Dave’s Faves: Top 25 Music Movies

Dave’s Faves: Top 25 Music Movies

These are my personal favorite music movies. The list includes on-screen musicals, documentaries, biopics, and feature films. Click here to see other media-based lists, such as best videos and best music books of all time. 1. All That Jazz (1979) 2. The Music Never Stopped (2011) 3. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) 4. Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982) 5. Grease (1978) 6. High Fidelity (2000) 7. The Wizard of Oz (1939) 8. Camelot (1960) 9. West Side Story (1961) 10. Almost Famous (2000) 11. West Side Story (2021) 12. Tommy (1975) 13. The Sound of Music (1965) 14. Xanadu (1980) 15. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) 16. A Star Is Born (2018) 17. School of Rock (2003) 18. Pirate Radio (2009) 19. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) 20. Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009) 21. Once (2007) 22. Ray! (2004) 23. Walk the Line (2005) 24. Purple Rain (1984) 25. Sid & Nancy (1986) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: media-based lists Dave’s Music Database: Music Movies: Top 50 Dave’s Music Database: On-Screen Musicals: Top 50 Dave’s Music Database: Soundtracks: Top 100 Dave’s Music Database: Stage Musicals/Cast Albums: Top 50 Dave’s Music Database (7/16/2010). “Music Goes to the Movies” (blog post on the how the joys of being a music geek have been captured on film) First posted 11/5/2023.

On-Screen Musicals: Top 50

Screen Musicals: Top 50 All Time

More than 30 lists were aggregated to come up with this list. The focus here is specifically on musicals adapted or created for the movies. Click here to see the top stage musicals and here for the top music-themed/driven movies. Click here to see other media-based lists, such as best videos and best music books of all time. 1. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) 2. West Side Story (1961) 3. The Sound of Music (1965) 4. Cabaret (1972) 5. The Wizard of Oz (1939) 6. Chicago (2002) 7. Moulin Rouge! (2001) 8. Grease (1978) 9. Mary Poppins (1964) 10. My Fair Lady (1964) 11. Beauty and the Beast (1991) 12. A Star Is Born (1954) 13. Top Hat (1935) 14. Fiddler on the Roof (1975) 15. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) 16. Oliver! (1968) 17. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) 18. The King and I (1956) 19. The Band Wagon (1953) 20. On the Town (1949) 21. An American in Paris (1951) 22. Funny Girl (1968) 23. Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) 24. The Little Shop of Horrors (1986) 25. All That Jazz (1979) 26. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) 27. Dancer in the Dark (2000) 28. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) 29. The Lion King (1994) 30. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) 31. The Music Man (1962) 32. Hedwig & the Angry Inch (2001) 33. Swing Time (1936) 34. 42nd Street (1933) 35. Phantom of the Opera (2004) 36. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) 37. Gigi (1958) 38. Hairspray (2007) 39. Dreamgirls (2006) 40. La La Land (2017) 41. Rent (2005) 42. Annie (1982) 43. West Side Story (2021) 44. Hair (1979) 45. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) 46. Carousel (1956) 47. Oklahoma! (1955) 48. Funny Face (1957) 49. Fame (1980) 50. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: media-based lists Dave’s Music Database: Music Movies: Top 50 Dave’s Music Database: Stage Musicals/Cast Albums: Top 50 Dave’s Music Database (7/16/2010). “Music Goes to the Movies” (blog post on the how the joys of being a music geek have been captured on film) First posted 11/4/2023.

