Wednesday, January 25, 2006

100 Years, 100 Songs

The AFI's list of top movie songs of all time. This post is my 1,000th.

The layout of the list is as follows:

Rank order
Song Title
PERFORMER
WRITER(s)
MOVIE
YEAR

I've commented on a few, but overall I must say that I can probably hum (at least) an awful lot of these, especially those in the top 30 or so.

1
Over the Rainbow
PERFORMER Judy Garland
MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen/E. Y. Harburg
WIZARD OF OZ, THE
1939

2
As Time Goes By
PERFORMER Dooley Wilson
MUSIC/LYRICS Herman Hupfeld
CASABLANCA
1942

3
Singin' in the Rain
PERFORMER Gene Kelly
MUSIC/LYRICS Nacio Herb Brown/Arthur Freed
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
1952

4
Moon River
PERFORMER Audrey Hepburn
MUSIC/LYRICS Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
1961

5
White Christmas
PERFORMER Bing Crosby
MUSIC/LYRICS Irving Berlin
HOLIDAY INN
1942

6
Mrs. Robinson
PERFORMERS Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel
MUSIC/LYRICS Paul Simon
GRADUATE, THE
1967

7
When You Wish Upon A Star
PERFORMER Cliff Edwards
MUSIC/LYRICS Leigh Harline/Ned Washington
PINOCCHIO
1940

8
Way We Were, The
PERFORMER Barbra Streisand
MUSIC/LYRICS Marvin Hamlisch/Alan and Marilyn Bergman
THE WAY WE WERE
1973

9
Stayin' Alive
PERFORMER The Bee Gees
MUSIC/LYRICS Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
1977

10
Sound of Music, The
PERFORMER Julie Andrews
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II
SOUND OF MUSIC, THE
1965

11
Man That Got Away, The
PERFORMER Judy Garland MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen/Ira Gershwin
STAR IS BORN, A
1954

12
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
PERFORMER Marilyn Monroe
MUSIC/LYRICS Jule Styne/Leo Robin
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES
1953

13
People
PERFORMER Barbra Streisand
MUSIC/LYRICS Jule Styne/Bob Merrill
FUNNY GIRL
1968

14
My Heart Will Go On
PERFORMER Céline Dion
MUSIC/LYRICS James Horner/Will Jennings
TITANIC
1997

15
Cheek to Cheek
PERFORMERS Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers
MUSIC/LYRICS Irving Berlin
TOP HAT
1935

16
Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star is Born)
PERFORMER Barbra Streisand
MUSIC/LYRICS Barbra Streisand/Paul Williams
STAR IS BORN, A
1976

17
I Could Have Danced All Night
PERFORMER Audrey Hepburn (voiced by Marni Nixon)
MUSIC/LYRICS Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner
MY FAIR LADY
1964

18
Cabaret
PERFORMER Liza Minnelli
MUSIC/LYRICS John Kander/Fred Ebb
CABARET
1972

19
Some Day My Prince Will Come
PERFORMER Adriana Caselotti
MUSIC/LYRICS Frank Churchill/Larry Morey
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
1937

20
Somewhere
PERFORMERS Natalie Wood (voiced by Marni Nixon), Richard Beymer (voiced by Jimmy Bryant)
MUSIC/LYRICS Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim
WEST SIDE STORY
1961

21
Jailhouse Rock
PERFORMER Elvis Presley
MUSIC/LYRICS Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
JAILHOUSE ROCK
1957

22
Everybody's Talkin'
PERFORMER Harry Nilsson
MUSIC/LYRICS Fred Neil
MIDNIGHT COWBOY
1969
(I didn't even know this was from a movie!)

