Music and movies go hand in hand. A movie without any music is like an ice cream sundae without any chocolate syrup; it’s just not complete. Music can elevate the tension and mood of a particular scene and add to the stakes. When something intense or important is about to happen, the music builds up the anticipation. Music in movies does not have to be a song with lyrics, the score is just as important to the overall tone of a movie.
There are two types of music in film; diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic is referred to as music that can be heard or manipulated within the world of the movie. Characters can hear the music, change it, or interact with it in any way. For example, when Marty McFly plays “Johnny B. Goode” at the Enchantment under the sea dance in Back to the Future. All the characters are aware of the music being played. Non-diegetic is referred to as music that cannot be heard or manipulated within the world of the movie. Characters are not aware of the music being played, and cannot interact with it in any way. The purpose of non-diegetic music is solely for the benefit of the audience. An example of this would be the Star Wars theme that is played over the opening scroll of each movie. None of the characters can hear that as it exists solely to build up our anticipation for the movie.
Sometimes, music is an integral part of the plot of a movie. Movie musicals rely on both diegetic and non-diegetic music to further the advancement of the plot. Musicals typically involve a song and dance number in every scene, as well as music from the score. Movie musicals add excitement and emotion to something that may be kind of boring or silly otherwise. Musicals have given us some of the catchiest songs in existence, and musicals put to film allow a wide array of people to experience those songs. That being said, here are the ten catchiest songs from movie musicals:
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
10 Without Love - Hairspray (2007)
New Line Cinema
Hairspray has been in the mainstream musical scene for decades now. Broadway, high schools across the country, and local theatres have been putting on productions of the musical for years. The 2007 film version of Hairspray starring Zac Efron and Amanda Bynes only added to that popularity. There’s a good reason for that. It’s because every song in this musical is catchy. The song that sticks out the most though would be Without Love. The song is sung when Tracy is locked up in Penny’s basement and Penny herself has been tied to a chair in her bedroom by her mother. Link is in Tracy’s bedroom longing for her, and Seaweed is trying to help Penny escape her overbearing mother. It’s upbeat and captures the feelings of these teenagers who want to pursue their dreams without their parents and society telling them that they’re wrong for wanting what they want.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 The Music of the Night - The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Warner Bros. Pictures
One of the most beloved musicals of all time, The Phantom of the Opera is full of songs about romance, desire, and wanting to belong. Joel Schumacher’s 2004 adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical received mixed reviews from critics, but audiences loved it. Every song is beautifully written and performed, especially by Emmy Rossum whose vocal range is on full display. Christine is torn between her love for her childhood sweetheart Raoul (Patrick Wilson) and her mysterious tutor, the Phantom (Gerard Butler). The songs are sad and haunting, but impossible not to sing along to.
“The Music of the Night” is sung by the Phantom to Christine in his hideout, and it is evident how much he cares for Christine through his song. It is also evident how absolutely enamored Christine is by him. It makes you want to both sing every word along with the Phantom and be in Christine’s shoes.
8 Gee, Officer Krupke! - West Side Story (1961)
United Artists
The 1961 version of West Side Story is another beloved musical movie that has been cherished for decades. With songs such as “I Feel Pretty” and “America”, there’s no doubt why people love this musical so much. Even the slower, more intimate songs are fun to sing along to. An underrated, but undoubtedly the catchiest, song from West Side Story is “Gee, Officer Krupke!” sung by the Jets. The gang is getting reprimanded by Officer Krupke yet again, so when he walks away, the boys launch into a song dedicated to explaining themselves to and ridiculing Officer Krupke.
This is the funniest song in the movie, and the most fun to sing along to. The boys make funny faces and impersonate Officer Krupke throughout the entire song and end it by singing “gee Officer Krupke, Krup you!” It will most definitely put a smile on your face.
7 Another Day of Sun - La La Land (2016)
Lionsgate
La La Land turned heads when it came out in 2016. It’s an original musical with stunning cinematography and two leads with captivating chemistry. The musical numbers are reminiscent of old Hollywood and a time when musicals were in the mainstream. “City of Stars” won the Oscar in 2017 for Best Original Song, but it’s not the catchiest. The movie opens up on a highway in L.A. with bumper-to-bumper traffic and people yelling and honking. Then the instruments kick in and suddenly everyone is getting out of their cars and singing about their dreams.
“Another Day of Sun” is an homage to the musicals of the past and makes you feel like you are watching a musical from the ’50s.
