- 2 months ago
You might be surprised to learn where these iconic tunes originated! Join us as we count down songs that were originally written for movies but achieved such massive independent success that most people have forgotten their cinematic roots. From Whitney Houston's powerful ballads to Elvis's romantic classic, these tracks took on lives of their own!
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00Ain't love a kick in the head!
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for songs that were originally written for a film,
00:14only to achieve such independent success that most fans have forgotten its roots.
00:20Number 10. I Have Nothing and Run to You, Whitney Houston, The Bodyguard.
00:24Disciples of the Voice cherished The Bodyguard for debuting her iconic cover of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You.
00:43But the award buzz at the time was focused on two original ballads written for Whitney Houston's character, Rachel Maron.
00:48I Have Nothing even topped multiple charts in North America, and went on to become one of the singer's best-selling singles.
00:54Don't walk away from me. I have nothing, nothing, nothing.
01:06Run to You had a slower pace commercially, but was equally acclaimed.
01:09These two passionate power ballads became staples for Houston, despite still being overshadowed by I Will Always Love You.
01:15Between the stellar sales of The Bodyguard's soundtrack overall, and the song's distinction in an illustrious career, there's still really something.
01:22Won't you hold me in your arms, and keep me safe from harm? I want to run to you.
01:34Number 9. Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be.
01:39Doris Day, The Man Who Knew Too Much.
01:41When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, what will I be?
01:49Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?
01:53Here's what she said to me.
01:57It's odd to associate this poignant lullaby with an ordinary family uncovering a deadly political conspiracy.
02:03So odd, in fact, that many today don't know much about The Man Who Knew Too Much's exact connection with Que Sada Sada.
02:09Doris Day was already a successful singer when the career-defining hit made her a permanent household name.
02:14Que Sada Sada also popularized the titular phrase.
02:18Que Sada Sada. Whatever will be, will be.
02:26The future's not ours to see.
02:29It, though, shouldn't be surprising that it won songwriters Ray Evans and John Livingston their third Oscar, but we now take its pop culture prominence for granted.
02:37One may assume that Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece merely plugged an already trendy tune.
02:42The film is really above product placement, but barely measures up to the success of its jarnly wholesome theme song.
02:48Que Sada Sada. What will be, will be.
02:57Exit music for a film. Radiohead. Romeo and Juliet.
03:01Today, we escape. We escape.
03:10As cinematic as its Radiohead fan favorite is, the subtitle doesn't refer to a rhetorical film.
03:20Baz Lorman commissioned Exit music for the closing credits of his slickly alternative adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
03:25Some shall be pardoned, and some punished.
03:29For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.
03:36The epic Bolero then laid the foundation for 1997's OK Computer, now regarded as one of the most significant rock albums of his era.
03:43Despite never being released as a single, this one track was certified gold in multiple countries, and covered by scores of artists.
04:07Needless to say, Exit music for a film has also been memorably used for a number of movies and TV shows.
04:13It's honestly become rather cliche since that first flick.
04:27And yet, Exit music punctuates Romeo and Juliet as powerfully as ever.
04:32Number 7. Against All Odds. Take a look at me now. Against All Odds.
04:36Director Taylor Hackford bet big enough on his adaptation of Build the Gallows High,
04:40to hire Phil Collins to musically accompany its more uplifting new title.
04:44How could I just let you walk away?
04:47Just let you leave without a trace?
04:52When I stand here taking everything with you.
04:58Unfortunately, Against All Odds received mixed reviews, and underperformed at the box office,
05:03ultimately fading into obscurity in the coming years.
05:05The theme song, on the other hand, became a sensation.
05:08So take a look at me now.
05:13Where's just an empty space?
05:17It was honored at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and Grammys,
05:21and hailed as a favorite among Collins' fans.
05:23And yet, many simply refer to it by its subtitle, Take a Look at Me Now.
05:27The power ballad's success has unfortunately overshadowed the noir-ish sports romance against all odds,
05:32but therein lies another remarkable underdog story.
05:44Number 6. Gangsta's Paradise.
05:47Coolio featuring LV.
05:48Dangerous Minds.
05:49Despite being a box office hit,
05:51Dangerous Minds split audiences with how it addressed issues facing urban black people.
05:55They at least agreed that Coolio spoke more forcefully with featured vocalist LV.
05:59We've been standing most at lives, living in the gangster's paradise.
06:05We've been standing most at lives, living in the gangster's paradise.
06:11Extensively sampling Stevie Wonder's pastime paradise,
06:14Gangsta's Paradise bookends the film with an infectious groove
06:17and message to resonate with the mainstream, like no political rap track had before.
06:22The anthem quickly went platinum,
06:24and became the overall top-selling single of 1995 in the U.S.
06:27As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
06:30I take a look at my life and realize there's nothing left,
06:33cause I've been blasting and laughing so long that
06:36even my mama thinks that my mind is gone.
06:39Certainly, the initial success and lingering cult status of Dangerous Minds can't be discounted.
06:44It's just that Gangsta's Paradise has made such a major impression on the history of hip-hop
06:48that one forgets where it came from.
06:49Tell me why are we so blind to see
06:55That the ones we heard are you and me
07:01Number 5. Can't Help Falling in Love
07:05Elvis Presley, Blue Hawaii
07:06Several of Elvis Presley's best songs were introduced by his polarizing pictures.
07:24The title's song, Blue Hawaii, may be a classic theme,
07:26But Can't Help Falling in Love is a triumph all its own.
07:38The pop ballad was originated for a female singer,
07:41and loosely based on the classical French love song,
07:43Plesseur d'amour.
07:44After Presley recorded it as a musical number,
07:47the single fired up the charts,
07:48and into global pop culture.
