We're up to the all-time Top 50! The remainder of the songs are all classics, so sit back in your comfortable seat and enjoy!
#50--"Everybody's Talkin'" by Nilsson (from the movie Midnight Cowboy--1968)
Fred Neil wrote this classic, one of four in the special from 1968, which Nilsson covered a year later and included it in the movie Midnight Cowboy.
Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight star in Midnight Cowboy as male prostitute Joe Buck (Voight) and con man Rico Rizzo (Hoffman), with support from Sylvia Miles, Brenda Vaccarro, and Bob Balaban.
Brooklyn-born Brenda Vaccarro graduated from high school in Texas and returned home to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. She appeared in several plays on Broadway, including Cactus Flower (for which she was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play), How Now, Dow Jones (nominated for Best Actress in a Musical), The Goodbye People (nominated for Best Actress in a Play), the female version of The Odd Couple in 1985 and Jake's Women.
Brenda also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for an Oscar for the 1975 movie Once Is Not Enough. She also starred in Airport '77, the fantastic thriller Capricorn One, Supergirl, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Heart of Midnight, Zorro and the great movie Nonnas.
Vacarro earned three Golden Globe nominations (with one win), an Academy Award nomination, four primetime Emmy nominations and three Tony nominations.
Hoffman is one of his generation's greatest. He at first studied at the Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles before deciding to pursue acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. He won Best Actor for both Kramer vs. Kramer in 1979 and Rain Man in 1988. Hoffman was nominated in that category five other times: for The Graduate in 1967, Midnight Cowboy in 1969, Lenny in 1974, Tootsie in 1982 and Wag the Dog in 1997.
Dustin has also enriched our lives with his great performances in Little Big Man, Papillon, Marathon Man, All The President's Men, Dick Tracy, Hook, Outbreak, Sleepers, Moonight Mile, Runaway Jury, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers. Another of his greatest roles was the remake of Death of a Salesman, for which he reprised his role one year later for a television movie, taking home the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. Hoffman received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for The Merchant of Venice.
Hoffman has won five Golden Globes, two Oscars and two Primetime Emmys. He was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Kennedy Center Honors and American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.
Nilsson grew up in a poor family and began writing songs while he was a computer programmer at a bank. Nilsson wrote three songs with Phil Spector and also partnered with Perry Botkin, Jr. Harry released several albums without a lot of fanfare until "Everybody's Talkin'" was included in Midnight Cowboy.
Once that song caught on, he did much better with his career-best album, Nilsson Schmilsson in 1971 (featuring the smash "Without You" and "Coconut"). He also found success with "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City", "Jump Knot The Fire" and "Spaceman". Nilsson also wrote "One", which Three Dog Night turned into a classic.
"Everybody's Talkin'" initially failed to make the Hot 100 until
Derek Taylor recommended Nilsson to Midnight Cowboy director John Schlesinger. Once the film opened, Nilsson re-released the single, with it reaching #6 this time and #2 on the Easy Listening chart in the United States and #1 in Canada. "Everybody's Talkin'" picked up a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Male Vocal Performance and has sold over one million copies.
Midnight Cowboy was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director, Best Actor - Drama for both Hoffman and Voight and Best Supporting Actress for Vacarro at the Golden Globe Awards and won Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards with Hoffman and Voight nominated for Best Actor, Miles nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Schlesinger nominated for Best Director while John Barry won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Theme. The movie grossed just $44 million.
#49--"I Just Called To Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder (from the movie The Woman in Red--1984)
Stevie Wonder wrote this contribution to the 1984 movie The Woman in Red. The romantic comedy directed by Gene Wilder stars Wilder and Charles Grodin with support from Joseph Bologna, Judith Ivey and Gilda Radner.
Wilder plays advertiser Teddy Pierce who becomes infatuated with Charlotte (played by Kelly LeBrock), a woman who he sees on the street when a current of air lifts her red dress up.
Wilder graduated with a degree in Communication and Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa, and then went to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England. While there, Gene became the first freshman to win the All-School Fencing championship.
He appeared in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Producers later that year. Gene and director Mel Brooks continued an association that would last several years. They co-wrote the hilarious Young Frankenstein, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Wilder starred in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Blazing Saddles, the great movie Silver Streak (with Richard Pryor and Jill Clayburgh), The World's Greatest Lover and The Frisco Kid, then teamed up with Pryor again in Stir Crazy.
