The AFI's Top 100 Movie Songs - #91-100

#91 Let the River Run
from Working Girl

Twentieth Century Fox

Mike Nochols directs stars Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, and Sigourney Weaver in this chick-flick of the 1990's. The Carly Simon estrogen-affirmation anthem is a bit formulaic in a way, as was the film. I thought Melanie Griffith gave a fine performance here, but Harrison Ford just doesn't do anything for me. I've always thought he was overrated as an actor. He never seems to convey any true emotions. Sigourney Weaver is the stuff dreams are made of, but she's pretty much wasted in this cookie-cutter double-dealing-female-executive role. A nice popcorn movie, but not a film or a song for the ages in my book.

#92 Long Ago and Far Away
from Cover Girl

Columbia/Tri-Star Studios

Gosh, I don't know how I missed this Rita Hayworth movie, but I've never seen it. I'll have to check Netflix.

#93 Lose Yourself
from 8 Mile

Columbia/Tri-Star Studios

More rap music wretchedness by gangsta-wannabe Eminem. I suppose "cultural impact" can be either positive or negative, but Bleah!

#94 Ain't Too Proud to Beg
from The Big Chill

Columbia/Tri-Star Studios

"The Big Chill" was the first major movie to feature classic rock hits from the 1960's in the soundtrack. Not since "American Graffiti" in the 1970's had rock-and-roll classics been used as a backdrop for a movie, and that film relied mostly on hits from the 1950's. This film's "production number" featured the aging Boomers dancing to the sweet strains of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by The Temptations. I'm a Boomer and while I like this movie a whole lot, and Glenn Close's sweet derriere is forever etched in my memory, its impact on American culture was small. The soundtrack album was a big hit because it was a great collection. But as for cultural impact, the AFI should have picked the film's opening number "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by The Rolling Stones, which was far more on point in terms of this film and this generation. The biggest effect this movie had on American culture was to inspire Studios to continue to exploit audience's fondness for classic rock in movie soundtracks.

#95 (We're Off on the) Road to Morocco
from The Road To Morocco

Paramount Studios

The catchy title tune from this movie is a fitting tribute to the legendary Hope and Crosby "Road" pictures. Pure unabashed fluff with non-stop gags, the Road pictures were off-the-cuff, ad-lib fests that were huge hits in the 1940's and have taken on a new life through television and home video. Their longevity is thanks to the unquestionable talent of these two legendary entertainers.

#96 Footloose
from Footloose

Paramount Studios

Go ahead! You can hate this movie and its mind-numbing title song. Lots of people do. But it had its following and certainly makes for a sterling representative for the young-kid-versus-stodgy-adults movie. So, I usually try to take these movies at face value and try to remind myself "ITS JUST A MOVIE! ENJOY IT!" And that's my advice.

#97 42nd Street
from 42nd Street

Warner Bros. Studios

A milestone movie in the history of Hollywood. Little Ruby Keeler tap-danced her way into the hearts of audiences in this gritty piece of cinema. Its a fitting tribute to the Broadway stage from Hollywood and a classic Busby Berkeley film. Hats off!

#98 All That Jazz
from Chicago

Miramax Studios

In this tribute to the movie musicals and gangster movies of a bygone era, "Chicago" is remarkable film no matter how you look at it. Who knew that the three stars - Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rene' Zellweger, and Richard Gere had this kind of musical talent. The "making-of" documentary in the DVD certainly tells the tale of the Herculean effort all three put into their performances. This is precisely the kind of movie that leaves you relying on the old cliche' - "They don't make 'em like that anymore." Except, of course, they did! Thank God for the Weinstein brothers whose Miramax Studios have brought so many marvelous films to us. And would somebody please explain to me how this film, which reminded modern audiences why big balls-out classic movie musicals are so wonderful, did not make the top 50?

#99 Hakuna Matata
from The Lion King

Walt Disney Studios

"The Lion King" was a box office bonanza, and has been a big hit in home video as well. The signature kids song "Hakuna Matata" is a throwback to the kind of old Hollywood musical that I've been carping about, but as much as I love Nathan Lane (Timon) and Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa) and their fabulous performance in this movie (and the recent sequel The Lion King 1-1/2), I'd never have put this song on the list. For cultural impact, certainly the film's title song "Circle of Life" with its African rhythms and harmonies was just as popular and far more appropos.

#100 Old Time Rock and Roll
from Risky Business

Warner Bros. Studios

I'm probably the wrong gender or something, but for the life of me I just don't get what people see in Tom Cruise. He's good looking, alright, but none of his performances have ever led me to willingly suspend my disbelief. In this example in particular, I was struck by how much he looked like an actor trying to act like a teenager all alone in the house dancing in his underwear. Bob Seeger's catchy tune notwithstanding, and while I understand that the rest of the world thinks this movie was just the berries, it was just another Ferris Bueller-style teen-sploitation film to me that relied mostly on Rebecca De Mornay's most valuable assets being displayed for ogling young males.