07:50Can't Help Falling in Love is definitely one of the king of rock and roll's most beloved songs,
08:07with countless covers being recorded over the decades.
08:10Whether it deserved a more memorable first platform than Blue Hawaii,
08:13you can't help falling in love with the soundtrack.
08:15For I can't help falling in love with you
08:29Number 4. Ain't That a Kick in the Head
08:36Dean Martin, Ocean's Eleven
08:38That's Amore has to be the most glaring example of a Dean Martin song
08:42that eclipsed the movie behind it.
08:44When the moon hits your eye
08:46Like a big pizza pie
08:48That's some old man
08:50Seven years after The Caddy,
08:54he landed another hit film and signature song,
08:56but not immediately.
08:57Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Kahn
08:59wrote Ain't That a Kick in the Head
09:01for the Rat Pack heist comedy, Ocean's Eleven,
09:04with Martin recording and releasing it ahead of the film's release.
09:06How lucky can one guy be
09:10I kissed her and she kissed me
09:14Like the fella once said
09:16Ain't that a kick in the head
09:19The single shockingly failed to chart,
09:22that is until later remastering sparked reappraisal
09:25of Ain't That a Kick in the Head
09:26as a gem of the big band era.
09:40Ocean's Eleven similarly holds up,
09:42but most forget the origins of its big musical number.
09:44Like some fella once said,
09:46Ain't life surprising?
09:46Number 3. Tears in Heaven
09:49Eric Clapton, Rush
09:50Less than a year after the death of his four-year-old son, Connor,
10:05Eric Clapton returned to work to score the tragic crime drama, Rush.
10:09He also contributed the song Tears in Heaven
10:11as an expression of his grief.
10:13While the generally well-received Rush
10:15bombed at the box office,
10:16Clapton's performance on MTV Unplugged
10:18repelled its heart-rending theme song.
10:32Tears in Heaven became one of the best-selling songs of the 90s,
10:35landing a Golden Globe nomination
10:36and winning the Grammys for Record and Song of the Year.
10:39Although Clapton's altogether moving work on Rush
10:42is a big part of the film's own limited legacy,
10:44Tears in Heaven is seen as an entirely personal masterpiece.
10:48And I know there'll be no more
10:53Tears in Heaven
10:56Number 2. Call Me
11:00Blondie
11:01American Gigolo
11:02Richard Gere established himself as a brooding lead
11:05with Paul Schrader's gritty neo-noir American Gigolo.
11:08It doesn't sound like that film would have the same audience
11:11as its dance pop title song by Blondie.
11:13Composed by disco pioneer Jojo Marauder,
11:28Call Me spent six consecutive weeks at the top of the U.S. charts,
11:31while American Gigolo achieved moderate box office success.
11:34Critical success has since sustained the movie as a classic,
11:37alongside its iconic opening scene.
11:39Cover me with kisses, baby
11:42Cover me with love
11:44Roll me in designer sheets
11:49I'll never get enough
11:51But Call Me has reached immense mainstream success on its own
11:55as Blondie's best-selling single
11:57and a staple of early 80s new wave.
11:59Color-casual listeners surprised that the song's seductive sleekness
12:02was composed as an ironic theme song.
12:05Call Me!
12:06Call Me!
12:06Call Me!
12:06Call Me!
12:06Call Me!
12:06Call Me!
12:07Call Me!
12:07Call Me!
12:08When you're ready
12:09We can get down the one
12:11Call Me!
12:12Before we unveil our top pick,
12:16here are a few honorable mentions.
12:17Crazy For You
12:18Madonna
12:19Vision Quest
12:20A mostly forgotten teen romance
12:22gave us one of the Queen of Pop's best-selling ballads.
12:24You're feeling in my care
12:27I'm crazy for you
12:30I just called to say I love you
12:40Stevie Wonder
12:41The Woman in Red
12:42We just called to remind you of the rom-com that debuted an R&B masterpiece
12:46I just called to say I love you
12:54Knocking on Heaven's Door
12:56Bob Dylan
12:57Pat Garrett
12:58And Billy the Kid
12:59A folk hero's gospel ballad enriched Sam Peckinpah lament of bloody outlawry
13:04Feel I'm knocking on Heaven's Door
13:07Knock, knock, knocking on Heaven's Door
13:14Last Dance
13:16Donna Summers
13:17Thank God It's Friday
13:19Disco may have died as a movie trend, but this Oscar and Grammy winner still moves
13:23Last Dance
13:25It's my last chance for love
13:29Yes, it's my last chance for romance tonight
13:36X-Gong Give It To Ya
13:40DMX
13:41Cradle To The Grave
13:42A hip-hop titan's platinum track hits harder than his critically panned Jet Li collab
13:46Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
14:00about our latest videos
14:02You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them
14:05If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications
14:10Number 1, Unchained Melody
14:14Todd Duncan
14:15Unchained
14:16The Righteous Brothers have been captivating hearts with Unchained Melody since 1965
14:20Oh, my lord
14:25My lord
14:29I've hungered for your touch
14:36Not only was this sweeping love song actually originated for a film
14:40It wasn't originated by the Righteous Brothers
14:42Famed baritone Todd Duncan appeared in Unchained to perform a low-key version of the ballad
14:47Representing prison inmates' longing
14:49Time goes by so slowly
14:55And time can do so much
15:01The song was nominated for an Academy Award
15:04But fell into obscurity with the film in the ensuing decade
15:07Then it became heavily covered in the style of a different artist
15:10Indeed, Unchained Melody is more popularly associated with 1990's Ghost than Unchained
15:16The fact is that you never know which melody will end up going further than the movie that broke it
15:35Which films do you feel deserve more credit as music hitmakers?
15:39Chime in in the comments
15:40Chime in the comments
Be the first to comment