Floyd’s Pick o’ the day reference to “Get Shorty” got me thinking about movie soundtracks. Is there a song that’s been in more movies than “Green Onions?” Maybe, “Come Fly with Me?”
I’m sure I’m missing some. Any other guesses out there?
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Quiz: Movie Soundtracks
Floyd’s Pick o’ the day reference to “Get Shorty” got me thinking about movie soundtracks. Is there a song that’s been in more movies than “Green Onions?” Maybe, “Come Fly with Me?” I’m sure I’m missing some. Any other guesses out there? 42 comments to Quiz: Movie SoundtracksLeave a Reply |
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For a while in the 90s, it seemed like anytime a movie had a scene that took place at a posh party in a mansion, the background music was always Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.”
Good point, ScottDS. Vivaldi’s “La Primavera” from “Le Quattro Stagione” gets tons of movie play.
This is what the guys over at TV Tropes call a standard snippet…
Now that I think of it, I realize I only know Luigi Boccherini because his music’s been in so damn many movies.
Cool site, Jake Was Here!
Check out this segment from the “Songs you only know from Cartoons” section:
Song Theme
Ain’t We Got Fun? The Roaring Twenties, even used in period pieces.
Aloha O’e Hawaii, tropical vacations, subversions thereof
Arkansas Traveler Slow, stupid characters
Baby Elephant Walk Slow, stupid characters; animals; people carrying awkward loads
Beautiful Dreamer Sleep, dreams
The Bowery — From 1892′s A Trip to Chinatown Often used in Looney Tunes to represent New York City and its East Side, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as here (between 1:50 and 2:00).
California Here I Come Travelling to California (natch), Trains in general
The Camptown Races Horse races. Associated with the Warner Bros. character Foghorn Leghorn, who generally walked around humming it. Also used in Saloons in The Wild West
Chicken Reel Farmyards with chickens, gluttonous eating
Coronation Scot Steam trains, often coupled with a standard shot of the camera fixed to the running board showing the wheels going round and/or a camera between the rails watching the train go overhead.
A Cup of Coffee, A Sandwich, and You Eating, meals
The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze Slow, stylish flying
The Entertainer (Scott Joplin) Early 20th Century America up till late 1930s (Note this is anachronistic; ragtime gave way to early jazz around WWI. But ever since The Sting everybody knows Ragtime = Great Depression.)
Freddy The Freshman Football or other sports; less frequently college in general
The Gold Diggers Song (We’re in the Money) You’re in the money.
Happy Go Lively, Laurie Johnson Perky, efficient, immaculately dressed Fifties housewives working in ultramodern Kitchens of The Future, or those kitchens themselves; cleaning.
I’ve Been Working On The Railroad Hard work, often Mickey Mousing the fall of sledgehammers to the beat
Hearts And Flowers Overacted melodrama, love, romance, and tragedy
Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush Chasing in circles, washing things (think This Is The Way We Wash Our Clothes)
Hooray for Hollywood Hollywood scenes, movie stars
How Dry I Am Drinking, drunkenness
Lady In Red A beautiful woman, often wearing red
My Old Kentucky Home Rural homes, the South. In Real Life, always played just before the running of the Kentucky Derby
Mysterioso Pizzicato Sneakiness, stealth (often Mickey Moused), entrance of the mustache-twirling villain
Nearer, My God, to Thee The Titanic, sinking ships, or inevitable doom, especially when met with tragic dignity.
Notre Dame Victory March Football, sports, pep talks (since the movie Knute Rockne, All American)
On Moonlight Bay Drinking, sailing, sailing while drinking. Along with “How Dry I Am,” makes for great drunken harmonizing in addition to background music
Over There World War One
Powerhouse (Raymond Scott) Factories, industry, active machinery. (Q.v. below)
A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody As Irving Berlin (the song’s author) himself observed: “Today they play it when a pretty girl walks across a stage. And strip teasers disrobe to it. That’s show business.”
Rock-a-bye Baby Babies, rocking, or occasionally both. (When used outside of BGM, can function as Instant Sedation.)
Sailing, Sailing Ships, the ocean
Sailor’s Hornpipe Sailors, particularly those with one eye and an affinity for spinachk
Shortnin’ Bread Food or cooking
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Exit, stage right.
The Sidewalks of New York New York City, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Was associated with Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith.
Sing, Sing, Sing Swing dancing or dancing in general, boisterous parties, the early 20th century, Chips Ahoy Song.
Song of the Marines (“We’re Shoving Right Off For Home Again”) Sailors, sailing vessels, long voyages at sea
Sweet Georgia Brown (or an appropriate soundalike), usually whistled Basketball (after its association with the Harlem Globetrotters); sports antics
Theme from A Summer Place Relax O Vision
There’s No Place Like Home Cabins, houses, anyplace considered a “home” or a “home away from home”. Popular in anime due to a well-known translation, and often used with World War II sequences (see Grave Of The Fireflies).
