When a musician or band is tasked with penning a theme song for a film, they are traditionally given the script, as well as set up with a screening for said film that is in a roughly edited state, i.e. sans music or effects of any kind.
Capturing the tone, essence and emotive power of a filmmaker’s vision is one of the more challenging aspects of the cinematic creative process. When it’s done well, it is extraordinary and adds layers upon layers of greatness to the movie going experience for the viewers.
There have been countless theme songs penned for flicks since Hollywood started churning out celluloid over a century ago. As a longtime appreciator of film and music, this is a topic especially near and dear to my heart. So, it occurred to me… what are the best movie theme songs?
An expansive list resulted from that inquiry and I have narrowed down the best to 24 movie theme songs that are truly pitch perfect.
These are priceless movie moments—sonic succulence meets fantastical film. It all adds up to a mesmerizing and unforgettable marriage between musician and filmmaker. It is important to point out that these are the movie theme songs that were specifically written for the film and we are not counting movie musicals. Also, these are in no particular order.
Sit back, relax and prepare to crank up the volume. The Movie Mensch presents the 24 movie theme songs that hit all the high notes where a song elevates the film and in turn, the movie sends the musical moment into the stratosphere as an indelible pop culture moment.
Which songs made the list and why? Read on…
Don’t You Forget About Me from The Breakfast Club
Exiting the theater, after witnessing the instant classic that is The Breakfast Club, audiences were left with a melodic retelling of the movie itself by one of the 80s most underrated bands, Simple Minds. Don’t You Forget About Me embodied the messages of John Hughes smash hit that transcends time and took things a step further.
Although sparsely mentioned towards the end of the film, how these group of teens would interact with one another once school itself restarted on Monday was front and center on everyone’s minds. The theme song captured the essence of that sentiment and as music does, continues to remind us of the brilliance of The Breakfast Club decades after it rocked our collective worlds. At any given moment that hit song is on somewhere (repeatedly) every single day.
Best lyric:
“Will you stand above me, look my way and never love me? Will you recognize me, call my name, or walk on by?”
Blaze of Glory from Young Guns II
Jon Bon Jovi gets it. Rarely do sequels receive, and deserve, a theme song worthy of the goings-on of the story played out the big screen. Young Guns II bucked that trend and achieved greatness with one of the most pitch perfect rock and roll sonic matches for western cinema ever achieved.
Between the vocal tones of Bon Jovi himself to the lyrics that impeccably describe what it’s like to be a wandering soul in the old west where an old jacket is your pillow and the earth serves as your bed, it is a slice of magnificent melodic mastery. Now, given the specific plot of the film itself, the Bon Jovi lead singer exquisitely captures what our anti-heroes go through in the 1990 flick.
Best lyric:
“I never drew first, but always drew first blood.”
Iris from City of Angels
The person tasked with writing a musical theme to the Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan romance City of Angles certainly had their work cut out for them. When it came to pen a theme song that captured the film’s emotive power of an angel from heaven (Cage), who gave up his wings permanently so he could follow his heart and embrace what he felt was a timeless love affair with an earthly soul (Ryan), Goo Goo Dolls’ lead singer John Rzeznik captured lightning in a bottle with Iris.
It’s one of those movie themes (like all on this list) where one cannot hear the track, years later, and not imagine moments from the movie itself. It’s impossible. That alone is why it is one of the greatest. Then, as we delve deeper into the strength of the track itself, it only enhances its brilliance. From its acoustic guitar beginnings to its power ballad crescendos, Iris is a towering theme triumph.
Best lyric:
“I’d give up forever to touch you, ‘cause I know that you feel me somehow. You’re the closest to heaven, that I’ve ever be, and I don’t want to go home right now.”
My Heart Will Go On from Titanic
Say what you will about Celine Dion’s epic My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, but you would be hard pressed to find a theme song that matched its film more emotionally congruent than the Oscar winning track. Sure, its schmaltzy. But, isn’t the film? James Cameron’s blockbuster is an overly romantic, in a couple of teenage kids who fall in love and believe that the world will end if either of them is separated from the other type of way. Then again, so is the Best Picture winner as a whole. See what we’re getting at here?
It’s a perfect movie theme song. For those who are emotionally enraptured by the story of Jack and Rose, try listening to My Heart Will Go On all these decades later and manage to hold back a little mist from your eyes. Can’t do it, can you? Job… achieved.
