List of top 40 songs from films
This is a partial list of songs that originated in movies that charted (Top 40) in either the United States or the United Kingdom, though frequently the version that charted is not the one found in the film.
Songs are all sourced from,[1][2] and,.[3]
For information concerning music from James Bond films see
1942[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October 2 | Holiday Inn | "White Christmas" | Bing Crosby | Irving Berlin | 5 | 3 | won Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1942; Crosby version also charted in 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1960, 1961, and 1962; charted (US, #8) for Frank Sinatra in 1944. |
1944[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
November 16 | Adios Argentina (1934) | "Don't Fence Me In" | music by Cole Porter, lyrics by Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter | Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters | 1 | charted in US by Kate Smith (1945, #8), Horace Heidt (1945, #10), and Sammy Kaye (1945, #4), the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[4] |
1945[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 20 | The Harvey Girls | “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe” | Judy Garland | music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Johnny Mercer | 10 |
1950[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 10 | The Third Man | "The Third Man Theme" (also known as "The Harry Lime Theme") | Anton Karas | Anton Karas | 1 |
1952[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
July 4, 1952 | High Noon | "The Ballad of High Noon" (aka "Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darlin’") | Frankie Laine | music by Dimitri Tiomkin, lyrics by Ned Washington | 5 | 7 | awarded the 1952 Academy Award for Best Original Song |
1953[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 28 | Moulin Rouge | "The Song from Moulin Rouge" (also known as "Where Is Your Heart") | Georges Auric, original French lyrics by Jacques Larue, English lyrics by William Engvick | Percy Faith, vocals by Felicia Sanders | 1 | 1 | UK hit by Mantovani and His Orchestra |
1954[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
July 21 | The High and the Mighty | “The High and the Mighty” | LeRoy Holmes | music by Dimitri Tiomkin, lyrics by Ned Washington | 9 | 20 | also charted in the US in 1954 by Victor Young, # 8, Les Baxter #6 and Johnny Desmond # 28 |
1955[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 16 | Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier | "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" | Bill Hayes | music by George Bruns and lyrics by Thomas W. Blackburn | 1 | 2 | also Fess Parker US #5 and Tennessee Ernie Ford US #6/UK #3 |
April 9 | Unchained | “Unchained Melody” | music by Alex North, lyrics by Hy Zaret | Les Baxter | 1 | 10 | also Roy Hamilton US #6, Jimmy Young UK #1, Al Hibbler US #3/UK #2, and in 1965 by The Righteous Brothers US #4/UK #14 |
August 27 | Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing | "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" | The Four Aces | music by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Paul Francis Webster | 1 | 2 | won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1955 |
December 17 | The Tender Trap | “(Love Is) The Tender Trap” | Frank Sinatra | music by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyrics by Sammy Cahn | 7 | 2 |
1956[edit]
1957[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
July 22 | Around the World in 80 Days | “Around the World” | Mantovani | music by Victor Young, lyrics by Harold Adamson | 12 | 20 | also Victor Young US #13 and Bing Crosby US #25, UK #5 |
October 14 | Jailhouse Rock | “Jailhouse Rock” | Elvis Presley | Leiber, Stoller | 1 | 1 | |
December 17 | Tammy and the Bachelor | "Tammy" | Debbie Reynolds | Jay Livingston and Ray Evans | 1 | 2 | The Ames Brothers version reached US#5 the same week Reynold’s topped the chart |
1958[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 30 | King Creole | “Hard Headed Woman” | Elvis Presley | Claude DeMetrius | 1 | 2 | |
July 14 | King Creole | "Don't Ask Me Why" | Elvis Presley | lyrics by Fred Wise, music by Ben Weisman | 25 | ||
