25 Songs You Didn’t Know Were Written for Movies

A number of hugely popular songs have broken out from movie soundtracks over the years to become staple hits and fan favorites in their own right. Dolly Parton allegedly wrote her megahit "9 to 5" within a matter of hours on the set of the 1980 comedy of the same name, using her acrylic nails to keep a beat. Simon & Garfunkel’s "Mrs. Robinson" was written for Mike Nichols’ The Graduate, supposedly after he became hooked on the duo’s music during filming. And the popularity of Coolio’s "Gangsta’s Paradise" made the accompanying soundtrack to the 1995 Michelle Pfeiffer movie Dangerous Minds one of the year’s biggest selling albums.

But for every memorable movie tie-in, there is a track whose origins in Hollywood have either long since been forgotten, or else whose longstanding popularity has gone on to eclipse the film it came from. And 20 of these are explored here.

'AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW),' PHIL COLLINS (AGAINST ALL ODDS, 1984)
'BEN,' MICHAEL JACKSON (BEN, 1972)
'CALL ME,' BLONDIE (AMERICAN GIGOLO, 1980)
'CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO,' GLENN MILLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA (SUN VALLEY SERENADE, 1941)
'CHEEK TO CHEEK,' IRVING BERLIN (TOP HAT, 1935)
'EXIT MUSIC (FOR A FILM),' RADIOHEAD (ROMEO + JULIET, 1996)
'GLORY OF LOVE,' PETER CETERA (THE KARATE KID PART II, 1986)
'THE HEAT IS ON,' GLENN FREY (BEVERLY HILLS COP, 1984)
'HOW DO I LIVE,' TRISHA YEARWOOD (CON AIR, 1997)
'I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU,' STEVIE WONDER (THE WOMAN IN RED, 1984)
'I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN,' COLE PORTER (BORN TO DANCE, 1936)
'JEEPERS CREEPERS,' LOUIS ARMSTRONG (GOING PLACES, 1938)
'KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR,' BOB DYLAN (PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID, 1973)
'LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY,' DENIECE WILLIAMS (FOOTLOOSE, 1984)
'NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW,' STARSHIP (MANNEQUIN, 1987)
'ON THE ROAD AGAIN,' WILLIE NELSON (HONEYSUCKLE ROSE, 1980)
'QUE SERA, SERA,' DORIS DAY (THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, 1956)
'RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN’ ON MY HEAD,' BJ THOMAS (BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, 1969)
'SAY YOU, SAY ME,' LIONEL RICHIE (WHITE NIGHTS, 1985 -- ENDLESS LOVE, 1981)
'SIREN,' TORI AMOS (GREAT EXPECTATIONS, 1998)
'THAT’S AMORE,' DEAN MARTIN (THE CADDY, 1953)
'THIS WOMAN’S WORK,' KATE BUSH (SHE’S HAVING A BABY, 1988)
'UNCHAINED MELODY,' TODD DUNCAN (UNCHAINED, 1955)
'UNINVITED,' ALANIS MORISSETTE (CITY OF ANGELS, 1998)
'WHITE CHRISTMAS,' BING CROSBY (HOLIDAY INN, 1942)

'AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW),' PHIL COLLINS (AGAINST ALL ODDS, 1984)

Pop legend Phil Collins scored a worldwide hit in 1984 with his legendary power ballad "Against All Odds" (which gained a whole new audience when Mariah Carey covered it in 1999). Collins was approached personally by director Taylor Hackford to write a song for his upcoming movie Against All Odds, starring Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward, after Hackford flew to Chicago to watch Collins’ band Genesis play live. Collins was given a rough cut of the film on videotape to watch in his hotel, and agreed to write a song as a result.

'BEN,' MICHAEL JACKSON (BEN, 1972)

"Ben" was Michael Jackson’s first solo Billboard number one, and a major international hit in 1972. Written by Walter Scharf and renowned English lyricist Don Black (better known for the likes of Diamonds Are Forever and Born Free), despite being a tender ballad, the track was written for the 1972 horror movie of the same name that told the story of a young boy who befriends a murderous rat.

'CALL ME,' BLONDIE (AMERICAN GIGOLO, 1980)

Written for Richard Gere’s 1980 movie American Gigolo, Blondie’s smash hit "Call Me" was co-written by Debbie Harry and Italian electronic music legend and three-time Oscar-winner Giorgio Moroder (perhaps best known for his work on 1986’s Top Gun). It earned Moroder a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song, and earned Blondie their biggest hit to date—but despite being one of Blondie’s signature tracks, the song almost wasn’t Harry’s at all. Moroder initially had Stevie Nicks in mind for the movie’s soundtrack, but she turned down the offer.

'CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO,' GLENN MILLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA (SUN VALLEY SERENADE, 1941)

The first gold-certified record in US history, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra sold 1.2 million copies of their recording of "Chattanooga Choo Choo," which was written for the 1941 musical Sun Valley Serenade starring Sonja Henie and Milton Berle. The track has since become a standard and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996.

