Agreed, but I would argue that the actual verse where he mentions Arthur is awful. It's like they all gave up halfway through writing the song.
Jerry
· 1 year ago
What about a song title that BECAME a movie title, and then was played in the movie? STAND BY ME and GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN come to mind, and I'd put both in the awesome category.
Kinda feels like a cheat, though. What do you think?
jasonhare
· 1 year ago
Yeah, Jerry, that definitely falls outside "the rules." Although I agree that both songs are awesome.
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
Will Smith's "Wild Wild West" definitely goes in the "Blow" column....
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
...but I don't quite know where to put Michael Jackson's "Ben"...
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
..."SHAFT!" Can you dig it?...
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
...obviously, I'm just going backwards through a list of #1 hits right now...but I demand that no one argue when I put "To Sir With Love" in the AWESOME column...
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
...and this is my last entry, because I'm a very busy man: "A Hard Day's Night," "Help!", "Magical Mystery Tour," and "Let It Be." (Though I'd argue that "Help!" and "Let It Be"--like "Purple Rain"--really shouldn't count, since the films were obviously named after the songs rather than the other way around.
jasonhare
· 1 year ago
Yeah, Jon, I see what you're saying there. I guess what I'm more specifically thinking of -- and this disqualifies "Purple Rain" -- are situations where an artist was specifically writing a song for a movie. But HELL yes to "Shaft" and I'm not sure about "Ben" either. It's a sweet song, but he IS singing it to a rat...
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
Next Popdose game: favorite songs about rats.
Jerry
· 1 year ago
As does "Men In Black".
Zimmy
· 1 year ago
I love Eddy Grant's Romancing the Stone
skiesdivided
· 1 year ago
suck = "friday" by ice cube. seriously? this is the same guy that gave us "dopeman" and "gangsta gangsta?" *gags*
Greg Nance
· 1 year ago
'80s soundtrack themes are near and dear to my video store clerk heart, so how about 9 to 5, Flash, Never Say Die (Iron Eagle), The Secret of My Success, To Live and Die in L.A., and The Wild Life?
jasonhare
· 1 year ago
"Flash"! How the hell did I forget "Flash"?
ozarkmatt
· 1 year ago
Well, "Flash" has a suck corollary though. Any theme song that incorporates dialog from the movie - especially the truly crappy dialog - has a high blow chunks factor.
Elaine
· 1 year ago
I thought of 9 to 5 also. And To Live and Die In L.A. (for me) is too classy for this list, just like Streets of Philadelphia is for Jason. Did anybody mention The Neverending Story yet? My kids play that godawful DDR2 version because it's a Neverending title song loop when they leave the thing running and no one's playing it. I really hate that song.
Does La Bamba count? How about Ice Castles, seeing as they were stupid enough to parenthetically name it "Whatever it is (Theme from Ice Castles)?" And I think the theme to Blazing Saddles might have been just that
hemisphire
· 1 year ago
Does "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce count? I like "Ruthless People" by Mick Jagger, but mostly because that makes me think of the Weird Al parody of it, "Toothless People". And I have a soft spot for Cheap Trick's "Up The Creek" (mostly because it was the first and last drive in movie I saw).
jasonhare
· 1 year ago
Huh. Good question. "Streets of Philadelphia" makes sense, although it seems way classier than just about any other song mentioned here.
coffeefortwo
· 1 year ago
The more accurate pick from "Philadelphia" would be "Philadelphia" by Neil Young, which is indeed a good song.
Zack
· 1 year ago
Kudos, Hemisphere, you just made me think of the Weird Al Yankovic song "Toothless People" for the first time since I was oh, perhaps eleven years old.
terje
· 1 year ago
AWESOME! Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
BLOW CHUNKS WITH A CERTAIN UNDEFINABLE CHARM Footloose - Kenny Loggins Electric Dreams - P.P. Arnold Grease - Frankie Valli Car Wash - Rose Royce Night Shift - Quarterflash
BLOW CHUNKS! Who's That Girl - Madonna Absolute Beginners - David Bowie Xanadu - Olivia Newton-John Beauty and the Beast - Celine Dion/Peabo Bryson Stayin' Alive - Frank Stallone
There's no doubt, Jason. Your wife is definitely has a point.
hemisphire
· 1 year ago
I forgot about Xanadu. Sorry, but I love that one (unrepentant ELO fan boy).