Best lyric:
“Love can touch us one time, and last for a lifetime and never let go till we’re gone.”
Skyfall from Skyfall
Sense a theme here? Pun intended! Another Oscar winning song that warrants being called one of the best at mirroring cinematic sentiment sonically … is Adelle’s riveting Skyfall from the Sam Mendes directed James Bond epic of the same name.
From its opening orchestral notes that fade into a piano introduction, this thing is pure Bondian. One of the most talented vocal presences of our generation, or any for that matter—Adele—commences her amazing auditory assault on audiences as the visual intro of Skyfall starts. Little did anyone know, in those early film moments, that the lyrics and the musical menagerie of Adele’s smash hit would foreshadow the drama that lies ahead in Skyfall.
Best Bond theme since Live and Let Die and then of course, Goldfinger. The thing that Skyfall possesses over those classics is simple, the vocal vibrancy of Adele. It is sublime. It is sensational.
Best lyric:
“Where worlds collide, and days are dark, you may have my number, you can take my name—But you’ll never have my heart.”
Lose Yourself from 8 Mile
One of the greatest Oscar musical moments of all time arrived when Lose Yourself triumphed at the Oscars. It was a breakthrough for hip-hop music. The track, for Eminem and his semi-autobiographical 8 Mile, achieved something through rap that few songs could achieve with—for lack of a better phrase—simple lyrics. Em tells the story of 8 Mile in a matter of five minutes and as such, takes us on a journey of a living in poverty soul meeting the American dream and how the two intersect in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Detroit.
The way Eminem(real name Marshall Mathers), paints a picture with his prose has always been one of his biggest assets. But with the medium of film and movie music, it is a priceless gift and one that shines through every single beat of Lose Yourself. You feel his pain. You feel his urgency. Heck, you feel everything. For my best lyric, we had to go with an entire verse. Take it away, Em.
Best lyric:
I’ve got to formulate a plot fore I end up in jail or shot, success is my only (expletive) option, failures not. Mom, I love you, but this trail has got to go. I cannot grow old in Salem’s lot,
So here I go is my shot. Feet fail me not ’cause maybe the only opportunity that I got
I Believe I Can Fly from Space Jam
Say what you will about R. Kelly and his non-music activities, but in 1996 when he was asked to sing the theme song to a movie that found NBA all-time greatest (sorry LeBron, he is) player Michael Jordan “acting” opposite Bugs Bunny and his Looney Toon friends, he nailed it with I Believe I Can Fly.
It is about as inspirational of a song as one can have, and it is easy to forget that it provided the theme to a hybrid live action-animated movie starring a non-actor and beloved cartoon characters. But, the theme was everything. All those characters in the movie, besides MJ, had to dig deeply within themselves to find something to rally with to achieve greatness on the court. It also manages to transcend film as the song is timelessly inspiring to anyone seeking to go that extra mile and leap over all that blocks our hopes and dreams. Having R. Kelly joined by a gospel chorus as the song crescendos, it only elevates that sentiment … and gives chills upon chills.
Best lyric:
“See I was on the verge of breaking down, sometimes silence can seem so loud. There are miracles in life I must achieve. But first I know it starts inside of me.”
Footloose from Footloose
I gotta cut loose whenever I hear Footloose and it immediately takes me back to that middle America tale about a fish out of water (Kevin Bacon) who moves to a small town where dancing is illegal. Yup, no way to get Footloose if you can shake your feet and tailfeathers. Kenny Loggins was on a cinematic roll back in the 80s, what with his work on Caddyshack and Top Gun. But there was something extra special about what he crafted with this titular theme song.
The first sign of a song that transcends the film itself is that it is timeless. Try attending a party, wedding reception, bar, etc. and hear that track three decades after it accompanied Bacon and his buddies to their much-earned prom and try, we dare you, to not tap your toes when Logins’ chorus kicks in… it’s impossible. Can’t. Be. Done. Gotta get loose, baby, Footloose.
Best lyric:
“I’ve got this feeling, that time’s just holding me down. I’ll hit the ceiling or else I’ll tear up this town.”
Holiday Road from National Lampoon’s Vacation
Sometimes the strangest things add up to something brilliant. Who knew that the tonal qualities of Fleetwood Mac singer Lindsey Buckingham’s voice, matched with the comic manic-ness of Chevy Chase, and that it would produce pure cinematic gold with the singer’s theme song to National Lampoon’s Vacation?
