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As I said, the AFI's top ten picks were pretty safe choices. Once past those, however, the choices get much more difficult. Here are the third group of ten movie songs of note:
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#21 Jailhouse Rock Many people were surprised that The King didn't make the top 20. Considering the lame movies he made,
there's no need to wonder why. This signature song, however, is a rockin' good time and
just a blast to listen and dance to. It had some of the best lyrics of any song from Elvis'
many movies, and has remained a rock-and-roll classic for over 50 years. There's no more to be said.
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#22 Everybody's Talkin' "Everybody's Talkin'" is a curious pick. The Harry
Nilsson performance is charming, and it was very popular in the 1960's, but the impact
it had was miniscule. The notable part of this combination was the gritty,
ambitious movie starring John Voight and Dustin Hoffman. The first X-Rated movie,
and the only mainstream film to receive such a rating, "Midnight Cowboy"
was well-deserving of its Oscar, but I wouldn't have put it on any music list - good
or bad.
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#23 Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head You'll have to forgive me because "Butch Cassidy" is one of
my favorite movies. I quote Butch all the time to my wife ("The next time I say
let's go someplace like Bolivia, let's *GO* someplace like Bolivia"). So despite
anything bad you might have heard about "Raindrops", Burt Bacharach, or
B.J. Thomas, I'm not going to say a bad word here. I bought the soundtrack
album for this film way back when... god help me... in 8-Track. Nearly wore it out, too.
I always thought it was a shame that Strother Martin didn't get to finish "Sweet
Betsy From Pike."
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#24 Ol' Man River What a marvelous show! I've seen both movie versions of "Show
Boat," and two different stage productions and I just eat them up! Its a rare film
that survives a remake, but this one did. But the original from 1936 had more bite
because it was closer to the era depicted in the story. It skirts around the racial
issues to a large extent, but you have to forgive that when you start to enjoy the
show. And "Ol' Man River" gives us an enduring song performed by an
amazing actor and singer, Paul Robeson. The Jerome Kern score is just one of
many classic creations he has left for us over the years. I would have placed
Show Boat on my list of favorite movies, and it certainly deserves a spot on
a list of important movie soundtracks.
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#25 Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin This theme from the classic Western "High Noon" is
probably the best-known from that genre. I always thought the movie was overrated,
frankly. I am a Gary Cooper fan, but I thought the movie dragged out too long.
So, on the whole, this one would have been much further down on my list.
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#26 The Trolley Song It's that girl again! Yes, Judy Garland makes her third appearance
in the AFI's list with this banal little number from "Meet Me In St. Louis."
I loved the movie, its just that this particular song left me unimpressed - Clang,
Clang, Clang, and all.
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#27 Unchained Melody Oh man! Shower Stall Crooners like me all want to have a voice like either one of the Righteous
Brothers! This one still plays on the radio, and not just the geezer stations for
aging rock-and-rollers! It was one of the first 60's tunes to be used in a mainstream
movie, and certainly had an impact on audiences. Remember Patrick Swayze and Demi
Moore playing with the clay? Ouch! That was hot!
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#28 Some Enchanted Evening Knock, knock. Who's There? Sam and Janet! Sorry, I couldn't resist the temptation.
A classic musical both on Broadway and on the silver screen, "South Pacific"
is a World War II love story that charmed audiences. So what if Mitzi Gaynor and
Rossano Brazzi were one of the biggest mismatches in history. The Rogers and
Hammerstein score was one of their best.
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#29 Born To Be Wild The anthem of a generation, "Born To Be Wild" embodied
the 60's counter-culture revolution. It spoke to kids who wanted to be free of
their parent's hang-ups about sex and drugs, and the commercialization of the
culture. Then add the images of Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper on their choppers,
riding across America and you truly have the stuff that dreams are made of.
The impact of this song and in particular, this movie, are almost inestimable.
It remains one of the most memorable films of the past 50 years.
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#30 Stormy Weather Was there a more sultry singer than Lena Horne? I thought she was one
of the sexiest women I'd ever seen when I saw her on television growing up, and seeing
her in this small film from the 1940's makes me realize just how sexy she was back then.
Over the years, the song has earned a place as one of the best torch songs of all time.
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