Posted on 06/24/2004 7:17:17 PM PDT by RockAgainsttheLeft04
http:
AFI's 100 YEARS...100 SONGS
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Skies are Blue and the Dreams That You Dare to Dream Really Do Come True" -Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), THE WIZARD OF OZ THE WIZARD OF OZ, CASABLANCA AND SINGIN' IN THE RAIN TOP THE SCALES IN AFI's 100 YEARS...100 SONGS: AMERICA'S GREATEST MOVIE MUSIC
Other Winning Numbers Include Unforgettable Songs from BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, HOLIDAY INN, THE GRADUATE, PINOCCHIO, THE WAY WE WERE, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and THE SOUND OF MUSIC The American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the top movie songs of all time in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs three-hour special television event hosted by John Travolta. Having contributed to the list himself-his dance moves helped SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER'S Stayin' Alive disco its way into a Top 10 spot and he made his own way onto the final list with his performance of GREASE'S Summer Nights-Travolta was a natural representative for 100 years of American movie music.
In the venerated #1 spot was Judy Garland's soulful and iconic rendition of Over the Rainbow from the beloved family classic, THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Nabbing the rest of the top spots were classics of every kind-from timeless favorites of yesteryear to contemporary tunes-including As Time Goes By (CASABLANCA), Singin' In The Rain (SINGIN' IN THE RAIN), Moon River (BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S), White Christmas (HOLIDAY INN/WHITE CHRISTMAS), Mrs. Robinson (THE GRADUATE), When You Wish Upon a Star (PINOCCHIO), The Way We Were (THE WAY WE WERE), Stayin' Alive (SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER) and The Sound of Music (THE SOUND OF MUSIC).
The Honorees Are...
# SONG MOVIE YEAR
1 Over the Rainbow WIZARD OF OZ, THE 1939
2 As Time Goes By CASABLANCA 1942
3 Singin' in the Rain SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952
4 Moon River BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S 1961
5 White Christmas HOLIDAY INN 1942
6 Mrs. Robinson GRADUATE, THE 1967
7 When You Wish Upon A Star PINOCCHIO 1940
8 Way We Were, The THE WAY WE WERE 1973
9 Stayin' Alive SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER 1977
10 Sound of Music, The SOUND OF MUSIC, THE 1965
11 Man That Got Away, The STAR IS BORN, A 1954
12 Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES 1953
13 People FUNNY GIRL 1968
14 My Heart Will Go On TITANIC 1997
15 Cheek to Cheek TOP HAT 1935
16 Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star is Born) STAR IS BORN, A 1976
17 I Could Have Danced All Night MY FAIR LADY 1964
18 Cabaret CABARET 1972
19 Some Day My Prince Will Come SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS 1937
20 Somewhere WEST SIDE STORY 1961
21 Jailhouse Rock JAILHOUSE ROCK 1957
22 Everybody's Talkin' MIDNIGHT COWBOY 1969
23 Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID 1969
24 Ol' Man River SHOW BOAT 1936
25 High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin) HIGH NOON 1952
26 Trolley Song, The MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS 1944
27 Unchained Melody GHOST 1990
28 Some Enchanted Evening SOUTH PACIFIC 1958
29 Born To Be Wild EASY RIDER 1969
30 Stormy Weather STORMY WEATHER 1943
31 Theme from New York, New York NEW YORK, NEW YORK 1977
32 I Got Rhythm AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN 1951
33 Aquarius HAIR 1979
34 Let's Call the Whole Thing Off SHALL WE DANCE 1937
35 America WEST SIDE STORY 1961
36 Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious MARY POPPINS 1964
37 Swinging on a Star GOING MY WAY 1944
38 Theme from Shaft SHAFT 1971
39 Days of Wine and Roses DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES 1963
40 Fight the Power DO THE RIGHT THING 1989
41 New York, New York ON THE TOWN 1949
42 Luck Be A Lady GUYS AND DOLLS 1955
43 Way You Look Tonight, The SWING TIME 1936
44 Wind Beneath My Wings BEACHES 1988
45 That's Entertainment BAND WAGON, THE 1953
46 Don't Rain On My Parade FUNNY GIRL 1968
47 Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah SONG OF THE SOUTH 1947
48 Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, THE 1956
49 Make 'Em Laugh SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952
50 Rock Around the Clock BLACKBOARD JUNGLE 1955
51 Fame FAME 1980
52 Summertime PORGY AND BESS 1959
53 Goldfinger GOLDFINGER 1964
54 Shall We Dance KING AND I, THE 1956