Most artists really have to work at their craft; Wonder was born with a special gift. Blind since just after he was born, Stevie was signed to Tamla Records at the age of 11. Two years later, Wonder became the youngest person in history to score a #1 song with "Fingertips".
Beginning in 1972, Stevie was at his peak with a string of albums over a five-year period that featured mature and social themes and innovative musical compositions highlighted by his mind-blowing synthesizer work. Music of My Mind, Talking Book (featuring the classics "Superstition" and "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"), Innervisions (with "Higher Ground" and "Living For The City") and Fulfillingness' First Finale (featuring "You Haven't Done Nothin'" and "Boogie On Reggae Woman") were all sensational, leading up to his masterpiece, Songs in the Key of Life in 1977, a double-album with "Sir Duke", "I Wish", "Isn't She Lovely", "As", "Another Star" and many other great tracks.
There was simply no one producing better music than Stevie during that period, and he became the only artist in history to win Album of the Year three consecutive years at the Grammy Awards for the last three of that group.
Wonder also scored with "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "A Place In The Sun", "Ebony And Ivory", "Someday At Christmas", "I Was Made To Love Her", "Just Once In My Life", "My Cherie Amour", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)", "If You Really Love Me", "Send One Your Love", "Part-Time Lover" and "That Girl".
Wonder has won 25 Grammys (to lead all male solo artists). He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. No less than 14 colleges and universities have conferred Honorary Degrees on Stevie.
"I Just Called To Say I Love You" shot up to #1 in 28 countries (the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Greece, Italy, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay West Germany and Zimbabwe) and won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Song. The track was also nominated for Song of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the Grammy Awards. The single has sold over one million units in the U.S. and 5 million worldwide.
The "Woman In Red" Soundtrack flew to #1 in Norway, Spain and Sweden,#2 in the U.K., Switzerland and the Netherlands and #4 in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. The album has sold over one million in the U.S. and 2.5 million copies worldwide.
The movie grossed just $25 million at the box office.
#48--"You're The One That I Want" by Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta (from the movie Grease--1978)
John Farrar wrote this (one of two he wrote for Grease in our special) for friend Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. "You're The One That I Want" is the highest of three tunes from Grease to make our special. Produced by Robert Stigwood, "You're The One That I Want" is one of 11 songs from 1978 to make The Top 200*--only 1980 and 1984 (with 14 songs each) have more.
Danny Zuko, played by Travolta, lettered in cross country in an effort to win the heart of Sandy Olsson (Newton-John). Meanwhile Sandy has completely transformed herself from a prim and proper look to leather in an attempt to win back Danny.
When Sandy appears with her new look as Danny is talking to his friend, he is shocked but pleasantly so. Sandy is a little surprised as well to see Danny in a letterman's jacket. The song plays as the two evaluate each other and profess their love and desire for each other.
Stockard Channing, Didi Conn, Sid Caesar, Jeff Conaway, Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondell, Edd Byrnes, Alice Ghostley, Dody Goodman and Sha Na Na offer support.
Stigwood was one of the most-successful music entrepreneurs of his time, managing the careers of the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb and Cream. He partnered with Stephen Komlosy in the 1960's to form Robert Stigwood Associates. Cream was founded in 1966 from two bands that Stigwood had under contract, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and the Graham Bond Organisation. Robert was also booking tours for the Who at the time and arranged for Cream to open for the Who in The United States, which gave them great exposure.
In 1967, Stigwood merged with Brian Epstein's company NEMS and soon Stigwood was managing the Bee Gees, an Australian group who were hoping to broaden their appeal. From their first big hit, "New York Mining Disaster 1941", Stigwood guided the Bee Gees to superstardom, including a period in the late 1970's in which the trio set a then-Rock Era record with six consecutive #1 songs.
When Epstein died later in 1967, Stigwood formed the Robert Stigwood Organisation and later managed Andy Gibb, younger brother of the Bee Gees. He also produced the Broadway shows Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar and revitalized the career of Clapton after the breakup of Cream.
