Movies and music go together undeniably well. Before dialogue was even a thing in cinema, moving images had already become associated with music, and then with the advent of talkies — and the development of popular music — songs became even more closely tied to movies. It extends beyond just musicals, too, though that genre's existence is a testament to how effective the marriage of sound and vision in cinema can be.
When used in movies, songs can enhance emotions, help with the development of the story, or simply make a scene feel more dynamic and exciting. Certain songs prove so inspiring to filmmakers that they get memorably used in more than one film: it's hard to tie these songs to just one movie, given how well they've all been used in two (or more) different titles.
10 "Singin' in the Rain" by Gene Kelly: 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952) & 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971)
"Singin' in the Rain" was not written for the musical of the same name and was originally recorded more than 20 years before the iconic film about silent cinema was released. The version sung by Gene Kelly in the film has ultimately become the most well-known version and has since appeared in various other movies.
Perhaps the most infamous of these is A Clockwork Orange, where lead character Alex sings it during a particularly disturbing home invasion scene, with Kelly's version being heard over the end credits. The song's use in both films is memorable for sure but in incredibly different ways.
9 "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival: 'Forrest Gump' (1994) & 'Live Free or Die Hard' (2007)
Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" is one of those songs that's been so closely linked to the Vietnam War era that is using it nowadays would feel like a parody. Forrest Gump might've been one of the last movies to get away with using it, and since that movie moves fast and spans many years, maybe it's okay for it to use an on-the-nose song to establish its Vietnam War scenes.
It's also used in the fourth Die Hard movie, Live Free or Die Hard. It appears in the film and the end credits and perhaps works to establish John McClane's age at this point in his life, given much of the film's humor comes from him clashing with a young computer hacker who belongs to a different generation.
8 "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys: 'Boogie Nights' (1997) & 'Love Actually' (2003)
While "God Only Knows" is far from the only amazing song recorded by The Beach Boys, it might be their most amazing. It's the centerpiece of their acclaimed album Pet Sounds, often held up as one of the greatest albums of not just the 1960s but of all time (and deservedly so).
By some miracle, it was expertly used in two very different films, but in similar ways and at similar points. Boogie Nights and Love Actually aren't too comparable beyond their uses of ensemble casts and their usage of "God Only Knows" towards the end of each respective film, but it works wonders in both instances and remains such a good song that it's hard to be frustrated by any sense of déjà vu.
7 "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones: 'Goodfellas' (1990), 'Casino' (1995), & 'The Departed' (2006)
You only have to watch a few Martin Scorsese movies to realize that the legendary director has good taste in music. Great needle drops are as frequent as profanity-filled Joe Pesci outbursts when it comes to the filmography of Scorsese, and both are especially prevalent in his gangster films.
He's used The Rolling Stones plenty of times throughout his movies and even directed a documentary/concert film with them in 2008 called Shine a Light. "Gimme Shelter" is one song of theirs that is particularly prone to pop up in a Scorsese picture and can be heard in the soundtracks for Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed.
6 "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen: 'Wayne's World' (1992) & 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (2018)
Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is probably one of those songs you'll hear dozens of times in your life, even if you never actively seek it out to listen to it. It's the most famous song from one of rock music's most famous bands, and it's easy to see why 2018's biopic about Queen adopted the song's title for its own.
Despite this, its use in that film isn't the most well-known, given how heavily "Bohemian Rhapsody" is tied with Wayne's World. The scene with the main characters headbanging to the song in a car is the most memorable and consistently referenced part of the movie, even to the point where more people are likely to think of Wayne's World when they hear the song rather than the movie that's literally called Bohemian Rhapsody.
5 "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by B.J. Thomas: 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (1969) & 'Spider-Man 2' (2004)
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" was written for the classic Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It doesn't necessarily sound like something that would be found in a Western, but its melody and upbeat lyrics are instantly memorable, and when paired with such a fun and charismatic Western, they end up complementing each other well.
It was a bold move to use the song in a montage the same way Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid did, but that's what Spider-Man 2 does during a part in the film where Peter Parker temporarily retires from being Spider-Man. It feels a little goofier there but still fits perfectly with the scene and tone of the movie at that point, making it a perfectly utilized song in both instances.
4 "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra: 'Full Metal Jacket' (1987) & 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' (1997)
Another song that feels ubiquitous in pop culture, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra, had inevitably found its way into many soundtracks. It's catchy, mysterious, and makes great use of Sinatra's unique voice, making it an inherently "cinematic" feeling piece of music.
In Full Metal Jacket, it's used at the point when the film jarringly jumps from Boot Camp to Vietnam, and on the other side of things entirely, it's also used in the very silly non-war movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, during the scene when the Fem-bots are introduced. It's versatile and easily applicable for various tones and genres; that much is clear.
3 "Across 110th Street" by Bobby Womack: 'Across 110th Street' (1972) & 'Jackie Brown' (1997)
"Across 110th Street" was a song written for the film of the same name, but has since become arguably more well-known than said film. It's an iconic soul song with a fantastic melody and socially conscious lyrics and was also used by Quentin Tarantino for the opening of his 1997 film Jackie Brown.
Its use in the latter of those might be why it's more famous than the film it originally appeared in, but it's still worth highlighting both, given it was specifically written for the former. It's proven a great way to establish a tone and mood for two different films, making it an undeniably classic song.
2 "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes: 'Mean Streets' (1973), 'Dirty Dancing' (1987), & 'Barbarian' (2022)
1960s pop music doesn't get any better than "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes. Words can't do it justice, but it is the definition of a perfect pop song, and if anything, it's strange that it hasn't been used in more movies (even though it does appear in quite a few).
The first big one worth noting is Mean Streets, which was the film that cemented Martin Scorsese's talent as a director. It was used in the opening scene of both that and in 1987's Dirty Dancing to similarly memorable effect, and more recently can be heard in 2022's Barbarian (this time right at the film's end, though).
1 "'Heroes'" by David Bowie: 'Christiane F.' (1981) & 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' (2012)
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It's hard to pick a favorite David Bowie song, but it's likely that "'Heroes'" would be up there for many. It's an emotional and rousing song that has the rare quality of feeling triumphant but also a little sad at the same time, making it a strikingly bittersweet pop/rock song.
It's used during the earlier, less intense scenes in the drug addiction drama Christiane F. (along with numerous other Bowie tracks) and is also a big part of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, memorably becoming relevant to the plot and the film's ending.