There are some songs that is so engraved on a movie that hearing them makes it impossible for us to not remember the movie as well.

In fact, we subconsciously think that the song and the movie will not exist without the other.

10. Over The Rainbow: Wizard Of Oz

Written by: music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg

Performed by: Judy Garland

Judy Garland first pre-recorded the song on the MGM soundstages on October 7, 1938, using an arrangement by Murray Cutter. A studio recording of the song, not from the actual film soundtrack, was recorded and released as a single by Decca Records in September 1939. In March 1940, that same recording was included on a Decca 78-RPM four-record studio cast album entitled “The Wizard of Oz”. Although this is not the version of the song featured in the film, Decca would continue to re-release the so-called “Cast Album” well into the 1960s after it was reissued as a single-record 33 1/3 RPM LP. Garland always performed the song without altering it, singing exactly as she did for the movie. She explained her fidelity by saying that she was staying true to the character of Dorothy and to the message of really being somewhere over the rainbow.

It was not until 1956, when MGM released the first true soundtrack album from the film, that the film version of the song was made available to the public. The 1956 Soundtrack release was timed to coincide with the television premiere of the movie. The soundtrack version has been re-released several times over the years, including in a “Deluxe Edition” from Rhino Records in 1995.

At the time of Garland’s original release hers was initially not the most commonly played version in jukeboxes, where versions by dance bands such as Bob Crosby and Glenn Miller’s predominated. Garland’s version did eventually top the Billboard charts.

9. To Sir With Love: To Sir With Love tie with Favorite Things: The Sound Of Music

Written by: Don Black and Mark London

Performed by: Lulu with The Mindbenders

The song was released as a single in 1967 and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining in the top position for five weeks and earning the number one position for the entire year. “To Sir, with Love” also peaked at number nine on the R&B charts.

In Lulu’s native UK, the song was never released in its own right, instead appearing as the B-side to the 1967 #11 hit “Let’s Pretend”.

Written by: Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Performed by: Julie Andrews

The song was first introduced by Mary Martin in the original Broadway production, and sung by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film adaptation.

In the musical the lyrics to the song are a reference to things Maria loves such as ‘raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens’. These are the things she selects to fill her mind with when times are bad.

8. Lose Yourself: 8 Mile tie with Will You Be There: Free Willy

Written by: Eminem and producer Luis Resto

Performed by: Eninem

The song was written by Eminem during a break of the filming of 8 Mile. He recorded it in a portable studio on the set, recording all three verses in one take. The sheet on which he wrote the song appears in 8 Mile in a scene where his character is writing while riding the bus. This sheet was sold on eBay for $10,000.
The song’s lyrics explicitly sum up the background info about Eminem’s character in 8 Mile, B. Rabbit, with the first verse summing up much of the plot of the movie.
The song’s general production style is similar in scope to the track “‘Till I Collapse” from The Eminem Show (released before 8 Mile). Both tracks begin with an interlude punctuated by a piano, followed by a gradual introduction of the beat, accompanied by a spoken introduction by Eminem. Both tracks also prominently feature a bass loop and some guitar elements.

Written by: Michael Jackson

Performed by: Michael Jackson

In a 2002 ITV interview, Jackson said that he wrote “Will You Be There” while sitting in a tree at his Neverland Ranch.

The full version of the song includes a prelude featuring the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus performing a portion of Beethoven’s ninth symphony. The segment is from the fourth movement and is a lesser known portion of the famous “Ode to Joy.” The German lyrics were written by Friedrich Schiller.

7. Footloose: Footloose

Written by: lyrics were written by Dean Pitchford, music by Kenny Loggins

Performed by: Kenny Loggins

This was one of 2 US #1 hits on the Footloose soundtrack. “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” by Deniese Williams is the other. The soundtrack knocked Michael Jackson’s Thriller album from #1 in the US.

6. Ghostbusters: Ghostbusters

Written by: Ray Parker, Jr

Performed by: Ray Parker, Jr

According to Parker, he was approached by the film’s producers to create a theme song for the film. Unfortunately, he only had a few days to do so and the film’s title seemed impossible to include in any lyrics. However, when watching television late at night, Parker saw a cheap commercial for a local service that reminded him that the film had a similar commercial featured for the fictional business. This inspired him to write the song as a pseudo-advertising jingle that the business could have commissioned as a promotion.

Parker was later the defendant in a copyright-infringement lawsuit which claimed “Ghostbusters” was too similar in musical structure to “I Want a New Drug”, written and performed by Huey Lewis and the News (more specifically, the guitar riff which runs through the song). “I Want a New Drug” was a U.S. top-ten hit earlier the same year. The two parties settled out of court. Details of the settlement (specifically, that Parker paid Lewis a settlement) were confidential until 2001, when Lewis commented on the payment in an episode of VH1′s Behind the Music. Parker subsequently sued Lewis for breaching confidentiality; the lawsuit is ongoing. Ironically, Lewis had at one point been asked to record a theme song for the movie, but turned it down for other commitments.

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