'CHEEK TO CHEEK,' IRVING BERLIN (TOP HAT, 1935)

Another standard from the American songbook, Irving Berlin wrote his classic "Cheek to Cheek" for the 1935 musical comedy Top Hat, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Berlin earned an Oscar nomination for the song, but lost to another future standard: "Lullaby of Broadway," from Gold Diggers of 1935.

'EXIT MUSIC (FOR A FILM),' RADIOHEAD (ROMEO + JULIET, 1996)

Baz Luhrmann approached Radiohead with an early cut of his 1996 Shakespeare adaptation of Romeo + Juliet while they were touring the U.S. with Alanis Morissette, and asked if they would be interested in contributing a song to the film’s finale. The result was the appropriately titled "Exit Music (For a Film)," which the band went on to include on their acclaimed third album, OK Computer, the following year.

'GLORY OF LOVE,' PETER CETERA (THE KARATE KID PART II, 1986)

Peter Cetera had just left the band Chicago the previous year when he released "Glory of Love," his power ballad from The Karate Kid Part II, the sequel to the 1984 hit starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. The track was a number one hit in the U.S., a top 3 hit in the UK, and earned Cetera Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe nominations.

'THE HEAT IS ON,' GLENN FREY (BEVERLY HILLS COP, 1984)

The success of Eddie Murphy’s action comedy blockbuster Beverly Hills Cop in 1984 was matched by the immense success of its soundtrack album, which sold two million copies in the U.S. alone and spawned three Billboard Top 10 hits. Most successful of them all was Glenn Frey’s "The Heat Is On," which reached number 2 on the charts (kept from the top spot by REO Speedwagon’s "Can’t Fight This Feeling").

'HOW DO I LIVE,' TRISHA YEARWOOD (CON AIR, 1997)

As unlikely as it might sound, power ballad "How Do I Live" was written by legendary Oscar-nominee Diane Warren for the 1997 action thriller Con Air. The producers initially gave the song to upcoming country star LeAnn Rimes to record, but as Rimes was just 14 at the time, her version was deemed too poppy for the serious nature of the movie, and so a country version was recorded by Trisha Yearwood instead. Rather than shelve Rimes’ version, however, it was released as a single the same week as Yearwood’s, leading to a now infamous chart battle that saw both recordings enter the chart on the same day. Although Yearwood’s version was hugely successful, it could not match the runaway success of Rimes’ recording, which sold more than 4 million copies worldwide and was an international hit.

'I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU,' STEVIE WONDER (THE WOMAN IN RED, 1984)

After he was personally recommended to the producers by fellow music legend Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder wrote seven songs for the 1984 Gene Wilder and Kelly LeBrock comedy The Woman in Red, including the title track and this, his biggest worldwide hit to date. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" earned the Oscar for Best Original Song the following year.

'I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN,' COLE PORTER (BORN TO DANCE, 1936)

Another American standard written for the movies in the early days of Hollywood, Cole Porter wrote his classic I"’ve Got You Under My Skin" for the 1936 comedy musical Born to Dance starring James Stewart and Eleanor Powell. The song earned Porter an Oscar nomination the following year, but he lost to fellow songwriting legend Jerome Kern (for "The Way You Look Tonight").

'JEEPERS CREEPERS,' LOUIS ARMSTRONG (GOING PLACES, 1938)

The song might have helped to kickstart a horror franchise in 2001, but the standard "Jeepers Creepers" was originally written by songwriting legends Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer for the 1938 musical comedy Going Places. Warren and Mercer earned Oscar nominations for their work on the song (which was originally recorded by Louis Armstrong; it’s Paul Whiteman’s earlier version that appears in the horror movie) but lost to another standard, "Thanks for the Memory," from "The Big Broadcast" of 1938.

'KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR,' BOB DYLAN (PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID, 1973)

Bob Dylan originally wrote "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door" for the soundtrack to the 1973 western drama Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson.

'LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY,' DENIECE WILLIAMS (FOOTLOOSE, 1984)

The soundtrack to 1984’s Footloose sold seven million copies, spent two months at the top of the album charts, and spawned six hit singles. Perhaps best known among those hits is Kenny Loggins’ title song, but Deniece Williams’ "Let’s Hear it for the Boy" likewise hit the top spot on the Billboard charts and, like Loggins’ track, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song the following year.

'NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW,' STARSHIP (MANNEQUIN, 1987)

Although hated by the critics, 1987’s Mannequin was a minor box office hit and has since become something of a camp cult classic (doubtless thanks in part to a pre-Sex and the City Kim Cattrall’s performance as a shop dummy that comes to life when the spirit of a young woman from Ancient Egypt inhabits it). Despite its critical mauling, the movie became an unlikely Oscar nominee in 198, when its main title song, Starship’s hit single "Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now" (co-written by Oscar legend Diane Warren), earned a nod for Best Original Song.