55 Flashdance...What a Feeling FLASHDANCE 1983
56 Thank Heaven for Little Girls GIGI 1958
57 Windmills of Your Mind, The THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, THE 1968
58 Gonna Fly Now ROCKY 1976
59 Tonight WEST SIDE STORY 1961
60 It Had to Be You WHEN HARRY MET SALLY 1989
61 Get Happy SUMMER STOCK 1950
62 Beauty and the Beast BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 1991
63 Thanks for the Memory BIG BROADCAST OF 1938, THE 1938
64 My Favorite Things SOUND OF MUSIC, THE 1965
65 I Will Always Love You BODYGUARD, THE 1992
66 Suicide is Painless M*A*S*H 1970
67 Nobody Does it Better SPY WHO LOVED ME, THE 1977
68 Streets of Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA 1993
69 On the Good Ship Lollipop BRIGHT EYES 1934
70 Summer Nights GREASE 1978
71 Yankee Doodle Boy, The YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942
72 Good Morning SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952
73 Isn't it Romantic? LOVE ME TONIGHT 1932
74 Rainbow Connection MUPPET MOVIE, THE 1979
75 Up Where We Belong OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, AN 1982
76 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS 1944
77 Shadow of Your Smile, The SANDPIPER, THE 1965
78 9 To 5 9 TO 5 1980
79 Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) ARTHUR 1981
80 Springtime for Hitler PRODUCERS, THE 1968
81 I'm Easy NASHVILLE 1975
82 Ding Dong the Witch is Dead WIZARD OF OZ, THE 1939
83 Rose, The ROSE, THE 1979
84 Put the Blame on Mame GILDA 1946
85 Come What May MOULIN ROUGE! 2001
86 (I've Had) The Time of My Life DIRTY DANCING 1987
87 Buttons and Bows PALEFACE, THE 1948
88 Do Re Mi SOUND OF MUSIC, THE 1965
89 Puttin' on the Ritz YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN 1974
90 Seems Like Old Times ANNIE HALL 1977
91 Let the River Run WORKING GIRL 1988
92 Long Ago and Far Away COVER GIRL 1944
93 Lose Yourself 8 MILE 2002
94 Ain't Too Proud to Beg BIG CHILL, THE 1983
95 (We're Off on the) Road to Morocco ROAD TO MOROCCO 1942
96 Footloose FOOTLOOSE 1984
97 42nd Street 42nd STREET 1933
98 All That Jazz CHICAGO 2002
99 Hakuna Matata LION KING, THE 1994
100 Old Time Rock and Roll RISKY BUSINESS 1983
The Criteria
The jurors were asked to consider the following criteria while making their selections:
Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes in length.
American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.
Song: Music and lyrics featured in an American film 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. Songs may have been written and/or recorded specifically for the film or previously written and/or recorded and selected by the filmmaker to achieve the above goals.
Cultural Impact: Songs that have captured the nation's heart, echoed beyond the walls of a movie theater, and ultimately stand in our collective memory of the film itself.
Legacy: Songs that resonate across the century, enriching America's film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today. The special is the seventh installment in AFI's centennial celebration of American cinema, following the six critically-acclaimed network specials-AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies, AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs, AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills, AFI'S 100 Years...100 Passions and AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains-which, each year, spark a national discussion of America's film history among movie lovers across the nation. Each year the AFI program has garnered the highest rating for its time slot.
AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs: America's Greatest Movie Music is distributed by SFM Entertainment, LLC. Among the sponsors of this series are Pepsi, Sony, Johnson & Johnson, Best Buy, Napster, Citibank, General Motors, S.C. Johnson, Gillette, Anheuser-Busch, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Colgate-Palmolive.
//www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/songs.aspx
Some others for your consideration (may be on list, I'm too lazy):
The End - APOCALYPSE NOW
Back in Time - BACK TO THE FUTURE
Que Sera Sera - THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Lara's Theme - DR. ZHIVAGO
Godfather Theme - THE GODFATHER
Some of the above are better than others, not necessarily all on the top 100.
How about the theme from Brian's Song? Jerk's a tear every time I hear it...
Iron Eagle - "Road of the Gypsy"
You've Lost that Lovin'Feelin' - TOP GUN
Double up on Dangerzone from Top Gun!
Amen!
The left off Blues Bros entirely! There is some great music in that movie. Shake your tailfeathers, Brother Ray.
