Packed theatres, popcorn, soft drinks, candy, the most amazing video and audio experience. There's nothing like seeing a brand new movie for the first time in a cinema. And if the movie had a memorable song or two, even better! We're saluting those special songs that added to the impact of the movie to the point where one can imagine the scenes in the movie in which the song accompanies it, The Top 200 Movie Songs of the Rock Era*. We continue with 10 more great ones!
We got a lovin' thing, we gotta feed it right
There ain't no danger we can go too far
We start believin' now that we can be who we are - grease is the word
They think our love is just a growin' pain
Why don't they understand? It's just a cryin' shame
Their lips are lyin', only real is real
We stop the fight right now, we got to be what we feel - grease is the word
Chorus:
(Grease is the word, is the word that you heard)
It's got a groove, it's got a meaning
Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion
Grease is the way we are feeling
We take the pressure, and we throw away conventionality, belongs to yesterday
There is a chance that we can make it so far
We start believin' now that we can be who we are - grease is the word
chorus
This is a life of illusion, a life of control
Mixed with confusion - what're we doin' here?
We take the pressure, and we throw away conventionality, belongs to yesterday
There is a chance that we can make it so far
We start believin' now that we can be who we are - grease is the word
chorus repeats 2x
(Grease is the word, is the word, is the word, is the word, is the word.....)
#68--"Can't Help Falling In Love" by UB40 (from the movie Sliver--1993)
We're up to the song that of course was a classic first for the great Elvis Presley. Written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George David Weiss, British group UB40 remade the song in 1993 and like the original, this one also was featured in a movie--Sliver in this case.
William Baldwin, Sharon Stone, Tom Berenger and Martin Landau star in the film about the bizarre happenings in a high-rise in New York City.
Peretti played the trumpet in upper New York state as a teenager. In the 1950's, he teamed up with cousin Luigi Creatore to first wrote and later produced songs. Hugo & Luigi wrote "Honeycomb" and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" for Jimmie Rodgers among others before signing with RCA Records, where they produced for Perry Como and Sam Cooke.
The pair wrote the English lyrics for "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* for the Tokens, and with Weiss co-wrote "Can't Help Falling In Love", originally for Presley, then covered by UB40. They owned part of Roulette Records and then Avco Records in the 1970's and then founded H&L Records, which included the Stylistics as clients. Peretti & Luigi captured the Grammy Award in 1977 for Best Musical Theater Album for producing Bubbling Brown Sugar.
Landau and Steve McQueen were the only two applicants accepted for the Actors Studio in 1955. While there, Landau became good friends with James Dean.
James Dean was my best friend. We were two young would-be and still-yet- to- work unemployed actors, dreaming out loud and enjoying every moment. We'd spend lots of time talking about the future, our craft and our chances of success in this newly-different, ever-changing modern world we were living in.
Landau starred in North by Northwest, Cleopatra, The Greatest Story Ever Told , They Call Me Mister Tibbs! and the great movie City Hall. He gained fame as Rollin Hand on the innovative television show Mission: Impossible from 1966-69, earning Emmy nominations all three seasons. The role required Landau play several characters and accents and often dual roles with different disguises. He won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for Tucker: The Man and His Dreams and Crimes and Misdemeanors. He won both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for his supporting role in the 1994 movie Ed Wood.
UB40 enjoyed over 50 hit singles in the U.K. but across the Atlantic, they're only known for this one and "Red Red Wine". The group's lineup remained the same from 1979 until 2008. Their name refers to an attendance card issued to people claiming unemployment benefits from the U.K. Department of Employment. UB40 stood for Unemployment Benefit, Form 40.
Unlike nearly all remakes, this one did outstanding, holding on to the #1 position for seven weeks in the United States and topping charts in 11 other countries, including the U.K., Canada, Australia, Austria, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Sweden. UB40's version sold over one million in the U.S. and two million total.
Sliver grossed $123 million.
#67--"Theme From 'Mahogany'" by Diana Ross (from the movie Mahogany--1975)
Standout songwriters Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin wrote "Theme From 'Mahogany'" for Diana Ross for the 1975 movie Mahogany, which starred Ross. Legendary drummer Hal Blaine is among the backing musicians for Diana.
Motown boss Berry Gordy directed the film in which Ross plays Tracy Chambers, who becomes a top fashion designer in Rome, Italy.