Stigwood also shocked many by signing Travolta, then a relatively unknown TV actor, to a three-movie contract. Travolta's first movie of the three was Saturday Night Fever, which immediately turned him into a superstar, then followed that up with Grease and Urban Cowboy. Stigwood later teamed with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to produce the movie Evita.
Conn also starred in You Light Up My Life, Grease 2 and Benson.
"You're The One That I Want" rose to #1 in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland and was a Top 5 smash in every major country in the world. It was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards and has gone over the 4-million mark in sales in the U.S. and 15 million worldwide.
The "Grease" Soundtrack was one of The Top Albums of 1978*, hitting #1 in the United States, U.K., Germany, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Japan, and Sweden and selling just short of 17 million in the U.S. and 30 million worldwide.
The blockbuster release captured the American Music Award for Favorite Pop (Rock Album), was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, Best Actor and Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and won People's Choice Awards for Favorite Overall Motion Picture and Favorite Musical Motion Picture.
Grease was a phenomenon in cinemas, ringing up a gross of $396 million. That is the equivalent of a 2025 movie bringing in $1.9 billion today. It received Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, Best Actor for Travolta and Best Actress for Newton-John.
#47--"I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston (from the movie The Bodyguard--1992)
Canadian composer David Foster wrote this smash with Linda Thompson for Whitney Houston and the 1992 movie The Bodyguard, which stars Whitney with Kevin Costner. Whitney was reluctant to play the role but relented after talking to Costner, who doubled as co-producer for the film as well.
Costner is a former Secret Service agent and bodyguard who is hired to protect famous actress and singer Rachel Marron from an unseen stalker who has sent her death threats. Writer Lawrence Kasdan originally wrote the movie in the mid-70's for Steve McQueen and Dina Ross, according to John J. Puccio on The Bodyguard DVD.
Costner played a minor role in the great comedy Night Shift in 1982 and went on to became one of the most popular stars of the 80's and 90's, appearing in The Untouchables, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, JFK, Dances with Wolves (which he directed and won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Bodyguard, also producing the latter two.
Costner has also starred in Tin Cup, For Love of the Game, Thirteen Days and Draft Day. Kevin has won three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards.
Foster a noted producer, songwriter, arranger and musician, was a keyboardist for Skylark, who enjoyed the hit "Wildflower" in 1973. David later played keyboards for George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Earth, Wind & Fire, co-writing six of the latter's songs on the album I Am, including "After The Love Has Gone".
Foster co-wrote and produced for Boz Scaggs and the Tubes, playing keyboard and co-writing "Look What You've Done To Me", "Breakdown Dead Ahead" and "Jojo" for Scaggs and "She's A Beauty" for the Tubes. David produced three albums for Chicago, including their biggest, Chicago 17, and co-wrote "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" and "You're The Inspiration", as well as "Glory Of Love" for lead singer Peter Cetera's solo career.
David also produced "Un-Break My Heart" for Toni Braxton, "Because You Loved Me" for Celine Dion and "I Have Nothing" for Whitney Houston, produced albums by Josh Groban and Michael Bublé and co-wrote "Heart To Heart" for Kenny Loggins, among many other accomplishments.
Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards from a sensational 47 nominations and has produced over 40 Top 40 hits.
After the incredible success of the movie's first two singles, "I Will Always Love You" and "I'm Every Woman", Houston struck gold again with "I Have Nothing", which jumped to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #4 overall in the United States and went Double Platinum. The song also went to #1 in Canada and #4 in the U.K. and was nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars.
The soundtrack debuted at #2 before taking over at #1 on the Album chart the following week. When its run was over, "The Bodyguard" Soundtrack totaled 20 weeks at #1, the most ever for a female artist. It was a global sensation, reaching #1 in every major country of the world except Ireland, where it peaked at #2, and finishing the year as the #1 Album of 1993* in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Australia and the Netherlands. Remarkably, the album swept the American Music Awards with honors for Favorite Pop/Rock Album, Favorite Adult Contemporary Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Album, the three major categories in music!
"The Bodyguard" Soundtrack is one of five giants in cinema to have four songs in The Top 200 Movie Songs of the Rock Era* (the others being A Hard Day's Night, Purple Rain, Waiting to Exhale and Saturday Night Fever). Two other soundtracks generally considered to be among the best--Footloose and Grease--have three entries each.