23
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
PERFORMER B. J. Thomas
MUSIC/LYRICS Burt Bacharach/Hal David
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
1969

24
Ol' Man River
PERFORMER Paul Robeson
MUSIC/LYRICS Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II
SHOW BOAT
1936

25
High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin)
PERFORMER Tex Ritter
MUSIC/LYRICS Dimitri Tiomkin/Ned Washington
HIGH NOON
1952

26
Trolley Song, The
PERFORMER Judy Garland
MUSIC/LYRICS Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
1944
(Don't know this one, but it sounds awfully dorky)

27
Unchained Melody
PERFORMER The Righteous Brothers
MUSIC/LYRICS Alex North, Hy Zaret
GHOST
1990

28
Some Enchanted Evening
PERFORMER Rossano Brazzi (voiced by Giorgio Tozzi)
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II
SOUTH PACIFIC
1958

29
Born To Be Wild
PERFORMER Steppenwolf
MUSIC/LYRICS Mars Bonfire
EASY RIDER
1969

30
Stormy Weather
PERFORMER Lena Horne
MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
STORMY WEATHER
1943

31
Theme from New York, New York
PERFORMER Liza Minnelli
MUSIC/LYRICS John Kander/Fred Ebb
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
1977

32
I Got Rhythm
PERFORMER Gene Kelly
MUSIC/LYRICS George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin
AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN
1951

33
Aquarius
PERFORMERS Ren Woods, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Galt MacDermot/Gerome Ragni, James Rado
HAIR
1979

34
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
PERFORMERS Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers
MUSIC/LYRICS George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin
SHALL WE DANCE
1937

35
America
PERFORMERS Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim
WEST SIDE STORY
1961

36
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
PERFORMERS Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
MARY POPPINS
1964

37
Swinging on a Star
PERFORMER Bing Crosby
MUSIC/LYRICS James Van Heusen/Johnny Burke
GOING MY WAY
1944

38
Theme from Shaft
PERFORMERS Isaac Hayes, Chorus
MUSIC/LYRICS Isaac Hayes
SHAFT
1971

39
Days of Wine and Roses
PERFORMER Chorus
MUSIC/LYRICS Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer
DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES
1963

40
Fight the Power
PERFORMER Public Enemy
MUSIC/LYRICS Carlton Ridenhour, Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler, Keith Shocklee
DO THE RIGHT THING
1989
(Er, nope, can't even guess whether I've ever heard this)

41
New York, New York
PERFORMERS Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin
MUSIC/LYRICS Leonard Bernstein/Betty Comden, Adolph Green
ON THE TOWN
1949

42
Luck Be A Lady
PERFORMERS Marlon Brando, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Frank Loesser
GUYS AND DOLLS
1955
("Luck, if you've ever been a lady to begin with...Luck, be a lady tonight")

43
Way You Look Tonight, The
PERFORMER Fred Astaire
MUSIC/LYRICS Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields
SWING TIME
1936

44
Wind Beneath My Wings
PERFORMER Bette Midler
MUSIC/LYRICS Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar
BEACHES
1988

45
That's Entertainment
PERFORMERS Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan, Oscar Levant
MUSIC/LYRICS Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz
BAND WAGON, THE
1953

46
Don't Rain On My Parade
PERFORMER Barbra Streisand
MUSIC/LYRICS Jule Styne/ Bob Merrill
FUNNY GIRL
1968

47
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
PERFORMER James Baskett
MUSIC/LYRICS Allie Wrubel/Ray Gilbert
SONG OF THE SOUTH
1947

48
Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)
PERFORMER Doris Day
MUSIC/LYRICS Ray Evans, Jay Livingston
MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, THE
1956

49
Make 'Em Laugh
PERFORMER Donald O'Connor
MUSIC/LYRICS Nacio Herb Brown/Arthur Freed
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
1952

50
Rock Around the Clock
PERFORMERS Bill Haley and the Comets
MUSIC/LYRICS Bill Haley and the Comets
BLACKBOARD JUNGLE
1955

51
Fame
PERFORMER Irene Cara
MUSIC/LYRICS Michael Gore/Dean Pitchford
FAME
1980

52
Summertime
PERFORMER Diahann Carroll (voiced by Loulie Jean Norman)
MUSIC/LYRICS George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward
PORGY AND BESS
1959

53
Goldfinger
PERFORMER Shirley Bassey
MUSIC/LYRICS John Barry/Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley
GOLDFINGER
1964