GrayFlannelSuit
· 1 year ago
Stayin' Alive is actually called "Far from Over", and I don't believe he ever mentions the name of the movie. Also I love the song.
terje
· 1 year ago
Oops, minor mp3 tag mishap. Sorry. "Far From Over" it is.
jasonhare
· 1 year ago
Me too. There will be a brief Frank Stallone mention on Popdose next week...
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
Any mention of Frank Stallone anywhere tends to be brief.
GrayFlannelSuit
· 1 year ago
Where's Norm MacDonald when you need him?
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
With crackwhores.
steed
· 1 year ago
Frank Stallone totally rocks!
terje
· 1 year ago
I can't believe no one's mentioned "Against All Odds" with Phil Collins yet. I wanted to put it on my list, but I thought the list looked a little bit cooler with Mayfield alone on the top.
breadalbane
· 1 year ago
Here are three songs that kinda suck, because they are well, *well* below the usual standards of the artists involved. However, they are also kinda awesome in a kitschy way:
"Come Spy With Me" - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles "Dr. Goldfoot & The Bikini Machine" - Diana Ross & The Supremes "The Happening" - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Kitschy but cool:
- :The Cast and Crew": For the otherwise totally obscure film Skidoo, Harry Nilsson sings every single credit to the film (and yes, he mentions the film's title.) It's by far the most entertaining thing in the film -- certainly way better than hearing Carol Channing warbling the title track.
- Here's another obscure song from an even more obscure movie: The Corrupt Ones by Dusty Springfield. Never seen the movie, but the song is great: typical mid-60's over-orchestrated pre-Wexler Dusty, but it just doesn't matter because she's just so damn good.
Really quite appallingly sucky:
"Fletch, Get Outta Town" - Dan Hartman, from Fletch.
MichaelFortes
· 1 year ago
"Car Wash" by Rose Royce = awesome "Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar = awesome "Clambake" by Elvis Presley = blow chunks (though I DO like actual clambakes. New England seafood = AWESOME)
hemisphire
· 1 year ago
Ooo, I forgot about "Heavy Metal", great song (though not actually metal). And Don Felder's song should count too - "Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)".
Cary
· 1 year ago
The Goonies R Good Enough – Cyndi Lauper from Goonies Teacher Teacher – 38 Special from Teachers Back to School – Jude Cole from Back to School Snakes on a Plane (Bring It) - Cobra Starship Howard the Duck – Lea Thompson from Howard the Duck Spaceballs – The Spinners from Spaceballs Revenge of The Nerds – Rubinoos from Revenge of The Nerds Fame – Irene Cara from Fame
jasonhare
· 1 year ago
I think my wife wins based on "Howard the Duck" alone.
We discussed "The Goonies R Good Enough" before posting here. It doesn't count because Cyndi Lauper never actually mentions the Goonies in the song.
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
Does the point where the kids shout "GOONIES!" and it goes into echo count? No? Aw shucks.
coffeefortwo
· 1 year ago
I like "Easy Money" by Billy Joel, in part because it written as part of some strange showbiz pact which also landed Rodney Dangerfield in Joel's entirely unrelated "Tell Her About It" video. Also, I have no real capability to discern between good and bad where Mr. Joel is concerned.
However, the best title song to a movie has got to be "Rock'n'Roll High School" by the Ramones.
You're pick of "Spies Like Us" by McCartney is perfect. His "Vanilla Sky" is pretty terrible, too.
