They topped the charts but vanished from the spotlight! Join us as we count down our picks for the most memorable songs that defined careers through movie magic. From electrifying 80s synth anthems to heartfelt ballads, these tracks transcended their films to become cultural touchstones, even as their creators struggled to replicate that success.
00:11And today we'll be counting down our picks for those musical artists that are known primarily for their contributions to a film soundtrack.
00:24Number 10. Maniac by Michael Cimbello. Flashdance.
00:30Maniac by Michael Cimbello
00:33It's a case of what if, one where the cinematic inspiration behind Michael Cimbello's Maniac actually appeared within the 1980s slasher fic that inspired its composition.
00:42Still, Flashdance from 1983 remains no slouch, a smash commercial hit that featured Maniac prominently within its soundtrack and advertising.
00:50Cimbello started his career as a session musician,
00:53performing and composing alongside artists like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Michael Jackson.
01:04It's Maniac that remains Cimbello's primary solo career calling card however,
01:08An upbeat and electrifying tune that absolutely screams 1980s synthesizer glory and greatness.
01:15Oh, and it also has a really great guitar solo by Cimbello. Just saying.
01:19She's a maniac, maniac on the floor.
01:26Number 9. She's Like the Wind by Patrick Swayze and Wendy Frazier. Dirty Dancing.
01:30We're all familiar with the various musical vanity projects that some actors have embarked upon over the years.
01:43Yet, She's Like the Wind from Patrick Swayze feels more than a little elevated from other, less successful actor-singer experiments.
01:50This is thanks largely to the sincerity Swayze brings to his performance.
02:03A lack of irony that assists She's Like the Wind in its aim to be a heartfelt ballad.
02:08Of course, it also helps that Swayze, who actually co-wrote the tune, is assisted by co-vocalist Wendy Frazier in the studio.
02:14This hides the actor's comparative inexperience.
02:16Although, if we're being honest, we kind of wish that Patrick Swayze had some more hits as good as this one.
02:29Number 8. Cups by Anna Kendrick. Pitch Perfect.
02:39Never underestimate the power of simplicity.
02:41Cups by Anna Kendrick takes inspiration from When I'm Gone by The Carter Family, a folk country tune from the 1930s.
03:00The stark percussion and strong main melody line is amplified by Kendrick's naturally appealing voice.
03:06You're gonna miss me when I'm gone.
03:12Her on-screen charisma also contributes to how Cups translates within 2012's Pitch Perfect,
03:17as the scene where Kendrick sings the tune remains one of the film's most memorable moments.
03:21Meanwhile, the extended version found on Kendrick's recorded EP includes an extended remix,
03:26which expands a bit upon Cups' musical structure.
03:29The art of the movie montage usually arrives with a style of song all its own, one that evokes inspiration, determination, and power.
03:41No Easy Way Out from Robert Tepper is one of those songs that feels inseparable from this sort of vibe,
03:59an unironic slice of Sturm and Drang to score a victory for Rocky IV.
04:04Tepper's dance moves are almost as infectious as the song's memorable bass line,
04:08while the song's ultra-synthesized production feels crystalline and polished.
04:19Robert Tepper's No Easy Way Out did feature another single, Don't Walk Away, that cracked the Billboard Top 100,
04:26but the singer's creative legacy will probably always be tethered to this classic movie franchise.
04:30Number 6, Scarface Push It to the Limit by Paul Engman, Scarface.
04:50We realize that producer and composer Giorgio Moroder is no stranger to chart success,
04:54since his pioneering work for electronic music dominated many silver screens back in the 1980s.
05:12Moroder co-wrote this all-time classic montage tune from director Brian De Palma's 1983 remake of Scarface.
05:18Meanwhile, the vocalist on the track, Paul Engman, is another performer with a lot of great work to his name.
05:34He sang on a lot of film soundtracks in addition to Scarface, including Summer School from 1987,
05:39but Engman is probably best known for Push It to the Limit.