 

Movie Songs: Top 100

Movie Songs: Top 100

This list of songs featured in movies comes from an aggregate of more than 30 best-of lists focused on best songs from movies. Those songs which appeared on 3 or more lists were then ranked based on overall points in Dave’s Music Database. Click here to see other genre-specific song lists. 1. Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers “White Christmas” (1942): Holiday Inn 2. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954): Blackboard Jungle 3. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975): Wayne’s World 4. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992): The Bodyguard 5. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977): Saturday Night Fever 6. Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow” (1939): The Wizard of Oz 7. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991): Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 8. Derek & the Dominos “Layla” (1971): GoodFellas 9. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997): Titanic 10. Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Cheek to Cheek” (1935): Top Hat 11. Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock” (1957): Jailhouse Rock 12. Eminem “Lose Yourself” (2002): 8 Mile 13. The Righteous Brothers “Unchained Melody” (1965): Ghost 14. Prince “When Doves Cry” (1984): Purple Rain 15. Pharrell Williams “Happy” (2013): Despicables 2 16. Lionel Richie with Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981): Endless Love 17. Fred Astaire “The Way You Look Tonight” (1936): Swing Time 18. Cliff Edwards “When You Wish Upon a Star” (1940): Pinocchio 19. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” (1982): Rocky III 20. Simon & Garfunkel “The Sound of Silence” (1965): The Graduate 21. Dooley Wilson “As Time Goes By” (1942): Casablanca 22. Steppenwolf “Born to Be Wild” (1968): Easy Rider 23. Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (1998): Armageddon 24. Coolio with L.V. “Gangsta’s Paradise” (1995): Dangerous Minds 25. Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love” (1977): Saturday Night Fever 26. Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta “You’re the One That I Want” (1978): Grease 27. Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” (1998): City of Angels 28. Simon & Garfunkel “Mrs. Robinson” (1968): The Graduate 29. Paul Robeson “Ol’ Man River” (1928): Show Boat 30. Bee Gees “Night Fever” (1977): Saturday Night Fever 31. Dinah Shore and Her Harper Valley Boys “Buttons and Bows” (1948): The Paleface 32. Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961): Breakfast at Tiffany’s 33. Nat “King” Cole “Mona Lisa” (1950): Captain Carey, U.S.A. 34. Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973): The Way We Were 35. Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (2016): Trolls 36. Stevie Wonder “I Just Called to Say I Love You” (1984): The Woman in Red 37. The Knack “My Sharona” (1979): Reality Bites 38. Boyz II Men “End of the Road” (1992): Boomerang 39. Irene Cara “Flashdance...What a Feelin’” (1983): Flashdance 40. Prince & the Revolution “Purple Rain” (1984): Purple Rain 41. The Beatles “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964): A Hard Day’s Night 42. Bill Medley with Jennifer Warnes “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” (1987): Dirty Dancing 43. Kenny Loggins “Footloose” (1984): Footloose 44. Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (1994): Batman Forever 45. Isaac Hayes “Theme from Shaft” (1971): Shaft 46. Simple Minds “Don’t You Forget about Me” (1985): The Breakfast Club 47. The Champs “Tequila” (1958): Pee Wee’s Big Adventure 48. Public Enemy “Fight the Power” (1989): Do the Right Thing 49. Bob Seger & Silver Bullet Band “Old Time Rock and Roll” (1978): Risky Business 50. Berlin “Take My Breath Away” (1986): Top Gun 51. B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (1969): Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 52. Lady Gaga with Bradley Cooper “Shallow” (2018): A Star Is Born 53. Idina Menzel “Let It Go” (2013): Frozen 54. Dolly Parton “9 to 5” (1980): 9 to 5 55. Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle “A Whole New World” (1992): Aladdin (1992) 56. Phil Collins “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” (1984): Against All Odds 57. Destiny’s Child “Independent Women” (2000): Charlie’s Angels 58. Lionel Richie “Say You Say Me” (1985): White Nights 59. Bruce Springsteen “Streets of Philadelphia” (1994): Philadelphia 60. Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings” (1989): Beaches 61. Peter Gabriel “In Your Eyes” (1986): Say Anything 62. The Dorsey Brothers with Bob Crosby “Lullaby of Broadway” (1935): 42nd Street 63. Joe Cocker with Jennifer Warnes “Up Where We Belong” (1982): An Officer and a Gentleman 64. Doris Day “Whatever Will Be, Will Be” (1956): The Man Who Knew Too Much 65. The Rolling Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” (1969): The Big Chill 66. Elton John “Tiny Dancer” (1971): Almost Famous 67. R. Kelly “I Believe I Can Fly” (1996): Space Jam 68. Judy Garland “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (1944): Meet Me in St. Louis 69. Elton John “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (1994): The Lion King 70. Ray Parker Jr. “Ghostbusters” (1984): Ghostbusters 71. Bob Hope with Shirley Ross “Thanks for the Memory” (1939): The Big Broadcast of 1938 72. Huey Lewis & the News “The Power of Love” (1985): Back to the Future 73. Roxette “It Must Have Been Love” (1990): Pretty Woman 74. Lulu “To Sir with Love” (1967): To Sir with Love 75. Celine Dion & Peabo Bryson “Beauty and the Beast” (1991): Beauty and the Beast 76. Barbra Streisand “Evergreen (Love Theme from ‘A Star Is Born’)” (1976): A Star Is Born 77. Christopher Cross “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” (1981): Arthur 78. Los Lobos “La Bamba” (1987): La Bamba 79. Bryan Adams with Sting & Rod Stewart “All for Love” (1993): The Three Musketeers 80. Harry Nilsson “Everybody’s Talkin’” (1968): Midnight Cowboy 81. Lou Reed “Perfect Day” (1972): Trainspotting 82. Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories “Stay (I Missed You)” (1994): Reality Bites 83. James Baskett “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” (1946): Song of the South 84. Olivia Newton John & John Travolta “Summer Nights” (1978): Grease 85. Underworld “Born Slippy” (1995): Trainspotting 86. Stealers Wheel “Stuck in the Middle with You” (1973): Reservoir Dogs 87. The Doors “The End” (1967): Apocalypse Now 88. Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, and Joseph Williams “Hakuna Matata” (1994): The Lion King 89. Paul McCartney & Wings “Live and Let Die” (1973): Live and Let Die 90. Carly Simon “Nobody Does It Better” (1977): The Spy Who Loved Me 91. Olivia Newton-John “Hopelessly Devoted to You” (1978): Grease 92. Shirley Temple “On the Good Ship Lollipop” (1934): Bright Eyes 93. Henry Mancini “The Days of Wine and Roses” (1963): The Days of Wine and Roses 94. Sixpence None the Richer “Kiss Me” (1998): She’s All That 95. Adele “Skyfall” (2012): Skyfall 96. Jon Bon Jovi “Blaze of Glory” (1990): Young Guns II 97. Tex Ritter “High Moon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’)” (1952): High Noon 98. Irene Cara “Fame” (1980): Fame 99. Vangelis “Chariots of Fire – Titles” (1981): Chariots of Fire 100. Will Smith “Men in Black” (1997): Men in Black Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists” Top 100 Broadway Songs Top 50 Music Movies Top 50 Soundtracks First posted 3/10/2019; last updated 10/12/2021.

