“Danger Zone,” “Stayin’ Alive” and other hits tailored for Hollywood movies

While music notation is often found and added to films during editing, some songs are written and produced solely for the film.

Scoring during a movie often makes or breaks the movie. A soundtrack that doesn’t match the movie’s scenes won’t set up a scene or evoke emotions in audiences. However, viewers often feel that the music and scenes are so cohesive that they are truly unforgettable.

The songs on this list were created specifically for the films they appeared in, and have maintained their popularity long after their release date.

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1. “Moon River” by Audrey Hepburn, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
2. Mrs. Robinson, Simon and Garfunkel, “The Graduate”
3. “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”, P.J. Thomas and Hal David, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”
4. “Knock on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
5. “Survival”, Bee Gees, “Saturday Night Fever”
6. “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion in “Titanic”
7. “9 to 5”, Dolly Parton, “9 to 5”
8. “Eye of the Tiger” Survivor “Rocky III”
9. “Ghostbusters”, Ray Parker Jr., “Ghostbusters”
10. “Don’t (Forget About Me),” Simple Minds, “The Breakfast Club”
11. “Danger Zone”, Kenny Loggins, “Top Gun”
12. “Miss Misery”, Eliot Smith, “Hunting Goodwill”
13. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”, Aerosmith, “Armageddon”
14. “Lose Yourself”, Eminem, “8 Mile”
15. “Skyfall”, “Adele”, “Skyfall”
16. “See You Again” Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, “Furious 7”
17. “Shallow” by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga and “A Star is Born”

1. “Moon River,” Audrey Hepburn, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”

“Moon River” has been recorded repeatedly by many artists after its official debut by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

The song was written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer.

2. “Mrs. Robinson, Simon & Garfunkel, “The Graduate”

The Mike Nichols-directed film was the setting for the debut of “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel.

The band first performed the song, which was titled “Mrs. Roosevelt”, before changing the name of the film.

3. “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” P.J. Thomas and Hal David, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”

Generations of people may remember the “raindrops falling on my head” line during the movie “Spider-Man 2.” The song plays when Peter Parker, the hero, is happy after temporarily sacrificing his superhero duties. However, this song did not originate in the 2004 fantasy film, but rather first appeared many years earlier.

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This hit was made for the 1969 film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” In the scene in which the song is played, Butch, played by Paul Newman, takes Etta, played by Katherine Ross, on a romantic bike ride.

4. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, Bob Dylan, “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid”

“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, a hit song by Bob Dylan, is one of his most famous works. It’s based on the 1973 movie “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.”

The film starred Dylan, who also recorded the film’s soundtrack.

One of the most famous covers of the song was released by Guns N’ Roses in 1991.

5. “Stayin’ Alive”, Bee Gees, “Saturday Night Fever”

“Stayin’ Alive” was first heard on “Saturday Night Fever”. A Bee Gees song plays as American actor John Travolta dances on the lit disco floor surrounded by many people. As Travolta dances, the ground lights up with his steps.

Not only did the song go off after the movie was released, but the floors went off as well.

“Stayin’ Alive” is one of the Bee Gees’ most popular songs to this day.

6. “My Heart Will Go On,” Celine Dion, “Titanic”

“My Heart Will Go On” is a heartbreaking hit song that debuted in the 1997 film “Titanic.” It is played during the end credits after the tragic events of the historic shipwreck.

The song perfectly captures the film’s psychedelic mood and the heartbreaking ending to the love story between Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and Rose, played by Kate Winslet.

This song remains one of Celine Dion’s most famous songs.

7. “9 to 5”, Dolly Parton, “9 to 5”

Did you know that “9 to 5” was written for a movie of the same name?

Country music icon Dolly Parton stars in the comedy “9 to 5” opposite “Grace and Frankie” stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

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Parton received an Academy Award nomination for this song and continues to perform it for fans today.

8. “Eye of the Tiger,” “Survivor,” “Rocky 3”

Everything happens for a reason, and the movie “Eye of the Tiger” is a perfect example of that.

This song by Survivor is often used to cheer up gym goers, fans at sporting events, and more and was never created.

Sylvester Stallone, who played the beloved Italian stallion in the “Rocky” series, first approached Queen for permission to use “Another One Bites the Dust” in the film. After the request was rejected, Stallone went to Survivor, who put together a new song for the film.

All of the training montages for “Rocky” are memorable and inspiring scenes, thanks to the music behind them. “Eye of the Tiger” is no different. It served as the perfect soundtrack to motivational montages that generations of fans appreciated.

9. “Ghostbusters,” Ray Parker Jr., “Ghostbusters”

“Who are you going to call? Ghostbusters!”

The catchy “Ghostbusters” theme was first used in the original 1984 film, but has remained associated with many films in the series since.

The latest “Ghostbusters” movie is scheduled to hit theaters in 2024.

10. “Don’t (Forget Me),” Simple Minds, “The Breakfast Club”

The 1980s hit “The Breakfast Club” gave rise to the unforgettable hit song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from the band Simple Minds.

The song plays during the opening and closing credits of the film.

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11. “Danger Zone,” Kenny Loggins, “Top Gun”

The opening scene of “Top Gun” perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the action-packed film. At the beginning of the film, director Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” is juxtaposed with scenes of planes flying through the air.

Loggins recorded this song for Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock shortly after working on the 1984 film “Footloose.”

The song was also used in a similar but more updated opening sequence for “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022.

12. “Miss Misery,” Elliott Smith, “Hunting Goodwill”

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s “Good Will Hunting” received a slew of Oscar nominations. One of those nominations was for Best Music, Original Song for “Miss Misery.”

Elliot Smith’s song is used during the final scene of the film and in the end credits.

13. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Aerosmith, “Armageddon”

Aerosmith recorded several songs for the 1998 film “Armageddon,” but “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was the most memorable.

The song was written by Diane Warren for the film directed by Michael Bay.

Liv Tyler, daughter of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, stars in the film.

14. “Lose Yourself,” Eminem, “8 Mile”

The song “Lose Yourself” was written and produced by Jeff Bass, Luis Resto and Eminem for the movie “8 Mile”, a film loosely based on the rapper’s private life.

This song was the first rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

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15. Adele, “Skyfall.”

In 2012, Adele and her producer co-wrote the film Skyfall. Paul Epworth, for the James Bond film of the same name.

This film was part of the series of films that featured British actor Daniel Craig in the role of 007.

16. “See You Again,” Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, “Furious 7”

“See You Again” was a tearful farewell for Paul Walker.

Walker died while filming the 2015 movie “Furious 7.”

17. “Shallow” by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, “A Star is Born”

“A Star is Born” has been remade four times over the course of a few decades. “Shallow” from the 2018 film, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga as Ally and Jack in the film.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Achievement in a Motion Picture Musical (Original Song).