Masser had earlier written "Touch Me In The Morning" and "Last Time I Saw Him" for Ross and also wrote four songs that Whitney Houston would put her stamp on: "Greatest Love Of All", "Saving All My Love For You", "Didn't We Almost Have It All" and "All At Once". Masser has also written "Nothing's Gonna' Change My Love For You" by Glenn Medeiros, "Hold Me" by Teddy Pendergrass and Houston, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" for Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson, "If Ever You're In My Arms Again" for Bryson and "Miss You Like Crazy" and "Someone That I Used To Love" for Natalie Cole.
Ross was part of the top girl group in history, the Supremes, who chalked up 12 #1 songs from 1964-1969. She then embarked on an amazing solo career that saw her enjoy hits with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Endless Love", "Upside Down", "Love Hangover", "I'm Coming Out" and "It's My Turn", in addition to this one and those listed above.
"Theme From 'Mahogany'" went all the way to #1 on both the Adult Contemporary and Popular charts in the U.S., with a #2 finish in Ireland and #4 in Canada and the Netherlands and #5 in the United Kingdom. It was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards and remains one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* 50 years later.
Mahogany made a gross of $5 million.
#66--"Arthur's Theme" by Christopher Cross (from the movie Arthur--1981)
Christopher Cross was coming off a phenomenal debut year with his hits "Ride Like The Wind" and "Sailing" and in 1981, he landed the opportunity to record the theme song for the movie Arthur. Cross enlisted the help of the great songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager along with Peter Allen. Allen got credit for the line "When you get caught between the moon and New York City", devised when Allen was stuck in a holding pattern above the Big Apple awaiting arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Toto's prolific session work continued with guitarist Steve Lukather and drummer Jeff Porcaro on this track along with legendary percussionist Paulinho da Costa.
Lukather also played with Michael Jackson on three big hits on his Thriller album--"Beat It", "Human Nature" and "The Girl Is Mine", with Elton John for three albums, with Quincy Jones on The Dude album, including the hits "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways", Chicago on two albums including Chicago 16, with Barbra Streisand on two albums, including the hit "No More Tears", with Donna Summer on two albums, including the hit "The Wanderer", with Olivia Newton-John on three albums, including the hits "Physical" and "A Little More Love", with Lionel Richie on three albums (including the hits "Say You, Say Me" and "Running With The Night"), with Melissa Manchester on "You Should Hear How She Talks About You", with Neil Diamond on two albums, Aretha Franklin on two albums, Earth, Wind & Fire on two albums, Michael Bolton on the Soul Provider album, with Cher on six albums (including the hit "If I Could Turn Back Time"), and with Kenny Rogers, America, Joni Mitchell, Herb Alpert, George Benson and many more.
Dudley Moore was proving to be one of the best funnymen of late 70's and 80's cinema, and he stars as Arthur Bach, a ridiculously wealthy, highly-spoiled and drunk son. His parents have arranged for him to marry the heiress to another family's fortune but he meets and falls in love with a waitress from Queens played by Liza Minnelli instead.
The supporting cast is excellent, with Geraldine Fitzgerald as Arthur's mother Martha, Ted Ross playing Arthur's chauffer Bitterman, Stephen Elliott as Burt Johnson, the raging father that Arthur must contend with when Johnson learns that Arthur is calling off the marriage, Jill Eikenberry as Susan Johnson, and Paul Gleason.
Moore earned a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music when he was just 11. He became an accomplished pianist and organist and played at weddings by the age of 14. That really is him playing the piano in Arthur. Dudley was one of the stars of satirical comedy in Great Britain in the 1960's before he moved to Los Angeles to focus on his acting. He starred in a string of big hits, including Foul Play, 10 and Arthur, and earned a Golden Globe Award for Micki & Maude in 1984.
Cross took this song to #1 on both the Adult Contemporary and Popular charts in America and also hit #1 in Canada and Norway, #6 in Switzerland and #7 in the U.K. and Ireland and topped one million in sales. "Arthur's Theme", another Top 500 Songs member* (as the rest of the songs in our countdown are), went home with Best Original Song at both the Oscars and the Golden Globe Awards. It was also nominated for the prestigious Record and Song of the Year as well as Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male at the Grammy Awards.
Arthur earned $95 million to rank as the #4 film at the box office in 1981. Arthur was named Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards as Moore won Best Actor in A Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Sir John Gielgud won Best Supporting Actor and Minnelli was nominated for Best Actress while Gielgud also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor while Moore was nominated for Best Actor and the movie was also nominated for Best Screenplay.