It did. Not only did producers have an impeccable track to accompany the visuals of the trailer, but it served the film itself in a myriad of ways. Holiday Road embodied the film perfectly, yes, but it also is a musical snapshot of that iconic family road trip vacation.
Best lyric:
“I found out long ago, it’s a long way down the holiday road.”
Regulate from Above the Rim
Regulators!
Sometimes a theme song from a film does not have to describe or reflect the goings-on of the drama, comedy or what have you. Merely capturing the spirit of what went on throughout two hours of cinematic escapism is where the wisdom lies.
That is firmly where Regulate by Warren G and Nate Dogg found its triumph.
The duo dazzlingly provided a sonic tone to accompany Jeff Pollack’s filmmaking vision in the rarest of manners. Sampling Michael McDonald’s I Keep Forgetting didn’t hurt things, either!
Best lyric:
“So, I hooks a left on the 21 to Lewis. Some brothas shootin dice so I said, ‘let’s do this’
I jumped out the ride, and said ‘what’s up?’ Some brothas pulled some gats so I said ‘I’m stuck’”
Secret Garden from Jerry Maguire
To paraphrase a line from Cameron Crowe’s classic Jerry Maguire, Bruce Springsteen had us with the opening notes of his theme song, Secret Garden. With its peaceful keyboard and acoustic guitar strumming opening, to its deep from the heart lyrics, singer and cinema make a match right out of heaven.
Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger made the most beautiful music together with their performances in the story of a high-profile sports agent who loses everything only to realize that all he needed the entire time was right in front of him. Springsteen penned a love letter to the two characters, but in the end the song worked most brilliantly as a love letter to this most beautiful of films.
Best lyric:
“She’ll let you in her car to go drivin’ round. She’ll let you into the parts of herself, that’ll bring you down”
Flash from Flash Gordon
Sure, Flash Gordon is an acquired taste. Let’s just say that the super hero film that was decades ahead of its time was a bit of a bomb when it landed in theaters in 1980 (Hey, it was a good “birthday movie” for this guy and his buddies!). Since then, the film has become a cult hit and joining it is the Queen soundtrack that could not be more pitch perfect cinematically if it tried. Since we are talking theme songs here and not entire scores, let’s get specific.
The song, Flash, embodies the entire experience of witnessing the campy comic book brought to the silver screen that finds Sam Jones as the New York Jets quarterback who gets swept up in an intergalactic battle with the evil Ming the Merciless (brilliantly played by Max von Sydow). I was taken aback that it was not included in the song list for the Bohemian Rhapsody flick that chronicled the iconic run of Queen and Freddie Mercury. But, guess for most people that film and its soundtrack still possesses a stink. For this guy, it is still one of the best movie theme songs of all time.
Best lyric:
“Flash! Ah-ah, savior of the universe. Flash! Ah-ah, he’ll save everyone of us”
Burn from The Crow
Why doesn’t Robert Smith and The Cure provide more sonic succulence for the cinema? With what Smith and his band of brothers achieved with their theme song to The Crow—that is a great question. In fact, Smith should have explored penning full film scores after the triumphant success of their bodacious Burn—from the tragically fateful graphic novel turned silver screen milestone.
Smith’s haunting and unique voice, coupled with his band’s trademark melancholy tone embody a song that firmly and keenly understands the message and breadth of the cinematic experience that is The Crow.
Best lyric:
“Just paint your face, the shadows smile. Slipping me away from you. Oh, it doesn’t matter how you hide. Find you if we’re wanting to”
Save Me from Magnolia
Aimee Mann lost her Oscar to Phil Collins (and his song about a monkey). Her theme song, Save Me, from Magnolia should have been the rightful Academy Award winner for Best Original Song. It is one of the bigger mind-blowing moments in Academy history. But, that is neither here nor there for this article.
Try watching Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece and not welling up when the fateful conclusion plays out as Mann’s haunting poetry and musical mastery angelically hangs over Anderson’s visual wizardry.
Best lyric:
“You know what it’s like, the long farewell, of the hunger strike, but can you save me”
Theme from Shaft from Shaft
Not only does Isaac Hayes nail the atmosphere of the 70s classic Shaft with his theme, but he takes it a step further. He gives the title character himself a theme song and it is one for the ages. As the film commences, the song plays and before an image has been shown, the audience has about as clear of an idea of what they are in for than any other movie theme since James Bond.
