Here Are The 20 Greatest Music Moments In Film

You all know the deal. That moment in a film where someone breaks out into a song or maybe it’s during an action scene when some kick-ass rock song ups the ante. It can give you chills I tell ya. With that in mind, here are my Top 20 favorite scenes in film that involve music.

Let’s start with an absolute classic from the 60s, the opening scene to Easy Rider. This Steppenwolf song immediately sets the tone to an incredible movie. Fun Fact: The term “heavy metal” was first used in this song.

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Born To Be Wild – Easy Rider

Next up is the Vietnam intro during Forrest Gump. Written and sung by John Fogerty of CCR, the lyrics fit the scene perfectly.

Fortunate Son – Forrest Gump

Great scene from the 90s classic Reality Bites. The song is the 1979 hit by The Knack. Love it.

My Sharona – Reality Bites

Ah, one of the last scenes from Back to the Future where Marty McFly breaks out Johnny B. Goode to a gym full of 1950s students who’ve never heard Rock and Roll. Timeless. See what I did there? Timeless? Never mind.

Johnny B Goode – Back to the Future

No respectable blog about music in movies would be complete without the boys from Wayne’s World singing Bohemian Rhapsody as they cruise down the street in their AMC Pacer.

Bohemian Rhapsody – Wayne’s World

Hell yes I’m including a Beatles song, especially since it’s my favorite scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. When Ferris disappears and then reappears on a float lip syncing to John Lennon, well, it’s pure magic.

Twist and Shout – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

I like The Kingsman movies, and this fight scene with Free Bird playing in the background is somehow a perfect mix.

Free Bird – Kingsman

Loved this scene so much. The Blues Brothers are playing a country bar and the crowd isn’t into blues at all. Not knowing much about country music, the boys play the only country song they know – the theme to the 1960s classic TV show Rawhide. Of course it works.

Rawhide – Blues Brothers

When Joel Goodsen’s parents leave town he has the house to himself. It was after this scene when things start to go askew.

Old Time Rock and Roll – Risky Business

Anchorman is one of my favorite comedies of all-time, and when the crew kicked into the Starland Vocal Band’s 1976 hit Afternoon Delight it was movie magic.

Afternoon Delight – Anchorman

From another great 70’s comedy, Animal House, here’s fictional band Otis Day and the Knights version of the classic song Shout. A definite highlight of the movie.

Shout – Animal House

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made my Top 20 movies of all-time list, and this scene where Butch is taking Sundance’s girlfriend for a spin on a bicycle is great. BJ Thomas’s hit song just adds to the vibe.

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

From one of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen, this scene from the beginning of the movie shows one of the main characters jamming with a local kid. Turns out the kid is pretty damn good.

Dueling Banjos – Deliverance

Another movie that I absolutely loved. Just like this scene, it’s a dark, twisted movie about a serial killer. Somehow, hearing Huey Lewis sing as a man is hatcheted to death fits my weird sense of humor.

Hip To Be Square – American Psycho

A classic 80s movie fo sho, The Breakfast Club is about a group of students serving Saturday detention. Being a John Hughes movie, of course there had to be a dance scene. This one is great.

We Are Not Alone – Breakfast Club

Flashdance was another great movie from the 80s, this scene came at the end of the movie when the poor girl from the streets of Pittsburgh performs for the folks judging her to see if she’s good enough to join a hoity toity dance troupe. Jennifer Beals was amazing as the dancer, and Irene Cara’s song fit perfectly.

What a Feeling – Flashdance

Quite simply my favorite song ever. I have covers by Eric Clapton, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. However, nothing really tops the original.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow – The Wizard of Oz

Finally, here’s Ducky from Pretty in Pink lip syncing to Otis Redding’s Try a Little Tenderness. Classic scene, plus any movie with Molly Ringwald is worth a watch.

Try a Little Tenderness – Pretty in Pink