#65--"Exhale (The Shoop Shoop Song) by Whitney Houston (from the movie Waiting to Exhale--1995)
Babyface penned Song #65* for Whitney Houston for the popular 1995 movie Waiting to Exhale.
"Exhale" is the highest-ranking of three songs from the soundtrack to make The Top 200*, following "Not Gon' Cry" from Mary J. Blige and Brandy's "Sittin' Up In My Room" on the list.
Houston plays Savannah Jackson, one of four friends who are having a tough time finding a good man. Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon star with Whitney in the movie.
After being discovered by music mogul Clive Davis and signed to his Arista Records at the age of 19, Houston made an immediate impact as her first three albums topped the Album chart for 14, 11 and 20 weeks, respectively. Whitney's "I Will Always Love You" is the best-selling single by a female artist in history, and she put together a string of seven #1 songs in a row from 1985-1988, still a Rock Era record.
Houston enjoyed other hits such as "Greatest Love Of All", "How Will I Know", "I Wanna' Dance With Somebody", "So Emotional", "I'm Your Baby Tonight", "I Have Nothing", "All The Man That I Need", "I'm Every Woman", "Run To You", "One Moment In Time", "You Give Good Love", "Saving All My Love For You", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "Where Do Broken Hearts Go", "Heartbreak Hotel", "My Love Is Your Love", and many others.
Whitney is the most-honored performer in history with hundreds of awards, including 22 American Music Awards from 38 nominations, 16 Billboard Music Awards out of 22 nominations, 14 World Music Awards from 20 nominations, 6 Grammy Awards from 25 nominations and 2 Emmy Awards out of 3 nominations.
"Exhale" became the third single in history to debut at #1 as overall music quality was fading further from it's peak in the 60's and 70's. A #1 hit in Canada, it also reached #2 in Norway, #4 in New Zealand and #7 in the Netherlands. After a week at #1, it held on to #2 for 11 weeks. "Exhale (The Shoop Shoop Song)" was nominated for four Grammy Awards, and won for Best R&B Song. The single has sold over 1.5 million copies.
The film's soundtrack was #1 for five weeks atop the Billboard charts in the U.S. #3 in Canada and #9 in Australia. The "Waiting to Exhale" Soundtrack has gone over 7 million in sales. It won the American Music Award for Top Soundtrack and received 11 Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year.
Waiting to Exhale grossed $82 million at the box office.
#64--"Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon (from the movie The Spy Who Loved Me--1977)
Here's one of Carly Simon's career best from the 1977 James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Written for her by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager, "Nobody Does It Better" opens the film.
The Spy Who Loved Me was the 10th in the popular Bond spy series and starred Roger Moore as Bond. The crazed Karl Stromberg (played by Curt Jurgens) plans to destroy the world and create a new civilization underwater. Bond joins Soviet agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) to stop the madman, while also having to contend with "Jaws", a 7-foot, 1-inch giant with not-so-attractive dental work played by Richard Kiel.
Moore was the third actor to play secret agent Bond, starring in seven movies from 1973-1985. His movie credits go all the way back to 1945 and the movie Perfect Strangers. Roger also appeared in The Last Time I Saw Paris, Interrupted Melody, The King's Thief and Diane.
In the 1960's, Bach appeared on catalogs and the front covers of magazines such as Seventeen, Vogue USA and ELLEFrance. Bach, who is married to former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, is not only fluent in English and Italian but has a good understanding of both French and Spanish.
Simon's hits include "You're So Vain", "Mockingbird", "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" (which earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance), "Jesse", "Anticipation", "Haven't Got Time For The Pain" and "Coming Around Again". Carly has won two Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994. Carly's father, Richard, was the co-founder of Simon & Schuster publishing house.
Simon logged three weeks at #2 behind only Debby Boone's classic "You Light Up My Life" in 1977, but was able to rack up seven weeks at #1 on the Easy Listening chart, getting the better of Debby there and winding up the year as the #1 song among that audience. The single also landed at #2 in Canada, #5 in France and Norway, #7 in the U.K. and #8 in Australia and went Gold.
"Nobody Does It Better" was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the Grammy Awards and was nominated for Best Original Song at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars but lost to "You Light Up My Life". As we pointed out in the opening of our special, Boone's song was not in the movie and is not eligible for inclusion on the list.
The soundtrack was nominated for Best Original Score - Motion Picture at the Golden Globe Awards and Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special at the Grammy Awards.