05:42This doesn't take away any of the singer's other accolades, of course,
05:45but this is just one of those lightning-in-a-bottle tracks that's impossible to deny.
05:57Number 5, The Never-Ending Story by Le Mans, The Never-Ending Story.
06:00It's a story as old as time when it comes to life in the music industry.
06:12An act earns a hit or some commercial momentum, and someone, usually management,
06:16recognizes an opportunity for one of the members to go solo.
06:19Too Shy was a huge hit for the new wave group Kajagoogoo back in 1983, while the band's lead singer, Le Mans, also earned single success of his own with this theme from the US version of The Never-Ending Story.
06:37The song and movie were both closely tied to the 1980's experience for many kids around this time, which proved to be something of a double-edged sword, primarily because Le Mans' solo career never again reached the heights of either Too Shy or The Never-Ending Story.
06:51Hush, hush, I want to shine shine, hush, hush, hush.
06:58Number 4, That Thing You Do by The Wonders, That Thing You Do.
07:02Past the hour, hey, here's something new. A local Eerie band's got a new record out. Just won the Mercyhurst talent show a couple of weeks ago. This is Eerie's own home theater!
07:12We love how this pastiche of 1950s and 60s pop rock elements absolutely nails the vibe of its retro setting. That Thing You Do is short, sweet, and to the point. A bouncy bubblegum track with great vocal melodies and strong hooks. The Wonders may be a fictional band, but their name is very much intentional with regards to how it plays out within the film's narrative.
07:32Welcome to Guile.
07:43This is a well-worn cautionary tale about the pitfalls of being a band within a crowded industry. There's this wistful sort of melancholy that appears in That Thing You Do, as a result of this connection to the film. It's a layered tune that works both as a pop song, as well as a roadmap for The Wonders Story.
07:58Just so hard to do. Every time you do that thing you do.
08:06Number 3. Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield.
08:09The Exorcist.
08:10It may be known as the all-time classic theme to The Exorcist from 1973, but Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells is actually a two-part album epic that incorporates tons of musical influences.
08:21Prog, electronica, jazz, and classical all rear their heads within Oldfield's eclectic Tubular Bells opus.
08:27But it's the edited-down version that became a surprise hit. This was thanks, obviously, to its association with director William Friedkin's horror masterpiece.
08:43And there's not a day in my life that I don't feel like a fraud. I mean, priests, doctors, lawyers, I've talked to them all. I don't know anyone who ever felt that.
08:52But Oldfield's legacy as a generationally talented musical prodigy also helped Tubular Bells live on within the memories of his fanbase.
09:00Number 2. St. Elmo's Fire Men in Motion by John Parr.
09:11St. Elmo's Fire.
09:20This is the voice that's assisted many film soundtracks over the years, including the original Running Man.
09:25It's his main theme to St. Elmo's Fire from 1985 that largely served as the career calling card for John Parr, however, a song that's arguably lived on beyond the original film.
09:41St. Elmo's Fire Men in Motion is bright, bombastic, and upbeat, a song with one epic chorus that makes the most out of Parr's powerful voice.
09:50This English singer-songwriter did achieve a minor solo hit with Naughty Naughty from 1984, but it's St. Elmo's Fire that remains a rock radio mainstay, even today.
09:59St. Elmo's Fire Men in Motion by John Parr.
10:08Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
10:13You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:17If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:22Number 1. Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer, Beverly Hills Cop.
10:28There he is.
10:30It isn't every day where instrumental electronic movie themes hit the billboard charts, but you know what?
10:41Maybe they're due for a comeback, especially if they're as cool and iconic as Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer.
10:47This German musician collaborated often with Giorgio Moroder and retains a similar recorded aesthetic.
11:02Faltermeyer worked on soundtracks for Top Gun, Fletch, and The Running Man.
11:06But it's Axel F that's most closely associated with his catchy-as-sin synthesizer greatness.
11:11The theme tune is so closely tied to the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack that a modified version was even included in the Netflix Legacy sequel from 2024.
11:19What's your all-time favorite movie theme? Let us know in the comments.
Be the first to comment