There are a lot of songs in the world. There are also a lot of films. On occasion, some of these songs are written specifically for their use in films. Obviously, a lot of these tracks fade into the background and make no real impact, but sometimes, we’re treated to some absolute musical gems.
This list will draw your attention to a few tracks you’ll be very familiar with alongside the film they were originally written for.
Radiohead - Exit Music (For A Film) (Romeo And Juliet)
The weird, sometimes creepy, music of Radiohead, which can sound like part of something in the horror genre, might not be for everybody, but it certainly was for Baz Lurhmann. In his 1996 adaptation of Romeo And Juliet, he wanted nothing more than a newly composed Radiohead tune to play the film out.
Given the final 30 minutes of the film to work their commission into, the band composed the trippy ‘Exit Music (For A Film)' specifically for the end credits of the Shakespeare adaptation. While this track appears on their legendary album OK Computer, they requested that it not appear on the soundtrack album of the film.
B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid)
In 1969, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid was one of the most highly anticipated films around. With an Oscar-winning score written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, it’s no real surprise that the song also won an Oscar: Best Original Song. Following the film, the song reached no. 1 in the USA, Canada, and Norway and has gone on to achieve worldwide recognition, featured in everything from Gremlins 2 to The Simpsons to Top Gear.
The Bee Gees - Night Fever (Saturday Night Fever)
The soundtrack album that accompanies the 1977 John Travolta dance film Saturday Night Fever was composed by the Bee Gees and has gone on to become one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time. It’s pretty unsurprising, considering it includes pretty much all of their signature songs, from ‘Stayin’ Alive’ to ‘How Deep Is Your Love’. ‘Night Fever’ was particularly important, as its title was how the band helped get the name of the film changed from Saturday Night to Saturday Night Fever.
Wiz Khalifa - See You Again (Furious 7)
As one of the biggest songs of recent years, and one of the few songs to be on its way to a billion views/listens on YouTube/Spotify, you’d be forgiven for not knowing this tune had its genesis as a tribute to the late Paul Walker.
It was commissioned for the end of Furious 7 back in 2015 and proved to have the exact emotional resonance the publishers were aiming for. Singing the main hook was Charlie Puth, who developed his own connection to the track, linking it to a friend who died in a motorcycle accident in 2012. A surprising moment of seriousness from an often ridiculous series.
Sarah McLachlan - When She Loved Me (Toy Story 2)
While McLachlan didn’t write this track herself, its composition for Toy Story 2 couldn’t be more perfect. It plays in the background while Jessie explains her tragic backstory, and its lyrics couldn’t be more poignant.
Randy Newman, known for composing the score and contributing some incredible songs (like ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’) to the series, really pulled out all the stops when writing this original song for the animated sequel. The track is widely regarded as one of the saddest and most beautiful songs ever written for a film and has inspired cover versions from a range of artists.
Bob Dylan - Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid)
This might be the most surprising entry on our list. Despite being one of the most famous tracks of all time, both in its initial Bob Dylan version and its Guns N' Roses cover, the 1973 song was first written for the soundtrack of Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid. When you listen with the context of the film, the clever composition is reflected by the two verses; one to represent the main characters of Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid. For some reason, it didn’t receive the chart positions it deserved but has gone down in history as one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed.
Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger (Rocky III)
Everyone in the world associates ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ with the Rocky series. Back in Rocky III, the titular character punches his way through one of the most well-known montages in film history while the Survivor tune plays in the background.
Something you might not know is that the track was written specifically for its use in the film, with Rocky III dropping the day before the official single release. The track came directly from the request of Sylvester Stallone’s after Queen wouldn’t allow him to use ‘Another One Bites The Dust.’ ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ even ended up nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Audrey Hepburn - Moon River (Breakfast At Tiffany’s)
Another particularly shocking example of a song initially written for a film is ‘Moon River’. Pretty much everyone has covered it at one point or another, from Frank Sinatra to The Killers to Rod Stewart. The original, written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer was first performed by the legendary Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s. It didn’t go unnoticed either, winning both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year.
Eminem - Lose Yourself (8 Mile)
The most well-known Eminem song, ‘Lose Yourself’ doesn’t appear on any of his studio albums. His greatest hits collection Curtain Call is about as close as fans come to hearing this outside of the film it was written for: 8 Mile.
Starring Eminem on his journey through the rap battles of Detroit, the film has been remembered as one of the best musicals of all time. This tune reflects most of the plot in its opening verse before expanding through heartfelt themes and exceptionally lyrical genius. Considering it was originally written for a film score, the fact this tune is remembered as one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time is a seriously impressive feat.
Kenny Loggins- Danger Zone (Top Gun)
Despite being released by Kenny Loggins, it was Giorgio Moroder who initially wrote ‘Danger Zone’ for the soundtrack of Tom Cruise’s Top Gun. The film delivered the best-selling soundtrack of 1986 and has been remembered as one of the best of all time but despite over the top production and the melodramatic approach that defined 80s music, the tune only reached no.2 in the charts. According to Kenny Loggins, the tune will rear its head once again in the upcoming Top Gun reboot.