Name a song from a movie that wasn’t specifically written for that movie but always makes you think of that movie.
Example: American Girl - Tom Petty - Silence of the Lambs
“There She Goes” - Sixpence None the Richer - So I Married an Axe Murderer
“Tiny Dancer”, Elton John - Almost Famous
Neutron Dance - Beverly Hills Cop
Take My Breath Away - Top Gun
Let’s Hear It For the Boy - Footloose
Jingle Bell Rock - Lethal Weapon
Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” - Say Anything
Simple Minds - “Don’t You Forget About Me” - The Breakfast Club
I honestly can’t recall the name of the song right now - but it played under the closing credits of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. And reminds me of that movie.
Also, Twist and Shout reminds me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
“Stand by Me” - Stand By Me.
Stuck in the Middle with You = Reservoir Dogs
Of course there have been tons of classical music that have been associated with movies . . . way too many to list here, but we can start with everything from Fantasia.
The Cardigans, “The Bluest Eyes in Texas” - Boys Don’t Cry
“Oh Yeah” by Yello
Mama Told Me Not to Come, by Three Dog Night; Driver’s Seat, by Sniff ‘n’ The Tears; and Sister Christian, by Night Ranger all make me think of Boogie Nights. (I even add firecracker sounds to Sister Christian.)
Singin’ in the Rain - A Clockwork Orange.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vita - Manhunter.
The End - Apocalypse Now.
Somebody’s Baby and Moving in Stereo - both remind me of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
The instrumental part of Layla by Derek and the Dominos in Goodfellas.
Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon by Urge Overkill in Pulp Fiction (Honorable Mention to Dick Dale’s Miserlou in the same movie).
and from the I know it has been done to death file…
Carmina Burana in Excalibur when Arthur leads the charge through the cherry trees.
And of course, Doo Wah Diddy has got Stripes written all over it…
“Stayin’ Alive”, The Bee Gees - Airplane (or Flying High, as we know it here).
“Invincible” Legend of Billie Jean
“Tubular Bells” – The Exorcist
“Also Sprach Zarathustra” and “The Blue Danube” – 2001:A Space Oddessy
“The Thieving Magpie” – A Clockwork Orange
Blue Velvet