'ON THE ROAD AGAIN,' WILLIE NELSON (HONEYSUCKLE ROSE, 1980)

Midway through making their 1980 romantic drama Honeysuckle Rose, the film’s star, country legend Willie Nelson, was on a plane alongside producer Syndey Pollack and director Jerry Schatzberg when the pair asked Nelson if he had had any thoughts on writing a song for the film’s soundtrack. “I said, ‘What do you want the song to say?’” Nelson later recalled, to which Pollack replied, “Can it be something about being on the road?” Nelson promptly wrote the lyrics on an airsickness bag; it went on to be one of his biggest hits and earned him an Oscar nomination the following year.

'QUE SERA, SERA,' DORIS DAY (THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, 1956)

One of Doris Day’s many signature tunes, "Que Sera, Sera" was written by songwriting duo Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much. The track earned the pair an Oscar the following year, beating off stiff competition from Cole Porter’s similarly legendary track "High Society."

'RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN’ ON MY HEAD,' BJ THOMAS (BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, 1969)

Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote the melancholy classic "Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head" for the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The song is used in a memorable (and much references) scene in the film in which Newman rides a bicycle with Katharine Ross on the handlebars. The scene was originally set to Simon & Garfunkel’s folk classic "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)," before Bacharach stepped in to write an original track instead. Just as well he did, too, as the song earned both him and David Oscars the following year.

'SAY YOU, SAY ME,' LIONEL RICHIE (WHITE NIGHTS, 1985 -- ENDLESS LOVE, 1981)

Lionel Richie had already been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song (for the title track to the 1981 romance Endless Love) when his hit "Say You, Say Me" picked up the award five years later, having been written for the 1985 musical drama White Nights. (Coincidentally, Richie was nominated twice that year, picking up a second nomination in the same category for "Miss Celie’s Blues" from The Color Purple.)

'SIREN,' TORI AMOS (GREAT EXPECTATIONS, 1998)

Legendary singer-songwriter and pianist Tori Amos has contributed original songs to several films over the years, including the 1995 thriller Higher Learning, Robin Williams’ Toys and, more recently, the acclaimed 2016 Netflix documentary Audrie and Daisy. Amos’ longstanding fan favorite "Siren," meanwhile, was one of two tracks she wrote for the soundtrack to the 1998 big screen adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow.

'THAT’S AMORE,' DEAN MARTIN (THE CADDY, 1953)

Dean Martin’s signature tune "That’s Amore" was written for his 1953 comedy vehicle The Caddy, in which Martin starred alongside Jerry Lewis and Donna Reed. According to Lewis, during production of the movie, he personally hired songwriters Harry Warren and Jack Brooks to write a song for Martin to sing in the movie, at a personal cost of $30,000. Despite it going on to be one of his biggest hits (and earning its writers an Academy Award nomination), Martin was never told that his co-star had personally paid for the song to be included in the film.

'THIS WOMAN’S WORK,' KATE BUSH (SHE’S HAVING A BABY, 1988)

Although she later included it on her 1989 album The Sensual World, Kate Bush originally wrote the tender piano-led ballad "This Woman’s Work" for the 1988 John Hughes romcom She’s Having A Baby, starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. The song accompanies an emotional scene in the film in which Bacon’s character has to sit outside in a hospital corridor, while McGovern’s character goes through the unexpectedly traumatic birth of their child in the room next door.

'UNCHAINED MELODY,' TODD DUNCAN (UNCHAINED, 1955)

Although it has since gone on to achieve an ever greater place in Hollywood history thanks to its use in the 1990 romantic drama Ghost, "Unchained Melody" was originally written (as its name might suggest) as the theme to the little-known 1955 prison drama Unchained, starring football-player-turned-actor Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch and future Perry Mason star Barbara Hale. The track, written by Hy Zaret and composer Alex North, was originally intended to reflect the slow passing of time in a prison, but was given a new and far more romantic spin when it was rerecorded by the Righteous Brothers in 1965.

'UNINVITED,' ALANIS MORISSETTE (CITY OF ANGELS, 1998)

The Goo Goo Dolls’ smash hit Iris was memorably taken from the soundtrack to the 1998 Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan fantasy drama City of Angels, but the soundtrack’s lead single was Alanis Morissette’s epic rock hit "Uninvited." The track was Morissette’s first single in two years, and her first release since the breakout success of her Jagged Little Pill album three years later. The track won two Grammy Award, for both Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, but lost the Best Song Written for a Motion Picture award to Titanic’s "My Heart Will Go On."

'WHITE CHRISTMAS,' BING CROSBY (HOLIDAY INN, 1942)

Bing Crosby’s festive favorite "White Christmas" was originally written by Irving Berlin for the 1942 movie Holiday Inn (which was Crosby’s movie debut, alongside Fred Astaire). The following year, Berlin made history when he was asked to present the Academy Award for Best Song, only to win the award himself for "White Christmas"—becoming the only person in history to present himself with an Oscar.