Movies and music have been a natural combination ever since sound was first added to moving images. Whether a film is a tear-jerking drama, an action-packed thriller or a side-splitting comedy, the right song at the right moment will always elevate the impact of a scene. Not only that, many songs written for films have stood on their own, with the popularity of some eclipsing the movies that inspired them. With the 86th Academy Awards approaching, here's a look back at the 50 biggest Hot 100 hits that arose from being featured on the silver screen.
This ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from each era, certain time frames were weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years.
- 50
"Check On It" - Beyoncé Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (five weeks), Peak Date 2/4/2006
Beyonce's song was supposed to be on the 2006 soundtrack to "The Pink Panther" remake in which she co-starred with Steve Martin. But instead the track played during the movie's closing credits and gained lots of popularity with a Hype Williams-directed music video.
- 49
"Wind Beneath My Wings" - Bette Midler Hot 100 Peak Position: 1, Peak Date: 6/10/1989
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48
"Two Hearts" - Phil Collins Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (two weeks), Peak Date: 1/21/1989
Collins starred in the gangster film "Buster, " which was based on the real-life Great Train Robbery in the U.K. and he also contributed two no. 1 singles to the soundtrack, "A Groovy Kind of Love" and "Two Hearts." But "Two Hearts" was the tune that went on to grab both an Oscar nomination and a Grammy win.
- 47
"Cradle of Love" - Billy Idol Hot 100 Peak Position: 2, Peak Date: 8/4/1990
One of Idol's most successful single came thanks, in part, to David Fincher, who directed its music video. It also came in spite of this forgettable Andrew Dice Clay flick.
- 46
"Shakedown" - Bob Seger Hot 100 Peak Position: 1, Peak Date: 8/1/1987
Seger's "Beverly Hills Cop II" song became his only Hot 100 no. 1 single, and was performed by Little Richard at the Oscars, where it was nominated for Best Original Song.
- 45
"Maniac" - Michael Sembello Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (two weeks), Peak Date: 9/10/1983
Michael Sembello's driving tune was the perfect choice for Jennifer Beals' training montage in "Flashdance" as she works on her dance moves, and it would later be spoofed in "Tommy Boy" when Chris Farley gets mud hosed off of him at a gas station.
- 44
"Kiss" - Prince And The Revolution Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (two weeks), Peak Date: 4/19/1986
Two years after the success of "Purple Rain, " Prince directed and starred in "Under the Cherry Moon." "Kiss" was the top single off the Purple One's soundtrack album for the film, "Parade: Music from the Motion Picture Under the Cherry Moon, " and earned him his fourth Grammy, this one for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
- 43
"St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" - John Parr Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (two weeks), Peak Date: 9/7/1985
Parr and David Foster originally wrote this anthem about getting older and facing hardship for paralyzed athlete Rick Hansen, who circled the world in a wheelchair on what was called the "Man in Motion Tour." The single spent two weeks at no. 1 following the success of the Brat Pack film.
- 42
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" - Simple Minds Hot 100 Peak Position: 1, Peak Date: 5/18/1985
Billy Idol, Bryan Ferry, and the Fixx's Cy Cumin all passed on recording this song before it went to Scottish rock band Simple Minds, who also initially declined to record it. John Hughes then used it at the end of "The Breakfast Club" to create one of the most lasting images for any teenager who's seen the film.
- 41
Dolly Parton made her film acting debut in the female-empowerment workplace comedy "9 to 5" alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The title track won two Grammys.
- 40
"Don't Let Go (Love)" - En Vogue Hot 100 Peak Position: 2, Peak Date: 1/18/1997
The ladies of En Vogue had one of their biggest singles on the soundtrack of the crime film "Set It Off, " which starred Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, and Vivica A. Fox. The track rose to No. 2, rivaling their previous Hot 100 No. 2's, "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" in 1992 and "Hold on" in 1990.
- 39
"Stay (I Missed You)" - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (three weeks), Peak Date: 8/6/1994
Loeb's big break came through her across-the-street neighbor, Ethan Hawke, who starred opposite Winona Ryder in the famous Generation X film "Reality Bites." Hawk brought in her song "Stay, " which played over the movie's closing credits, and directed its one-take music video.
- 38
"Blaze Of Glory" - Jon Bon Jovi Hot 100 Peak Position: 1, Peak Date: 9/8/1990
Even though "Wanted Dead or Alive" was the original request for the western "Young Guns II, " JBJ apparently wanted to record a song that was literally about gunslingers. The resulting single became Jon's biggest solo single away from his Bon Jovi mates.
- 37
Joel Schumacher's use of Seal's "Kiss From A Rose" over the end credits of his Val Kilmer-led "Batman Forever" flick propelled the song to the top of the Hot 100 in the summer of 1995.
- 36
"Ghostbusters" - Ray Parker Jr. Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (three weeks), Peak Date: 8/11/1984
Parker originally wrote the tune as a play on the Ghostbuster's cheap-looking commercial in the film, and the music video featured cameos by stars Chevy Chase, John Candy, Danny DeVito, and many more comedic actors. Parker and others were sued over similarities to Huey Lewis' "I Want a New Drug, " and they settled out of court. But the Oscar-nominated Ray Parker Jr. song forever told everyone, "who you gonna call" when "there's something strange in your neighborhood."
- 35
"Magic" - Olivia Newton-John Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (four weeks), Peak Date: 8/2/1980
The 1980 film "Xanadu, " starring Newton-John as a muse who helps an artist open a nightclub, features this pop hit, which was also Olivia's biggest hit until the following year's smash "Physical."
- 34
"La Bamba" - Los Lobos Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (three weeks), Peak Date: 8/29/1987
With musical direction by Carlos Santana, Lou Diamond Phillips' performances of young star Ritchie Valens were backed by Los Lobos. For the soundtrack, the group updated Valens' 1958 single, which itself was based on a Mexican folk song, and took "La Bamba" to the top of the Hot 100.
- 33
"I Just Called To Say I Love You" - Stevie Wonder Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (three weeks), Peak Date:
Wonder's hit won Best Original Song at the Oscars and Golden Globes after appearing on the soundtrack for the comedy "The Woman In Red."
- 32
"The Power Of Love" - Huey Lewis & The News Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (two weeks), Peak Date: 8/24/1985
In "Back To The Future, " Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly and his band "perform" this song at the high school talent show auditions, only to have Marty bungle the rendition with his ostentatious guitar soloing. Huey plays the judge that shoots them down, saying they're "just too darn loud." But in real life, the track (actually performed by Lewis and the News) totally rocked the charts: It was the group's first No. 1.
- 31
"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" - Starship Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (two weeks), Peak Date: 4/4/1987
Songwriter Albert Hammond wrote this Starship track with Diane Warren, inspired by his upcoming marriage, for the '87 comedy "Mannequin, " starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall. Proving that even hockey players are suckers for '80s power-pop, the Montreal Canadiens used this as a inspiration during their eventually victorious 1993 Stanley Cup run.
- 30
"Can't Help Falling In Love" - UB40 Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (seven weeks), Peak Date: 7/24/1993
Elvis' original version of this song, which was featured in his movie "Blue Hawaii, " hit No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 1962. Thirty-one years later, British reggae group UB40's version was featured on...
