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The Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts listed the song as No. 1 on their “Songs of the Century” list.
Harold Arlen (music) and E. Y. Harburg (lyrics) wrote it specifically for this 1939 movie.
Song title: “Over the Rainbow”
Movie title: The Wizard of Oz
The tune was sung by actress Judy Garland in the starring role.
The song was written by James Horner (music) and Will Jennings (lyrics) especially for this 1997 film. It went on to become Celine Dion’s signature song.
The song took home the Oscar for Best Original Song, among 11 other Academy Awards the movie won in 1998. Kate Winslet was also nominated for her role in the film.
Song title: “My Heart Will Go On”
Movie title: Titanic
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio star in the film that centers around an ill-fated ship.
The song was written by famous Broadway musical writing team Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.
The tune was one of many favorites from this 1965 film adaptation starring Julie Andrews
Song title: “My Favorite Things”
Movie title: The Sound of Music
In this film, the character Maria sings the song to comfort the Von Trapp children during a thunderstorm. Fun fact: For her 69th birthday, Andrews performed the song at a benefit for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). However, she changed the words a great deal. Here is a line from the new version: “Cadillacs and cataracts and hearing aids and glasses! Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses! Pacemakers, golf carts, and porches with swings—these are a few of my favorite things.” What do you think of the new lyrics?
The song was co-written by Franke Previte of Franke and the Knockouts for this film. In an interview, Previte noted, “The scene [in the movie] was seven minutes long. They needed the song to be just as long. So, we started the track with the chorus up front in half time to create a slow mood before the downbeat of the verse.”
The tune went to No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 6 in the U.K. and is sung as a duet by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
Song title: “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”
Movie title: Dirty Dancing
Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey star in this 1987 film where “nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
The title track was sung by Barbra Streisand for this 1973 movie of the same name.
The song became Streisand’s first No. 1 hit in February of 1974.
Song title: “The Way We Were”
Movie title: The Way We Were
Streisand stars in the film with Robert Redford. They play Katie Morosky and Hubbell Gardiner.
The song was written by Ned Washington and Leigh Harline for this 1940 animated movie.
The tune was sung by Cliff Edwards, and it won the Oscar for Best Song.
Song title: “When You Wish Upon a Star”
Movie title: Pinocchio
Jiminy Cricket sings the tune at the beginning and end of this Disney film
Despite the song’s popularity, most people don’t know its actual title. Do you?
This instrumental jazz tune was written by Henry Mancini for this 1963 film and plays in the title sequence. It continued to be used for sequels in the franchise and in an animated series of the same name as well.
Song title: “Piano and Strings”
Movie title: The Pink Panther
Inspector Jacques Clouseau is the main character of the film.
The song won the Grammy Awards for Best Song and Best Arrangement in 1962.
On the soundtrack, it is an instrumental piece played by Henry Mancini and his orchestra. Mancini wrote the song with lyricist Johnny Mercer. Fun fact: The tune refers to a real river found in Savannah, Georgia, where Mercer grew up.
Song title: “Moon River”
Movie title: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Audrey Hepburn sang the song in this 1961 movie in which she plays the character Holly Golightly.
The track is the theme song to the 1960 John Sturges movie.
The song was composed by Elmer Bernstein, who received an Oscar nomination for this film’s score.
Song title: “The Magnificent Seven Theme Song”
Movie title: The Magnificent Seven
This film stars Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, and Steve McQueen as three of seven gunfighters hired to rid a Mexican village of bandits.
The theme song of this franchise debuted with its first film in 1993.
In 2015, the tune rose to No. 1 on Billboard’s Classic Digital Songs list with the release of the fourth installment of the franchise.
Song title: “Jurassic Park Theme”
Movie title: Jurassic Park (or Jurassic Park franchise)
Sam Neill and Laura Dern star in this movie that centers around a theme park with dinosaurs.
The song was composed by Monty Norman and arranged by John Barry for the first film in this movie franchise.
The main character is a British secret agent who has been played by various actors over the past 60 years. Before taking to the silver screen, the character could be found in a comic strip in the Daily Mail.
Song title: “The James Bond Theme”
Movie title: Dr. No (or James Bond franchise)
This particular film came out in 1962 and stars Sean Connery as the lead.
The ragtime tune was initially composed by Scott Joplin in the early 1900s.
The song was used as the theme music in this 1973 Oscar-winning film. Marvin Hamlisch’s rendition was used in the movie and hit No. 3 on the Hot 100 list the following May.
Song title: “The Entertainer”
Movie title: The Sting
Paul Newman and Robert Redford star in this film as two grifters who work together to pull off a con job on a powerful crime boss played by Robert Shaw.
The song has been used in many movies, including one of the first musical sound films, Hollywood Revue of 1929; the 1940 film Little Nellie Kelly (in which Judy Garland sang it); and during the closing credits of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange in 1971.
It is synonymous with this classic 1952 movie musical.
Song title: “Singin’ in the Rain”
Movie title: Singin’ in the Rain
Gene Kelly is the star of this film and performs the song in inclement weather.
Many musicians have covered the song, including Louis Armstrong, Doris Day, and Frank Sinatra. In fact, Fred Astaire and Ella Fitzgerald sang a rendition featured in The English Patient.
It received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song in this 1935 movie
Song title: “Cheek to Cheek”
Movie title: Top Hat
The tune was written by Irving Berlin specifically for this film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
The song was initially written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin for a Broadway production in which Carol Channing performed it.
Marilyn Monroe plays the character Lorelei Lee in this 1953 film.
Song title: “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”
Movie title: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
In the movie, Monroe wears pink satin and diamonds, surrounded by men who appear to be fawning over her while she sings.
Ray Parker Jr. admitted in an interview that the song was a hard one to write because director Ivan Reitman wanted the movie title to be written into the lyrics.