American Film Institute: 100 Years, 100 Songs

American Film Institute: The Top 100 Movie Songs of All Time

As explained on their website, jurors (it doesn’t say who they were or how many) were asked to select songs from feature-length films in English. They were asked to consider songs that were featured in films “that set a tone or mood, define character, advance plot and/or express the film’s themes in a manner that elevates the moving image art form.” They were also asked to consider the legacy and cultural impact by choosing “songs that have captured the nation’s heart, echoed beyond the walls of a movie theater.” The TV special, hosted by John Travolta, aired on June 22, 2004. The website features a list of 400 nominated songs as well as the final 100 selected. Note: the performers listed with the songs are those who performed the rendition used in the movies. In some cases – especially with musicals – a remake of the song may have been more successful. In addition, the actor may be lip syncing and the actual singer is indicated. Also, the year indicated in parentheses refers to the release of the movie. In some cases, the song came out earlier. Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. 1. Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow” (1939): The Wizard of Oz 2. Dooley Wilson “As Time Goes By” (1942): Casablanca 3. Gene Kelly “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952): Singin’ in the Rain 4. Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961): Breakfast at Tiffany’s 5. Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers "White Christmas (1942): Holiday Inn 6. Simon & Garfunkel “Mrs. Robinson” (1968): The Graduate 7. Cliff Edwards “When You Wish Upon a Star” (1940): Pinocchio 8. Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973): The Way We Were 9. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977): Saturday Night Fever 10. Julie Andrews “The Sound of Music” (1965): The Sound of Music 11. Judy Garland “The Man That Got Away” (1954): A Star Is Born 12. Marilyn Monroe “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” (1953): Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 13. Barbra Streisand “People” (1968): Funny Girl 14. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997): Titanic 15. Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Cheek to Cheek” (1935): Top Hat 16. Barbra Streisand “Evergreen (Love Theme from ‘A Star Is Born’)” (1976): A Star Is Born 17. Marni Nixon “I Could Have Danced All Night” (1964): My Fair Lady 18. Liza Minnelli “Cabaret” (1972): Cabaret 19. Adriana Caselotti “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (1937): Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 20. Marni Nixon “Somewhere” (1961): West Side Story 21. Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock” (1957): Jailhouse Rock 22. Harry Nilsson “Everybody’s Talkin’” (1968): Midnight Cowboy 23. B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (1969): Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 24. Paul Robeson “Ol’ Man River” (1928): Show Boat 25. Tex Ritter “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’)” (1952): High Noon 26. Judy Garland “The Trolley Song” (1945): Meet Me in St. Louis 27. The Righteous Brothers “Unchained Melody” (1990): Ghost 28. Giorgio Tozzi “Some Enchanted Evening” (1958): South Pacific 29. Steppenwolf “Born to Be Wild” (1968): Easy Rider 30. Lena Horne “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1943): Stormy Weather 31. Liza Minnelli “Theme from New York, New York” (1977): New York, New York 32. Gene Kelly “I Got Rhythm” (1951): An American in Paris 33. Ren Woods & Ensemble “Aquarius” (1979): Hair 34. Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” (1937): Shall We Dance 35. Rita Morena, George Chakiris, & Ensemble “America” (1961): West Side Story 36. Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, & Ensemble “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (1964): Mary Poppins 37. Bing Crosby “Swinging on a Star” (1944): Going My Way 38. Isaac Hayes “Theme from Shaft” (1971): Shaft 39. Chorus “Days of Wine and Roses” (1962): Days of Wine and Roses 40. Public Enemy “Fight the Power” (1989): Do the Right Thing 41. Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, & Jules Munshin “New York, New York” (1949): On the Town 42. Marlon Brando & Ensemble “Luck Be a Lady” (1955): Guys and Dolls 43. Fred Astaire “The Way You Look Tonight” (1936): Swing Time 44. Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings” (1989): Beaches 45. Fred Astaire, Nanette, Fabray, Jack Buchanan, & Oscar Levant “That’s Entertainment” (1953): The Band Wagon 46. Barbra Streisand “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (1968): Funny Girl 47. James Baskett “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” (1946): Song of the South 48. Doris Day “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” (1956): The Man Who Knew Too Much 49. Donald O’Connor “Make ‘Em Laugh” (1952): Singin’ in the Rain 50. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1955): Blackboard Jungle 51. Irene Cara “Fame” (1980): Fame 52. Loulie Jean Norman “Summertime” (1959): Porgy and Bess 53. Shirley Bassey “Goldfinger” (1964): Goldfinger 54. Marni Nixon “Shall We Dance” (1956): The King and I 55. Irene Cara “Flashdance...What a Feelin’” (1983): Flashdance 56. Maurice Chevalier “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” (1958): Gigi 57. Noel Harrison “The Windmills of Your Mind” (1968): The Thomas Crown Affair 58. Bill Conti “Gonna Fly Now” (1977): Rocky 59. Marni Nixon “Tonight” (1961): West Side Story 60. Frank Sinatra/Harry Connick Jr. “It Had to Be You” (1989): When Harry Met Sally 61. Judy Garland “Get Happy” (1950): Summer Stock 62. Angela Lansbury “Beauty and the Beast” (1991): Beauty and the Beast 63. Bob Hope with Shirley Ross “Thanks for the Memory” (1939): The Big Broadcast of 1938 64. Julie Andrews “My Favorite Things” (1965): The Sound of Music 65. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992): The Bodyguard 66. Johnny Mandel “Suicide Is Painless” (1970): M*A*S*H 67. Carly Simon “Nobody Does It Better” (1977): The Spy Who Loved Me 68. Bruce Springsteen “Streets of Philadelphia” (1994): Philadelphia 69. Shirley Temple “On the Good Ship Lollipop” (1934): Bright Eyes 70. John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, & Ensemble “Summer Nights” (1978): Grease 71. James Cagney “Yankee Doodle Boy” (1942): Yankee Doodle Dandy 72. Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, & Donald O’Connor “Good Morning” (1952): Singin’ in the Rain 73. Maurice Chevalier & Jeannette MacDonald “Isn’t It Romantic?” (1932): Love Me Tonight 74. Kermit the Frog (voiced by Jim Henson) “The Rainbow Connection” (1979) The Muppet Movie 75. Joe Cocker with Jennifer Warnes “Up Where We Belong” (1982): An Officer and a Gentleman 76. Judy Garland “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (1945): Meet Me in St. Louis 77. Chorus “The Shadow of Your Smile” (1965): The Sandpiper 78. Dolly Parton “9 to 5” (1980): Nine to Five 79. Christopher Cross “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” (1981): Arthur 80. Ensemble “Springtime for Hitler” (1968): The Producers 81. Keith Carradine “I’m Easy” (1975): Nashville 82. Ensemble “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead” (1939): The Wizard of Oz 83. Bette Midler “The Rose” (1979): The Rose 84. Anita Ellis “Put the Blame on Mame” (1946): Gilda 85. Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor “Come What May” (2001): Moulin Rouge! 86. Bill Medley with Jennifer Warnes “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” (1987): Dirty Dancing 87. Bob Hope “Buttons and Bows” (1948): The Paleface 88. Julie Andrews & Ensemble “Do Re Mi” (1965): The Sound of Music 89. Gene Wilder & Peter Boyle “Puttin’ on the Ritz” (1974): Young Frankenstein 90. Diane Keaton “Seems Like Old Times” (1977): Annie Hall 91. Carly Simon “Let the River Run” (1988): Working Girl 92. Gene Kelly & Martha Mears “Long Ago and Far Away” (1944): Cover Girl 93. Eminem “Lose Yourself” (2002): 8 Mile 94. The Temptations “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” (1983): The Big Chill 95. Bing Crosby & Bob Hope “We’re Off on the Road Road to Morocco” (1942): Road to Morocco 96. Kenny Loggins “Footloose” (1984): Footloose 97. Ruby Keller, Dick Powell, & Ensemble “42nd Street” (1933): 42nd Street 98. Catherine Zeta-Jones & Rene Zellweger “All That Jazz” (2002): Chicago 99. Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, and Joseph Williams “Hakuna Matata” (1994): The Lion King 100. Bob Seger & Silver Bullet Band “Old Time Rock and Roll” (1983): Risky Business Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Movie Songs: Top 100” Dave’s Music Database: “Lists from other publications and/or organizations” American Film Institute (6/22/2004). “100 Years…100 Songs” American Film Institute: “America’s Greatest Music in the Movies” (list of 400 nominated songs) First posted 3/30/2021.

