Oh me, Oh my... Over the Rainbow still rocks / File
Posted on 06/23/2004 7:33:12 AM PDT by yankeedame
Over the Rainbow top song
By David Germain in Los Angeles
June 23, 2004
THERE'S no song like Over the Rainbow - the wistful ditty sung by Kansas farm girl Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz has a topped the American Film Institute's list of 100 best movie songs.
In second place on the list, released today, is the song that sparked a thousand clichés, As Time Goes By from Casablanca. In third place was the title tune from Singin' in the Rain.
Over the Rainbow, sung by Judy Garland in the 1939 musical fantasy, was picked as the top song in US cinema by about 1,500 actors, filmmakers, writers, critics and others in Hollywood.
"It deserves it. It's one of the great, great songs. Judy Garland, the emotion in that song. It gives me chills whenever I hear it," said songwriter Burt Bacharach.
Mr Bacharach was represented on the list for co-writing Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head (No 23) from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) (No 79) from Arthur.
In 2001, Garland's Over the Rainbow (and Bing Crosby's White Christmas ) also topped the 365 Songs of the Century selected by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America.
Two songs each from The Sound of Music (My Favourite Things at No 64 and Do Re Mi at No 88) and Singin' in the Rain (Make 'Em Laugh at No 49 and Good Morning at No 72) both made the list. West Side Story also landed three songs: Somewhere (No 20), America (No 35) and Tonight (No 59).
Chosen from 400 nominees, the list was announced in the CBS television special AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs, the institute's latest countdown to promote US film history.
The show's host was John Travolta, star of Saturday Night Fever and Grease, whose Summer Nights came in at No 70.
"A list like this really drives people back to rediscover or discover these movies," Jean Picker Firstenburg, the institute's director, said.
"It's about older generations revisiting them and younger generations finding them for the first time."
Past specials presented such lists as the best 100 American movies, comedies, screen legends and love stories. AFI leaders had been mulling a list of best movie songs for years.
"It's an idea we've had floating around since the beginning," said Bob Gazzale, who produces the AFI specials. "Movies and music are so obviously linked at the heart, really."
"I think this list is about music that has made its way into daily lives, rather than an assessment of what's great," said Jennifer Warnes, who sang two duets that made the list, Up Where We Belong (No 75) from An Officer and a Gentleman and (I've Had) The Time of My Life (No 86) from Dirty Dancing.
"The reason why my songs made it there is that they're used. I still hear Up Where we Belong when I'm at the store buying frozen peas, and it makes me happier to be buying frozen peas."
The earliest song to make the list was Isn't It Romantic (No 73), sung by Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald in 1932's Love Me Tonight. The newest came from 2002 with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger's rendition of All That Jazz (No 98) from Chicago and Eminem's Lose Yourself (No 93) from 8 Mile.
The AFI's Top Ten Songs
1. Over the Rainbow, The Wizard of Oz, 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, The Graduate, 1967.
7. When You Wish Upon a Star, Pinocchio, 1940.
8. The Way We Were, The Way We Were, 1973.
9. Stayin' Alive, Saturday Night Fever, 1977.
10. The Sound of Music, The Sound of Music, 1965.
Why does AFI like that song so much? Judy Garland!
Can we get any heterosexuals onto AFI, please?
Why isn't "This Is Your Life" from "Fight Club" on this list?!?!?! </sarcasm>
How about "Stella by Starlight", or "Laura"?
Gaaaaah. I despise "Over the Rainbow" and all such saccharine vomit-inducers.
"Laura" That was the best!!
The Marines Hymn from the Sands of Iwo Jima
I'm stunned that "Holiday Road" didn't make it from National Lampoons Vacation. Let alone the slight given to Otis Day & The Knights from Animal House.
Who voted on this thing?
Big Gun (from last action hero)
What about either "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" or "The Trolley Song" from one of my favorite movies, "Meet Me in St. Louis?"
I am especially pleased with the recognition of "Holiday Inn" as the movie where "White Christmas" first appeared. Most people don't know the song comes from that movie and not the movie that was later made with the same title as the song to capitalize on the song's popularity. "Holiday Inn" is a true classic. I hope this list makes more people go find the movie and watch it.
No Elvis tunes?
What about Return To Sender?
Actually, Jailhouse Rock and The Trolley Song both made the list.
Oops. Sorry, my post should have been to Irishlass.
The Trolley Song was on the list, just not in the top 10.
Interesting how many songs were sung by Babs and Judy.
I cannot resist a shameless plug here. My brother has a really gorgeous song in the Farrelly Brothers film "Kingpin" called "We Should Always Be Together". (I don't think it made the AFI list though).
Kenny Loggins is getting no love for the Caddyshack song. Fear the Gopher!
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