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver star in this 1984 movie.
Song title: “Ghostbusters”
Movie title: Ghostbusters
The film centers around a group of self-described “parapsychologists” that handle the removal of “spirits” from New York City
Dolly Parton originally wrote and performed the song, and it went to No. 1 on the country charts in 1974. It also went to No. 1 when she recorded a new version for the 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
It is a sad tune where the singer acknowledges she will always love the person she’s singing to, even though they are not right for one another and must go their separate ways
Song title: “I Will Always Love You”
Movie title: The Bodyguard
The version heard is sung by Whitney Houston, who stars in this 1992 film with Kevin Costner. Her rendition was such a success that it remained the No. 1 song in the U.S. for 14 weeks—a record at the time
Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner wrote this song for their musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion.
A 20-year-old Julie Andrews played the heroine, Eliza Doolittle, in the Broadway version when it opened in 1956. Audrey Hepburn plays the character in this 1964 movie.
Song title: “I Could Have Danced All Night”
Movie title: My Fair Lady
Doolittle sings the song after sharing a dance with her tutor, Henry Higgins. Fun fact: Hepburn didn’t sing the song we hear in the film; it was dubbed by Marni Nixon
The song was a hit for the Bee Gees and one of five songs they wrote specifically for the film.
The tune became one of several No. 1 hits from this movie’s soundtrack. One of the other big songs was “How Deep Is Your Love.”
Song title: “Stayin’ Alive”
Movie title: Saturday Night Fever
This 1977 movie opens with John Travolta walking through the streets of New York City.
John Williams composed the soundtrack for this 1975 Steven Spielberg thriller.
The theme song features a tuba as the main solo instrument and centers around a simple alternation between the notes E–F and F–F#.
Song title: “Theme from Jaws”
Movie title: Jaws
The tune has become synonymous with danger and might make you think twice before swimming in the ocean again. Note: This scene from the film is darkly lit and might be disturbing to some viewers.
The song was first heard in this 1977 George Lucas film—the first of what would become a much larger movie franchise.
John Williams wrote this movie’s score and won an Oscar for it. He used the leitmotif technique throughout the film, in which different characters are assigned their own musical phrases for dramatic effect. While the song heard is considered the main theme, it is intended for the character Luke Skywalker.
Song title: “Star Wars (Main Theme),” aka “Luke Skywalker’s Theme”
Movie title: Star Wars: A New Hope (or Star Wars franchise)
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher star in this film.
The song was composed by Max Steiner and is heard at the opening of this 1939 film.
The film takes place during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh star in this film as Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara.
Song title: “Tara’s Theme” (Tara is the name of the O’Hara family plantation.)
Movie title: Gone with the Wind
Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith originally composed the bluegrass song in the mid-1950s.
The release of this 1973 film made the tune so popular that it was No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
Song title: “Dueling Banjos”
Movie title: Deliverance
Though young actor Billy Redden was cast as the banjo-playing country boy in this movie, he didn’t know how to play the instrument. Eric Weissberg playing a five-string banjo with Steve Mandell playing an acoustic guitar is what you hear in the film.
The song climbed to No. 1 on the charts in the U.S. in July 1977, roughly eight months after the movie was released.
Bill Conti composed the song, with Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins writing the few lyrics included on the track—30 words in total.
Song title: “Gonna Fly Now”
Movie title: Rocky
Sylvester Stallone stars in this film (the first of a series), and the song plays during a training montage in which his character is working out throughout the city of Philadelphia. By the end of the song, he is running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, triumphant when he reaches the top.
The song was initially written for the 1931 Broadway musical Everybody’s Welcome, but it’s better known for being featured in this 1942 movie.
Arthur “Dooley” Wilson sings it. Fun fact: He was a professional drummer by trade and only mimed playing the piano during filming.
Song title: “As Time Goes By”
Movie title: Casablanca
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman star in this film, which takes place in a city in Morocco during the early stages of WWII.
The song was No. 1 in the U.S. the first four weeks of 1970.
Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote the song specifically for this film. B. J. Thomas’ performance won the Oscar for Best Song from a Motion Picture, and Bacharach won for Best Score as well.
Song title: “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”
Movie title: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
This film stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Fun fact: Paul Newman did nearly all of his own bicycle stunts during filming.
John Williams also wrote the music for this 1981 Steven Spielberg movie.
Harrison Ford stars in this film.
Song title: “The Raiders March,” aka “The Indiana Jones Theme”
Movie title: Raiders of the Lost Ark (or Indiana Jones franchise)
This film’s storyline takes place in 1936 and involves an archaeologist and adventurer going in search of the Ark of the Covenant.
The song was composed by Maurice Jarre, who was relatively unknown at the time. He went on to win the Oscar for this film’s score.
This film was released in 1962 and stars Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, and Anthony Quinn.
Song title: “Overture to Lawrence of Arabia”
Movie title: Lawrence of Arabia
The plot of this movie revolves around an English officer named T. E. Lawrence (played by O’Toole) during World War I.
George and Ira Gershwin originally wrote the song for the Broadway musical Girl Crazy, which opened in 1930. Ethel Merman sang the tune.
Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron star in this 1951 film.
Song title: “I Got Rhythm”
Movie title: An American in Paris
In this movie, Kelly plays Jerry Mulligan and sings the song with a bunch of Parisian neighborhood children.
The iconic instrumental theme song was composed by Ennio Morricone and is often reused in movies and TV shows when a Wild West-style showdown is about to occur.
This 1966 film was the final movie to be released in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. Clint Eastwood stars in the series of spaghetti westerns
Song title: “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Theme)”
Movie title: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Morricone used three specific instruments in the song to represent the three main characters. (The three characters are also represented in the title of this film.)