided that it just didn’t work. That’s when Crowe decided to go with Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes,” and the rest is movie music history. As Gabriel himself has even admitted, he and John Cusak are now “sort of trapped together in a minuscule moment of contemporary culture”.

“Unchained Melody” was originally written for the 1955 prison movie, “Unchained”. And until 1990 there might’ve been movie fans who couldn’t separate the song from that film from decades earlier. But in overall pop culture, those “Unchained” associations went out the window with the release of “Ghost” - and one now-legendary scene. You know the one. And not only did the film forever cement our associations with this beautiful song - particularly The Righteous Brothers version - it has also forever heightened our appreciation for the romantic power of working with clay. Who knew that pottery could be so darn sexy?

Why do so many ‘90s kids know the lyrics to “Bohemian Rhapsody”? Why do we always head bang during the guitar solo? Two words… “Wayne’s World”. And we have Mike Meyers to thank for this one. Both the studio and Lorne Michaels were pushing for a Guns N’ Roses song to be used for the now-iconic head-banging car scene. But Meyers wasn’t having it. No way. Way! He even threatened to quit the movie if they didn’t use “Bohemian Rhapsody” for the scene. Obviously he got his way and we got one of the greatest moments in comedy movie and music history combined.

Elton John’s beautiful song has been a part of the pop music landscape since its release in 1971. However, it was the song’s inclusion in the film “Almost Famous” - almost three decades after its initial release - that has since ingrained it into our cinematic subconscious. And director Cameron Crowe knew he had something from the first take. As he said in an interview: “It was one of those situations where you just felt it.” Indeed, they could feel it on set and we can feel it each and every time we watch the scene. And since then, every time we hear the song - we’re back on that bus. To paraphrase Penny Lane, we’re home.

Yes, we know the first two rules, but for this next song we HAVE to talk about “Fight Club”. Because, since 1999 we haven’t been able to hear “Where Is My Mind?” by Pixies and not think about, remember, contemplate, talk about “Fight Club”. Particularly that last scene over which the song plays - as Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter stand there holding hands watching the city explode around them. It might’ve been a… strange time in Norton’s character's life - but whenever we hear “Where Is My Mind?”, we immediately go back to that time in our lives when we watched this movie. And if you haven’t seen it yet, you will, too.

There are so, so many things we love about rom-coms. But one of the best tropes these films provide is the big apology and/or declaration of love scene. And in 1999’s “10 Things I Hate About You” - we get one from each of our main characters. From Julia Stiles’s, Katarina "Kat" Stratford, we get the famous poem from which the film gets its name. And from Heath Ledger’s, Patrick Verona we get his grand rendition of “Can't Take My Eyes Off You” with the help of the high school marching band. For a generation of teen rom-com lovers, this song will always go hand in hand with Ledger dancing, singing and eventually running from security in the stands.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Banana Boat (Day-O)”/“Beetlejuice” (1988)
This One Is a Standard At Many an ‘80s Kids Dinner Party

“Tequila”/“Pee-wee's Big Adventure” (1985)
The Iconic Bar Scene Gets Us Every Time

“Hip to Be Square”/“American Psycho” (2000)
One of the “Hippest” Murder Scenes in Movie History

“Old Time Rock and Roll”/“Risky Business” (1983)
Put On Your Sunglasses and Take Off Your Pants

“Twist and Shout”/“Ferris Bueller's Day Off” (1986)
Just One of the Many Reasons We All Wanted to Be Ferris Bueller

Whether you’re a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess or a criminal - if you’ve seen “The Breakfast Club” then the Simple Minds song “Don't You (Forget About Me)” will always be emotionally attached to said film. The song plays and it’s an almost involuntary action that our right arms make - fist pumping into the air like Judd Nelson’s does in the final moments of the movie. This movie and song are so entwined with each other that “Pitch Perfect” honored the pairing in their climactic musical scene some 27 years later.

Which song/scene combo is forever etched in your memory? Let us know in the comments.