Have you ever heard an old song that instantly reminds you of a movie? Of course, that’s how special old Hollywood movie soundtracks are! While some of these songs were particularly composed for a movie, others were used as the soundtrack because they perfectly suited the theme. Here are five unforgettable movie soundtracks.
White Christmas (Holiday Inn, 1942)
“White Christmas” was on an album of songs from the “Holiday Inn” film. The song gave rise to support for thousands of American troops on duty in the Second World War. It is a timeless classic that goes beyond the movie.
Courtesy: Daily Motion
The songwriter Irving Berlin bagged an Academy Award in 1943; different stars made their versions of the song, from Mallie Nelson to Bob Marley. The song is the biggest-selling single of all time, with a whopping sales of 50 million.
Blue Moon (Manhattan Melodrama, 1934)
Do the lyrics, “You saw me standing alone/Without a dream in my heart,” sound familiar? Well, it’s from the song “Blue Moon”. The MGM soundtrack-writing system initially wrote it; then Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers fashioned the complete version.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
The song was used for the Clark Gable film “Manhattan Melodrama” and featured in a tribute album, “Blue Moon: Rodgers and Hart.” Great singers like Dean Martin and Elvis Presley have sung the captivating song.
Mona Lisa (Captain Cary, 1950)
The beautiful song “Mona Lisa” remains one of the most popular movie themes today. It may amaze you to know that a 40s Ukrainian jazz bandleader and trumpeter, Charlie Spivak, performed the song first.
Courtesy: Vermont Movie Store
The song, which started with the title “Prima Donna” in the 1950 film “Captain Cary,” was composed by Jay Livingston, and Ray Evans wrote the lyrics. Jay and Ray persuaded Nat King Cole to try out the movie theme- and his version was on No. 1 for eight weeks.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)
You definitely don’t think of composers Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen when you think of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” Judy Garland’s version of “The Wizard of Oz” is the song’s most famous version.
Courtesy: Movies Anywhere
The song is one of the best movie songs, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Different musicians like Eric Clapton, Ariana Grande, and John Martyn have made several covers of the song.
Baby, It’s Cold Outside(Neptune’s Daughter, 1949)
The song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” wasn’t initially composed for the movie “Neptune’s Daughter.” It was originally a call-and-response number that Broadway songwriter Loesser usually sang at parties with his wife.
Courtesy: IMDb
The song was later performed by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán for the 1949 movie, earning an Oscar for Best Original Song. Different duos, like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan, have had Top 20 hits with their different versions.
