Best Movie "Signature" Songs

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 12/20/16 at 4:03pm

With La La Land (according to some) potentially reviving the Hollywood musical...alongside new animated musicals like Moana and Sing...I think it'd be fun to talk about our favorite (or the best) "signature" tunes from films (but not adaptations of stage shows unless a new song was written). Examples:

"Faith" from Sing, "How Far I'll Go" from Moana, "City of Stars" from La La Land, "I See the Light" from Tangled, "Cinema Italiano" from Nine, "Loving You" from Mame, the title song of Singin' in the Rain...

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/20/16 at 4:13pm

Well I love all the ones from Disney - "Part of your World," "Beauty and the Beast," "Circle of Life," "A Whole New World," and so on and so forth. 

Also, more objectively speaking, in the history of signature songs from movie musicals, it's tough to beat "Over the Rainbow"

[kdogg36]

Posted: 12/20/16 at 4:42pm

I think "Colors of the Wind" is one of the most gorgeous songs I've ever heard. The version from the movie, I mean - the orchestrations are incredibly stirring and vivid, and of course Judy Kuhn knows how to sell it. I also think the lyrics are among Stephen Schwartz's very best, full of clever rhymes, alliteration, and word play. 

I've never actually seen the movie, but that's my pick. :)

Updated On: 12/20/16 at 04:42 PM

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/20/16 at 5:23pm

JBroadway said: "Well I love all the ones from Disney - "Part of your World," "Beauty and the Beast," "Circle of Life," "A Whole New World," and so on and so forth. 

Also, more objectively speaking, in the history of signature songs from movie musicals, it's tough to beat "Over the Rainbow""

Yes. Kind of tough to beat "Over the Rainbow".  Up there for me are "That's Entertainment" from The Bandwagon;  "White Christmas" from Holiday Inn, pick an Elvis Presley tune - Jailhouse Rock, Viva Las Vegas.  Bye Bye Birdie written for the film version.  "I remember it well" from Gigi.  "Once Upon A December" from Anastasia.  "Blame Canada" or "What would Brian Boitano do?" from South Park.  "Falling Slowly" from Once.  "Candyman" or "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka.  

 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 12/20/16 at 5:49pm

"Easy to Love" from Born to Dance. "The Man That Got Away" from A Star is Born.

My favorite and perhaps a lesser-known one, "You And I" from Goodbye Mr. Chips. Petula Clark sings it so beautifully and the melody and lyric get me every time. There's a recording by Barbara Cook out there that's great too.

 

[The Glenbuck Laird]

Posted: 12/20/16 at 5:50pm

Yellow Submarine.

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/20/16 at 6:08pm

My bad. Forgot "Theme from New York New York".  Other than "over the rainbow", I don't know that it gets any more signature than that.  

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/20/16 at 6:27pm

"Maybe This Time " has been included in subsequent productions of Cabaret, but it was not in the original. It was popularized when it was added to the movie, and it's one of my favorites. 

Updated On: 12/21/16 at 06:27 PM

[green waver]

Posted: 12/20/16 at 11:09pm

"Moon River" and "Alfie" completely define the films they're from. Impossible to think of BAT or Alfie without hearing the songs in your brain.

[The Other One]

Posted: 12/21/16 at 6:49am

Moon River gets my vote.

[EvanstonDad]

Posted: 12/21/16 at 9:03am

"I Will Wait for You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, "For All We Know" from Lovers and Other Strangers, "Ready to Take a Chance Again" from Foul Play, "The Last Time I Felt Like This" from Same Time, Next Year, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" from Mannequin.

[Colle]

Posted: 12/21/16 at 1:16pm

One of my favorites is "Somewhere Out There" from "An American Tail."

[JennH]

Posted: 12/21/16 at 2:06pm

kdogg36 said: "I think "Colors of the Wind" is one of the most gorgeous songs I've ever heard. The version from the movie, I mean - the orchestrations are incredibly stirring and vivid, and of course Judy Kuhn knows how to sell it. I also think the lyrics are among Stephen Schwartz's very best, full of clever rhymes, alliteration, and word play. 

I've never actually seen the movie, but that's my pick. :)

 

"

1. You've never seen Pocahontas....GET ON THAT...RIGHT NOW!! I don't care what anyone says about it being not as good as what came before it, because that's nonsense. It's JUST as good. The only reason people think it's not 'great' is because of the fact that Lion King came right before. Which of course is brilliant! LK and B and B are what every other Disney film that came after them are measures against, and for good reason. While Pocahontas IS different than it's predecessors, it's still a great film! And if you want to talk about clever lyrics by Schwartz and his word play, let's about "Mine Mine Mine", one of the greatest and most underrated Disney villains songs sung by one of the greatest and most underrated Disney Villains... Seriously this is a MUST watch for any Disney enthusiast, especially since it's theme is still timeless and still relevant, and will always be so. GET.ON.THIS.