The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album with 10 million sales in November of 1993--it has now topped 18 million--and the soundtrack has now passed 45 million globally.
The movie sports a gross of $411 million.
Share my life, take me for what I am
'Cause I'll never change all my colors for youTake my love, I'll never ask for too much
Just all that you are and everything that you do
I don't really need to look very much further
I don't wanna have to go where you don't follow
I won't hold it back again, this passion inside
Can't run from myself, there's nowhere to hide
But don't make me close one more door
I don't wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Or must I imagine you there
Don't walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
If I don't have you, you, you, you, you
You see through, right to the heart of me
You break down my walls with the strength of your love, mm
I never knew love like I've known it with you
Will a memory survive, one I can hold on to
I don't really need to look very much further
I don't wanna have to go where you don't follow
I won't hold it back again, this passion inside
I can't run from myself, there's nowhere to hide
Your love, I'll remember forever
But don't make me close one more door
I don't wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Or must I imagine you there
Don't walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
Don't make me close one more door
I don't wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Or must I imagine you there
Don't walk away from me
Don't walk away from me
Don't you dare walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
If I don't have you, you
If I don't have you, oh you
#46--"Again" by Janet Jackson (from the movie Poetic Justice--1993)
Janet Jackson wrote this with James Harris III (nicknamed "Jimmy Jam") and Terry Lewis for the 1993 movie Poetic Justice. Jackson also stars in the movie with Tupac Shakur, Tyra Ferrell and Regina King. Jackson is a poet named Justice whose boyfriend has recently died from gun violence. To recover from her loss, she takes a trip with a friend (King) and two postal workers named Chicago (Joe Torry) and Lucky (Shakur) from Los Angeles to Oakland.
Lewis was in the group Flyte Tyme, which Harris joined later. In 1981, Prince reformed the group as the Time, which produced five albums. After hiring Dina Andrews as their manager, Harris and Lewis wrote songs for the S.O.S. Band and Cherrelle, among others, before producing six albums for Jackson, including her breakthrough Control, Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet and The Velvet Rope, the four biggest albums of Jackson's career. Among the songs Jimmy Jam and Lewis wrote for Jackson are "That's The Way Love Goes", "Again", "Nasty", "What Have You Done For Me Lately?", "If", "When I Think Of You", "Alright", "Escapade", 'Together Again", "Come Back To Me", "Miss You Much" and "Control".
Harris and Lewis founded Perspective Records in 1991 and produced the soundtrack to the movie Mo Money.
Harris and Lewis have written over 200 songs and 41 hits and have worked with Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey ("Thank God I Found You"), Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Prince, Bryan Adams, Boyz II Men ("On Bended Knee"), George Michael, Usher, Lionel Richie, TLC, Mary J. Blige ("No More Drama"), Herb Alpert ("Diamonds"), the Spice Girls, the Human League ("Human"), Karyn White ("Romantic"), Yolanda Adams ("Be Blessed"), and many others.
Jackson starred on the television shows Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes and Fame before signing a contract with A&M Records in 1982. Her early solo work influenced the "New Jack Swing" (a fusion of Hip-Hop and Dance) and Janet became one of the top-paid artists and performers at the time.
Jackson has won 11 American Music Awards, five Grammys and 11 Billboard Music Awards. She put together an incredible string of 18 consecutive Top 10 songs, the most ever by a female artist, and is the only artist in history to enjoy 7 Top 5 songs from one album (Rhythm Nation 1814). Janet was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
"Again" was a #1 smash in the United States and also a #2 hit in Canada, #5 in Sweden and #6 in the U.K. and was nominated for Best Original Song at both the Golden Globe and Academy Awards. The single has sold over one million copies.
Poetic Justice managed a gross of just $27 million.
#45--"Lose Yourself" by Eminem (from the movie 8 Mile--2002)
Marshall Mathers (Eminem) wrote this with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto for the 2002 movie 8 Mile. The lyrics describe Eminem's character in the movie, his film debut, with Meihi Phifer, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, Michael Shannon co-starring.
Eminem is Jimmy Smith, Jr., a rapper from Detroit, Michigan. The title is taken from 8 Mile Road in Detroit that divides the mostly black city of Detroit from the mostly white suburbs that Eminem lived in.
