# Movies where a singer sings - let me explain **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [August 8, 2025, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852 "2025-08-08T12:36:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/1 "2025-08-08T12:36:30Z")
In _Rio Bravo_, there’s a point in the movie where Dean Martin gets to sing. Same for Ricky Nelson in _Wackiest Ship in the Army._ The songs have nothing to do with the story, they’re just scenes to provide the singers an opportunity to sing. Are there other movies with songs inserted just because? Is it because the singer’s agent puts it in the contract? Does anyone do this any more or was it a short-lived gimmick? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/2 "2025-08-08T13:04:38Z")
I think we need to pin this down a bit more. Like, none of the songs in Jailhouse Rock have anything to do with any story, and are just there to provide Elvis an opportunity to sing… but then, that’s the purpose of the entire movie (including whatever rudimentary plot it has). > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Is it because the singer’s agent puts it in the contract? Other way around, I would imagine. When a director casts a famous singer in a movie, it’s because the director wants them to sing. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/3 "2025-08-08T13:08:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think we need to pin this down a bit more. I think the point is more about movies that might not have had songs, but got one because the lead is a singer. Songs inserted because they cast someone who can sing. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/4 "2025-08-08T13:12:16Z")
Like this? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xeyjb21auxc/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHUBoAC4AOKAgwIABABGHIgSygvMA8=&rs=AOn4CLC-M6-qEpWUyypLtxq8Vi7Vmzy11Q "Nick Rivers - Straighten the Rug") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xeyjb21auxc) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/5 "2025-08-08T13:23:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Like, none of the songs in Jailhouse Rock have anything to do with any story, and are just there to provide Elvis an opportunity to sing… but then, that’s the purpose of the entire movie (including whatever rudimentary plot it has) Which is true of every Elvis movie. They’re all essentially quasi-musicals where some plot or dialog occasionally breaks out. ISTM the OP is asking for something less overt or complete than that. An ordinary drama with one song bolted on for a reason that the plot doesn’t really support. So fan service in a sense. Does Tom Cruise in the original Top Gun singing _You’ve lost that loving feeling_ to Kelly McGillis count? Does all the fliers singing _Great Balls of Fire_ while Goose plays the piano count? In this case the plot sorta supports it because Maverick is fearless in pursuit of wimmin, and groups of guys been singing drunk in bars since before pianos were invented. But the movie would certainly have worked fine if those scenes never existed. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/6 "2025-08-08T13:23:55Z")
My theory: movie studios used to make more musicals, so there was more opportunity for a singer to evolve from acting in musicals, to acting in comedies with one or two songs, to acting in non-singing roles. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/7 "2025-08-08T13:24:14Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Like this? First thing I thought of! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/8 "2025-08-08T13:27:17Z")
> **[“I Put A Spell On You” By Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker & Kathy...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCTbr3vjb6I%2F)** > > Watch the original Hocus Pocus performance of “I Put A Spell On You” By Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker & Kathy Najimy. Watch Hocus Pocus all October long... Bette Midler singing “I Put A Spell On You” in _Hocus Pocus_. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/9 "2025-08-08T13:31:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > An ordinary drama with one song bolted on for a reason that the plot doesn’t really support. Got it in one. There was no reason for Dean Martin’s character to serenade the others. It wasn’t so jarring as to pull you out of the movie, but it was unnecessary to the story. I’m not sure the singing in _Top Gun_ is all that out of place - in my Navy days, people often burst into song when beer was involved. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/10 "2025-08-08T13:51:12Z")
**The Three Amigos** features three original songs, sung by the cast; first is the theme song at the very beginning, but the other two are not necessarily essential to the plot in any significant way. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/11 "2025-08-08T13:52:35Z")
The studio wasn’t sure whether Lauren Bacall was going to be a singer, so they inserted songs in _To Have and Have Not_ and _The Big Sleep_. You could argue that you don’t cast the piano player in _To Have and Have Not_ and omit some sort of performance, but other performance is just stuck into a scene. To Have and Have Not [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mFfuUu5xmMA/hqdefault.jpg "lauren bacall: to have and have not "how little we know"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFfuUu5xmMA) The Big Sleep [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/z11dA7srESo/hqdefault.jpg "Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep - And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z11dA7srESo) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/12 "2025-08-08T13:57:45Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Uai7M4RpoLU/hqdefault.jpg "I'm Tired Madeline Kahn Blazing Saddles") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uai7M4RpoLU) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/13 "2025-08-08T13:57:48Z")
Digital Underground show up in **Nothing But Trouble** for no real reason other than to perform a song for the grotesque Judge Valkenheiser. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/14 "2025-08-08T13:59:33Z")
Right- that’s how I interpreted the OP as well. One comes to mind- in _Memphis Belle_, there’s a pretty contrived scene where Harry Connick Jr. ends up singing some period song to the crowd during some sort of party prior to their final mission. It was very clearly in there specifically as an opportunity for him to sing, and considering the time frame of the movie’s release, was probably a marketing point for the movie. Here’s a clip. And for you _Expanse_ fans, there’s a considerably younger, almost unrecognizable David Strathairn (Klaes Ashford) at 1:56. [Memphis Belle - 1990 - Danny Boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNKKufV3MY0) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/15 "2025-08-08T14:08:30Z")
Madonna is in _A League of Their Own._ They could have forced a song in there. Instead it was Marla Hooch. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PYn2m0nxUn4/maxresdefault.jpg "Marla Hooch - It's Gotta Be You") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYn2m0nxUn4) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/16 "2025-08-08T14:09:37Z")
[Verka Serduchka turns up in **Spy**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4au7i7vGqZE&t=9s) for no reason other than to do part of a song and to be background for a bit of comedy business. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/17 "2025-08-08T14:15:53Z")
I would argue that Marla’s song was, in fact, an essential plot element. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/18 "2025-08-08T14:24:23Z")
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_ singing “Moon River”. It’s a nice song and cute moment in the film but the studio execs thought it unnecessary and wanted it cut. Hepburn refused and the song won an Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/19 "2025-08-08T14:54:04Z")
I remember reading that Moon River was written to suit Audrey Hepburn’s limited range. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852/20 "2025-08-08T15:12:18Z")
James Brown and The Fabulous Flames show up in _Ski Party_ as the ski patrol looking to refill their St. Bernards’ rescue casks. After being recognized by Yvonne Craig they break out into a performance of “I Feel Good”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-singer-sings-let-me-explain/1021852.md?page=2)