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AFI's 100 Years 100 Songs America's Greatest Music in the Movies |
PreambleAFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs is a list of the 100 America's Greatest Music in the Movies. These songs set a tone or mood, define character, advance plot and/or express the film’s themes in a manner that elevates the art of film. These songs also capture the nation’s heart and resonate across the century. |
Selection criteriaThe jurors were asked to consider the following criteria while making their selections: Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format. Typically more than 60 minutes in length. American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States. Song: Music and lyrics featured in an American film that set a tone or mood, define character. Advance plot and/or express the film’s themes in a manner that elevates the moving image art form. Songs may have been written and/or recorded specifically for the film or previously written and/or recorded and selected by the filmmaker to achieve the above goals. Cultural Impact: Songs that have captured the nation’s heart, echoed beyond the walls of a movie theater, and ultimately stand in our collective memory of the film itself. Legacy: Songs that resonate across the century, enriching America’s film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today. NoteThe AFI’s 100 Years... 100 Songs television special originally aired on June 22, 2004. List of the 100 winning songsList of the 400 nominated songs |
AFI's 100 YEARS...100 SONGS (2004) List |
| Rank | Song | Movie | Year | Performer(s) | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Over the Rainbow | The Wizard of Oz | 1939 | Judy Garland | Harold Arlen E.Y. Harburg |
| 2 | As Time Goes By | Casablanca | 1942 | Dooley Wilson | Herman Hupfeld |
| 3 | Singin' in the Rain | Singin' in the Rain | 1952 | Gene Kelly | Nacio Herb Brown Arthur Freed |
| 4 | Moon River | Breakfast at Tiffany's | 1961 | Audrey Hepburn | Henry Mancini Johnny Mercer |
| 5 | White Christmas | Holiday Inn | 1942 | Bing Crosby | Irving Berlin |
| 6 | Mrs. Robinson | The Graduate | 1967 | Simon & Garfunkel | Paul Simon |
| 7 | When You Wish Upon a Star | Pinocchio | 1940 | Cliff Edwards (as Jiminy Cricket) | Leigh Harline Ned Washington |
| 8 | The Way We Were | The Way We Were | 1973 | Barbra Streisand | Marvin Hamlisch Alan and Marilyn Bergman |
| 9 | Stayin' Alive | Saturday Night Fever | 1977 | The Bee Gees | Barry Gibb Robin Gibb Maurice Gibb |
| 10 | The Sound of Music | The Sound of Music | 1965 | Julie Andrews | Richard Rodgers Oscar Hammerstein II |
| 11 | The Man That Got Away | A Star Is Born | 1954 | Judy Garland | Harold Arlen Ira Gershwin |
| 12 | Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | 1953 | Marilyn Monroe (Marni Nixon) | Jule Styne Leo Robin |
| 13 | People | Funny Girl | 1968 | Barbra Streisand | Jule Styne Bob Merrill |
| 14 | My Heart Will Go On | Titanic | 1997 | Celine Dion | James Horner Will Jennings |
| 15 | Cheek to Cheek | Top Hat | 1935 | Fred Astaire Ginger Rogers | Irving Berlin |
| 16 | Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) | A Star Is Born | 1976 | Barbra Streisand | Barbra Streisand Paul Williams |
| 17 | I Could Have Danced All Night | My Fair Lady | 1964 | Marni Nixon (dubbing Audrey Hepburn) | Frederick Loewe Alan Jay Lerner |
| 18 | Cabaret | Cabaret | 1972 | Liza Minnelli | John Kander Fred Ebb |
| 19 | Someday My Prince Will Come | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | 1937 | Adriana Caselotti (as Snow White) | Frank Churchill Larry Morey |