Basinger started out as a model (she appeared on the cover of several magazines and the debut album by Survivor as well as being known as the Breck Shampoo girl) before switching to acting in 1976. She appeared in several films, achieving her breakthrough as the Bond girl Domino Petachi in the movie Never Say Never Again. Kim received a Golden Globe nomination for The Natural and also starred in Batman in 1989.
Basinger should have won Best Actress for Final Analysis in 1992 but the Academy did give her a makeup award to her for L.A. Confidential in 1997. She has also starred in No Mercy, Blind Date, 9 1/2 Weeks, The Sentinel and Fifty Shades Darker.
"Lose Yourself" was Eminem's biggest career hit with a 12-week stay at #1 in the U.S. and it was a Top 10 smash the world over, with many countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland placing it at #1. It received the Academy Award for Best Original Song and was nominated in the same category at the Golden Globes with Eminem also winning Grammys for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance and being nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
The track has been downloaded 10 million times in the U.S. alone. and has sold over 22 million copies worldwide.
The movie's soundtrack was a Top 10 hit around the world, including #1 in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Denmark. It has surpassed six million in U.S. sales and 11 million globally.
8 Mile grossed $242 million at the box office.
Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted-One moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs,
but he keeps on forgettin what he wrote down,
the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's choking now, everybody's joking now
The clock's run out, time's up over!
Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked
He's so mad, but he won't give up that
Easy, no
He won't have it , he knows his whole back's to these ropes
It don't matter, he's dope
He knows that, but he's broke
He's so stacked that he knows
When he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it's
Back to the lab again yo
This this whole rhapsody
He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him
[Hook:]
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo
The soul's escaping, through this hole that it's gaping
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move toward a, new world order
A normal life is boring, but superstardom's close to post mortem
It only grows harder, only grows hotter
He blows us all over these people is all on him
Coast to coast shows, he's known as the globetrotter
Lonely roads, God only knows
He's grown farther from home, he's no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter
But hold your nose 'cause here goes the cold water
His people don't want him no more, he's cold product
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows
He nose dove and sold nada
So the soap opera is told and unfolds
I suppose it's old partner but the beat goes on
Da da dum da dum da da
[Hook]
No more games, I'ma change what you call rage
Tear this roof off like 2 dogs caged
I was playing in the beginning, the mood all changed
I been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage
But I kept rhyming and stepwritin the next cypher
Best believe somebody's paying the pied piper
All the pain inside amplified by the fact
That I can't get by with my 9 to 5
And I can't provide the right type of life for my family
Cause man, these food stamps don't buy diapers
And it's no movie, there's no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life
And these times are so hard and it's getting even harder
Trying to feed and water my seed, plus
Teeter totter caught up between being a father and a prima Donna
Baby mama drama's screaming on and
Too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot, another day of monotony
Has gotten me to the point, I'm like a snail
I've got to formulate a plot or I end up in jail or shot
Success is my only option, failure's not
Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem's lot
So here I go is my shot.
Feet fail me not cause maybe the only opportunity that I got
[Hook]
You can do anything you set your mind to, man
#44--"Can You Feel The Love Tonight" by Elton John (from the movie The Lion King--1994)
Here's the highest-rated of three songs from The Lion King at #44, written by Elton John and Tim Rice. The movie is the awesome story of a lion cub named Simba who grows up in the Pride Lands of Tanzania admiring his father, King Mufasa, and learning from his wisdom. But Scar, Mufasa's brother, is the fly in the ointment as he is jealous of Mufasa and wants the crown for himself.
Scar deviously comes up with a plan to get rid of both Simba as well as Mufasa. Simba and his best Friend, Nala, disobey Mufasa to explore an elephant graveyard and along the way, they encounter three hilarious hyenas. Mufasa rescues them but the hyenas help Scar with his evil plot, leading to the death of Mufasa.
Scar convinces Simba that his father's death is his fault and Simba flees the Pride Lands in shame. Two delightful characters, a meerkat named Timon and a warthog by the name of Pumbaa, befriend Simba when he needs it most. Simba grows into adulthood and soon Nala finds him and convinces him that he needs to return home and face his fate, whatever that may be.
