I've been slowly putting together a playlist of pop songs that have been used in movies and I've thought of quite a few already, but I thought this might be a good topic for a thread. I'm mainly looking for songs that you immediately associate with the movie it was used in and maybe the movie made the song popular(or just more popular than ever). They don't have to be good songs or from good movies, just as long as they're memorable. The playlist is suppose to be just something that can be played in the background while sitting with some friends and having a few cold ones so you can have fun by spotting the movie connections and maybe laughing at some of the cheesy stuff. It has to be a song that was actually used in the movie. If it was only used in the marketing of the movie, then it doesn't count.

I won't post the whole list I've got so far, but here are some examples:

The Who - A Quick One While He's Away [Rushmore]

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody [Wayne's World] :lol:

Kenny Rogers - Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Condition Was in) [big Lebowski]

Andy Williams - Happy Heart [shallow Grave]

Derek & The Dominoes - Layla [Goodfellas]

Harry Belafonte - Jump in the Line [beetlejuice]

David Bowie - Young Americans [Dogville]

Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson [The Graduate]

Lou Reed - Perfect Day [Trainspotting]

Stealers Wheel - Stuck in the Middle With You [Reservoir Dogs]

Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone [Top Gun] (I told you it doesn't have to be good as long as it's memorable)

Vera Lynn - We'll Meet Again [Dr. Strangelove]

The Doors - The End [Apocalypse Now]

The Beta Band - Dry The Rain [High Fidelity]

And the list goes on. So, what do you think are great example of pop or rock songs used in movies or just otherwise memorable movie moments in which a pop song plays a big part?

School of Rock has to be a good shout. :P

School of Rock has to be a good shout. :P

I haven't seen it, but is there some memorable moment? I'm not looking just for good songs, but something you immediately associate with a certain movie. A lot of movies have good songs but they're not necessarily memorable for being included in the movie.

Edited May 20, 200917 yr by Maksimov

Harry Belafonte - Island in the Sun, from the film of the same name which starred Belafonte and James Mason.

Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philapelphia

Bruce Springsteen - Dead Man Walking

AND, I have been told that Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah was used in Shrek - this is sacrilege of the most dastardly kind.

Edited May 20, 200917 yr by moi

Just remembered a good one:

Where is My Mind by the Pixies. It was used in the final scene of Fight Club.

Edited May 20, 200917 yr by Maksimov

AND, I have been told that Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah was used in Shrek - this is sacrilege of the most dastardly kind.

I know, despoiling a wonderful film like Shrek with that droning mawkish dirge!

Talking of Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen's version was used in Watchmen and when I saw the scene it was used in, I wasn't sure what the director wanted the scene to be like. Was it supposed to be super romantic or make it seem awkward and clumsy? If it was suppose to be romantic, I think it failed.

Edited May 20, 200917 yr by Maksimov

I started to give this some thought, got one to start with - and now I can't get the bloody thing out of my head!

The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird (from 'Full Metal Jacket')

Just thought of another one - thank Gawd for that, had to get that other song out of my head...

The Doors - The End (from 'Apocalypse Now')

The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird (from 'Full Metal Jacket')

Yeah, I've already got that on my playlist and in my head now as well. :P

Funnily and appositely enough, I just posted a youtube link to The End on another forum that I'm leaving before I get kicked out :P

Funnily and appositely enough, I just posted a youtube link to The End on another forum that I'm leaving before I get kicked out

Wouldn't "We'll meet again" by Vera Lynn be funnier? :P

Edited May 20, 200917 yr by Maksimov

Chris Issak - Wicked Game (Wild At Heart)

The Who - Baba O Riley (Summer Of Sam)

The Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom (Grosse Point Blank)

Joy Division - Disorder (Control)

L7 - sh*tlist (Natural Born Killers)

Nine Inch Nails - Closer To God (Se7en)

Echo & The Bunnyman - People Are Strange (yes i know its a cover, The Lost Boys)

The Beatles - Twist & Shout (Ferris Buellers Day Off)

Pixies in Fight Club is the clear winner though

Edited May 20, 200917 yr by bjd

Just remembered a good one:

Where is My Mind by the Pixies. It was used in the final scene of Fight Club.

:P

What about Fortunate Son - Forrest Gump, or For What its Worth - Forrest Gump, or Free Bird - Forrest Gump. I like Forrest Gump

Muungano National Choir, Kenya - Missa Luba (Sanctus) - from the movie 'If...'

The Beatles - Twist & Shout (Ferris Buellers Day Off)

Was gonna post that one bjd - love that film and that's a great bit in it.

Three off the top of my head........

Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival - American Werewolf in London

Everybody's Talking at me - Nilsson - Midnight Cowboy

You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry - Pulp Fiction

I've had time to think of a few more now: -

Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild (Easy Rider)

Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers To Cross (The Harder They Come)

David Bowie - TVC-15 (Christiane F)

Four Seasons - Walk Like A Man (The Wanderers)

The Shirelles - Soldier Boy (The Wanderers)

Lloyd Williams - Shout (National Lampoon's Animal House)

Paul & Paula - Hey Paula (National Lampoon's Animal House)

Aretha Franklin - Think (The Blues Brothers)

Cab Calloway - Minnie The Moocher (The Blues Brothers)

Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You (The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas)

Sting - Spread A Little Happiness (Brimstone & Treacle)

Nearly all of those Steve - though I would say every song in the Blues Brothers, and specifically The Peter Gunn Theme whilst trashing the Mall and Sweet Home Chicago for the big car chase. I might get jumped on though because it is one of my favourite films and it is sorta a musical

Other than that, I'm struggling for specific songs that evoke specific scenes in movies, other than a lot of what has already been posted. Though Soldier Blue and Blue Velvet as movie themes both bring the relevant films to mind and also make me shiver a tad.

The Ride Of The Valkyries in Apocalypse Now has just come to mind and now I need to watch the DVD very soon! ( I bought a Renault 5 GT Turbo when they first came out, first brand new car I ever owned, and drove it back into the company car park with all the windows down and Ride Of The Valkyries playing at full volume! I was such a tw at!)

Been racking my brains a bit more and:

Bee Gees - Stayin Alive (Saturday Night Fever, JT walking down the road with a tin of pain, wayyy cool!)

Public Enemy - Fight The Power (Do The Right Thing)

Ryuichi Sakamoto & David Sylvian - Forbidden Colours - (Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence)

OMD - If You Leave (Pretty In Pink, for the eternal teenager in me)

Underworld - Born Slippy (Trainspotting)

Eric Weissberg - Duelling Banjos (Deliverance)

John Barry - On Her Majesty's Secret Sevice (On Her Majesty's Secret Sevice)

Barry Louis Polisar - All I Want Is You (Juno)

Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out For A Hero and Kenny Loggins - Footlose (both Footloose)

Prince - The Beautiful Ones (Purple Rain)

The Soggy Bottom Boys - I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

Anything Angelo Badalamenti has put into a Lynch movie makes for an instantly memorable scene (in particular Twin Peaks:Fire Walk With Me)

Can I also add Follow the Yellow Brick Road by the munchkins in the Wizard Of Oz!!!?

Edited May 20, 200917 yr by bjd

few more...

Lindsey Buckingham - Holiday Road (National Lampoon's Vacation)

Lindsey Buckingham - Dancin' Across The USA (National Lampoon's Vacation)

Glenn Frey - The Heat Is On (Beverly Hills Cop)

Bob Seger - Katmandu (Mask)

Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (Platoon)

Four Tops - Loco In Acapulco (Buster)

Beach Boys - Kokomo (Cocktail) - good pop song, crap film

Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody (Ghost)

Cher - Shoop Shoop Song (Mermaids)

Jimmy Soul - If You Wanna Be Happy (Mermaids)

Not exactly pop, but...

Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs - Duelling Banjos (Deliverance)

Eric Idle - Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life (Monty Python's Life Of Brian)

do these count?

Manfred Mann - Up The Junction

Ennio Morricone - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Johnny B Goode - Back To The Future

Aerosmith - "Sweet Emotion" - Dazed & Confused

few more...

Glenn Frey - The Heat Is On (Beverly Hills Cop)

Bob Seger - Katmandu (Mask)

Bob Seger - Shakedown (Beverly Hills Cop 2)

Daniel Lanois - Sonho Dourado (Friday Night Lights)

Neil Young - Rockin in the Free World (Fahrenheit 911)

Neil Young - Philadelphia (Philadelphia)

Dick dale - Misirlou (Pulp Fiction)

Van Morrison _ Brown Eyed Girl (Sleeping With The Enemy)

Bob Seger - Shakedown (Beverly Hills Cop 2)

Great Song! Havent heard that in years! Right, Soulseek here i come...

I admit I haven't read through the thread so I am bound to repeat some here. I will try and keep it down to under 10 (and stick to the pop music)

The Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff (The Harder They Come)

Waiting for the Miracle - Leonard Cohen (Natural Born Killers)

Whiter Shade of Pale - King Curtis (Withnail & I)

The End - The Doors (Apocalypse Now)

American Woman - The Guess Who (American Beauty)

Whe Doves Cry - Prince (Purple Rain)

Little Green Bag - The George Baker Selection (Reservoir Dogs)

Love Reign O'er Me - The Who (Quadrophenia)

The Thief of Your Heart - Sinead O'Connor (In the Name of the Father)

The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel0 (The Gaduate)