October 4 | King Creole | "King Creole" | Elvis Presley | Leiber, Stoller | 2 |
1960[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 25 | A Summer Place | "Theme from A Summer Place" | Percy Faith | Mack Discant and Max Steiner | 1 | 2 | won Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1961, also US #16 for The Lettermen |
July 4 | Circus of Horrors | "Look for a Star" | Garry Mills | Franz Reizenstein, Muir Mathieson | 26 | 7 | |
August 8 | The Apartment | "Theme from The Apartment" | Ferrante & Teicher | Adolph Deutsch | 10 | 44 | |
August 8 | The Wizard of Oz | “Over the Rainbow“ | The Demensions | music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by Yip Harburg | 16 | won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1939 | |
November 28 | Exodus | "Theme from Exodus" | Ferrante & Teicher | Ernest Gold | 2 | 6 | |
1961[edit]
1962[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 19 | Follow That Dream | “Follow That Dream” | Elvis Presley | music Fred Wise lyrics by Ben Weisman | 15 | 34 | UK charting as an EP |
May 19 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" | Gene Pitney | Music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David | 4 | ranked No. 36 in the Western Writers of America's list of the top 100 Western songs of all time, as compiled from a survey of its members;[4] not included in movie. | |
October 6 | Kid Galahad | "King of the Whole Wide World" | Elvis Presley | Bob Roberts, Ruth Bachelor | 30 | released as an EP | |
October 27 | Girls! Girls! Girls! | "Return to Sender" | Elvis Presley | Winfield Scott, Otis Blackwell | 2 | 1 |
1963[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 26 | Days of Wine and Roses | "Days of Wine and Roses" | Henry Mancini | music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Johnny Mercer | 33 | won 1962 Academy Award for Best Original Song; also Andy Williams US #26 | |
February 23 | It Happened at the World's Fair | "One Broken Heart for Sale" | Elvis Presley | Winfield Scott, Otis Blackwell | 2 | 1 | |
July 6 | Mondo Cane | “More” | Kai Winding | Riz Ortolani, Nino Oliviero | 8 | instrumental version; the vocal version by Vic Dana peaked at US #42 | |
November 2 | Fun in Acapulco | “Bossa Nova Baby“ | Elvis Presley | Leiber, Stoller | 8 | 13 |
1964[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 25 | Charade | "Charade" | Henry Mancini | music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Johnny Mercer | 36 | nominated for 1964 Academy Award for Best Original Song | |
March 7 | Kissin' Cousins | “Kissin' Cousins“ | Elvis Presley | Fred Wise, Randy Starr | 12 | 10 | |
April 18 | The Pink Panther | "The Pink Panther Theme" | Henry Mancini | Henry Mancini | 31 | 14 | UK charting for EP "The Pink Panther" Saxophone by Plas Johnson |
May 30 | Viva Las Vegas | “Viva Las Vegas“ | Elvis Presley | Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman | 29 | 17 | |
July 18 | A Hard Day's Night | “A Hard Day's Night” | The Beatles | Lennon–McCartney | 1 | 1 | |
December 19 | Dear Heart | "Dear Heart" | Andy Williams | Henry Mancini, Ray Evans, Jay Livingston | 24 |
1965[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 13 | Girl Happy | “Do the Clam“ | Elvis Presley | Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman, and Dolores Fuller | 21 | 19 | |
July 3 | Tickle Me | "(Such an) Easy Question" | Elvis Presley | Otis Blackwell, Winfield Scott | 11 | 19 | |
July 3 | What's New Pussycat? | “What's New Pussycat?” | Tom Jones | music by Burt Bacharach lyrics by Hal David | 3 | 11 | |
August 14 | Help | “Help!" | The Beatles | Lennon–McCartney | 1 | 1 | |
September 4 | Catch Us If You Can (aka Having a Wild Weekend in US) | “Catch Us If You Can” | The Dave Clark Five | Dave Clark, Lenny Davidson | 4 | 5 | |
December 4 | Girl Happy | “Puppet on a String” | Elvis Presley | Roy C. Bennett, Sid Tepper | 14 |
1966[edit]
1967[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 25 | You're a Big Boy Now | "Darling Be Home Soon" | The Lovin' Spoonful | John Sebastian | 15 | 44 | |
April 15 | The Happening | “The Happening” | The Supremes | Holland–Dozier–Holland and Frank De Vol | 1 | 6 | |
