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
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First posted 3/10/2019; last updated 10/12/2021. | 