Cary
· 1 year ago
Thought of one more Pet Sematery - The Ramones from Pet Sematery
Did you see me? I was the one dancing and chanting "HuEY, HuEY, HuEY."
TaylorTSides
· 1 year ago
The only dude who fits that description who sat near me was a guy with a curly mullet who was carrying a cigar and hitting on my friend and I - which I highly doubt was you (and thank god, 'cause that'd be awwwwwkward!)
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
Incidentally, Jason. I want my mullet wig back.
TaylorTSides
· 1 year ago
It was a wig? Damn. I was hoping the men of Deadliest Catch really *had* brought the mullet back.
J
· 1 year ago
Disproves: "New York, New York"
Proves: "Flash Gordon"
Corollary rule I've always lived by: Movies that lift their titles from pop songs invariably suck.
Jonah
· 1 year ago
To add to your corollary theory, movies that lift their titles not just from the name but also from the regular lyrics, of a song also suck. "Feeling Minnesota" is strong evidence supporting this theory (Soundgarden, "Outshined"). Good work.
Eric
· 1 year ago
Case in point: "The Pompatus of Love"
Zack
· 1 year ago
Despite its success on the charts, I always thought that Prince's "Batdance" was awful, awful, awful.
MarlboroTestMonkey7
· 1 year ago
Well, the Spider Man theme sucks awesomishly, meaning that it's good, no?
skiesdivided
· 1 year ago
like, but i'm not sure why: "weird science" by danny elfman/oingo boingo.
MarlboroTestMonkey7
· 1 year ago
because it's great!
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
That Pineapple Express theme kinda sucks though... Just sayin'.
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
And I have a soft spot for A-Ha's "The Living Daylights"
forwardgirl
· 1 year ago
Ones that come to mind, in my order of diminishing awesomeness: FM - Steely Dan (a gimme, my binky band) Return To Waterloo - Ray Davies Nothing In Common - Thompson Twins She's Having A Baby - Dave Wakeling
Hmm. Have to dig these albums (err, cassettes) out, there's some real good stuff on these soundtracks. God, I feel so old. Oooh, and have to track down Love Rules by Don Henley from the Fast Times album...
steed
· 1 year ago
I'm so sad. I love Spies Like Us!
steed
· 1 year ago
And one of the best - was hit in Chartburn right before this - "On Our Own" by Bobby Brown.
jasonhare
· 1 year ago
Nope, doesn't count. He mentions "Ghostbusters" but does not mention "Ghostbusters II."
BenW
· 1 year ago
I present a Jamaican four pack -
Jimmy Cliff - "The Harder They Come" Eddy Grant - "Romancing the Stone" Bunny Wailer - "Rockers" Kenneth Milligan - "Shottas"
RLB
· 1 year ago
If only the Cannonball Run Theme had words!
kshane
· 1 year ago
When I saw that there were so many comments, I was sure that someone would have mentioned "Live and Let Die," especially because you mentioned spy songs. It goes in the awesome category.
kshane
· 1 year ago
Oops, you did mention it. I agree with you.
Ray
· 1 year ago
THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY - Love and Kisses
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
Also, there were "Let's Do It Again" and "Which Way Is Up?"
BobCashill
· 1 year ago
Don't forget "The Blob," as performed by The Five Blobs (including Burt Bacharach). Drive-in perfection. (The Blob is 50 years old next month.)
QUANTUM OF SILENCE is likely to join ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, OCTOPUSSY, and CASINO ROYALE as that rare Bond that doesn't reference the title.
Not "spies," but Nancy Sinatra did sing "The Last of the Secret Agents," from the film.
Old-school, Oscar-nommed or -winning classics (that is, in the ear of the beholder) that do incorporate the title: "Blues in the Night," "Three Coins in the Fountain," "My Foolish Heart," "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing," "Gigi," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Born Free," "Bless the Beasts and Children," "The Way We Were," "You Light Up My Life," "Fame," "Nine to Five," "Endless Love," Neil Young's "Philadelphia," from the film; Springsteen's "Dead Man Walking"; and "That Thing You Do!" There may be others, but in the film, "Love Letters," for example, has no lyrics.