6 That’s How You Know - Enchanted (2007)
Walt Disney Pictures
Disney is known for filling most of their movies with songs. Not many Disney movies are devoid of diegetic music that the characters are directly interacting with. However, Enchanted is a full-blown musical. Giselle (Amy Adams) is such a charming, naive protagonist that her constant singing is welcomed. Even the characters in the movie can’t really be annoyed by her chipper songs.
The best scene in the movie is when Giselle and Robert (Patrick Dempsey) are walking through Central Park, and she is giving him advice on how to convince his girlfriend that he loves her.
Of course, Giselle ends up breaking into song, but she gets almost everyone else walking or working in Central Park to join in with her. Robert is a bit of a curmudgeon, but even he can’t help himself from enjoying the innocent, catchy song.
5 Elephant Love Medley - Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Bazmark Films
Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman are mesmerizing to watch in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! They have immediate chemistry and anytime they sing together it is perfect. Baz Luhrmann is a director who is known for either using contemporary music in a movie that takes place long before that time, or modernizing stories that take are supposed to take place long ago. Moulin Rouge! takes contemporary songs and makes them work within a story that takes place in 1890s Paris.
The “Elephant Love Medley” scene happens when Christian (Ewan McGregor) charismatically convinces Satine (Nicole Kidman) that love is all they need to be together. The medley samples lyrics from numerous songs, such as David Bowie’s “Heroes”, Kiss’ “I Was Made for Loving You”, Phil Collins’ “One More Night”, and Wings’ “Silly Love Songs”.
4 Cell Block Tango - Chicago (2002)
Miramax Films
Chicago is an iconic musical full of iconic songs. The film version went on to win six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Catherine Zeta-Jones. Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) is a married chorus girl who wants to make it big in Vaudeville. Velma Kelly is a former Vaudeville headliner, but what they really have in common is that they both murdered their lovers.
While the movie has some of the best musical performances, The “Cell Block Tango” is arguably the most well-known song and scene from the movie, and rightfully so. All the women in this particular cell block band together to use song to explain why they’re really innocent, and their husbands had it coming all along. It is wildly entertaining, and the choreography is incredible.
3 Drive It Like You Stole It - Sing Street (2016)
The Weinstein Company
A teenage boy growing up in ’80s Dublin escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes in Sing Street. This indie musical features heavy influences from the British New Wave music scene of the time, and the New Wave influences can be heard with synthesizers and keyboards throughout the soundtrack. All the songs sound like they were written in 1984, not 2016.
Every song in this movie is a banger, especially “Drive It Like You Stole It”. The song is about taking control of your life with as much urgency as possible. The synthesizers and drum beats are beyond catchy, and the lyrics make you want to sing this at the top of your lungs.
2 Lay All Your Love on Me - Mamma Mia! (2008)
Universal Pictures
A musical based on the songs of Abba is bound to have catchy songs. Abba is adored by people from all over the world of all different ages. Mamma Mia! pays tribute to the group, but also gave movie fans and musical fans something to bond over. Mamma Mia! has an extremely easy plot to follow, and the plot is basically centered around some of Abba’s best songs, but it works so well. It’s not easy to pick a song from this movie because they are all truly catchy, but “Lay All Your Love on Me” wins.
Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper sing this to each other on the beaches of Greece, and while their version of the song is sung differently than Abba’s original version, you’ll still sing along to every word.
1 Green Green Dress - Tick, Tick…Boom! (2021)
Netflix
Lin Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut is a film adaptation of the life of Jonathan Larson, the man behind the hit musical Rent. This is about Jonathan’s life before he created Rent and the struggles he faced trying to write a musical that someone, anyone might want to turn into a big-stage production. Jonathan actually wrote this musical, and the movie shows Andrew Garfield’s Jonathan Larson performing the musical to a small audience in between scenes. The story displays his difficulties trying to maintain the relationships and responsibilities in his life because he was so consumed by this need to write the next great Broadway musical before his 30th birthday.
The song “Green Green Dress” is sung between Jonathan and his girlfriend Susan in their apartment. Jonathan and Susan’s relationship struggled greatly because of his obsessive dedication to writing his musical, but this song is one of the moments when they were still able to work through his obsession. It has an edgier sound to it than a lot of the other songs from the musical, which helps it to stand out from the other songs. It’s basically an upbeat love song about how attracted they are to each other, and it is still nearly impossible to stop listening to it. It has become a fan favorite as well, and the musical itself has become loved by many.