From those opening 70s guitar riffs to its heavily orchestrated disco-ish arrangement, Theme from Shaft makes us want to don dark sunglasses and saunter down the street trying to be half as cool as the titular bad ass.
Best lyric:
“Who’s the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks? (Shaft!) You’re damn right”
Mrs. Robinson from The Graduate
The whispery tones of the initial bars of Simon and Garfunkel’s big hit from the smash movie, impeccably nails the charming chaos of The Graduate. It is a film (and a song) that took a generation and an entire nation by storm in 1968.
It was a confusing time in America, especially if you were a young person like Dustin Hoffman’s lead is in Mike Nichols’ stunning triumph. In this case, the lyrics itself might not mirror the plot twists of the profound film. Sure, they address the sensuous siren at the heart of Hoffman’s journey. But in this case, a majority of why Simon and Garfunkel made movie magic with Mrs. Robinson lies in the nuanced, layered complete package that mirrors the instant classic. The feel is everything.
Best lyric:
“And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know. God bless you, please, Mrs. Robinson, heaven holds a place for those who pray”
Fight the Power from Do the Right Thing
When Spike Lee sought a theme song for his explosive Do the Right Thing, keenly knowing the content and the message of his entire endeavor, there had to be little hesitation with who to turn to for raising the roof. Providing the searing music to bring his silver screen point home was always Public Enemy.
Public Enemy has continually shared a strong societal sentiment with what the young filmmaker was all about. After witnessing what Lee had brought to the screen, Chuck D tapped his own history growing up in New York City and it innately mirrored Lee’s vision. The rest was history. To this day the song stands for rightful revolution and it is hardly a surprise that Lee has tapped that well again, using it in his latest trailers for his new film, BlackkKlansman.
Best lyric:
“Our freedom of speech is freedom or death. We got to fight the powers that be.”
Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz
I mean, please, you cannot expect us to pen a list like this and not include the original, and probably most iconic, movie track written for a film?
It is impossible to separate Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz. Nor should we ever seek to undertake that endeavor. It is an existential representation of what it means to be lost and find oneself on the other side of that fateful rainbow. It may have taken a tornado to whip Dorothy (ironically played by Judy Garland) to the titular locale, but it was what happened in the land of Oz that made her come to the priceless realization that “there is no place like home.”
Best lyric:
“Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly and the dreams that you dare to, oh why, oh why can’t I?”
This is Not America from The Falcon and the Snowman
David Bowie’s haunting voice (with Pat Metheny Group’s musical accompaniment) could not have been a better vocal representation of the plot, the players, the costs and the pained reality of the true story at the center of John Schlesinger’s powerful 1985 film.
Sean Penn played Daulton Lee, an American who would disgrace his country by selling secrets to the Russians at the heart of the Cold War. Timothy Hutton portrayed Christopher Boyce, his best friend, and collectively the two actors expertly captured what exactly it means to be a “best friend” and all that entails. There was much going on in the world that could have clouded the judgement of Lee, and that myriad of confusion is perfectly put to music by one of the greatest musicians of all time in Bowie.
Best lyric:
“A little piece of you. The little peace in me will die. For this is not America”
Fame from Fame
The chorus of the 1980 smash hit film, that would eventually become a short-lived TV series, expertly sums up the entire movie experience. The song peaked at number four on the Billboard charts and spent a stunning 26 weeks on the fabled Top 100. Wonder why? Just listen to it and try not to be swept away to scenes from the film, such as when the students of the New York City arts high school strewn into the streets to dance their little talented tails off.
There is something truly fleeting about fame and it is expertly captured in an under-four-minute track meant to encapsulate the entire experience of witnessing the Alan Parker flick. Irene Cara not only starred in the hit film, but also provided her vocal vibrancy to several songs from it. Sure, Out Here on My Own is a personal favorite and packs an emotional wallop, but when it comes to the “theme” of the movie, the title track triumphs.
Best lyric:
“Remember my name, fame. I’m gonna live forever. I’m gonna learn how to fly, high”
Gonna Fly Now from Rocky
When Gonna Fly Now from Rocky commences, the moment the trumpet starts its call to arms, goose bumps traverse the body. Many film songs try to embody the spirit and soul of not only the film itself, but the emotive richness of the scene where it lives and breathes. Few achieved greatness in that capacity as much as Gonna Fly Now did for the underdog story of all underdog stories, Rocky.