The Lion King stars the voices of Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Ernie Sabella, Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
Broderick fashioned himself quite a career as a young actor, starring in the great movies Max Dugan Returns, WarGames and the fantastic movie Ladyhawke. He also starred in Ferris Bueller's Day Off as well and has earned great respect as a serious actor in recent decades . He starred in both the Broadway and film versions of The Producers and has also starred in Project X, The Freshman, Glory, The Cable Guy, Godzilla and The Stepford Wives.
Broderick won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1983 and another for Best Actor in a Musical for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Matthew also starred in the play Nice Work if You Can Get It. In 2017, Broderick was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
"Can You Feel The Love Tonight" catapulted to #1 in Canada and France and reached #2 in Sweden, #4 in the United States, Norway and Austria, #7 in New Zealand,#9 in Australia, Ireland and Scotland and #10 in Switzerland. It has sold over one million copies in the U.S. and two million around the world and captured the Oscar for Best Original Song.
The soundtrack hit #1 in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland and has now hit the 10-million mark in U.S. sales to put it in rarified air for soundtrack sales with 20 million units bought up globally. No less than three songs from the album were nominated for Best Original Song, with "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" joined by "Circle Of Life" and "Hakuna Matata".
The album won three Grammy Awards out of six nominations, including wins for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", Best Musical Album for Children and Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocals for Circle Of Life" and nominations for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television for both this one and "Circle Of Life" and Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television.
The Lion King is both one of the top animated films of all-time as well as one of the top movies overall. It was a sensation then and to this day, spawning several sequels as well as a top Broadway play. The movie grossed $978 million, with Hans Zimmer taking home the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Original Score.
#43--"Return To Sender by Elvis Presley (from the movie Blue Hawai'i--1962)
Elvis Presley recorded this song on March 27, 1962 and released it on October 2 of that year. Written by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott, the song was featured in the 1962 movie Girls! Girls! Girls!
Elvis plays a poor Hawai'i fisherman named Ross Carpenter who loves the sea and fishing but dreams of getting his own boat. Ross has not one but two women interested in him, a nightclub singer named Robin Gantner (played by Stella Stevens) who is immature and doesn't treat him well and Laurel Dodge (played by Laurel Goodwin), who appears to be a nice girl but may not quite be as she seems. Carpenter has to choose between the two. Drummer Hal Blaine and Jack Nitzsche are among the musicians in the Lounge Band.
In addition to "Return To Sender", Blackwell wrote "Don't Be Cruel" and "All Shook Up" for Elvis, "Great Balls Of Fire" for Jerry Lee Lewis, "Fever" (originally for Little Willie John and made famous by Peggy Lee) and "Handy Man" (originally for Jimmy Jones and made famous by James Taylor).
Blackwell, who wrote over 1,000 songs for artists including Billy Joel, the Who, James Brown, Dolly Parton, Otis Redding, Carl Perkins and the Judds and produced for artists such as Connie Francis and Mahalia Jackson, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991.
Blaine was one of the most famous drummers in history, playing on over 35,000 songs and 6,000 singles. Blaine's drumming has appeared on over 150 Top 40 hits and 40 #1 songs. He was part of Phil Spector's session band, which Blaine nicknamed "The Wrecking Crew".
Hal started out as part of Count Basie's band before turning to session work. He was highly sought out as a dependable and innovative drummer. So popular was Blaine that he performed on an unprecedented six consecutive Record of the Year winners at the Grammy Awards: "A Taste Of Honey" by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in 1966, "Strangers In The Night" for Frank Sinatra in 1967, "Up, Up And Away" for the 5th Dimension in 1968, "Mrs. Robinson" for Simon & Garfunkel in 1969, "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" for the 5th Dimension in 1970 and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" for Simon & Garfunkel in 1971.