 

2. As to a signature tune, are we talking about just any movies' signature tune or signature tunes that have stood the test of time/are timeless/ones that the whole planet knows? I mean it's hard to beat the TRUE Disney classics. Moon River and Somewhere Out There...dear heavens yes. Over the Rainbow just goes without saying, it's almost pointless to list it. 

In the spirit of Christmas, Silver Bells, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and obviously White Christmas are their respective films' signature tunes, and also are pieces that have become American Songbook/Pop standards outside of their films, so much so that today's populace forgets they're actually from a movie.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 12/23/16 at 2:46pm

To Boomers or older, "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca would immediately come to mind. Technically it doesn't belong here, since it was written for a 1931 musical, but it was very obscure until it was inserted into Casablanca. In 2004 the American Film Institute gave it the number two spot on its list of 100 Greatest Film Songs. If you want to see the list:

http://www.afi.com/100Years/songs.aspx

I sometimes wonder what younger people make out of Casablanca, so venerated and still quoted by the older.  This one when hypocrisy is the subject:

“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here!” (The croupier hands the police captain his money.) “…Your winnings, sir.” “Oh, thank you very much!”

This when two close friends are separating, possibly never to meet again:

“We’ll always have Paris." (Rick to Ilsa just before she boards the plane to leave Casablanca.)

This when a lover meets his former flame, and all the pain of separation comes flooding back.

“Go ahead and shoot. You’ll be doing me a favor.”  (Rick to Ilsa, who is holding a gun to his head)

I wonder if many younger people have ever seen it. It was not thought to be anything special while it was being made. Just another melodrama coming out of the Warner film factory.

Another song: "Laura" from the film noir of the same name. Usually described as "haunting."

 

 

[The Other One]

Posted: 12/23/16 at 7:05pm

OK, it's sung over the action, and not by a character in the film, but "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 12/23/16 at 9:47pm

I mean... I guess I'll be the one to say "Let It Go"

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/23/16 at 10:01pm

Drive It Like You Stole It from "Sing Street."  If you haven't seen Sing Street yet, it's streaming on Netflix and absolutely worth watching - it's fantastic.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 12/24/16 at 4:08am

Just for the record, "Singin' in the Rain" was published years and recorded multiple times before the making of the film of the same name. Per Wiki, it may have been written as early as 1927. Maybe the publishing date doesn't matter, since the song achieved a "signature" association with the film made a decade and a half later.

But Neil Sedaka's "Where the Boys Are" should be added to the list of greatest title songs.

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 12/24/16 at 4:14am

"Journey to the Past" and "Once Upon A December" - the former more so.

[The Josh]

Posted: 12/24/16 at 5:09am

I'm a sucker for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, especially "Out There"

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 12/25/16 at 12:10pm

I'm glad someone finally mentioned "Let it Go."

"Can You Read My Mind?" from Superman, was a lovely song. It was Oscar nominated, I think. In fact, it may have won.

One of the most famous doesn't have words -- "Dueling Banjos," from Deliverance.

I think Elton John's and Bernie Taupin's "Your Song" may have come from a movie.

Audrey

[green waver]

Posted: 1/3/17 at 8:57pm

Not to be a factcheck dork, but "Dueling Banjos" like Singing in the Rain and As Time Goes By, had been around for years before it was used in its film. Also Your Song was not from a film, although it does have a cinematic feel to it.

[Sunny11]

Posted: 1/3/17 at 9:39pm

Mine are all instrumental songs but the theme songs for Star Wars, Indiana Jones and  Back to the Future.

The opening notes of Circle of Life from the Lion King always gives me the chills too.

[RJ14]

Posted: 1/4/17 at 5:08am

I just saw La La Land and I think Audition (The Fools Who Dream) captures the meaning and essence of the film best. It's such an 11 o'clock number I love it. 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 1/5/17 at 10:52am

Has anyone seen "Molly Pope in A Star is Born" at 54 Below? The concept of that is very close to what I'm doing with my Into the Woods suite. Although Into the Woods doesn't really have a "signature" number, I'm curious to know if the audience can follow the story presented in such a manner.