50 years ago: Judy Garland charted with "Over the Rainbow"

Over the Rainbow Judy Garland

Writer(s): Harold Arlen/E.Y. “Yip” Harburg (see lyrics here) First Charted: September 9, 1939 Peak: 5 US, 12 GA, 17 HP, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.2 US, -- UK, 5.63 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 60.8 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: There are few songs more associated with a movie more than “Over the Rainbow” is with The Wizard of Oz and then-sixteen-year-old Judy Garland’s performance of it. It topped the AFI’s list of movie songs. However, the song was initially deleted when it was thought to slow down the film. LW Movie execs even said it was inappropriate for audiences to see the movie’s star singing in a farmyard. LW It only made it back in when Harold Arlen, one of the song’s writers, and executive producer Arthur Freed lobbied on the song’s behalf. AB40 Arlen and lyricist “Yip” Harburg originally penned the song not as “a little girl’s plea for a silver lining,” TC but as a declaration of hope for America from two “unabashed lefties” TC who believed in President Roosevelt’s New Deal. TC As was common in the first half of the 20th century, multiple versions of the song charted. In 1939, four acts took “Rainbow” into the top 10. Interesting, Garland’s was neither the most successful nor the first to chart. Glenn Miller and Larry Clinton both debuted with it the week of August 19. Miller’s went to #1 the same week Garland hit the charts. A week later, Bob Crosby hit with his #2 version. Charting versions in later years included the Dimensions (#16 US, 1960), Gary Tanner (#69 US, 1978), Jerry Lee Lewis (#10 CW, 1980), Matchbox (#15 UK, 1980), Cliff Richard (#11 UK, 2001), Katharine McPhee (#12 US, 2006), Danielle Hope (#29 UK, 2010), Nicholas David (#96 US, 2012), and the Glee Cast (#44, 2010). However, it was Garland’s version which “became the most famous and beloved.” JA Hers was selected by the RIAA as the top song of the 20th century and won the Oscar for Best Song. She had no problem with the “theme song around which she constructed her career.” LW As she said, “I’ve sung it time and time again and it’s still the song that’s closest to my heart.” TC Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Judy Garland DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Harold Arlen DMDB Encyclopedia entry for E.Y. “Yip” Harburg AB40 About.com (2007?) “Top 40 Pop Songs: The Best of the Best” by Bill Lamb TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Page 211. JA David A. Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 154. LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 80. Related Links: First posted 9/9/2011; last updated 11/22/2022.

Elton John charted with “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John

Writer(s): Elton John (music), Bernie Taupin (lyrics) (see lyrics here) Released: September 7, 1973 First Charted: September 29, 1973 Peak: 2 BB, 11 CB, 11 GR, 11 HR, 13 RR, 7 AC, 1 CL, 6 UK, 11 CN, 4 AU, 6 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.2 UK, 2.2 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 4.0 radio, 50.73 video, 324.4 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The title cut for Elton John’s seventh album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, was released as the second single after “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” While “Saturday” peaked at #12, “Road” went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts on three of the other major pop charts in America at the time. The song was a top singles pick in the October 20, 1973 issue of Billboard which said, “Elton returns to a medium tempo for his large, round sounding production of a man returning to a simple life. At times it’s hard to understand Elton, but the sonic impression is still strong and haunting. The blending of voices with strings on the bridges is beautiful.” BB Circus magazine’s Janis Schach called the song “delicate and beautiful.” WK All Music Guide’s Stewart Mason has called it “a strong contender for the coveted title of John’s finest song ever.” AMG “Extravagant, but not pretentious,” AMG the “arrangement builds slowly…to a full orchestral climax at the end of each chorus.” AMG “The wordless melisma that decorates the bridge between the verse and chorus melodies is straight out of the Beach Boys playbook.” AMG “It’s very likely his single finest vocal moment.” AMG The title is a reference to The Wizard of Oz and the yellow brick road. Bernie Taupin, who wrote the lyrics, often wrote about Elton, but this song “about giving up a life of opulence for one of simplicity in a rural setting” SF appears to be more about Taupin as John “has enjoyed a very extravagant lifestyle.” SF Taupin said, “I was going through that whole ‘got to get back to my roots’ thing…I don’t believe I was ever turning my back on success…I think I was just hoping that maybe there was a happy medum way to exist successfully in a more tranquil setting.” SF It is also “evocative of faded Hollywood glamour;” AMG “a clear-eyed, somewhat bitter, but not vindictive kiss-off to a wealthy former paramour.” AMG Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Elton John AMG All Music Guide review by Stewart Mason BB Billboard (10/20/1973). Page 62. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/12/2021; last updated 9/15/2023.