Have you ever seen a music moment play out in a movie, and it just worked spectacularly?
Here are a few of my favorites, maybe there yours too!
1. Reality Bites (1994) — My Sharona by The Knack
After appearing in this film, Winona Ryder went on to achieve great things in Hollywood. In this particular scene, Lelaina Pierce (Winona Ryder) and her friends, including Vickie Miner (Janeane Garofalo), spontaneously start dancing in a convenience store when they hear “My Sharona” playing, while her boyfriend and the convenience store clerk look on in surprise ... priceless!
2. Armageddon (1998) — I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith
This film follows an unlikely group of deep sea oil driller cow-boy types that are brought together by NASA to stop a large asteroid from colliding with Earth and destroying all life altogether. They are sent to off-set the asteroid collision by drilling into the planet, in a sense creating a bomb-like effect, so the pieces from the asteroid would land in a different direction from Earth. The film features an ensemble cast of Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson and many others. Liv Tyler’s father, Steven Tyler, one of the founding members of legendary rock group, Aerosmith, would perform one of the songs featured on the soundtrack “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” The single, which was written by Diane Warren, would go on to perform well, debuting at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it would stay for four weeks following its release. To this day, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” still remains one of Aerosmith’s biggest hits.
3. Cruel Intentions (1999) — Colorblind by Counting Crows
Two well-to-do, cunning and competitive step-siblings, Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe) conspire on a bet: for Sebastian to seduce the new headmaster’s daughter, Annette (Reese Witherspoon). Before long, Sebastian begins to fall for Annette and soon regrets the bet he had conspired with Kathryn. Sebastian confronts Annette about the bet, but she refuses to hear him out. Following their encounter, he then decides to send her his journal detailing the true scheming nature of Kathryn, their bet and all the notes he had written describing his affections for her all along.
4. Almost Famous (2000) — Tiny Dancer by Elton John
Cameron Crowe wrote and directed "Almost Famous," a semi-autobiographical account of his time working for Rolling Stone as a writer during the 1970s while he was a teen. Patrick Fugit plays the lead as William Miller, traveling with the fictional band Stillwater, hoping to get his first cover story published. Near the end of the film, Miller, the band and the groupies, or rather Band Aids, hop onto the tour bus and warmly embrace and begin to sing along to "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John when it comes on the radio.
5. The Holiday (2006) — Let Go by Frou Frou
"The Holiday" is a romantic comedy written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. The film stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black in the lead roles. Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) and Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) are two women who decide to temporarily swap their homes with each other in order to escape their feelings of sorrow and heartbreak over the holiday season. Iris living in England, and Amanda in Los Angeles get to experience life differently from what they were used to back home. They soon find love which they didn’t expect they would be able to ever again! The song is also featured in "Garden State."
6. Easy A (2010) - A Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield
Emma Stone singing and dancing to "A Pocketful of Sunshine" in Easy A is laugh-out-loud cringe-worthy, but c’mon, don’t we all recognize ourselves in her belting out the song with utter abandon in front of a mirror?
7. Dirty Dancing (1987) - (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey's fairy tale dance on the stage in "Dirty Dancing" is one of the most romantic final scenes in film history. Expertly choreographed to the dreamy male-female pop duet of Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, it will leave you pining with nostalgia.
8. 9 to 5 (1980) – 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
This film follows three women, Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda), Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin) and Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton), who play secretaries working for a boss who acts shockingly sexist towards them. At a certain point, they have had enough of his antics and decide to give him a taste of his own medicine! Dolly Parton wrote and recorded the theme song for the film which accompanies the trailer. The song would come to be one of her biggest hits and would go on to receive many awards of recognition.
9. Skyfall (2012) – Skyfall by Adele
Daniel Craig returns to play the role of James Bond in the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise of films called "Skyfall." In this entry, Bond is tested after MI6 is taken down by a familiar threat. His job is to destroy the threat no matter what the cost, even at great personal cost to himself.
British singer-songwriter Adele wrote and produced the theme song for the spy thriller with her colleague and longtime-collaborator, Paul Epworth. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013.
10. Footloose (1984) – Footloose by Kenny Loggins
Like the 2011 remake, a boy in his teens moves to a rural town where listening to music and dancing have been banned after a tragic accident has taken the lives of a few young people from the area. Ren (Kevin Bacon) decides this is not right and tries to do something about it along with his friends, challenging preconceived ideas of how teenagers should be able to express themselves through song and dance. In this particular scene, Ren dances along with his classmates and friends at their high school’s prom night.
11. Breakfast Club (1985) – (Don’t You) Forget About Me by Simple Minds
Five unlikely high school students are brought together to serve in detention one morning. While they all fit very different high school labels — a jock, a nerd, a rebel, a princess and a basket-case — they find that they have more in common than they think. At the end of the detention session, the five students embark on life with a new perspective. And in the final shot, John (Judd Nelson), the rebel, walks across the football field and lifts his fist up triumphantly while "(Don’t You) Forget About Me" by Simple Minds plays along.
12. Say Anything (1989) – In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
In this romantic comedy, Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack), an underachiever, and his classmate, Diane Court (Ione Skye), the strikingly beautiful valedictorian, fall for each other the summer before she heads off to college. In one of the most iconic scenes in movie history, John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler appears in front of Diane’s house holding a giant boom box over his shoulders blaring the song “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel, letting his feelings for her be known.
13. The Beach (2000) – Porcelain by Moby
Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) a young American in his 20s has a burning desire to see the world, and so he decides to travel to Bangkok, Thailand. Soon, he finds himself with a strange map and decides to go find the isolated beach it says it will lead him to. British director, Danny Boyle features the single “Porcelain” by Moby in his film. Relatively unknown at the time, the singer would credit the song being included on the soundtrack for “raising awareness of the record.”
14. City of Angels (1998) — Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls
Seth (Nicolas Cage) plays an angel, who is tasked with the responsibility to watch over humans and to protect them. His main obligation is to appear to those who are close to death and to guide them into the next life. Because he is an angel, he can’t be seen by humans. But one day while trying to save a man’s life, a surgeon named Maggie Rice (Meg Ryan) spots him while she is performing heart surgery on a man who is not likely to survive the operation. While she is performing the surgery, she is taken by his presence. "Iris," a song written by alternative-rock band, The Goo Goo Dolls, was originally written for the film’s soundtrack, but would later be included on the band's sixth studio album, "Dizzy Up the Girl." If you are thinking to yourself that you may have heard this song before then most likely you have. Iris would come to be one of the most popular hits of the late '90s, being featured not only on alternative-rock stations, but also on modern rock radio and Top 40 channels.
15. Titanic — My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
My Heart Will Go On, the love theme from the 1997 blockbuster hit, "Titanic," is performed by Celine Dion. Even though, we all know what was to become of the ill-fated passenger liner, the romantic story between Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), is a beautiful piece of imagination brought to life by James Cameron’s brilliant writing and his stunning visuals as director of the film. The lyrics perfectly capture the love that these two young people had for each other. I can’t say for certain that you won’t shed a tear, but it is definitely worth the watch to see for yourself!
16. Friends with Benefits – Closing Time by Semisonic
In this film, work acquaintances Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis), who have both had bad luck with love in the past, realize that sex in a relationship only further complicates things. With this agreement, behind them they decide to pursue a friends with benefits relationship. Over time, their feelings for one another develop and become mutual, and they have to decide if they want to continue on this course or to listen to their gut. In this scene, Dylan creates a mob flash dance in Grand Central station, to demonstrate his love for Jamie while "Closing Time" by Semisonic plays in the background.