| 20 | Somewhere | West Side Story | 1961 | Jimmy Bryant (dubbing Richard Beymer) Marni Nixon (dubbing Natalie Wood) | Leonard Bernstein Stephen Sondheim |
| 21 | Jailhouse Rock | Jailhouse Rock | 1957 | Elvis Presley | Jerry Leiber Mike Stoller |
| 22 | Everybody's Talkin' | Midnight Cowboy | 1969 | Harry Nilsson | Fred Neil |
| 23 | Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | 1969 | B. J. Thomas | Burt Bacharach Hal David |
| 24 | Ol' Man River | Show Boat | 1936 | Paul Robeson | Jerome Kern Oscar Hammerstein II |
| 25 | High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin') | High Noon | 1952 | Tex Ritter | Dimitri Tiomkin Ned Washington |
| 26 | The Trolley Song | Meet Me in St. Louis | 1944 | Judy Garland | Hugh Martin Ralph Blane |
| 27 | Unchained Melody | Unchained | 1955 | Todd Duncan | Alex North Hy Zaret |
| 28 | Some Enchanted Evening | South Pacific | 1958 | Giorgio Tozzi (dubbing Rossano Brazzi) | Richard Rodgers Oscar Hammerstein II |
| 29 | Born to Be Wild | Easy Rider | 1969 | Steppenwolf | Mars Bonfire |
| 30 | Stormy Weather | Stormy Weather | 1943 | Lena Horne | Harold Arlen Ted Koehler |
| 31 | Theme from New York, New York | New York, New York | 1977 | Liza Minnelli | John Kander Fred Ebb |
| 32 | I Got Rhythm | An American in Paris | 1951 | Gene Kelly | George Gershwin Ira Gershwin |
| 33 | Aquarius | Hair | 1979 | Ren Woods Ensemble | Galt MacDermot James Rado Gerome Ragni |
| 34 | Let's Call the Whole Thing Off | Shall We Dance | 1937 | Fred Astaire Ginger Rogers | George Gershwin Ira Gershwin |
| 35 | America | West Side Story | 1961 | Rita Moreno George Chakiris Ensemble | Leonard Bernstein Stephen Sondheim |
| 36 | Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious | Mary Poppins | 1964 | Julie Andrews Dick Van Dyke Ensemble | The Sherman Brothers |
| 37 | Swinging on a Star | Going My Way | 1944 | Bing Crosby | Jimmy Van Heusen Johnny Burke |
| 38 | Theme from Shaft | Shaft | 1971 | Isaac Hayes Chorus | Isaac Hayes |
| 39 | Days of Wine and Roses | Days of Wine and Roses | 1962 | Chorus | Henry Mancini Johnny Mercer |
| 40 | Fight the Power | Do the Right Thing | 1989 | Public Enemy | Carlton Ridenhour Eric Sadler Hank Saxley Keith Boxley |
| 41 | New York, New York | On the Town | 1949 | Gene Kelly Frank Sinatra Jules Munshin | Leonard Bernstein Betty Comden Adolph Green |
| 42 | Luck Be a Lady | Guys and Dolls | 1955 | Marlon Brando Ensemble | Frank Loesser |
| 43 | The Way You Look Tonight | Swing Time | 1936 | Fred Astaire | Jerome Kern Dorothy Fields |
| 44 | Wind Beneath My Wings | Beaches | 1988 | Bette Midler | Jeff Silbar Larry Henley |
| 45 | That's Entertainment | The Band Wagon | 1953 | Fred Astaire Jack Buchanan Nanette Fabray Oscar Levant | Arthur Schwartz Howard Dietz |
| 46 | Don't Rain on My Parade | Funny Girl | 1968 | Barbra Streisand | Jule Styne Bob Merrill |
| 47 | Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah | Song of the South | 1946 | James Baskett | Allie Wrubel Ray Gilbert |
| 48 | Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) | The Man Who Knew Too Much | 1956 | Doris Day | Jay Livingston Ray Evans |
| 49 | Make 'Em Laugh | Singin' in the Rain | 1952 | Donald O'Connor | Nacio Herb Brown Arthur Freed |
| 50 | Rock Around the Clock | Blackboard Jungle | 1955 | Bill Haley and His Comets | Max C. Freedman James E. Myers |
| 51 | Fame | Fame | 1980 | Irene Cara | Michael Gore Dean Pitchford |
| 52 | Summertime | Porgy and Bess | 1959 | Loulie Jean Norman | George Gershwin DuBose Heyward |
