PMG Year End 2022 Special: Jeff's Memorable Songs Vol.13

My holiday playlist for ‘22 takes a different turn this year by focusing on my favorite songs written for films. This latest Memorable Songs compilation, which spans almost 90 years, is comprised of songs that have achieved a timelessness, separate from the films for which they were originally written. One qualifier in putting together this list…although there are many other great movie songs (i.e. As Times Goes By, Someone to Watch Over Me, Gangsta’s Paradise), they were not included, as their first appearance did not take place in the films that made them famous.

​I was fortunate to work on two of the films listed below, so I guess there may be a bit of bias here. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these gems.

Happy Holidays, Jeff

Judy Garland - The Man That Got Away - A Star is Born (1954)
The greatest movie song of all time sung by the best female vocalist of all time. Her power and emotion in Gershwin's closing lyric is stunning ”Ever since this world began, There is nothing sadder than, A one-man woman looking for, The man that got away”.

Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas - Beautiful Maria of My Soul - Mambo Kings
This beautiful song was written by my good friend, Robert Kraft. From the film where Antonio Banderas made his Hollywood debut.

Eminem - Lose Yourself - 8 Mile
Sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday…it’s that good, that vital and that compelling.

Simple Minds - Don’t You (Forget About Me) - The Breakfast Club
This song from John Hughes classic film still is one of the most enduring movie songs.

Irene Cara - Fame - Fame
Still one of the best chronicles of what it’s like trying to make it. A memorable song and vocalist.

Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia - Philadelphia
One of the first films that dealt with AIDS. Bruce’s haunting song won the Oscar.

Louis Armstrong - We Have All the Time in the World - On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
My favorite Bond song from the least popular film in the series.

Ryan Bingham - The Weary Kind - Crazy Heart
I was fortunate to work on this film with T-Bone Burnett. Ryan wrote a haunting, beautiful song that won the Oscar.

B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head - Butch Cassidy
Never has a more unlikely song been written for a western, but hey, this Bacharach/David song worked it’s magic.

Prince - Purple Rain - Purple Rain
Who could have imagined that one of the most epic songs in the last 100 years would be introduced in a film made for $7m? And the guitar solo is one for the ages.

Elvis - Can’t Help Falling in Love - Blue Hawaii
Wonderful vocal and probably Presley’s signature song.

Angela Lansbury - Beauty and the Beast - Beauty and the Beast
Chris Montan, who worked on all the classic Disney musicals, outdid himself with this Ashman/Menken song. The seven word Ashman lyric describing a relationship "Barely even friends, Then somebody bends, Unexpectedly” is as good as it gets.

Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson - The Graduate
A classic song that honored one of America’s greatest baseball heroes, who famously didn’t understand that Paul had honored him in the most poetic manner possible.

Survivor - Eye of the Tiger - Rocky 3
This song seems like it’s always been around and not from a film. But it actually was written for Rocky and choreographed with the punches in mind, which is why it’s so seamless.

Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You - Woman in Red
A lovely song that charted around the world and won the Oscar, giving Stevie his biggest selling single ever.

Fred Astaire - The Way You Look Tonight - Swing Time
First introduced in this 1936 film. A memorable song that has been covered by all the greats.

Barbra Streisand - The Way We Were - The Way We Were
One of the best vocalists of the 20th Century and one of the most loved movie songs. An Alan and Marilyn Bergman classic.

Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Robin Hood
The first film song I ever worked on, written by Michael Kamen, Bryan and Mutt Lange. It might not have exactly fit in with 12th Century England, so the producers argued against it being included. But the rest is history.

Audrey Hepburn - Moon River - Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Mancini and Mercer wrote one of the best loved movie songs of all time. Hepburn’s actual vocal.

Bob Dylan - Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door - Pat Garret and Billy the Kid
Dylan wrote this song as well appearing in the film. It retains all it’s power.

Judy Garland - Over The Rainbow - The Wizard of Oz
​Over eighty years ago 16 year old Judy Garland turned this song into a standard that has been recorded by most of the greats.

Donna Summer - Last Dance - Thank God It's Friday
​A song that became a cornerstone of the 70’s dance scene, sung by an incomparable artist.