Contrived Attempts to Get Film Titles Into Theme Songs

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e.g. "The spy who loved me" in Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better."

― Terry Shannon, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

or "it's a SCANDAL" in "Nothing Has Been Proved" by Dusty Springfield.

― Terry Shannon, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Incredibly, Huey Lewis' "Back in Time" never says "Back to the Future." But everything else from the movie is in there ("Lightning never strikes twice" "Get back, Marty!")

― Mark, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

All James Bond themes are good for this, but you have picked the best one. Are you not counting it if the song uses the film's title. Cause that doesn't stop them being contrived. 'Moonraker' just makes no sense at all.

― N., Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh no, definitely including those with film names included. Yes, "Moonraker" - sung by Shirl after having been turned down by Kate Bush, if I remember rightly. I cannot think why.

― Terry Shannon, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Man In Motion (Theme to 'St. Elmo's Fire')"

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Eddy Grant's "Romancing the Stone" was written in hopes of being the theme song & rejected by the producer.

And then there are the contriveed movies named after song titles - e.g. Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful, ...

― Dave225, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"TAke me down to the beach", from the only decent tune by a thankfully defunct pop group, which was in a forgotten film adaptation of flyweight crappy novel

― dave q, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Philadelphia" - great song, but what does Philadelphia have to do with anything? (City of brotherly love? still, irrelevant.)

― Dave225, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The tradition of clumsy Bond themes began with Tom Jones trying to top Shirley Bassey. NOT!....

"So he strikes like THUN-DER-BAAALLLLLLL!"

― Curt, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

According to John Barry, when recording that song Mr Jones apparently fainted after that last sustenato high C.

― Terry Shannon, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Meredith Brooks' awful "Sin City", for the equally awful _Snake Eyes_ (by the sporadically crappy Brian dePalma) - it's so close to being a JINGLE for the damn movie; thankfully, it's stuck at the end end of the credits. Woo boy, though, it's bad stuff.

― David Raposa, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"And you coming back to me is against all odds and that's what I've got to face"

This always seemed to me to be an extremely clumsy line, and now I realize why? Thanks ILM!

― Vinnie, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That's not a question. Silly Vinnie.

― Vinnie, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

On a more general level, it's worth saying that R Kellys film songs are truly truly fucking awful. "Gotham City, a city of peace" What the fuck? Yes peace in gotham.

And then that new one. Jesus you just know he's singing about himself.

― Ronan, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Terrible movie from the seventies, some sort of Japanese/American coproduction called The Last Dinosaur. Theme song has to be heard to be believed. "The last...DINO...SAUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!"

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Taking Sides: Bill Murray's lounge singer "Star Wars" vs. SCTV's 5 Neat Guys' Oscar medley (On Golden Pond, Reds, Sex, Lies & Videotape, Absence of Malice*, Raiders of the Lost Ark)

*This one alone made the Guys immortal for me

― Curt, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Eye of the Tiger" never mentions Rocky Balboa directly, but damn it if I can't get it out of my head every time I see Sly.

― Gage-o, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sex, Lies & Videotape

Neat trick, seeing as that came out five years later or something. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Curt -

5 neat guys, definitely... "Absence of Malice" was the best.

Still, it can't beat "Mel Torme" singing the Star Spangled BambaBambaBanner"

― Dave225, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Good one, Ned. I swear I heard somebody render "S,L&V" in song.

― Curt, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No no no. The worst ever: "We don't need another hero/We don't need another way home/All we want is what's BEYOND THE THUNDERDOME..."

sigh.

― Douglas, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I always found "Arthur, he does what he pleases..." jarring, even though you could make a case for CC's song being genuinely *about* Dudley Moore's hilarious drunken rich person.

Douglas has a very good one above, but how about the theme to a sequel in which it's not just the subtitle that's mentioned? Somehow they've squeezed in the number? I can't think of one.

― Michael Jones, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Wow! Did Ned really mention "The Last Dinosaur"? I thought I was the only unfortunate being on this planet that watched that film! Wasn't there a strange Billy Joel connection to that movie?

― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think so, but here's a scabrous review of it which may contain enlightenment.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The second Beatles film was, famously / boringly, intended to be called "Eight Arms To Hold You" before it was retitled as a phrase that a song could actually be written around.

("Help!", obviously.)

― Robin Carmody, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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