| 53 | Goldfinger | Goldfinger | 1964 | Shirley Bassey | John Barry Leslie Bricusse Anthony Newley |
| 54 | Shall We Dance? | The King and I | 1956 | Marni Nixon (dubbing Deborah Kerr) Yul Brynner | Richard Rodgers Oscar Hammerstein II |
| 55 | Flashdance... What a Feeling | Flashdance | 1983 | Irene Cara | Giorgio Moroder Keith Forsey Irene Cara |
| 56 | Thank Heaven for Little Girls | Gigi | 1958 | Maurice Chevalier | Frederick Loewe Alan Jay Lerner |
| 57 | The Windmills of Your Mind | The Thomas Crown Affair | 1968 | Noel Harrison | Michel Legrand Alan and Marilyn Bergman |
| 58 | Gonna Fly Now | Rocky | 1976 | DeEtta Little Nelson Pigford | Bill Conti Carol Connors Ayn Robbins |
| 59 | Tonight | West Side Story | 1961 | Marni Nixon (dubbing Natalie Wood) Jimmy Bryant (dubbing Richard Beymer) | Leonard Bernstein Stephen Sondheim |
| 60 | It Had to Be You | When Harry Met Sally | 1989 | Frank Sinatra Harry Connick Jr. | Isham Jones Gus Kahn |
| 61 | Get Happy | Summer Stock | 1950 | Judy Garland | Harold Arlen Ted Koehler |
| 62 | Beauty and the Beast | Beauty and the Beast | 1991 | Angela Lansbury (as Mrs. Potts) | Alan Menken Howard Ashman |
| 63 | Thanks for the Memory | The Big Broadcast of 1938 | 1938 | Bob Hope Shirley Ross | Ralph Rainger Leo Robin |
| 64 | My Favorite Things | The Sound of Music | 1965 | Julie Andrews | Richard Rodgers Oscar Hammerstein II |
| 65 | I Will Always Love You | The Bodyguard | 1992 | Whitney Houston | Dolly Parton |
| 66 | Suicide Is Painless | M*A*S*H | 1970 | Chorus | Johnny Mandel Mike Altman |
| 67 | Nobody Does It Better | The Spy Who Loved Me | 1977 | Carly Simon | Marvin Hamlisch Carole Bayer Sager |
| 68 | Streets of Philadelphia | Philadelphia | 1993 | Bruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen |
| 69 | On the Good Ship Lollipop | Bright Eyes | 1934 | Shirley Temple | Richard A. Whiting Sidney Clare |
| 70 | Summer Nights | Grease | 1978 | Olivia Newton-John John Travolta | Warren Casey Jim Jacobs |
| 71 | (I'm a) Yankee Doodle Dandy | Yankee Doodle Dandy | 1942 | James Cagney | George M. Cohan |
| 72 | Good Morning | Singin' in the Rain | 1952 | Gene Kelly Donald O'Connor Debbie Reynolds | Nacio Herb Brown Arthur Freed |
| 73 | Isn't It Romantic? | Love Me Tonight | 1932 | Maurice Chevalier Jeanette MacDonald | Richard Rodgers Lorenz Hart |
| 74 | Rainbow Connection | The Muppet Movie | 1979 | Jim Henson (as Kermit the Frog) | Paul Williams Kenneth Ascher |
| 75 | Up Where We Belong | An Officer and a Gentleman | 1982 | Joe Cocker Jennifer Warnes | Jack Nitzsche Buffy Sainte-Marie Will Jennings |
| 76 | Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas | Meet Me in St. Louis | 1944 | Judy Garland | Hugh Martin Ralph Blane |
| 77 | The Shadow of Your Smile | The Sandpiper | 1965 | Chorus | Johnny Mandel Paul Francis Webster |
| 78 | 9 to 5 | Nine to Five | 1980 | Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton |
| 79 | Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) | Arthur | 1981 | Christopher Cross | Christopher Cross Burt Bacharach Carole Bayer Sager Peter Allen |
| 81 | I'm Easy | Nashville | 1975 | Keith Carradine | Keith Carradine |
| 82 | Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead | The Wizard of Oz | 1939 | Ensemble | Harold Arlen E.Y. Harburg |
| 83 | The Rose | The Rose | 1979 | Bette Midler | Amanda McBroom |
| 84 | Put the Blame on Mame | Gilda | 1946 | Anita Ellis (dubbing Rita Hayworth) | Allan Roberts Doris Fisher |
| 85 | Come What May | Moulin Rouge! | 2001 | Nicole Kidman Ewan McGregor | David Baerwald |