(Believe Me if All) Those Endearing Young Charms The Xylophone Gag. Only counts here because the background music tends to finish off the piece after the explosion.
The Toy Trumpet (Raymond Scott) Toys, especially toy soldiers
Turkey in the Straw Farms, rurality. A tune that’s also common for ice cream trucks “Do you ears hang low”
The Volga Boatmen’s Song (Mily Balkarev) Hard labor, especially the forced kind (chain gangs, slavery, etc.) Especially Russian hard labor.
What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor? Sailors, the ocean, and anything nautical
We’ll Meet Again World War Two, from the British perspective. Especially sad scenes
When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again Armies, parades, marching; occasionally, specifically Irish (the origin of the song). Common on fife and drum.
You Ought To Be In Pictures Hollywood scenes
The only reason I can handle my kids watching The Backyardigans (Nick Jr. cartoon) is because they parody standards. My kids, sorry to say, have no clue, but I laugh out loud at scenes like the one where the hippo, dressed as Cleopatra, does a variation of I Enjoy Being a Girl from Flower Drum Song.
Very weird, Stacie, since I sing that one when in the shower!
I’m kidding!! Really!
I’d love to hear that.
I’m kidding!! Really!
Any movie set in the 1980s will have “Walking on Sunshine”
Very funny, and very true. Especially when the protagonist is a young, single woman starting a career!
I love that song. Makes me dance. So does “I Feel Good” and that Rusted Root song from Ice Age.
“I Feel Good” is used a ton. Especially when a character, you know…feels good.
“Bad to the Bone”
What? Are you turning into Al Bundy?
Booker T and the MGs. The MGs went on to become the bulk of the Blues Brothers Band. Fantastic use of minimal noodling to get the point across, not to mention some great blues work.
You’ve heard Booker T’s Potato Hole, with the Drive-By Truckers, yes? You’re a blues man, of course you have.
It seems like there were a preponderance of “heartfelt” funeral scenes in a lot of movies that used Amazing Grace as their soundbite. I’m talking more secular type movies than Christian films. It’s not always been used in the most respectful way either, almost as if to make their movie worthwhile just because they included Amazing Grace, no matter how large a piece of trash the film was.
amazing grace on the bagpipes.
I always thought the soundtrack to Mann’s “Last of the Mohicans” pretty cool.
The music in Last of the Mohicans was absolutely magnificent!
Excellent point, -fritz-! Which leads us to Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” Which led me to this video (ouch!):
Ouch about covers it!
Flat.
I walked down the aisle to a song written by my zoon.
I played “Stuck on you” by Lionell Ritchie on our wedding. And when Mrs. G-MAN came home from work on our 25th last August, I played it again.
I still am more prone to play Metallica and AC/DC, however.
I don’t know whether that’s sweet or funny. I guess since you’re still married, we’ll go with sweet
. I’m glad you didn’t go with Metallica, it’s harder to walk in a dignified manner down the aisle to.
Yeah. I’m still stuck on her.
“What a Wonderful World” (especially Louis Armstrong’s version) gets played a lot. Usually as an ironic counterpoint to something decidedly not-wonderful happening on-screen.
Rufus here: Very true. I had forgotten that one. Good song but way, way over used.
No one but Louis Armstrong should ever do that song. It takes a voice full of the the sufferings of a long life to keep it from being saccharine.
“You’re Nobody Till Somebody Tells You They Love You” and “Pick up the Pieces” seemed everywhere in the 90s. Ditto Enigma’s “Sadeness.”
“Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye has been way overplayed. Especially in comedic love scenes.
best songtrack for a movie in recent years is O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Coens have a knack with music in film.
Agree on both counts. No cliches in their soundtracks.
I could also follow up and say the music in The Big Lebowski is a winner, too.
I could go on forever on this topic.
Coen Bros. soundtracks are always great. They clearly put a lot of thought into it.
They’ve got nothing on Scorsese though, especially Goodfellas. That man not only has great soundtracks, but knows what, where, when, how, and why to use a song.
Pachelbel’s Canon. Or, as a student of mine dubbed it, “Paco Bell’s Cannon”.
I remember your post on that. I run into this all the time, especially with college students. Their knowledge of anything is based upon what they’ve read on the web, so they come across “Pachelbel” and they have no idea how to pronounce this. This is highly prevalent in political discussions, where I’ve heard John Maynard Keynes butchered about 15 different ways during a given class period.
How was Keynes butchered?
