# Overused songs in movies/movie trailers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2001, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144 "2001-12-06T01:39:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/1 "2001-12-06T01:39:08Z")
Has anyone noticed that certain songs seem to be used in too many movies, either somewhere within the movie itself, or is used for its trailer? Three such songs come to mind, although I can’t remember which specific movies they have been used for: [ul] [li]George Thoroughgood’s “Bad to the Bone”[/li][li]Chris DeBurgh’s “Lady in Red”[/li][li]The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” (I’ll cite _Ghost_ as an example for this one.)[/li][/ul] I’m sure some avid movie buffs out there can come up with several others. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/2 "2001-12-06T01:43:10Z")
I get annoyed when the sountracks for OTHER movies get recycled into trailers. For some reason, music from **Dark City** and **The Rock** shows up in a very high number of trailers for other films. ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/3 "2001-12-06T02:09:48Z")
By law, every action movie in the past five years has been required to use _Carmina Burana_ in it’s trailer. ---
**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:** [December 6, 2001, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/4 "2001-12-06T03:35:39Z")
Not as much any more, but for awhile a lot of trailers (usually those whose music hadn’t been completed) used bits of the score for “The Stunt Man” (a great score, BTW). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/5 "2001-12-06T03:37:43Z")
I never want to hear James Brown’s “I Feel Good” in another trailer (I remember an SNL sketch featuing Garth Brooks that made this same point!). ---
**Author:** ![cleops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cleops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleops)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/6 "2001-12-06T03:45:37Z")
Dvorak’s New World Symphony–ya hear it whenever some contrast has to be made between somewhere else in the world and this great land of ours. ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/7 "2001-12-06T04:08:04Z")
White Zombie’s “Astrocreep 2000” was used for several advertisements for movies IIRC, but wasn’t in all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/8 "2001-12-06T04:38:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grendel72 \* > \*\*By law, every action movie in the past five years has been required to use _Carmina Burana_ in it’s trailer. \*\* What’s really upsetting is that the _Jimmy Neutron_ trailer used the _Dies Irae_ from the Verdi Requiem. I was appalled. I think it’s shown up in other trailers, and I _know_ I’ve heard it in commercials… ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/9 "2001-12-06T05:27:09Z")
Smash Mouth’s “modern classic” All Star or whatever it is. I hate that song Tenebras ---
**Author:** ![Mofo\_Rising](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mofo\_Rising](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mofo_Rising)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/10 "2001-12-06T05:37:07Z")
I was going to say “All Star”. Let’s not forget that that particular song made it onto quite a few cell phones. My personal pick would be Rob Zombie’s “Burn through the witches” song. Too many movies and too many movies to be good for anything. Funny, I remember him complaining about Lenny Kravitz selling his “I want to fly away” song to quite a few companies. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/11 "2001-12-06T07:00:53Z")
Mighty Maximino wrote: > [@](#): > > I get annoyed when the sountracks for OTHER movies get recycled into trailers. For some reason, music from **Dark City** and **The Rock** shows up in a very high number of trailers for other films. Yeah. I heard part of the soundtrack to _The Last Starfighter_ show up in the commercials for the animated _Jetsons_ movie several years ago. I’ve also heard the soundtrack to _Apollo 13_ used in the trailers for at least one later film. At least, they’ll never be able to get away with recycling the _Star Wars_ theme like that! ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/12 "2001-12-06T07:31:44Z")
“It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (and I feel fine)” by REM was in “Independents Day”, “Tommy Boy”, at LEAST 2 other movie trailers, “The Lone Gunmen” TV show trailer, “Simpsons”… But I like the song! “Same As It Ever Was” by Talking Heads is a good song too and used in a lot of films… one with Richard Dreyfuss (maybe “Down And Out In Beverly Hills”?), “The Truman Show” trailer/comercials, “The Family Man” trailer/comercials, and educational video on the state of the environment… which ALSO had “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (and I feel fine)” by REM on it. ---
**Author:** ![Bedrosian\_Bixby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@Bedrosian\_Bixby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bedrosian_Bixby)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/13 "2001-12-06T07:35:56Z")
Lately, I’ve heard this stupid teenybopper song in just about every other preview I’ve seen. It’s sung by some teenage, Mandy More-type, gutterslut. It goes a little like this…“You’re everything to me (blah blah blah)…I’m not alone” Most recently it’s been heard on the TV comercial for the new Meg Ryan movie. It makes me want to pull my hair out! ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/14 "2001-12-06T07:38:49Z")
“La Grange” by ZZ Top seems to make it’s way into a lot of movies… ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/15 "2001-12-06T07:50:56Z")
That Enya song, “Only Time.” It’s everywhere! ---
**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:** [December 6, 2001, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/16 "2001-12-06T12:10:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grendel72 \* > \*\*By law, every action movie in the past five years has been required to use _Carmina Burana_ in it’s trailer. \*\* Regrettably so. And always the first/last movement (although I saw one the other day that actually uses a different CB movement). Or Beethoven’s Ninth – that’s a popular one. Heck, Michael Jackson used it for his _HiStory_ tour… ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/17 "2001-12-06T12:56:12Z")
Rhythm of the Heat by Peter Gabriel gets used everytime a trailer needs a fast, dramatic, percussive beat at the end; usually during a montage of action clips. Green Onions by Booker T & the MG’s gets overused in trailers and films as shorthand for “cool”. How about Time Is Tight every so often for variety? ---
**Author:** ![Heath\_Doolin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Heath\_Doolin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heath_Doolin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/18 "2001-12-06T16:45:21Z")
Every Moby song ever made by the guy. Moby is one of the few artists that will sell his songs for anything. I have seen more of his stuff in commercials, in movies, in anything. I would not be surprised if I open a box a Cheerios and “Bodyrock” does not come piping out. Kida a bummer too…I liked him before all this mess ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/19 "2001-12-06T21:38:45Z")
Janeane Garofalo said it best - if you’re watching a movie trailer and someone says “I love this job” while Louie Louie, Wooly Bully, or Mony Mony plays, DON’T SEE THE MOVIE. Bedrosian Bixby, the song you’re referring to is something like “Everywhere” by a girl named Michelle Branch, I think (?). I am embarrassed to say I know this. I watch a lot of Nickelodeon with my son, I swear! ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144/20 "2001-12-06T21:56:59Z")
Janeane Garofalo also says every single movie trailer begins, “In a world …” I don’t know the title. Perhaps it’s already been mentioned. But I hear a classical piece in a LOT of trailers. It’s a great big operatic chorus, kinda scary-sounding piece. It seems like it was used in The Omen, maybe? It seems like it gets trotted out anytime someone wants to communicate Big Lush Terror. The new Meg Ryan movie. Man, what a harlequin romance tale if I ever saw one! I hate movies that scream “chick flick!!” even though I do sometimes enjoy a CF. I just don’t like to be pegged doing it! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overused-songs-in-movies-movie-trailers/97144.md?page=2)