A RECENT article in Empire magazine has got me thinking. The article, titled Popbusters!, questions just what has become of the movie ‘theme song’ – you know, like My Heart Will Go On (Titanic) and I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing (Armageddon). The big power ballads that when heard on the radio, evoked memories of pivotal scenes from the movies they represent – come on, admit that when you drive down the street and My Heart Will Go On comes on the radio, all you can see is Leonardo & Kate embracing on the front of the ship.
Today, producers tend to stick to a selection of songs placed throughout the film, and then packaged into a soundtrack that becomes a classic in itself. The movie theme song seems to have become a thing of the past. Once a staple of nearly every film, it seems movie production companies just do not place that much value on them anymore. To their own detriment, I must say – in my opinion, a great power ballad or pop song only enhances enjoyment of a film and as mentioned earlier, makes that film stick in your mind for years to come.
In loving memory of the movie theme song, here is my list of top 10 movie songs (in no particular order) – I have probably forgotten many along the way, so feel free to add your own favourites (or diss my selections) below.
* Don’t You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds - from The Breakfast Club (1985)
* The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News - from Back to the Future (1985)
* I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston - from The Bodyguard (1992)
* (I’ve Had) the Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes - from Dirty Dancing (1987)
* Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper - from Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)
* (Everything I Do) I Do it for You by Bryan Adams - from Robin Hood (1991)
* Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio - from Dangerous Minds (1995)
* I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith - from Armageddon (1998)
* Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees - from Saturday Night Fever (1977)
* Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland - from The Wizard of Oz (1939)