54
Shall We Dance
PERFORMERS Deborah Kerr (voiced by Marni Nixon), Yul Brynner
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II
KING AND I, THE
1956

55
Flashdance...What a Feeling
PERFORMER Irene Cara
MUSIC/LYRICS Giorgio Moroder/Keith Forsey, Irene Cara
FLASHDANCE
1983

56
Thank Heaven for Little Girls
PERFORMER Maurice Chevalier
MUSIC/LYRICS Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner
GIGI
1958
(A truly, truly creepy song, tho' not intentioned that way I presume)

57
Windmills of Your Mind, The
PERFORMER Noel Harrison
MUSIC/LYRICS Michel Legrand/Alan and Marilyn Bergman
THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, THE
1968

58
Gonna Fly Now
PERFORMERS DeEtta Little, Nelson Pigford
MUSIC/LYRICS Bill Conti/Carol Connors, Ayn Robbins
ROCKY
1976

59
Tonight
PERFORMERS Natalie Wood (voiced by Marni Nixon), Richard Beymer (voiced by Jimmy Bryant)
MUSIC/LYRICS Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim
WEST SIDE STORY
1961

60
It Had to Be You
PERFORMERS Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick, Jr.
MUSIC/LYRICS Isham Jones/Gus Kahn
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY
1989

61
Get Happy
PERFORMER Judy Garland
MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler
SUMMER STOCK
1950

62
Beauty and the Beast
PERFORMER Angela Lansbury
MUSIC/LYRICS Alan Menken/Howard Ashman
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
1991

63
Thanks for the Memory
PERFORMERS Bob Hope, Shirley Ross
MUSIC/LYRICS Ralph Rainger/Leo Robin
BIG BROADCAST OF 1938, THE
1938

64
My Favorite Things
PERFORMER Julie Andrews
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II
SOUND OF MUSIC, THE
1965

65
I Will Always Love You
PERFORMER Whitney Houston
MUSIC/LYRICS Dolly Parton
BODYGUARD, THE
1992
(Oh, but Dolly's version is head-and-shoulders above this version in every respect)

66
Suicide is Painless
PERFORMER Johnny Mandel
MUSIC/LYRICS Johnny Mandel/Mike Altman
M*A*S*H
1970

67
Nobody Does it Better
PERFORMER Carly Simon
MUSIC/LYRICS Marvin Hamlisch/Carole Bayer Sager
SPY WHO LOVED ME, THE
1977

68
Streets of Philadelphia
PERFORMER Bruce Springsteen
MUSIC/LYRICS Bruce Springsteen
PHILADELPHIA
1993

69
On the Good Ship Lollipop
PERFORMER Shirley Temple
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard A. Whiting/Sidney Clare
BRIGHT EYES
1934

70
Summer Nights
PERFORMERS John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
GREASE
1978

71
Yankee Doodle Boy, The
PERFORMER James Cagney
MUSIC/LYRICS George M. Cohan
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
1942
("I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy, a Yankee Doodle do or die. The real-life nephew of my Uncle Sam, born on the Fourth of July....")

72
Good Morning
PERFORMERS Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald OÕConnor
MUSIC/LYRICS Nacio Herb Brown/Arthur Freed
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
1952

73
Isn't it Romantic?
PERFORMERS Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart
LOVE ME TONIGHT
1932

74
Rainbow Connection
PERFORMER Kermit the Frog (voiced by Jim Henson)
MUSIC/LYRICS Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher
MUPPET MOVIE, THE
1979

75
Up Where We Belong
PERFORMERS Joe Cocker, Jennifer Warnes
MUSIC/LYRICS Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie/Will Jennings
OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, AN
1982

76
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
PERFORMER Judy Garland
MUSIC/LYRICS Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
1944

77
Shadow of Your Smile, The
PERFORMER Chorus
MUSIC/LYRICS Johnny Mandel/Paul Francis Webster
SANDPIPER, THE
1965
(I've heard this, I'm sure I have. But all I can bring up is Windmills of My Mind q.v.)

