AFI did another one of their 100 Years, 100 whatevahs last night. This time it was the 100 best movie songs.
I don’t think I can argue with the top few. A few of them I don’t recall ever hearing, though. Like:
11. “The Man That Got Away,” “A Star Is Born,” 1954.
77. “The Shadow of Your Smile,” “The Sandpiper,” 1965
And where is “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”? or “Rawhide”? or “Rock’n’Roll High School”? I’m sure there were others.
But at least these two made the list. *hee*
80. “Springtime for Hitler,” “The Producers,” 1968
89. “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “Young Frankenstein,” 1974.
There were very few I would argue with on that list. And yay for Puttin on the Ritz, still a standard at drunken family gatherings around here.
Soooper Doooper!
I looked at the whole list, the list ain’t too bad, but…
NO “PURPLE RAIN”!?!
…or “When Doves Cry”, or “Let’s Go Crazy”?
No Beatles??? What about “Help”, “A Hard Day’s Night”?
SERIOUS oversight on AFI’s part!
Crap! How could I have forgotten those? Maybe they excluded musicals? I’ll have to look.
From the AFI Website:
The Criteria
The jurors were asked to consider the following criteria while making their selections:
Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes in length.
American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.
Song: Music and lyrics featured in an American film that set a tone or mood, define character, advance plot and/or express the film’s themes in a manner that elevates the moving image art form. Songs may have been written and/or recorded specifically for the film or previously written and/or recorded and selected by the filmmaker to achieve the above goals.
Cultural Impact: Songs that have captured the nation’s heart, echoed beyond the walls of a movie theater, and ultimately stand in our collective memory of the film itself.
Legacy: Songs that resonate across the century, enriching America’s film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today.
Don
Bah! No “Stonehenge”. Or “Big Bottom”
Rawhide was TV, Sol. You haven’t heard “Shadow of Your Smile?” Of course you have; it’s been covered by thousands, including Sinatra, I think. If not Sinatra, then Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Perry Como.
Wait. You hadn’t ever heard “The Man that Got Away”??? Ok, you need to get yourself a copy right now. No, I mean it. RIGHT. NOW. It’s my all time favorite.
Hey…
What about “Danger Zone” from “Top Gun” ???
I think that pretty much set the tone of the movie and expressed the film’e themes…