BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
Everyone has their favorite songs, bands, and albums. Despite as much as we would like to believe it, there is no right or wrong in judging someone’s pick. Sure we can all put on fan boy pants and be the opinionated jerks we were born to be. At the end of the day, it’s all subjective and purely opinion. Taste is not a fact, it’s a personalized preference. We music snobs forget that sometimes.
Same goes for movies. Music is a big deal within that world too. Be it a classic bio pic, a great score, or an unforgettable soundtrack; music can make or break a movie more often than one would think. The problem, like with anything, is that too much of something can be a bad thing. Things just get overused. If you watch a sporting event you'll likely hear a lot of the same songs. People just accept it and don't say shit for whatever reason.
My problem is the lack of creativity in the music selections of some movies. There are so many songs out with many ranges and uses. It’s a dream job for A LOT of people, but it doesn’t seem to be taken as seriously as it should in a lot of cases. There is an art to tracking audio and there just aren’t that many good artists anymore on the grand scale. Despite having an opportunity to give the audience something special, we get the same songs over and over. It’s a bummer.
Today we're going to check out some of the most overused and most annoying "movie songs" out there.
20: “Atomic Dog” by George Clinton and P-Funk
George Clinton is the man. I’ve been a fan of his since I was too young to understand why. He had that spot in the movie PCU and then a family friend gave me an autographed dollar bill from one of Parliament Funkadelic members. I ended up losing the buck, but I never lost my appreciation for the funk rock that is Mr. Clinton and whatever crew he’s jamming with. This is probably his most known and popular song. It’s pretty much the go-to song for something funky and cheesy happening. And if you’ve ever seen a kids movie made in the past ten or so years there is a good percentage chance that you’d hear it. The percentage increases if the said kids movie involves a dog.
19: “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-lot
How can you not love this song? It’s a hip hop classic and it’s hard not to smile when this song hits your ears. It discusses one of the most important topics in all of mankind. It’s understandable why movies would want to include this. It’s the song they use when reserved girls start coming “out of their shell” so to speak. There’s also the obvious route to go with where the camera or character focuses on a woman’s booty. Then it’s just a good energetic song on top of all of that. There are plenty of reasons this song has been overused. Hell, it was even in a Burger King commercial. There is no end to this rear end.
18: “All Star” by Smash Mouth
This song sucks. I think I legitimately hate it. It’s just been shoved down our throats over and over again throughout the years. It pops up in tons of kid movies and hokey comedies. It’s a catchy song, but it’s not nearly as enjoyable as “Walking on the Sun” or even their cover of the Monkee’s “I’m a Believer”. Those songs were in movies too, but they didn’t irk me as much. I seriously bet this song has been heard by 85% of all “first world” people. If you watched any form of entertainment in the past decade or two then you’ll know this song. And dammit, you’ll know it and you’ll hate it. It’s a lullaby for douchebags.
17: “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett
I like Joan Jett too. I had the pleasure of seeing her play in Chicago a few years back. She put on a really good show and reminded me that she has her share of awesome hits. This is probably the biggest of those hits. I don’t hate this song, but when it pops up in a movie it jars the hell out of me. It totally took me out of the big fight scene in Kick-Ass, but at the same time it was enjoyable as the opening credits for “Freaks and Geeks”. If you want to make a character seem “rebellious”, “edgy”, “angry” or “punk” then you cue this song up and have the actor strut and smirk. It’s paint-by-numbers rebellion.
16: “Back in Black/Highway to Hell” by AC/DC
AC/DC has made millions of dollars off being “overused” and “overplayed”. They got overplayed because they put out kick ass rock and roll music. There is no other reason. They’re not pretty boys, the flavor of the month, or any kind of novelty. They’re one of the best hard rock bands of all time. The movie Iron Man used pretty much ALL of their hits, but it’s not just that one. I had a hard time picking between two of their songs, but a lot of them are used in movies. The two that stood out are “Back in Black” and “Highway to Hell”. I couldn’t pick between the two. Even if you don’t think you know, you do. The riffs, the chorus, and the lyrics are pretty music musical air. We’ve all breathed this air and will continue to do so as long as there are action movies or evilness. I’m cool with that.
15: “Empire State of Mind” by Jay Z & Alicia Keys
This is probably the most current song on the list. Who else is tired of hearing this song? I used to big a big Jay Z fan around ten years ago but lost my connection with his work since then. I don’t dislike him, but I just don’t feel a need to get all excited about him. He’s still going to go down as one of the best of all time so there’s no need to harp on it. Alicia Keys on the other hand is amazing, beautiful, and great. Her voice is outstanding on this song. I don’t even think about Jay Z when I hear this song. All I hear is the soulfully sung chorus. It’s a well done song, but it’s just really over exposed, to the point of nausea.
14: “Bad To The Bone” by George Thorogood & The Destroyers
This song is called “Bad to the Bone”, but I’m pretty sure this song was out before bones were even a thing. That’s a long time, even longer if you ask non-secular folk. It’s a damn good song. It’s simple and to the point, but it’s still all the balls and edge it needs to be. It’s been used in tons of adverts and in tons of movies and television shows. It can be used in a cool way at times, like Terminator 2… but then it’s also a victim of cheesier appearances. Regardless, I imagine this song is a big financial importance to Mr. Thorogood. No wonder the dude likes to drink a lone.
13: “How You Like Me Now” by The Heavy
I promise you, you know it. The sad part is that this is a song that I don’t recall hearing completely, just snippets and the big parts. Did your character have a change of heart? An act of comeuppance? Even a turn for the worse? Then this is the song for you. I don’t know ANY other song by the band The Heavy, that I know of. I didn’t even know who sang this song until I looked it up. I just knew that 4 out of 3 movies have the soulful sas anthem that asks “How do ya like me now?” I’d like you better if you were a different song.
12: “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?” by The Beach Boys
Wouldn’t it be nice if more Beach Boys tracks were used in movies and television? Of course “God Only Knows” and “California Girls” and “Surfin’ In The USA” are all popular and great songs but “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is used over and over again. It’s such a beautiful song that it only gets cheapened when it pops up in mediocre movies trying to use a great song to make their mediocre scene not as mediocre. All it does it make us remember how great The Beach Boys are and makes it clearer that the unoriginal mediocre movie sucks.
11: “Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina and The Waves
I once knew a man who walked on sunshine. He has never been the same. This is such a happy and good-spirited song that it’s hard not to love. The problem is that it’s just everywhere. If there is a scene where someone is ecstatic or super happy then this is the song for them. Then there is also the ironic use of it like in “American Psycho” and pretty much “High Fidelity”. It can be used in a few ways. Regardless, it’s a crazy bubbly song that’s easy to get into your bones. It’s just a contagious smile waiting to happen. It’s a good tune, but it’s just used waaaay too much. I’m fairly certain there isn’t much room on this said “sunshine” because of all the walking that’s being done on it. I guess the only thing we can do is make sure we wear shoes and keep a good supply of sunscreen on us because this song isn’t going anywhere.
What songs do YOU think are the most overused in music and television?
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