BobCashill
· 1 year ago
"Grease" originated with the 1978 film and not the Broadway musical, though it has become part of subsequent revivals.
Also from the 80s, "Xanadu" and "Can't Stop The Music"...oh, and do Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees covering "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in '78 count?
The film MONA LISA is one big homage to one of the all-time great movie theme songs, one that Oscar got right, from the 1950 film "Captain Carey U.S.A." I wonder how many songwriting teams tried to figure out lyrics for "Captain Carey U.S.A" till someone decided to take the indirect route?
Christian Kennedy
· 1 year ago
I don't know if they have been mentioned, but I have a soft spot for "The Secret of My Success" by Night Ranger and "The Last Unicorn" by America. Sadly, I too like "Spies Like US."
Christian Kennedy
· 1 year ago
Does "Dream Warriors" by Dokken (Rockin' with Dokken!) count even though it's only part of the movies title?
BobCashill
· 1 year ago
Good try, but I think the "rules" state that it has to be the fuil title. (Which is hard: Try lyricizing "A Nightmare on Elm Street III.")
That made me think of "Freddy's Dead"...but you'd still have to get "The FInal Nightmare" in there. Right? (And it's not a song original to the movie, like "Stayin' Alive," the SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER sequel.)
A terrible title tune I love is "Looker," performed by Sue Saad. "She's a looker/Check it and see/She's got it all, yeah, she's got it made/She's a looker..." (Somewhere, "A pretty face/reflected in a mirror/so perfect in every way" fits in there.)
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
Nobody's mentioned the title song from one of our favorite movies, Bob--the Pia Zadora classic "The Lonely Lady." Who sang that piece of shee-ite?
TomA
· 1 year ago
You Light Up My Life. I'm sorry to even have to type it.
BobCashill
· 1 year ago
Ah, "The Lonely Lady." Or: "The LONELY LAAAAAAADDDDDYYYY..." A singer lost to history, I'm afraid. (But Ray Liotta's film debut.)
shweeney
· 1 year ago
I recalled liking "Spies like us", but listening to it there it must be one of the worst things Macca ever did (and that's really saying something). When they asked him to do it they were probably thinking "hey, he managed to do great things with a clunky title like Live and Let Die, he'll have no problem with this one". How wrong they were.
far and away the worst Bond example is "Die another Day" an awful awful song to accompany a monumentally stupid movie. I'm kind of hoping they try and crowbar the movie title into the next theme, but sadly they probably won't. Instead we'll have to make do with this from Adam and Joe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMoJRLStD9c
All Comments
Awesome.
Kinda feels like a cheat, though. What do you think?
Does La Bamba count? How about Ice Castles, seeing as they were stupid enough to parenthetically name it "Whatever it is (Theme from Ice Castles)?" And I think the theme to Blazing Saddles might have been just that
Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
BLOW CHUNKS WITH A CERTAIN UNDEFINABLE CHARM
Footloose - Kenny Loggins
Electric Dreams - P.P. Arnold
Grease - Frankie Valli
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Night Shift - Quarterflash
BLOW CHUNKS!
Who's That Girl - Madonna
Absolute Beginners - David Bowie
Xanadu - Olivia Newton-John
Beauty and the Beast - Celine Dion/Peabo Bryson
Stayin' Alive - Frank Stallone
There's no doubt, Jason. Your wife is definitely has a point.
"Come Spy With Me" - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
"Dr. Goldfoot & The Bikini Machine" - Diana Ross & The Supremes
"The Happening" - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Kitschy but cool:
- :The Cast and Crew": For the otherwise totally obscure film Skidoo, Harry Nilsson sings every single credit to the film (and yes, he mentions the film's title.) It's by far the most entertaining thing in the film -- certainly way better than hearing Carol Channing warbling the title track.
