American Film Institute's top 100 songs

[barfle]

The list can be found here.

I'm finding, as I peruse the list, that what I disagree with is some at the top.

I'm not that much of a Simon & Garfunkle fan, so Mrs. Robinson at #6 is too highly rated for my tastes.

I wonder how in the world My Heart Will Go On ever made it to 14.

Ahhh, some new knowledge for me - I never knew The Way You Look Tonight was from a film! Gotta see if Swing Time is available on DVD!

What do the rest of you think about the list?

[Nicole Marie]

I disagree with most of it too. Prince's Purple Rain didn't even make it! What the #@%^!! That whole album is a must for any music and movie collection.

[mmichaelson]

I was disappointed to see that some of the more modern songs were so much lower down on the list. Good music does not always equal older music. But you have to love Judy Garland. I do wish the "Trolly Song" was higher up. . .
Otherwise, they mostly picked songs that I do like, so I was reasonably happy.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

I like the list. There were maybe four songs that didn't spring into my head when I saw the title, and the movie scene generally accompanied the music. Each one of the songs listed seems to have filled the selection criteria beautifully.

I don't so much mind that His Purpleness, formerly known as ?, was left off; and I hope they meant the movie vocalist rather than the Celine Dion cover of My Heart Will Go On.

I think they considered the songs in the context of the associated movie; some of them (like Thank Heaven for Little Girls) are not especially great songs, but were such a perfect mood setter for that movie that they'd have to score 100% on the judgement criteria.

A very decent list. <humming happy icon>

[Shapley]

I can't believe Deanna Durbin didn't make the list. I guess too much of her fan base has died away...

<small>[ 06-24-2004, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: Shapley ]</small>

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Originally posted by Shapley:
I can't believe Deanna Durbin didn't make the list.

Who?

Seriously, this list is songs, not singers

[Shapley]

I understand that, but Deanna sang some very memorable songs, much better than some on the list.

"I can't help singing", "More and More", "It's foolish but it's fun", "The Kiss", and more that I can't recall now.

She had a beautiful voice. Ray Bradbury wrote about her in his short story "The Anthem Sprinters". Richard Brautigan mentions her many times as well.

V/R
Shapley

[audiogirl]

Ditto for me on the song from Titanic. I agreed with most of the list. Something from Purple Rain would have been appropriate, too, I think.
I was surprised that "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'" wasn't on the list.

That moment in The Man Who Knew Too Much when Doris Day realizes that her son's there.........gets me every time.


Weepy Movie Wimp

[OperaTenor]

I'm surprised about "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'", too, as well as "The Impossible Dream"( Man of La Mancha ). Great songs, IMO. Seems more impulsive than comprehensive to me.

[shostakovich]

Before scanning the list, I scanned my memory and came up with Que Sera, Sera as top notch. It was way too low on the list. Music from Oklahoma and Man of la Mancha were probably eliminated, as they were from "musicals" that were transferred to film. Singin' in the Rain was first created as a film, as was Wizard of Oz. But how about Sound of Music? I thought that hit the stage first. But, then, my memory is suspect these days. Any help there?
Sho?

[Serenity]

There you go, Shos.....every active topic has been hijacked. Time to call it a night.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

I'm pretty sure that Guys and Dolls and Showboat were stage musicals before they were filmed. And I agree that "Impossible Dream" belongs in a list of mood-setting plot-advancing songs, but I don't actually recall a movie of Man of La Mancha. Was there one? Did I miss it?

Que Sera, Sera is a lovely song, and adds to the movie, but does not really significantly advance the plot; it's more an ornament. It doesn't even change the mood of the scene it appears in.

Did you notice A Star Is Born got in twice, for different songs, for different movies of the same plot?

[OperaTenor]

Yup, Man of La Mancha was made into a film. 1973, starring Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren(Thank God for Amazon). Don't know if Impossible Dream was in it for sure, but, at the risk of making an assumption(and all that goes with it ), I'd think the song would have to be in it, as it is the hit of the show.