By now, you have likely seen Guardians of the Galaxy. If you have not, it is likely that you have been bombarded with trailers and commercials for Marvel’s sci-fi adventure. The film’s surprisingly strong opening weekend, which set an August record, was helped by its irreverent ads that championed the quirky charms of the main characters more than it promised explosive action. Central to the endearing appeal of these ads was Blue Swede’s ear-wormy cover of the rock song Hooked on a Feeling, a retro touch that added some much-needed personality to what could have been a generic two-minute trailer.
It is going to be very hard to think of the cheesy pop song and its “ooga-chaka” opening from now on without thinking of Peter Quill, Rocket Raccoon et al. This isn’t anything new, though, as Hooked on a Feeling is just the latest pop or rock oldie to find an eternal shelf life due to its placement in a successful film.
Guardians is the latest in a long line of movies with a soundtrack dominated by a collection of hit songs (the soundtrack is also #1 on iTunes). Cinema has helped to immortalize some of the best songs of all time and keep them alive for future generations to listen to. These are not songs originally written for film, but songs that are now more prominent due to their placement at a certain moment in a classic movie.
With that in mind, here are twelve tunes that are unique in that when they play on the radio, the first thing you likely think about is the great film they were featured in. Of course, this is only a small list of the essential placements of hit music in the movies, so feel free to add some of your own favorite music moments in the comments below.