The Spy Who Loved Me also picked up a nominated for Best Set Decoration at the Oscars.
#63--"Live And Let Die" by Wings (from the movie Live and Let Die--1973)
By coincidence, we have back-to-back songs from James Bond movies! This gem is from three years earlier, and the 1973 Bond film of the same name, written by Paul and Linda McCartney.
Live And Let Die was the first Bond flick to feature Roger Moore as MI6 agent James Bond. Harlem drug lord Mr. Big (played by Yaphet Kotto) has a scheme to give away two tons of heroin, thus putting his fellow drug sellers out of business. Bond investigates the recent deaths of three of his colleagues, which leads him to Mr. Big, who is the alter ego of Dr. Kananga, ruler of San Monique.
McCartney and wife Linda formed Wings with drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Denny Laine in 1971, after the solo album Ram. McCartney is one of just seven people to rank in The Top 100 Artists of the Rock Era* twice (Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Paul Simon and John Lennon are the others). McCartney and Lennon were the famous songwriting team for the #1 Act*, the Beatles.
Wings scored with hits like "Silly Love Songs", "My Love", "Band On the Run", "Listen To What The Man Said, "Live And Let Die", "Jet", "Junior's Farm", "Helen Wheels", "Coming Up", "With A Little Luck", "Let 'Em In", "Venus And Mars/Rock Show", "Goodnight Tonight" and "Maybe I'm Amazed", among others. Wings won six Grammy Awards out of 12 nominations and were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"Live And Let Die" got as high as #2 in the U.S., Canada and Norway, #5 in Australia and #9 in the U.K. and sold over one million copies. It was nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars but did win Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists and was nominated for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special at the Grammy Awards.
The movie grossed $161.8 million at the box office.
#62--"I'm Every Woman" by Whitney Houston (from the movie Bodyguard--1992)
Written by the team of Nikolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, this next tune was originally recorded by Chaka Khan in one of her first efforts outside the group Rufus. Whitney Houston covered it for the 1992 movie The Bodyguard, which starred Houston and Kevin Costner.
Ashford and Simpson met at White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, New York in 1964. They recorded together and enjoyed the hit "Solid", in 1984 but they are best known as songwriters.
Ashford and Simpson wrote "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (later a #1 hit for Diana Ross), "You're All I Need To Get By" and "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" for Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, and "Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "California Soul" for the 5th Dimension. Ashford and Simpson were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
When "I'm Every Woman" peaked at #4 at the same time Houston's "I Will Always Love You" was #1, Whitney joined Donna Summer as the only female artists to enjoy two Top 10 hits at the same time. The single also hit #2 in Canada, #4 in the U.K., Ireland and the Netherlands, #5 in New Zealand and Denmark, #7 in Sweden and has topped one million in sales.
Whatever you want
Whatever you need
Anything you want done, baby
I'll do it naturally
'Cause I'm every woman (Every woman)
It's all in me
It's all in me
Yeah
I'm every woman
It's all in me
Anything you want done, baby
I'll do it naturally
I'm every woman
It's all in me
I can read your thoughts right now
Every one, from A to Z
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa (Oh), whoa (Oh), whoa
I can cast a spell
Secrets you can't tell
Mix a special brew
Put fire inside of you
Anytime you feel danger or fear
Then instantly I will appear, oh
I'm every woman
It's all in me
Anything you want done, baby
I'll do it naturally
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa (Oh), whoa (Oh), whoa
Oh, I can sense your needs
Like rain onto the seeds
I can make a rhyme of confusion in your mind
And when it comes down to some good old-fashioned love
I've got it, I've got it
I've got it, got it, baby, baby
I'm every woman
It's all in me
Anything you want done, baby
I'll do it, naturally
I'm every woman
It's all in me
I can read your thoughts right now
Every one, from A to Z
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa (Oh), whoa (Oh), whoa
I ain't bragging
'Cause I'm the one
Just ask me
Ooh, it shall be done
And don't bother
To compare
I've got it
Whoa, whoa, whoa (Aah, yeah, yeah, got it)
Whoa, whoa, whoa (Got it, got it, yeah)
Whoa, whoa, whoa (Aah, aah, aah)
I'm every woman (I'm every woman)
I'm every woman (Every need, baby)
I'm every woman (Oh)
I'm every woman (Oh)
I'm every woman (Every woman, baby)
I'm every woman (Uuh)
I'm every woman (Every woman, baby)
I'm every woman (Oh)
I'm every woman (Chaka Khan)
I'm every woman (Chaka Khan)
I'm every woman
I'm every woman (My girl)
Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees wrote this smash for friend Yvonne Elliman for the monumental "Saturday Night Fever" Soundtrack. The Brothers Gibb also wrote "Love Me" in 1976, Elliman's first hit.