Including the above, this is just a very small sample of the incredible credits that Hal had: "All I Have To Do Is Dream" by the Everly Brothers, "Can't Help Falling In Love" and "Return To Sender" by Presley, "Good Vibrations", "I Get Around", "Fun ,Fun, Fun!" "Help Me, Rhonda", "God Only Knows" and "California Girls" by the Beach Boys, "Close To You", We've Only Just Begun", 'Top Of The World", "Hurting Each Other", "Rainy Days And Mondays" and "For All We Know" by the Carpenters, "Mr. Tambourine Man" by the Byrds, "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher, "Windy", "Never My Love", "Everything That Touches You" and "Along Comes Mary" by the Association, "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Muskrat Love" for the Captain & Tennille, "Song Sung Blue" and "Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond, "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'" by the Mamas & the Papas, "Annie's Song" by John Denver, "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe, "Eve Of Destruction" by Barry McGuire, "Indian Reservation" by Paul Revere & the Raiders, "Theme From 'Mahogany'" by Diana Ross, "Half-Breed" by Cher, "Da Doo Ron Ron" by the Crystals, "Baby I Need Your Loving" by Johnny Rivers and "Be My Baby" and "Sleigh Ride" by the Ronettes.
In 2000, Blaine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
"Return To Sender" is one of The Top #2 Songs of the Rock Era* in the U.S. but did hit #1 in the U.K., Ireland, Norway and Sweden and has sold over one million copies
When the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring Elvis on what would have been his 58th birthday, fans mailed envelopes stamped with first-day issues of the commemorative stamp to fictitious addresses so that they would receive their letters back, marked with the words "Return to Sender".
Girls! Girls! Girls! was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical at the Golden Globe Awards and grossed nearly $4 million, the equivalent of $42 million today.
#42--"Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Tears for Fears (from the movie Real Genius--1985)
This duo had a great year in 1985 with their album Songs from the Big Chair. Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley of the group wrote this song with help from producer Chris Hughes. "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" appeared in the movie Real Genius a few months after its single release.
The movie takes place on the campus of Pacific Tech, a science and engineering university in California with Chris Knight (played by Val Kilmer) and Mitch Taylor (Gabe Jarret) teaming up to work on a chemical laser. The excitement fades when the two find out that it will be used for destructive purposes.
Tears for Fears scored Top 5 hits in the U.K. with each of their first three releases--"Mad World", "Change" and "Pale Shelter", though most of the world didn't hear about them until their two Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "Shout" in 1985.
"Everybody Wants To Rule The World" soared to #1 in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand and #2 in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the Netherlands and has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
Real Genius grossed just $13 million.
#41--"Happy" by Pharrell Williams (from the movie Despicable Me 2--2013)
Pharrell Williams wrote this feel-good song for the 2013 movie Despicable Me 2. An aircraft has made away with a dangerous chemical that alters genetic material and Silas Ramsbottom, director of the Anti-Villain League, recruits former bad guy Gru to retrieve the chemical. Together, Gru and Lucy Wilde take the case to find out who took the chemical and bring them to justice.
Despicable Me 2 stars the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wilg, Benjamin Bratt and Miranda Cosgrove.
Williams joined Chad Hugo to form the Neptunes, a music production team, in 1992. Pharrell's debut single "Frontin'" with Jay-Z reached #1.
Williams has won 13 Grammy Awards, including three for Producer of the Year. Together with Hugo, Williams has written and produced hundreds of songs, with 15 Top 10 songs and four #1's, including the worldwide smash "Blurred Lines" for Robin Thicke, "Hot In Herre" (sic) for Nelly, "Rock Your Body" for Justin Timberlake and "Timeless" for the Weeknd (sic). Williams has worked with Madonna, Usher, Gloria Estefan, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Destiny's Child, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Babyface, Pitbull, Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg, SWV, Beck, Mumford and Sons, Ciara, Ludacris, Kendrick Lamar, Blackstreet, Total, Kelis, Mystikal and Calvin Harris, among many others.
Pharrell also owns a fashion label and retail outlet in London, Billionaire Boys Club. He has been the Men's creative director for Louis Vuitton since 2023.
"Happy" sold over 6 million copies by 2014 in the United States alone and an additional 1.5 million in the U.K. The song has now sold over 18 million copies worldwide, one of the top-selling in history.
It reached #1 in the U.K. a record-breaking three times and became the most downloaded track of all-time. Official estimates in Japan put the song at 50 million downloads in that country alone. "Happy" made the Top 10 in nearly every major nation, attaining the #1 spot in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Slovakia and Venezuela.
"Happy" was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.
Despicable Me 2 brought in a gross of $971 million and was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards.
"Happy" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song