The track is so visceral and commanding. It provides a sensory-triggered memory of the marriage of that movie moment and the song. We also believe that many a workout was commenced after Conti’s chilling anthem played. Ready to beat the odds? Hit play on Gonna Fly Now.
Best lyric:
“Gonna fly now, flying high now”
9 to 5 from 9 to 5
Dolly Parton is a national treasure. That goes without saying. Over her career she has accomplished so much, it’s hard to know where to start with the accolades. One triumph of hers was not only starring in the iconic comedy, 9 to 5, but also immaculately capturing the message of the film in her song. Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star as a trio of talented secretaries who, in the early 80s, were still decades away from #MeToo and had to endure daily harassment from their overbearing boss (played by Dabney Coleman).
The ladies would get their due in the most comedic and rewarding of fashions. Parton took that sentiment and put it to words and music and in the process, penned a classic about the workplace—that is as resonant today as it was in 1980.
Best lyric:
“They let you dream just to watch them shatter. You’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder.
But you got dreams he’ll never take away”
Coming Around Again from Heartburn
The great Mike Nichols made many amazing decisions throughout his career. Choosing Carly Simon to sing Coming Around Again for his based on a true story of a marriage gone south due to infidelity stunner Heartburn may have been one of his best.
Simon wrote the song for the 1986 release that took us inside the head and emotive volcano that was Meryl Streep’s character, Rachel—who was married to Watergate legend Carl Bernstein. She had to deal with his moodiness at the least and his infidelity at the most. Simon’s delivery of the song’s lyrics, coupled with its soul stirring sonic succulence, added up to a simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking musical movie moment.
Best lyric:
“Baby sneezes, mummy pleases. Daddy breezes in. So good on paper, so romantic but so bewildering”
America from The Jazz Singer
Neil Diamond had many tracks on the soundtrack to The Jazz Singer that have transcended time, including Love on the Rocks. But, when it comes to a song that embodies the spirit and spiritual sense of the film, he chose America. When he finally plays the track in the film, his stoic father who disapproves of his life choice of becoming a singer is in the audience, staring up at him singing. He could not be more unmoved. Then, the words start to sink into his soul and he realizes that this song is not only about him and his journey to America and the hope of a better life, but to an entire swatch of people who sought the same. Papa stands and cheers, and so do we.
We still do as this smash hit has become a Fourth of July anthem and rightfully so. See, at the heart of The Jazz Singer is an immigrant’s wish to come to the song’s titular country for a chance to have their family improve their stead in the world. Part of that freedom is inherent in that the child of the immigrant has choices that the parent didn’t. They might not approve, but in the end, parents will realize that that is exactly why they came to America.
Best lyric:
“Far, we’ve been traveling far. Without a home, but not without a star. Free, only want to be free
We huddle close, hang on to a dream”
City of Stars from La La Land
It would be impossible to build a list such as this and not include City of Stars from La La Land. Yes, I wanted to avoid musicals because I feel that doesn’t play fair. This had to be an exception. This particular song from a movie filled with songs is a stand-out due to the fact that it impeccably describes the tone of the film, but also the entity that is the city of Los Angeles and why so many make a pilgrimage there to pursue dreams. It won Best Original Song at the 2018 Oscars and rightfully so … it nails it
It’s fascinating because this is one of the simplest songs, if not the simplest, on this list. The lyrics are under 20 total words. Yup, that’s it! But so much is said with so little. It truly is something else.
Best lyric (heck, this is all the lyrics!):
“City of stars, are you shining just for me? City of stars, there’s so much that I can’t see. Who knows? Is this the start of something wonderful and new? Or one more dream that I cannot make true?”
Call Me from American Gigolo
One of my favorite songs of all time is Call Me by Blondie. The seminal 70s-80s band recorded the smash hit single and theme song to the Richard Gere breakout hit, American Gigolo and knocked it out of the park.
The lyrics paint a picture of paid-for love in luxury, just like the movie itself. It’s impossible to hear the song, all these decades later, and not picture Gere in his cinematic sexiest breaking hearts and counting cash.
Best lyric
“Cover me with kisses, baby, Cover me with love. Roll me in designer sheets, I’ll never get enough.”