May 6 | Double Trouble | “Long Legged Girl (with the Short Dress On)” | Elvis Presley | John Leslie McFarland, Winfield Scott | 63 | 49 | |
May 13 | Easy Come, Easy Go | “You Gotta Stop/Love Machine” | Elvis Presley | Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence Kaye/Chuck Taylor, Fred Burch, Gerald Nelson | 38 | released as an EP Easy Come, Easy Go |
1968[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 4 | The Graduate | “Mrs. Robinson” | Simon & Garfunkel | Paul Simon | 1 | 4 | It became the first rock song to win Record of the Year, and it also was awarded the Grammy for Best Contemporary-Pop Performance – Vocal Duo or Group.[8] |
1969[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
November 29 | Midnight Cowboy | "Midnight Cowboy" | Ferrante & Teicher | John Barry | 10 | ||
August 2 | The Trouble with Girls | "Clean Up Your Own Backyard" | Elvis Presley | Mac Davis, Billy Strange | 35 | 21 | |
August 16 | Midnight Cowboy | "Everybody's Talkin'" | Nilsson | Fred Neil | 6 | 23 | won 1970 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance |
August 23 | True Grit | “True Grit” | Glen Campbell | lyrics by Don Black, music by Elmer Bernstein | 35 | ||
November 1 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" | B. J. Thomas | Burt Bacharach | 1 | 38 | won 1970 Academy Award for Best Original Song |
December 20 | The Sterile Cuckoo | "Come Saturday Morning" | The Sandpipers | music by Fred Karlin, lyrics by Dory Previn | 17 | nominated for 1970 Academy Award for Best Original Song |
1970[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 27 | Love Story | "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story" | Andy Williams | music by Francis Lai, lyrics by Carl Sigman | 3 | 4 | also Henry Mancini US #13, Francois Lai US #31 |
October 23 | Shaft | "Theme from Shaft" | Isaac Hayes | Isaac Hayes | 1 | 4 | won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Song,[6] |
November 20 | Summer of '42 | “The Summer Knows” (aka "Theme From Summer of ’42") | Peter Nero | Michel Legrand | 21 |
1972[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 20 | The Godfather | "Speak Softly, Love", also known as "Love Theme from The Godfather" | Andy Williams | music by Nino Rota, lyrics by Larry Kusik | 34 | 42 | |
September 23 | Super Fly | “Freddie's Dead“ | Curtis Mayfield | Curtis Mayfield | 4 | ||
November 25 | Super Fly | "Super Fly" | Curtis Mayfield | Curtis Mayfield | 8 |
1973[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 25 | Cleopatra Jones | “Theme from Cleopatra Jones” | Joe Simon | Joe Simon | 18 | ||
September 29 | Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan | 12 | 14 | also Eric Clapton UK #38, Guns N' Roses US #18/UK #2, Dunblane tribute UK #1 |
December 22 | The Way We Were | “The Way We Were” | Barbra Streisand | Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch | 1 | 31 | won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1974 |
1975[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 13 | Jaws | “Theme From Jaws” | John Williams | John Williams | 34 | 42 |
1976[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 11 | Car Wash | “Car Wash” | Rose Royce | Norman Whitfield | 1 | 9 | |
December 22 | A Star Is Born | “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)” | Barbra Streisand | Barbra Streisand, Paul Williams | 1 | 3 | Streisand and Williams earned an Academy Award for Best Original Song, the first woman to be honored as a composer.[6] Streisand also earned a Grammy Award for Song of the Year |
1977[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 19 | Car Wash | “I Wanna Get Next to You” | Rose Royce | Norman Whitfield | 10 | 14 | |
May 7 | Rocky | “Gonna Fly Now", also known as "Theme from Rocky” | Bill Conti | music by Bill Conti, lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins | 1 | ||
August 13 | Star Wars | “Star Wars (Main Title)" | John Williams | John Williams | 10 |
1978[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 21 | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | “Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind” | John Williams | John Williams | 13 | won a Grammy award | |
February 25 | Thank God It's Friday | "Thank God It's Friday" | Love & Kisses | Alec R. Costandinos | 22 | ||