The first song that came to mind was “Spirit in the Sky” because it seems like every other movie or trailer has it. So a quick confirmation at wiki revealed this:
“The song has been featured in many movies, including Superstar, Saving Grace, Contact, Michael (trailer only), Apollo 13, Remember the Titans, Ocean’s Eleven, Jesus Camp, Wayne’s World 2, The Sandlot 2, The Longest Yard, Knocked Up, Miami Blues, Universal Soldier II: Brothers In Arms, The War, The Wolves of Kromer, The Huntress, Forrest Gump, Evan Almighty, December Boys, “Sunshine Cleaning” “Angel Baby”, When I Die, and Ben Stein’s 2008 documentary “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed”.”
IMDB lists 36 movies and TV soundtracks with Spirit in the Sky:
“My Name Is Earl” (1 episode, 2009)
– Chaz Dalton’s Space Academy (2009) TV episode (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
W. (2008/I) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
… aka “Bush” – Japan (English title)
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
Sunshine Cleaning (2008) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
“M.V.P.” (1 episode, 2008)
… aka “MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives” – Canada (English title) (complete title)
– Game On (2008) TV episode (performer: “Spirit In The Sky”)
“House M.D.” (1 episode, 2007)
… aka “House” – South Africa (English title), USA (short title)
… aka “Dr. House” – Japan (English title) (second season title)
– Games (2007) TV episode (“Spirit in the sky”)
December Boys (2007) (“Spirit in the Sky”)
Das wilde Leben (2007) (performer: “Spirit In The Sky”)
… aka “Eight Miles High!” – Europe (English title)
Jesus Camp (2006) (performer: “Spirit In the Sky”)
“7th Heaven” (1 episode, 2005)
… aka “7th Heaven: Beginnings” – USA (rerun title)
– Mama’s Gonna Buy You a Diamond Ring (2005) TV episode (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
The Longest Yard (2005) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
The Sandlot 2 (2005) (V) (writer: “Spirit In The Sky”) (performer: “Spirit In The Sky”)
“Crossing Jordan” (1 episode, 2005)
– It Happened One Night (2005) TV episode (performer: “Spirit In The Sky” (uncredited))
“Undercover” (1 episode)
– Die Geisterjäger (????) TV episode (writer: “Spirit In The Sky”) (performer: “Spirit In The Sky”)
Purgatory House (2004) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
Breakfast with Hunter (2003) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
Halleluja (2002) (writer: “Spirit In The Sky”)
Ocean’s Eleven (2001) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
… aka “11″ – USA (promotional abbreviation)
… aka “O11″ – USA (informal short title)
“The Office” (1 episode, 2001)
– Judgement (2001) TV episode (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
Remember the Titans (2000) (writer: “Spirit In The Sky”) (performer: “Spirit In The Sky”)
Saving Grace (2000) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
Superstar (1999) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
The Secret Life of Girls (1999) (writer: “Spirit in The Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in The Sky”)
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms (1998) (TV) (writer: “Spirit In The Sky”) (performer: “Spirit In The Sky”)
… aka “Universal Soldier 2″ – Canada (English title) (DVD box title)
A Simple Plan (1998) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
The Wolves of Kromer (1998) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
My Name Is Joe (1998) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky”)
Contact (1997) (writer: “Spirit In The Sky”) (performer: “Spirit In The Sky”)
Michael (1996) (writer: “Spirit in the Sky” (1969) (uncredited)) (performer: “Spirit in the Sky” (1969) (uncredited))
Apollo 13 (1995) (writer: “SPIRIT IN THE SKY”) (performer: “SPIRIT IN THE SKY”)
… aka “Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience” – USA (IMAX version)
The War (1994) (writer: “Spirit In The Sky”) (performer: “Spirit In The Sky”)
Wayne’s World 2 (1993) (writer: “SPIRIT IN THE SKY”) (performer: “SPIRIT IN THE SKY”)
Household Saints (1993) (writer: “Spirit In the Sky”) (performer: “Spirit In the Sky”)
Miami Blues (1990) (writer: “SPIRIT IN THE SKY”)
Maid to Order (1987) (music: “Spirit In The Sky”) (lyrics: “Spirit In The Sky”)
Montgolfier of Death (1986) (writer: “SPIRIT IN THE SKY”) (performer: “SPIRIT IN THE SKY”)
How about The Girl from Ipanema, which is in so many elevator scenes since The Blues Brothers?
Aaahhhh.
I’ve heard a lot of similarities used in the chorals of Conan the Barbarian, both in TV and movies. I don’t know the origins, but it’s a haunting melody. Could be a Gregorian chant for all I know.
Hmm, is it O Fortuna from the Carmina Burana? Even if it wasn’t the one used in Conan, O Fortuna gets used all the time as a generic epic theme.