78
9 To 5
PERFORMER Dolly Parton
MUSIC/LYRICS Dolly Parton
9 TO 5
1980

79
Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
PERFORMER Christopher Cross
MUSIC/LYRICS Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross, Peter Allen
ARTHUR
1981

80
Springtime for Hitler
PERFORMER Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Mel Brooks
PRODUCERS, THE
1968
(Shockingly, I've never heard this song)

81
I'm Easy
PERFORMER Keith Carradine
MUSIC/LYRICS Keith Carradine
NASHVILLE
1975

82
Ding Dong the Witch is Dead
PERFORMER Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen/E. Y. Harburg
WIZARD OF OZ, THE
1939

83
Rose, The
PERFORMER Bette Midler
MUSIC/LYRICS Amanda McBroom
ROSE, THE
1979

84
Put the Blame on Mame
PERFORMER Rita Hayworth (voiced by Anita Ellis)
MUSIC/LYRICS Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts
GILDA
1946
(Nope, don't know this)

85
Come What May
PERFORMERS Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor
MUSIC/LYRICS David Baerwald
MOULIN ROUGE!
2001
(I believe I only remember an earlier version than this one)

86
(I've Had) The Time of My Life
PERFORMERS Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes
MUSIC/LYRICS Frank Previte, John DeNicola, Donald Markowitz/Frank Previte
DIRTY DANCING
1987

87
Buttons and Bows
PERFORMER Bob Hope
MUSIC/LYRICS Jay Livingston/Ray Evans
PALEFACE, THE
1948
("East is east and West is west and the wrong one I have chose...")

88
Do Re Mi
PERFORMERS Julie Andrews, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II
SOUND OF MUSIC, THE
1965
(This seems awfully far down the list, doesn't it?)

89
Puttin' on the Ritz
PERFORMERS Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle
MUSIC/LYRICS Irving Berlin
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
1974
(hee hee hee)

90
Seems Like Old Times
PERFORMER Diane Keaton
MUSIC/LYRICS Carmen Lombardo/John Jacob Loeb
ANNIE HALL
1977
(I've never seen this movie, so my response is "Diane Keaton can SING??")

91
Let the River Run
PERFORMER Carly Simon
MUSIC/LYRICS Carly Simon
WORKING GIRL
1988
(Missed this one completely)

92
Long Ago and Far Away
PERFORMERS Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth (voiced by Martha Mears)
MUSIC/LYRICS Jerome Kern/Ira Gershwin
COVER GIRL
1944
(Can't bring this one to mind)

93
Lose Yourself
PERFORMER Eminem
MUSIC/LYRICS Eminem, Jeff Bass, Luis Resto/Eminem
8 MILE
2002
(Nope)

94
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
PERFORMER The Temptations
MUSIC/LYRICS Eddie Holland, Norman Whitfield
BIG CHILL, THE
1983

95
(We're Off on the) Road to Morocco
PERFORMERS Bing Crosby, Bob Hope
MUSIC/LYRICS Jimmy Van Heusen/Johnny Burke
ROAD TO MOROCCO
1942
(Sad to say I have a couple of brain cells tied up with this one)

96
Footloose
PERFORMER Kenny Loggins
MUSIC/LYRICS Kenny Loggins, Dean Pitchford
FOOTLOOSE
1984

97
42nd Street
PERFORMERS Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Harry Warren/Al Dubin
42nd STREET
1933

98
All That Jazz
PERFORMERS Catherine Zeta-Jones, RenŽe Zellweger
MUSIC/LYRICS John Kander/Fred Ebb
CHICAGO
2002

99
Hakuna Matata
PERFORMERS Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, Joseph Williams
MUSIC/LYRICS Elton John/Tim Rice
LION KING, THE
1994
(Sparky's theme song for many years)

100
Old Time Rock and Roll
PERFORMERS Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band (lip-synched by Tom Cruise)
MUSIC/LYRICS George Jackson, Tom Jones III
RISKY BUSINESS
1983
(I remember when this was a song BEFORE Tom Cruise!)

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