Not that song again! Couldn't they've used something else.
"Okay let's rock." Welcome to watch mojo.com
and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 overused songs
in film and TV
For this list we've picked those overplayed and overused songs
that always seem to find their way into a movie soundtrack or
onto television shows
We're not only talking numbers here but also considering the quality
or rather lack there of, in the common usage of the songs
we're excluding purely instrumental songs and film scores,
so don't expect to see songs like 0'Fortuna,
the theme from Jaws,
and the Nutcracker Suite on here
Number 10: All Along the Watchtower, the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
of this song
usually denotes that something epic is about to happen when you hear it
on-screen. ``I think it might be narcotic`` `Is that so`
That epicness
usually involves someone tripping on drugs for the first time
` Wow ...That is very cosmic I don't understand wow`
but the best uses of all along the watchtower have deviated from that very
obvious hippy sentiment
Case in point, Battlestar Galactica uses the song throughout the series,
to mark major events for the characters
The psychedelic rocker has also been used as a marker
to let audiences know that it's the nineteen sixties and has basically
become the
unofficial anthem for the period.
`There must be some kind of way out of here`
We'll always be looking for this guy named Charlie
Number 9: Gimme Shelter,
the Rolling Stones
casino boss`s wife were killed
they both question Nicky
Martin Scorsese's movies probably count for half of the plays this song gets on
screen.
`No one gives it dear, you have to take it`
Like Gimme Shelter. also has a reputation for meaning that something intense is
about to happen.
That can be emotionally and romantically intense
as it is in Layer Cake,
or that everything is about to hit the fan, like it does in the bus sequence
of GoodFellas. `Took me about a week of sneaking around before I could unload the
Pittsburgh stuff but when I did
it was a real score` The Stones have so many incredible songs
we're thinking this one might deserve a retirement party soon.
Number 8: Walking on Sunshine, Katrina and the Waves.
This song may have been the group's biggest hit,
but it`s also guaranteed their spot
in pop culture.
The pop-rock number sounds like Sunshine, Rainbows
and Everything Nice, so it's always played to make sure we know that an on-screen
character is feeling good.
The most creative use of the Katrina and the Waves single, must be
in American Psycho though during the scene in which Patrick Bateman listens
to it after a successful night
of killing.
Walking on Sunshine has appeared in dosens of projects,
including films, TV shows, video games and more
but maybe it's about time that it walks away.
`Listen to me, I wasn`t supposed to find the....`
Number 7: Bad to the Bone, George Thorogood and the Destroyers.
`Then it hit me,
if I was the bad boy, then I was going to be the baddest boy
of them all`
Isn't most unlikely person about to rebel ? If so, cue
this song. "We can have sex again"
this song seems to appear everytime middle-aged men wanna be badasses
old people go on a trip, or kids feel the urge to rebel.
"I'll take a whack at it"
Before I had such an ironic use,
after the bomb was used with sincerity. `...is one thing I know I really know,
and that is there no such thing in the world as a bad boy, I'm sure of that`
For example, it plays in Terminator 2 Judgment Day
after the t-800 suits up in his leather motorcycle outfit.
the tracks opening guitar riff makes it instantly recognizable
and alerts the audience to watch out for whoever's on-screen.
Number 6 :
Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd.
This Lynyrd Skynyrd track seems to be the only tune about the South
that Hollywood knows about .
and if the on-screen setting isn't actually in the south
filmmakers seem to use it when they want the audience to know a character is a
backwards country hick
done
only make a stop
Sweet Home Alabama may often be used to stereotype
but its two best uses were in scenes in which was used
ironically in Conair. `Be fine irony Bunch of idiots
dancing on a plane to a song made famous by a man that died
in a plane crash.` And humorously in 8 Mile. `Because I live at home in
the trailer....
Mama coming home to you`
`Oh..Break it down, oh`
Number 5: Kung Fu Fighting, Carl Douglas.
The inclusion of this funky disco tune means we`re about to engage
in some whacky fighting. `Good to see you again brother`
When this Carl Douglas number comes on
it pretty much guarantees that no one in the scene actually knows kung fu
or even a good fighter.
` I may not be the best ninja, I may not be one with the
universe
but I will tell you this, no one messes with my brother`
everybody with or if they can fight it
or if they can fight it is almost by miracle. Interestingly enough this song was originally recorded
as a b-side so the producer decided to go over the top with the
Asian theme grip in the background. we were trying set me up, pop `
`Everybody was kung fu fighting..` Well, Kung Fu Fighting
was fun at the time of its release, now it seems way past it's due date.
`...Everybody was kung fu fighting..There never ...`.`
but yeah
`There's only one thing a kid can do at a a moment like this, Strike !`
Number 4: Stayin` Alive, The Bee Gees.
Originally created for the Saturday Night Fever movie soundtrack
this disco tune seems to have really outgrown its source.
sure. When older viewers hear the Bee Gees crooning they immediately think of
John Travolta striding along the sidewalk,
but there have just been so many other
on screen uses up the chart topper to denote when someone thinks he's a pretty
cool customer.
Especially when other people do not. `Hey, you`re out of town
princess remember
It certainly has a great vibe
but its also one of the biggest earworms ever, so
more often than not it can be quite distracting. `You, idiot boy, go cover the cash register....
Idiot boy, go cover the cash register! `
Number 3: Over the Rainbow, Judy Garland.
The filmmakers behind The Wizard of Oz probably never thought this song would
become such a standout track
and a cultural phenomenon`. . `Don`t stop Mikey, keep crooning`
`Some day over the rainbow..
There's no denying the ballad was a beautiful addition to the musical
fantasy
but it now too often been advertly used
to make the audience feel a sense of nostalgia
I wanted it to be you
over the rainbow has appeared in one hundred on-screen projects
and shows no signs of slowing down, it may go down as one of the most emotional
songs ever
but its also often cringe-worthy too. `Dreams really do.......
come true......`
`Special song on after you....... right now`
Number 2: What a Wonderful World,
Louis Armstrong. ` I see trees of green....... `
If you want viewers to cry, then this is the song to put in your sound track.
Every time What a Wonderful World plays
it pretty much means that something awful happened but that we should still
have faith in humanity.
`Well that that's good, yes that's.. that's good `
or, that something truly beautiful has just happened. `I think to myself.....
what a wonderful ......`
Either way Louis Armstrong's traditional pop tune has become too
emotionally manipulative and its on-screen inclusion seems
unoriginal at best. `Welcome to the world `
Movies like Journey 2, the Mysterious Island attempt to make it new
by offering alternative versions of the original.
be easy
but we see what they're doing. Stop.
Before we unveil our number one pick here are a few
honorable mentions.
`Ooooh.....`
`Ready` `....Oooohhhhh` ......Close your eyes.... good boy...`
Close your eyes.... Good boy !
`Something happening here.....`
`One day, we was out walking like always, and then
just like that,
somebody turned off the rain and the sun came out`
`I feel the bad moon rising........ I see trouble on the way`
Number one: Born to be Wild,
Steppenwolf.
You can almost hear a motorcycle revving up
each time this song comes on
originally and masterfully used in Easy Rider the hard rocker truly captured the
spirit
up sixties counterculture a sense americana
and the quest for freedom
however the entertainment industry has pretty much ruined those positive
connotations with the Steppenwolf song
by including it in close to a hundred other productions
know it's also appeared in movies featuring: or about animals
Born to be Wild is now too often used in a very cliche
way to represent someone who feels liberated.
Do you agree with our list?
Which song do you think is overused on-screen
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