Top Five Songs Appearing in a Movie

...as judged by their quality and impact on the scene...

5. "Wise Up" by Amy Mann from Magnolia (I'm not sure what you think about this film, but I simply love it and was awestruck by the unexpected beauty, simplicity, poignancy, and emotional wallup of the core cast of characters singing along in their own voices. It's almost subconscious how it sneaks up on you--like, what the fuck? They're ACTUALLY SINGING? Perfect cinematic bridge at the perfect moment in an imperfect, but bold movie.

4. "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Steeler's Wheel from Reservoir Dogs (Could a more mediocre song ever gain more popular appeal? Could you ever hear it without imagining Michael Madsen's evil knife-wielding, shoulder-hunched jig? I love Steven Wright's detached and dismissive "K-Billy's Super Sounds of the 70's" intro to this tune on the soundtrack: "This Dylan-esque pop bubblegum favorite...")

3. "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John from Almost Famous (Has catharsis ever been this goofy and fun? I suspect many of you might hate Elton, so maybe you don't know how impossible it is to resist singing along. Even if the words you know and the tune you hum.)

2. "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel from Say Anything (Yeah, I've got a thing for Cameron Crowe. The guy knows popular music and he knows how to use it in his movies. Just a hair better at it than Tarantino and Scorsese. I have this on DVD and it's interesting that he didn't know what song was coming out of the boom box when they filmed it. I think it was filmed with a Velvet Underground song. I'm positive that millions of romance-addled girls around the world would agree if this happened to them, they'd fuck John Cusack, too.)

1. "The End" by The Doors from Apocalypse Now (If you don't agree, you've got to rent the redux version on DVD and watch on a good screen with good sound system. I've seen it both recently in it's theatrical re-release and at home. The beginning of a film never exploded in more of an eery finality than with the timing of the napalm blast obliterating an entire treeline as the drums really kick in. So many images stick in my mind. The helicopter rotors dissolving into a revolving ceiling fan. The culmination of the film with the culmination of the song intercut with Sheen hacking Brando as the Montignard savages ritually hack up a cow. Blood, gore, mania, confusion, ride the snake, evil, brooding, to the lake, disturbing, perfect, perfect shit.)

Honorable Mention: Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman's "Elephant Love Song Medley" from Moulin Rouge, Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story, Jackson Browne's "She Must Be Somebody's Baby" from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Derrick and the Dominoes' "Layla (coda)" from Goodfellas, Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" from Platoon, Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock N' Roll" from Risky Business, Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" from Trainspotting, "Also Sprach Zuranthra" from 2001, The Kingsmen's "Louie, Louie" from Animal House, Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild" from Easy Rider, Mel Brooks' "Springtime for Hitler" from The Producers, Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom" from This is Spinal Tap, Angela Lansbury's "Beauty and the Beast" from B&TB, Roddy McDowell's "Singin' in the Rain" from A Clockwork Orange, Alice Cooper's "School's Out?" from Dazed and Confused, and Terrence & Philip's "Uncle Fucka" from South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.