# Music That Outlived What It Was Originally Associated With **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [August 6, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186 "2026-08-06T16:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/61 "2026-08-06T20:45:05Z")
Yet another one: “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” first appeared in the 1949 film **Neptune’s Daughter**. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/62 "2026-08-06T20:49:45Z")
> [@Reindeer\_Flotilla](#): > > In 1966, Stephen Stills was a member of what had just become the house band for the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Boulevard. So when he found himself in the middle of the counterculture Sunset Strip curfew riots there in the late fall in West Hollywood California, he penned a little tune about it that his band recorded a month later in December of that year. > > Today the Sunset Strip curfew riots are little remembered, however Buffalo Springfield’s “For What it’s Worth (Stop, Hey What’s That Sound)” is much more well known. Especially since it was voted by the Rolling Stone as 63rd of the 500 greatest songs of all time. > > Over the decades it’s morphed into a Vietnam war protest song (e.g. in the Forrest Gump soundtrack during some Vietnam scenes), and yes you can certainly connect the dots between anti-hippie sentiment → curfew laws → curfew protests → Vietnam war protests, but the inspiration for the song really came about because of evening traffic jams on Sunset Blvd were affecting business owners. It was used in the documentary **The War at Home** , which was released in 1979 or so. It wouldn’t surprise me if people thought United Airlines commissioned _Rhapsody in Blue_ rather that it be a 1924 George Gershwin composition. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/63 "2026-08-06T20:50:01Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > I can’t hear “Dance of the Hours” without thinking of summer camp… I think of hippos and crocodiles. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/64 "2026-08-06T20:51:18Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Another Christmas one is “White Christmas” which was originally written for a now largely forgotten film called “Holiday Inn” released in 1942. Its soundtrack contained two other songs which have also endured: “Happy Holiday” (which, like “White Christmas,” has endured in the Christmas music songbook) and “Easter Parade.” ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/65 "2026-08-06T20:52:00Z")
“Hooray for Hollywood” first appeared in the 1937 film **Hollywood Hotel**. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/66 "2026-08-06T20:52:00Z")
**Powerhouse** premiered as an instrumental composition on CBS Radio’s _Saturday Night Swing Club_ in January or early February 1937. Now it’s famous for its use in Warner Brothers and other cartoons. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-DKCFjm0DvE/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AGMBYAC4AOKAgwIABABGDcgUyh_MA8=&rs=AOn4CLC0m4aHFbnExI6KacG-jmDYn7TiYA "Where The Pins Go (The Simpsons)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DKCFjm0DvE) ---
**Author:** ![Awb78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Awb78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Awb78)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/67 "2026-08-06T20:58:40Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Also, I don’t know if Herb Alpert’s “[Spanish Flea](https://youtu.be/aBE9EQ7gXKI?si=pe8_tp9ZJkero1yz)” was ever associated with anything else The Dating Game!! ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/68 "2026-08-06T21:00:21Z")
The jazz composer Raymond Scott wrote a short, rather odd, instrumental that would have been long since forgotten, except that parts of it were used in Warner Brothers cartoons: [Raymond Scott - Powerhouse [mp3]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaC0vNLdLvY&list=RDqaC0vNLdLvY&start_radio=1) If you are not the patient type, skip to 1:15 ETA: Ninja’d by nine minutes ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/69 "2026-08-06T21:01:13Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Even if you’ve never heard of François-Joseph Gossec or his opera _Rosine, ou L’épouse abandonnée_, you’ve almost certainly heard its gavotte, which was used as the standard “fussy tidying-up” music in countless Warner Brothers cartoons: Jean-Joseph Mouret’s _Rondeau_ is "The Music from _Masterpiece Theater_ > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZQG-DZy7uY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZQG-DZy7uY) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/70 "2026-08-06T21:35:30Z")
In 1969 a minor soul band called the Winstons recorded an instrumental track called “Amen Brother”. It was too short, so they added a 7-second drum break to the middle. You can hear it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxZuq57_bYM) at 1:26. If it sounds familiar to you, that’s because for some reason, hip-hop artists started sampling it in the mid-1980s. You probably recognize it from “[Straight Outta Compton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMZi25Pq3T8)”, but it was sampled over and over again. Thousands of time. It is literally one of the building blocks of hip-hop. > **[Amen break](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amen_break)** > > The Amen break is a drum break that has been widely sampled in popular music. It comes from the 1969 track "Amen, Brother" by the American soul group the Winstons, released as the B-side of the 1969 single "Color Him Father". The drum break lasts seven seconds and was performed by Gregory Coleman. With the rise of hip-hop in the 1980s, the Amen break was used in hits including "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A and "Keep It Going Now" by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock. In the 1990s, it became a staple ... ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/71 "2026-08-06T21:58:14Z")
[The Warsaw Concerto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Concerto) is a popular classical piece. It was written for the movie _Dangerous Moonlight,_ which is completely obscure. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/72 "2026-08-06T21:59:35Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > It wouldn’t surprise me if people thought United Airlines commissioned _Rhapsody in Blue_ rather that it be a 1924 George Gershwin composition I actually only realized that very recently. 🫣 I heard that music in some show or commercial and commented “Oh that’s the United theme!” only to have my mother be like “…no… that’s Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin!” I always fly United and have heard that so many times! I honestly had no idea. 😅 ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/73 "2026-08-06T22:00:07Z")
Many old children’s songs/lullabies ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/74 "2026-08-06T22:02:11Z")
I think _I’d Like To Teach the World to Sing_ outlived the Coke commercial by a few months. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/75 "2026-08-06T22:14:20Z")
“As Time Goes By” was written in 1931 for a Broadway show. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/76 "2026-08-06T22:15:43Z")
_“Georges Bizet’s “Les Toreadors” from Carmen Suite No. 1 becomes an iconic theme for a podium celebration in Motorsports, especially Formula 1.”_ The Champagne Spraying Song ---
**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 6, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/77 "2026-08-06T22:20:43Z")
Elton John’s song “Philadelphia Freedom” long outlasted the professional tennis team of the same name that it was written in honor of. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/78 "2026-08-06T22:29:09Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Elton John’s song “Philadelphia Freedom” long outlasted the professional tennis team of the same name that it was written in honor of And, for that matter, it has outlasted the popularity of tennis as one of the most popular spectator and participation sports in the U.S. Tennis is not _gone_, of course, but it’s much more of a niche (both for play, and for watching on TV) than it was when that song was released in the '70s. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/79 "2026-08-06T22:58:08Z")
The song “Singin’ in the Rain” has long outlived its origin in _The Hollywood Music Box Revue."_ ---
**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 6, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186/80 "2026-08-06T23:01:36Z")
Yeah, I don’t think I realized until I saw it that Singin’ in the Rain, the movie, is almost entirely pre-existing songs. Make 'Em Laugh and Moses Supposes are the only new songs in the movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-that-outlived-what-it-was-originally-associated-with/1032186.md?page=5)