Film tie-in songs that were bigger than the film

[Santino]

Gangster's Paradise was a huge hit and is almost certainly better remembered than the insipid drama about Michelle Pfeiffer saving some black kids.

What other songs is this true of?

 

[killer b]

There was an entire rap-metal crossover soundtrack to a film called Judgement Night which was massive when I was a teen. I've never met anyone who's seen the film.

 

[rubbershoes]

Was Happy bigger than Despicable Me 2?

 

[Steel Icarus]

Mad World? Donnie Darko wasn't a hit having come out around 9/11, the cult acclaim for it led to the DVD release after which Mad World got a proper single release.

 

[Santino]

I bet loads of people know 'We Have All The Time In The World' without even knowing that it's from the least cool James Bond film.

 

[Santino]

Was Happy bigger than Despicable Me 2?

The Despicable Me/Minions franchise is still chugging along. We'll see in 10-20 years which is remembered best.

 

[killer b]

I think I Will Always Love You is more culturally significant than The Bodyguard at this distance. Less sure about Everything I Do I Do It For You vs Robin Hood Prince of Thieves though.

 

[Elpenor]

Those two popped into my mind as well.

 

[mojo pixy]

That "when you wish upon a star" song that Di$ney uses for its theme tune, is a song from the film Pinnochio. Fair to say this is widely forgotten by now.

 

[Plumdaff]

Don't You (Forget About Me) is probably neck and neck with The Breakfast Club now, but the latter has aged terribly and the song will be bigger than the film to posterity.

eta. I'm Gen X, on second thoughts it's neck and neck to me, but the song is already bigger than the film to anyone younger.

 

[DaveCinzano]

I bet loads of people know 'We Have All The Time In The World' without even knowing that it's from the least cool James Bond film.

 

[legz]

Don't You (Forget About Me) is probably neck and neck with The Breakfast Club now, but the latter has aged terribly and the song will be bigger than the film to posterity.

eta. I'm Gen X, on second thoughts it's neck and neck to me, but the song is already bigger than the film to anyone younger.

(just my observation) ... The film still gets watched by Gen Z kids, they see a certain beauty in an entire film set in a detention room, and the dance moves are hilarious. .... no-one seems to pay much attention to the song

 

[danny la rouge]

(just my observation) ... The film still gets watched by Gen Z kids, they see a certain beauty in an entire film set in a detention room, and the dance moves are hilarious. .... no-one seems to pay much attention to the song

In my experience, my kids (in their 20s) think the film is as shit (and objectionable) as I always did.

 

[Ted Striker]

I bet loads of people know 'We Have All The Time In The World' without even knowing that it's from the least cool James Bond film.

Was it made for the film? That makes sense (and standard for bond films), but I assumed they used the (previously well known) song

 

[danny la rouge]

I bet loads of people know 'We Have All The Time In The World' without even knowing that it's from the least cool James Bond film.

I’m a big Louis Armstrong fan, and in fact only found out recently it was from a film* when reading something about Louis Armstrong. I’ve owned the song in various formats on various compilations for many decades.

(*I’d forgotten it as a Bond film, though. I keep thinking it’s the Thomas Crown Affair).

 

[killer b]

I’m a big Louis Armstrong fan, and in fact only found out recently it was from a film* when reading something about Louis Armstrong. I’ve owned the song in various formats on various compilations for many decades.

(*I’d forgotten it as a Bond film, though. I keep thinking it’s the Thomas Crown Affair).

That was Windmills of Your Mind, which I considered for the thread as it's one of my favourite songs ever but I've never seen the film

 

[danny la rouge]

That was Windmills of Your Mind, which I considered for the thread as it's one of my favourite songs ever but I've never seen the film

Yes, great song. And I think I’ve only ever seen the parachute sequence. But the film seems a bit Bond-y, so probably not my sort of thing anyway.

 

[Santino]

I think Windmills of Your Mind definitely qualifies here.

 

[Indeliblelink]

Chi Mai by Ennio Morricone was originally in the 1971 film Maddalena which isn't exactly well known. Think the track became better known in the UK after it was used in a BBC drama about David Lloyd George and released as a single that went top 10.

 

[souljacker]

Everybodys Talkin' by Harry Nilsson came from Midnight Cowboy which, whilst being an oscar winner and critical success, I'd argue is not as famous as the song.

 

[Bus Honeygun]

Chi Mai by Ennio Morricone was originally in the 1971 film Maddalena which isn't exactly well known. Think the track became better known in the UK after it was used in a BBC drama about David Lloyd George and released as a single that went top 10.

I once spent two hours on a late night rail replacement bus where the driver had that on cassette single and played it on a loop. Remember reversing out of Bridgwater station forecourt at about 1am and really starting to question the point of existence.

B-side was quite jaunty, mind.

 

[danny la rouge]

Chi Mai by Ennio Morricone was originally in the 1971 film Maddalena which isn't exactly well known. Think the track became better known in the UK after it was used in a BBC drama about David Lloyd George and released as a single that went top 10.

I associate it with Corbucci's Mud and Blood trilogy of Westerns. But you’re right, it’s been used in other things.

Most hauntingly, reversing out of Bridgewater station in the dead of night.

 

[platinumsage]

Eye of the Tiger vs Rocky III

 

[ouirdeaux]

Mrs Robinson vs The Graduate.

 

[killer b]

B-side was quite jaunty, mind.

the b-side is brilliant - the only Morricone disco number I'm aware of

 

[Saunders]

 

[killer b]

This one escaped the orbit of it's film (so did Pure Imagination, but not to the same degree)

 

[Knotted]

Theme de Yoyo versus Les Stances A Sophie

The tune isn't well known but it's still much better known than the film.

 

[DotCommunist]

'bass in the place london' version of the Blade club scene tune

 

[rubbershoes]

I once spent two hours on a late night rail replacement bus where the driver had that on cassette single and played it on a loop. Remember reversing out of Bridgwater station forecourt at about 1am and really starting to question the point of existence.

The upside is that you were getting out of Bridgwater. That's always a win