From their list, the true greats, in terms of truly integratring a song as an important element of a film:
1 Over the Rainbow WIZARD OF OZ, THE 1939
2 As Time Goes By CASABLANCA 1942
5 White Christmas HOLIDAY INN 1942
20 Somewhere WEST SIDE STORY 1961
29 Born To Be Wild EASY RIDER 1969
38 Theme from Shaft SHAFT 1971
47 Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah SONG OF THE SOUTH 1947
48 Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, THE 1956
59 Tonight WEST SIDE STORY 1961
76 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS 1944
78 9 To 5 9 TO 5 1980
100 Old Time Rock and Roll RISKY BUSINESS 1983
And as far as the Beatle's, at least the two songs you've mentioned, a good part of their catalogue, particularly the early stuff, is looked upon as "jingle" music - catchy, commercial, but with very little substance, and hardly in the same category as some of the "well-crafted" tunes that did make it. "Over the Rainbow," "Somewhere," "Moon River" - come on, those are powerful compositions that will evoke emotion from anyone, any age, any time..."Help" - don't think so, IMHO.
Overall, I'd agree with most of the selections. I'd like to think so many Babs songs were included as much because they're timeless classics, as the fact she recorded them...but as much as I hate her politics, she can (could) blow!
I wonder how many of these tunes happen to be on iTunes? Probably plenty of them. On the other hand, I looked for the soundtrack for Kill Bill vol. 1, but they didn't have it.
Looking through the list, it's unclear whether the goal was to measure the extent to which the song entered popular culture beyond the film, or the extent to which the song benefitted the movie. By the former measure, "My heart will go on" [Titanic] certainly succeeded, given its major levels of radio airplay, but something like "Kiss the girl" [Little Mermaid] does much more to drive the movie.
BTW, it would be interesting to do some man-on-the-street surveys and find out how many people, hearing a clip of each song, would be able to identify its associated motion picture. Some, like "Que sera sera" would probably have certain popular "wrong" answers [e.g. Heathers]
The left off Blues Bros entirely!
It's almost unfair to put up the best of the great Broadway musicals (Sound of Music, West Side Story, My Fair Lady) with mere mortal movie songs. (And they often pick the wrong songs.)
From the Jazz Singer w/Neil Diamond: Hello, My Friend; America; Love on the Rocks. Re: the afi selections: way too much Streisand & West Side Story. What about Oklahoma? Summer Place? Dr Zhivago? I agreed w/maybe 60% of their picks.
I preferred "You only live twice", though it's hard to believe the woman who did that also did "These boots are made for walkin'". I also rather like "The man with the golden gun" (the song--the movie was so-so, though it should win an award for worlds worst sound effect).
BTW, am I the only guy who thinks the Bond themes were better when each picture had one rather than two? And who thinks the closing theme for Tomorrow Never Dies was much batter than the opener?
What do you expect for nothing? ....R-R-R-Rubber biscuit!
I think the list would have been better if it listed the best 100 song-containing movies, so West Side Story and Wizard of Oz would each be listed once rather than three times.
These two stinkers are included but no solo songs from Sinatra? Just the threesome from One the Town? What about the Lady is a Tramp from Pal Joey? Or All the Way, The Tender Trap, High Hopes?
May Frank rest in peace that he was spared this exercise in AFI idiocy.
To: Reublicandiva
Well, there's no accounting for taste, is there?
Prince was one of the best, most talented artists of the last 25 years. Who else can move so adeptly, so wildly, so beautifully, through all genres of rock and make them all sound so natural ? Prince could do pop, guitar-driven rock, funk, soul, and psychadelia all in one album, and do them all with fierce conviction. He could also tailor his amazing singing voice to fit the composition at hand, from high pitched squeal to sexy croon to gutteral shriek.
Check out 1999, Sign O'the Times, Purle Rain, Dirty Mind (not for Moral Majority-type Freeers, though), the underrated Batman Soundtrack, and his latest album, Musicology, for the proof of his musicality.
As for the early Beatles, the "poppiness" of their early material does not discount the fact that they were more energetic, hummable, fun songs than 75% of the entries on this list. I can't see why they were excluded. That said, I'm definately a late period man myself (The White Album and Abbey Road are their crowning Achievements).
Bumping my favorite music lovers.
I hardly think so. I don't see any country/bluegrass tunes in the list (ok, so I don't know what the song from High Noon sounds like and I discount Whitney Houston's version of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You).
But where is the Man of Constant Sorrow from O Brother Where Art Thou? Where is Dueling Banjos from Deliverance? Give me a break!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.