The project was the brainchild of Robert Stigwood and both the soundtrack and movie were blockbusters. John Travolta successfully made the transition from television ("Welcome Back Kotter") to the big-screen with an iconic performance as Tony Manero, a young man who works in a Brooklyn, New York paint store during the week, then heads to the disco every weekend with his friends. Annette (played by Donna Pescow) is hot for Tony and although he has no interest in her, Tony agrees to be her dance partner.
Though Manero seems happy and confident, he very much is trying to find himself, and he is increasingly disillusioned with his job, his friends and his family. Dancing is really his forte, and when he is spots Stephanie Mangano, Tony drops Annette as his partner in favor of Mangano, a better dancer, and the pair enter the upcoming dance contest at the disco.
Manero is interested in more than dancing, but Mangano is cold to the idea. While it seemed like Karen Lynn Gorney would also be a star given her outstanding performance as Stephanie, Saturday Night Fever was her one and only big movie, though if your eyes are quick you can spot her as the manicurist Robert Redford is flirting with in the 1973 classic movie The Sting.
Barry Miller is also great as a depressed young man whose girlfriend is pregnant. He shares his troubles often and is unsure what to do.
Saturday Night Fever excels in both portraying the bright, pulsating Disco music while also showing the seedy side of Brooklyn youth. The movie includes promiscuity, guys using women for sex, drugs, and racism. Manero participates in some of the behavior but is also sick of it and what his life has become, especially after he meets Mangano, and realizes it is a lifestyle that cannot be maintained.
IN 2010, the U.S. Library of Congress chose Saturday Night Fever for inclusion in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".
Elliman began playing the ukulele at the age of four and began piano lessons at age seven. She also played guitar, standup bass and violin and performed as a singer and guitarist in a Folk band called We Folk. Elliman got her big break when Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice invited her to sing the part of Mary Magdalene in the recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. She also was a member of traveling cast for the production for four years.
In addition to "If I Can't Have You" and "Love Me", Yvonne also enjoyed a #1 Adult Contemporary hit with "Hello Stranger" and had one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era* with "Love Pains".
"If I Can't Have You" made it four #1's on Side One of Saturday Night Fever, with the single ending the eight-week reign of "Night Fever. Elliman also reached #1 in Canada, #4 in the U.K., #5 in France and #6 in New Zealand. Percussion wiz Paulinho daCosta plays on the track. "If I Can't Have You" has topped 3 million in sales in the United States alone.
The landmark soundtrack by which all other soundtracks are measured ruled the Album chart for 24 weeks and has been certified as a 16-million seller in the U.S. and over 40 million worldwide.
The "Saturday Night Fever" Soundtrack captured the Grammy for Album of the Year, one of just three soundtrack albums in history to achieve that feat, won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Album.
In 2013, the soundtrack was included in the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress for preservation.
Saturday Night Fever catapulted Travolta into superstardom, and he became the fourth-youngest nominee to be nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. The movie earned four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, Best Actor for Travolta and Best Original Score for a Motion Picture. The film grossed $237 million at the box office, the equivalent of $1.2 billion today.
Don't know why
I'm survivin' every lonely day
When there's got to be no chance for me
My life would end
And it doesn't matter how I cry
My tears of love are a waste of time
If I turn away
Am I strong enough to see it through?
Go crazy is what I will do
If I can't have you
I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, uh-huh-oh
If I can't have you
I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, uh-ho-oh-oh-oh
Do-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, hey
Do-do-do, do-do-do-do (ahh)
Can't let go and it doesn't matter how I try
I gave it all
So easily
To you, my love
To dreams that never will come true
Am I strong enough to see it through?
Go crazy is what I will do
If I can't have you
I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, uh-huh-oh
If I can't have you
I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, uh-ho-oh
Oh, if I can't have you
I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, uh-huh-oh (no, nobody)
If I can't have you
I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, uh-ho-oh (not at all, at all)
If I can't have you
I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, uh-huh-oh (nobody)
If I can't have you
I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, uh-ho-oh
If I can't have you
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