# AFI Top 100 Film Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782 "2004-06-23T11:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/1 "2004-06-23T11:33:36Z")
[Complete list.](http://afi.com/tvevents/100years/songs.aspx) I missed the first 45 minutes or so, so I checked the list to see if a couple I thought were good songs were on there. I’ll give you **Somewhere Over the Rainbow** , but where is the haunting **They Call the Wind Mariah** from _Paint Your Wagon_? The whistling tune from _Bridge Over the River Kwai_? Some of those songs weren’t even written for the movie… **Unchained Melody** from _Ghost_, for instance. I’m waiting for **Eve** to wander through and give us her take too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/2 "2004-06-23T12:55:44Z")
The thing that bugs me, and I know it is petty and silly, is that some movies had 3 songs win. _The Sound of Music_, _Singin’ in the Rain_ and _West Side Story_. (others presumably had two songs sin, but that is not explicitly listed in the description I have at hand from my paper) I would have preferred it if they had chosen only one song per movie, especially from movies which I am familar with. This is partially because I wanted to use the list as a guideline for picking out movies to look for at the library and doing so would give me a greater variety. It also bugged me that they kept showing a woman talk about her mother (who was in _Singin’ in the Rain_ and probably others) but I could see the woman’s name and they didn’t specify the name of the mother( at least while I was paying attention. Fairness would compel me to acknowledge the influence that having both a book and a cross-stitch project in my lap might have on my concentration. I have no real opinion about songs that should have been on the list or placed in different order. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/3 "2004-06-23T13:02:31Z")
> [@Eureka](#): > > It also bugged me that they kept showing a woman talk about her mother (who was in _Singin’ in the Rain_ and probably others) but I could see the woman’s name and they didn’t specify the name of the mother( at least while I was paying attention. Fairness would compel me to acknowledge the influence that having both a book and a cross-stitch project in my lap might have on my concentration. I believe it was Judy Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft. At least, she was the one who talked about her mother a lot. Debbie Reynolds was in “Singin’ in the Rain”. I’m pretty sure I watched the whole thing, but did they include the “Day-O” scene in **Beetlejuice**? Because they showed a quick shot of it in the opening credits. I can’t believe Celine Dion’s “Titanic” song was so high on the list (14)! ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/4 "2004-06-23T13:23:48Z")
I’m sure everyone will think this is a stupid thing to bring up, But everytime I’ve seen or heard refernce to this new list the title of the list just bugs me. AFI started the \*\*100 Years 100 . . . \*\* thing a few years back to commemorate 100 years of filmmaking. O.K., it works with all of the other lists they’ve put together but now, finally, it doesn’t work. 100 Years 100 Songs??? Shouldn’t it be more like 75 Years 100 Songs? Hey this will be fun: Let’s all list our favorite songs from the era of Silent Cinema! My Favorite was the one that went: " -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- " P.S. I’m not truly upset about this, I simply find it impossible to ignore. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/5 "2004-06-23T13:30:37Z")
> [@Eureka](#): > > It also bugged me that they kept showing a woman talk about her mother (who was in _Singin’ in the Rain_ and probably others) but I could see the woman’s name and they didn’t specify the name of the mother( at least while I was paying attention. Fairness would compel me to acknowledge the influence that having both a book and a cross-stitch project in my lap might have on my concentration. And if it was Debbie Reynold’s daughter speaking, then you were seeing Carrie Fisher (of Princess Leia fame). ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/6 "2004-06-23T13:37:46Z")
I was on the phone for most of it, so had it on mute – an interesting way to watch the show! There were some nice juxtapositions – I esp. liked “Theme from Shaft” to “Swinging on a Star,” and “Born to Be Wild” to “Some Enchanted Evening.” Some of the “experts” were way too bogus – I don’t really need to know what Clay Aiken thinks of any of these songs (and, thankfully, since I had it muted, I don’t). ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/7 "2004-06-23T13:44:02Z")
The other thing that bugged me was the head of the AFI, solemnly saying that if your favorite song wasn’t listed, to send e-mails, start a dialogue at the water cooler, etc. It was the goal of the AFI to spark debate about such matters. Now, while I enjoy discussing their choices, I’m certainly not going to start a campaign to modify the list to get “my” choices included. There are more important things going on. She seemed very self-important to me. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/8 "2004-06-23T13:47:54Z")
