Overused Songs in Movies or TV

[mr3urious]

The counterpart to "Overused Plots in Movies or TV". This is about songs that seem to get used A LOT in entertainment. Here are some of the most notable to me.

- "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood. Any time you need to establish a "tough" character (most notably the Terminator), you use this song.

- "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf. Burned in our minds as a biker song thanks to Easy Rider.

- "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. Used TO DEATH in the '90s.

 

[D'Snowth]

This is scary mr3urious, because I was thinking about a thread like this just the other night...

As far as TV shows go, why is it whenever a series does a retrospective or a clip show or something, they almost always use "Shake Your Groove Thang" for a music montage?

I've also noticed that both Charlie's Angels and The Cat in the Hat have "Tangerine Speedo" playing during their end titles.

 

[charlietheowl]

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day has been used a lot for sappy montage scenes and such, though I think it's finally being phased out. Thank goodness.

I'm a Steppenwolf fan and "Born To Be Wild" isn't all that emblematic of their output as the casual impression would appear to be. They experimented a lot in the studio, and had some typically "freaked-out" late sixties social protest lyrics and song themes.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

The Ramones Blitzkrieg Bop is used a lot, mainly in montages where all kinds of crazy things are happening.

Queen songs in general are used a lot

Not song specific, but Bowling for Soup has done an awful lot of music for movies. They even released a CD with SOME of the songs they have done. Strangely, a lot of it was for disney. And Bowling for Soup is borderline as crude as the Bloodhound Gang...

 

[Sgt Floyd]

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day has been used a lot for sappy montage scenes and such, though I think it's finally being phased out. Thank goodness.

You ziffled me. Meanie.

But the fact Good Riddance is used as a song to accompany sappy things, people use it for their wedding song. It makes me wonder if they realize what the song is about. I mean, its called GOOD RIDDANCE. Its not a happy "I love you song" is a song basically saying "I hate your guts. I'm glad you are out of my life."

 

[D'Snowth]

Ballroom Blitz. The only time I can think it was used of any kind of effectiveness was Bordello of Blood, where the good guys attack a brothel of vampire hookers in, of all places, a ballroom, by shooting at them with Supa Soakas filled with Holy Water.

Other than that, it seems to be used whenever there's a scene or a montage where a lot of chaos happens (ala Daddy Day Care).

 

[charlietheowl]

It's the same principle like when people think Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" is a patriotic song, when it's a bitter song about the treatment of returning Vietnam veterans. People like catchy choruses and tend to ignore the verses.

 

[HeyButtahfly]

It's pretty much the same as people deciding "American Woman" is a tribute song to the strength of being American and a woman (Tara Lipinski made me roll my eyes at that one when she said that's why she chose to skate to Lenny Kravtiz's version).... thank goodness Sam the Eagle put a rest to that one.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

That song that was played in The Muppets "Montage" scene. I hear that song in a LOT of movies.

 

[D'Snowth]

That reminds me how the use of "We Built This City" has pretty much become a gimmick: dancing to a very un-dancable song... even SNL poked fun at that.