Movies Great Musical Moments & Sountracks

So I have written quite a bit on Movie Musicals, but this week, two events inspired me to think of the non-musical Music Moments on film. first, i re-watch Pitch Perfect on the Plane, and love how obsessed they are with music on film. Second, this weeks episode of Glee, Girls and Boys on Film, made me think of this as well. Both got me thinking of how truly an important role music plays in films and how some songs and soundtracks from film have such a definite impact. It’s a memory trigger and emotional enhancer. I see three key aspects to music on film. The first is Great Soundtracks, those movies whose entire song selection is fabulous. They don’t make many of these anymore, but boy where they great ones. I define this category as back when I owned CDs, the film CD soundtracks that had constant airplay in my stereo. The Second  is Great Songs. These are the great singles, those songs that originated in movies that went on to become classics on their own. Third, Great Musical Moments. This does not necessarily mean its the best song, soundtrack or movie. It means that music and film join and create a great cinematographic event.

Now, here are my top 10 favorites of these three categories. There is a lot of SAP and romantic comedy in here, but then that’s what I like! Since Movie tastes are so personal I also have a bonus section: My Friends’ favorite Non musical Movie Moments. That also allowed to expand mine, as I have some correlation with theirs and focusing picks is hard!!… enjoy and tell me what are yours!

Favorite Soundtracks (in no particular order and with the movie link having all the song list and clips )

1. Footloose One of the ultimate movie soundtracks. When talking about moments and songs, there are so many that come from this movie, that I just had to put it in the sountrack category and collect them all here. My favorite songs: Let’s Hear it for the Boy, Footloose and The Classic Almost Paradise. 
    
2. Dirty Dancing Ive already said this is my favorite movie, and clearly I love the sountrack as well. All the songs are great! Highlights for me are: (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,Hungry Eyes, Stay. Again so many songs and moments, that better to compile it here, but really is there a more classic musical moment than the final dance? (see below) 
3. Saturday Night Fever This movie and soundtrack are Disco for me. It has some of the best songs from one of my favorite Bands: The BeeGees. Some of my favorite songs: You should be Dancing, Staying Alive, How Deep is your Love, Boogie Shoes. This soundtrack, along with Abba, was he music of my childhood. Most importantly, it gave us John Travolta in a white suit dancing – do i need to say anything else
    
4. Cocktail – I love this movie and the soundtrack has a lot to do with it. My favorite Song has to be Kokomo & Tutti Futti
5. Sister Act 2 I really played this soundtrack a lot when I was in High school. Apart from constant paly, I also sang a lot of these with my choir, so it has double sentimentality for me. This is also where Lauren Hill got her start 
6. 10 things I Hate About You – I probably listened to this soundtrack as many times as I watched the film. Traslation – a lot. Great songs include: I want you to Want Me, FNT and Cruel to be Kind
7. Notting Hill amazing collected songs such as No Matter What & Ain’t no Sunshine, but the best musical moments are When you Say Nothing at All and She 
   
   
8. Love Actually I have already spoken about my love for this movie in this blog multiple times, and the sountrack is an extension. This sountrack is a fabulous collection of Moments, perfect scene music.Some of thse are Hugh Grant dancing to Jump, all I Want for Christmas is You and All you Need is Love in the church. But it also has some really solid songs, that make it a perfect car record, I put it when im driving and i enjoy all of it. Great songs include Kelly Clarkson’s The trouble with Love is, Dido’s Here with Me, Maroon 5’s Sweetest Goodbye/Sunday Morning, Norah Jones’  Turn me On and my favorite Wyclef Jean’s Take me as I Am. 
9. Coyote Ugly I really enjoy all of LeeAnn Rhymes songs.
10. Magnolia – Aimee Mann did a spectacular job with this soundtrack. I was going to put it in moments, but its just wonderful throughout. However one of her songs, Wise Up is by far one of the best moments in film, when the whole cast sing it together

Runner ups: Runaway Bride, Center Stage and City of Angels

Favorite Songs

1. “Stay” – Reality Bites – Lisa Loeb
2. “Nothing’s gonna stop us Now” – Mannequin 
3. “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”-Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves-  Bryan Adams
4. “Kiss Me” –She’s All That –  Sixpence None The Richer 
5. “Take My Breath Away” – Top Gun- Berlin 
6. “What a Feeling … Flashdance” – Flashdance- Irene Cara
7. “Somewhere Out There” – An American Tail 
8. “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” – Armageddon – Aerosmith
9. “All For Love” – Three Musketeers –Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting. 
10. “I will Always Love You” – The Bodyguard – Whitney Houston 

Honorable mentions: Let the River Run (working Girl), 9 to 5 (( to 5), Raindrops Keep falling on my Head (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), Fame, The Way we Were, Wind Beneath my Wings (Beaches), Against All Odds, I couldn’t Ask for More. Note that there are no Disney songs here, I consider them musicals, and thats a whole other blog post in itself!

My Best Moments

First, two classic moments that were pretty obvious and were recreated, the first in Pitch Perfect and the Second in Glee, and were the inspiration points of the whole post.

The Breakfast Club – “(Don’t You) Forget About Me”

Say Anything-“In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel

and now for my personal ranking of those things not included in songs or sountracks!

1. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Moon River 
2. Ghost-“Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brother –
3. 10 Things I hate about you –  “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli Cover)” –
4. Casablanca – “As Time goes By” 
5. The Wedding Singer – “Love Song”
6. Reality Bites – “My Sharona”
7. My Best Friend’s Wedding – “I say a Little Prayer”
8. Risky Business– “Old Time Rock & Roll”
9. Big – I will admit it that every time I pass in front of FAO Swartz in NY I think of this scene! 
10. Almost Famous – Tiny Dancer -Elton John

Bonus

1. Girls just Want to Have Fun – Girls Just Want to Have Fun

My Friends Best Moments

Back to the future – Power of Love

Chariots of Fire

Rocky III- Eye of the Tiger

Beautiful Girls –Sweet Caroline

Ferry’s Bueller Day off – Twist & Shout

What the Media says

there is plenty written about this – if you want to get some further inspiration here are some great articles:  Examiner, Timeout, Paste, FlavorWire, Moviefone, Fight this feeling

And the video below is called 100 Greates Music Scenes in Movies. I loved it and great reminder of some classic scenes.