> [@Rabid Child](#): > > I can’t believe Celine Dion’s “Titanic” song was so high on the list (14)! I prefer to think of it as James Horner’s “Titanic” song. He wrote it based on the theme head already written for the score of the movie. It just lent itself nicely to a ballad. (And you know what, I actually like that song) They didn’t even have anything from “The Jazz Singer” on the list, did they? And where was “Hi Ho” And why were scores/themes rejected in favor of singable tunes? Hey! We’re doing just what that old lady on the special asked us to! If you don’t agree, write, argue, debate! Spread the word about music and film! I’m doing my part! ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/9 "2004-06-23T13:54:20Z")
Lorna Luft rings a bell to me as the name of the woman who kept talking about her mother. Judy Garland makes sense as the mother, I just never heard it made explicit. I’ve never watched one of these AFI shows before, and probably won’t again, but I was enjoying listening to the music, especially when it was a singable tune. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/10 "2004-06-23T14:21:50Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I’m waiting for **Eve** to wander through and give us her take too. 🙂 I’m happy to wander through, whistling softly to myself, but I learned long ago that clicking onto one of those moronic, culturally dumbed-down AFI lists is a ticket to high blood pressure and a migraine headache. (not gonna look not gonna look not gonna look ) ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/11 "2004-06-23T14:24:22Z")
> [@Max Carnage](#): > > They didn’t even have anything from “The Jazz Singer” on the list, did they? Which song do we remember from that movie? ---
**Author:** ![Kings\_Gambit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kings\_Gambit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kings_Gambit1)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/12 "2004-06-23T14:37:53Z")
I love these AFI lists. This one, as usual, is good. Major props for having a couple of hip-hop songs on there ( **Public Enemy** _Fight the Power_ #40 :eek: , and **Eminem** _Lose Yourself_ #93). The _Rainbow Connection_ is on the list! Yah! Where the hell is _Part of Your World_ from **The Little Mermaid**? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/13 "2004-06-23T14:47:48Z")
No “Uncle Fucker”? No “Blame Canada”? If those aren’t two of the most memorable songs in movie history, I’ll eat my hat. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/14 "2004-06-23T14:47:51Z")
They should do “100 Years…100 Musical Scores”. Unless they already have and I missed it. 😃 I did like their Heroes and Villains list they did last year. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/15 "2004-06-23T15:15:27Z")
I love these shows…even though they are dumbed down, make stupid choices yada yada yada. I just love any collection of film clips. That said: the problems with this collection: “Evergreen” (gag). The 3 Disney songs – “Hakuna Matata” isn’t even the best song from **Lion King** , much less worthy of the Top 100. “Do Re Mi” and “Favorite Things”. My son kept waiting for “Damn It’s Good to be a Gangsta” from **Office Space** , and was sorely disappointed. 🙂 “100 Years 100 Scores” would be a great show. And the clips from **Casablanca** prompted my group to suggest “100 Years 100 Speeches & Rants” (“Ilsa, I’m no good at being noble…”). ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/16 "2004-06-23T15:18:29Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > Which song do we remember from that movie? “Mammy” “Blue Skies”. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/17 "2004-06-23T15:19:02Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Hey this will be fun: Let’s all list our favorite songs from the era of Silent Cinema! I think all silent films were meant to be played against an orchestra or some other source of music (and sound effects?). I don’t know if songs were ever associated with films in that way, but it seems possible. > [@Kings\_Gambit1](#): > > Where the hell is Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid? In Hell where it belongs. ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/18 "2004-06-23T15:35:10Z")
I personally think Disney cartoons got dissed more than a little. When I first heard of the special I was afraid that Disney would be all over it, but only 5? and most of those toward the bottom of the list? And then they picked some weird ones, like “Hakuna Matata” over “Circle Of Life”, (props to jsc1953), and ignored some of the better musical choices - Mulan, Aladdin, and esp. Little Mermaid’s “Kiss the Girl”. I aslso think the list skewed kind of old. Not that I think most of the sojngs on the list are unworthy. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/19 "2004-06-23T15:35:30Z")
Another peeve: they would pick the right film, but the wrong songs. **Lion King** : “Hakuna Matata” instead of “Circle of Life”. **Funny Girl** : “People” instead of “My Man”. **Cabaret** : “Cabaret” instead of “Mein Herr” or “Wilkommen”. Disney was given pretty short shrift on the whole. Kind of odd to have Bob Hope singing 3 songs in the first 20. And “Road to Morocco” was a pretty lame choice. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782/20 "2004-06-23T16:01:18Z")
> [@Max Carnage](#): > > And why were scores/themes rejected in favor of singable tunes? Well, the name of the show _was_ “100 Years…100 Songs”, not “100 Years…100 Scores/Themes”. Song = singable tune. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afi-top-100-film-songs/251782.md?page=2)