- Here's another obscure song from an even more obscure movie: The Corrupt Ones by Dusty Springfield. Never seen the movie, but the song is great: typical mid-60's over-orchestrated pre-Wexler Dusty, but it just doesn't matter because she's just so damn good.
Really quite appallingly sucky:
"Fletch, Get Outta Town" - Dan Hartman, from Fletch.
"Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar = awesome
"Clambake" by Elvis Presley = blow chunks (though I DO like actual clambakes. New England seafood = AWESOME)
Teacher Teacher – 38 Special from Teachers
Back to School – Jude Cole from Back to School
Snakes on a Plane (Bring It) - Cobra Starship
Howard the Duck – Lea Thompson from Howard the Duck
Spaceballs – The Spinners from Spaceballs
Revenge of The Nerds – Rubinoos from Revenge of The Nerds
Fame – Irene Cara from Fame
We discussed "The Goonies R Good Enough" before posting here. It doesn't count because Cyndi Lauper never actually mentions the Goonies in the song.
However, the best title song to a movie has got to be "Rock'n'Roll High School" by the Ramones.
You're pick of "Spies Like Us" by McCartney is perfect. His "Vanilla Sky" is pretty terrible, too.
Pet Sematery - The Ramones from Pet Sematery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEOZA2k3Plw
Does Rock and Roll High School count?
Proves: "Flash Gordon"
Corollary rule I've always lived by: Movies that lift their titles from pop songs invariably suck.
FM - Steely Dan (a gimme, my binky band)
Return To Waterloo - Ray Davies
Nothing In Common - Thompson Twins
She's Having A Baby - Dave Wakeling
Hmm. Have to dig these albums (err, cassettes) out, there's some real good stuff on these soundtracks. God, I feel so old. Oooh, and have to track down Love Rules by Don Henley from the Fast Times album...
Jimmy Cliff - "The Harder They Come"
Eddy Grant - "Romancing the Stone"
Bunny Wailer - "Rockers"
Kenneth Milligan - "Shottas"
QUANTUM OF SILENCE is likely to join ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, OCTOPUSSY, and CASINO ROYALE as that rare Bond that doesn't reference the title.
Not "spies," but Nancy Sinatra did sing "The Last of the Secret Agents," from the film.
Old-school, Oscar-nommed or -winning classics (that is, in the ear of the beholder) that do incorporate the title: "Blues in the Night," "Three Coins in the Fountain," "My Foolish Heart," "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing," "Gigi," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Born Free," "Bless the Beasts and Children," "The Way We Were," "You Light Up My Life," "Fame," "Nine to Five," "Endless Love," Neil Young's "Philadelphia," from the film; Springsteen's "Dead Man Walking"; and "That Thing You Do!" There may be others, but in the film, "Love Letters," for example, has no lyrics.
Also from the 80s, "Xanadu" and "Can't Stop The Music"...oh, and do Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees covering "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in '78 count?
The film MONA LISA is one big homage to one of the all-time great movie theme songs, one that Oscar got right, from the 1950 film "Captain Carey U.S.A." I wonder how many songwriting teams tried to figure out lyrics for "Captain Carey U.S.A" till someone decided to take the indirect route?
That made me think of "Freddy's Dead"...but you'd still have to get "The FInal Nightmare" in there. Right? (And it's not a song original to the movie, like "Stayin' Alive," the SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER sequel.)
A terrible title tune I love is "Looker," performed by Sue Saad. "She's a looker/Check it and see/She's got it all, yeah, she's got it made/She's a looker..." (Somewhere, "A pretty face/reflected in a mirror/so perfect in every way" fits in there.)
I'm sorry to even have to type it.
far and away the worst Bond example is "Die another Day" an awful awful song to accompany a monumentally stupid movie. I'm kind of hoping they try and crowbar the movie title into the next theme, but sadly they probably won't. Instead we'll have to make do with this from Adam and Joe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMoJRLStD9c