June 3 | Thank God It's Friday | "Last Dance" | Donna Summer | Paul Jabara | 3 | 70 | won Academy, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance |
December 22 | Eyes of Laura Mars | “Prisoner” (aka “Love Theme from Eyes of Laura Mars”) | Barbra Streisand | Karen Lawrence, John DeSautels | 21 |
1979[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 19 | The Walking Stick | “The Theme from The Deer Hunter” (aka "Cavatina” or "He Was Beautiful") | John Williams | music John Williams, lyrics Cleo Laine | 15 | also Iris Williams UK #18 and The Shadows UK #9 |
1980[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 31 | New York, New York | “Theme from New York, New York" | Frank Sinatra | music John Kander, lyrics Fred Ebb | 32 | 59 | UK#4 when rereleased in 1984 |
August 23 | Caddyshack | “I'm Alright” | Kenny Loggins | Kenny Loggins | 7 |
1981[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
July 18 | Endless Love | "Endless Love” | Lionel Richie and Diana Ross | Lionel Richie | 1 | 7 |
1982[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 21 | Fast Times at Ridgemont High | “Somebody's Baby” | Jackson Browne | Jackson Browne, Danny Kortchmar | 7 | ||
October 2 | An Officer and a Gentleman | “Up Where We Belong” | Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes | Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Will Jennings | 1 | 7 | won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song |
1984[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 11 | Footloose | “Footloose” | Kenny Loggins | Kenny Loggins, Dean Pitchford | 1 | 6 |
1985[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
November 9 | White Nights | "Say You, Say Me" | Lionel Richie | Lionel Richie | 1 | 8 | won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song |
1986[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 7 | Top Gun | "Danger Zone" | Kenny Loggins | music by Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Tom Whitlock | 8 | 45 | The band Toto was originally intended to perform the track, but legal conflicts between the producers of Top Gun and the band's lawyers prevented this.[9] |
1987[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 24 | An American Tail | “Somewhere Out There” | Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram | James Horner, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil | 2 | 8 | at the 30th Grammy Awards, the song won two awards, one for Song of the Year and the other for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television |
April 25 | Over the Top | “Meet Me Half Way” | Kenny Loggins | Kenny Loggins, Michael Towers | 11 | ||
October 10 | Dirty Dancing | “(I've Had) The Time of My Life” | Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes | John DeNicola, Donald Markowitz, Franke Previte | 2 | 8 | won Academy Award for "Best Original Song", Golden Globe Award for "Best Original Song", and Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. |
1988[edit]
Date (in US) |
Movie title | Song title | Artist | Writer | US charts |
UK charts |
Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
July 30 | Caddyshack II | "Nobody's Fool" | Kenny Loggins | Kenny Loggins, Michael Towers | 8 |
References[edit]
- ^ Whitburn, Joel The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 1992
- ^ Whitburn, Joel, Top Pop Records 1940-1955, Record Research, Menomonee Falls Wisconsin 1973
- ^ Brown, Tony, Jon Kutner & Neil Warwick, The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums, Omnibus Press, London, 2002 Brown, Tony, Jon Kutner & Neil Warwick, The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums, Omnibus Press, London, 2002
- ^ a b Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
- ^ "'Que Sera, Sera' songwriter Jay Livingston dies at 86". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. October 18, 2001. p. B4.
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 135. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Moon River by Henry Mancini". songfacts.com.
- ^ Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons p. 88
- ^ "Official TOTO Website - Encyclopedia". www.toto99.com. 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2012-03-12.