| 86 | (I've Had) The Time of My Life | Dirty Dancing | 1987 | Bill Medley Jennifer Warnes | Franke Previte Donald Markowitz John DeNicola |
| 87 | Buttons and Bows | The Paleface | 1948 | Bob Hope | Jay Livingston Ray Evans |
| 88 | Do Re Mi | The Sound of Music | 1965 | Julie Andrews Ensemble | Richard Rodgers Oscar Hammerstein II |
| 89 | Puttin' on the Ritz | Young Frankenstein | 1974 | Gene Wilder Peter Boyle | Irving Berlin |
| 90 | Seems Like Old Times | Annie Hall | 1977 | Diane Keaton | Carmen Lombardo John Jacob Loeb |
| 91 | Let the River Run | Working Girl | 1988 | Carly Simon | Carly Simon |
| 92 | Long Ago (and Far Away) | Cover Girl | 1944 | Gene Kelly Martha Mears (dubbing Rita Hayworth) | Jerome Kern Ira Gershwin |
| 93 | Lose Yourself | 8 Mile | 2002 | Eminem | Eminem Luis Resto Jeff Bass |
| 94 | Ain't Too Proud to Beg | The Big Chill | 1983 | The Temptations | Norman Whitfield Edward Holland Jr. |
| 95 | (We're Off on the) Road to Morocco | Road to Morocco | 1942 | Bing Crosby Bob Hope | Jimmy Van Heusen Johnny Burke |
| 96 | Footloose | Footloose | 1984 | Kenny Loggins | Kenny Loggins Dean Pitchford |
| 97 | 42nd Street | 42nd Street | 1933 | Ruby Keeler Dick Powell Ensemble | Harry Warren Al Dubin |
| 98 | All That Jazz | Chicago | 2002 | Catherine Zeta-Jones Renée Zellweger | John Kander Fred Ebb |
| 99 | Hakuna Matata | The Lion King | 1994 | Nathan Lane Ernie Sabella Jason Weaver Joseph Williams | Elton John Tim Rice |
| 100 | Old Time Rock and Roll | Risky Business | 1983 | Bob Seger | George Jackson Thomas E. Jones III |
Interesting factsMost represented films: Singin' in the Rain, The Sound of Music, and West Side Story each have 3 songs on the list. The Wizard of Oz, A Star Is Born, Funny Girl, and Meet Me in St. Louis each have 2 entries. Most represented singers: Judy Garland and Gene Kelly are tied with 5 songs each. All of Garland's songs and 2 of Kelly's are solos. Julie Andrews, Fred Astaire, Marni Nixon, and Barbra Streisand follow with 4 songs each. All of the songs performed by Astaire and Streisand are ranked within the top half of the list. Astaire was co-credited for 3 out of his four songs listed, while Streisand performed all 4 of her songs by herself. Most represented composers: Richard Rodgers - 6 songs. Harold Arlen - 5 songs. Leonard Bernstein - 4 songs. Jule Styne - 3 songs. Irving Berlin - 3 songs. George Gershwin - 3 songs. Nacio Herb Brown - 3 songs. John Kander - 3 songs. Jerome Kern - 3 songs. Most represented lyricists: Oscar Hammerstein II - 6. Ira Gershwin - 4. Irving Berlin - 3. Stephen Sondheim - 3. Arthur Freed - 3. Fred Ebb - 3. |
Other songs from 400 nominated list |
| Rank | Song | Movie | Year | Performer(s) | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | Baby Mine | Dumbo | 1941 | Betty Noyes | Frank Churchill Ned Washington |
| N | The Bare Necessities | The Jungle Book | 1967 | Phil Harris | Terry Gilkyson |
| N | Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo | Cinderella | 1950 | Verna Felton (Fairy Godmother) | Mack David Jerry Livingston Al Hoffman |
| N | Colors of the Wind | Pocahontas | 1995 | Judy Kuhn | Alan Menken Stephen Schwartz |
| N | He's A Tramp | Lady and the Tramp | 1955 | Peggy Lee | Sonny Burke Peggy Lee |
| N | Journey to the Past | Anastasia | 1997 | Liz Callaway | Stephen Flaherty Lynn Ahrens |
| N | The Prayer | Quest for Camelot | 1998 | Celine Dion | Carole Bayer Sager David Foster |
| N | Somewhere Out There | An American Tail | 1986 | Phillip Glasser (Fievel) Betsy Cathcart (Tanya) | James Horner Barry Mann Cynthia Weil |
| N | Under the Sea | The Little Mermaid | 1989 | Samuel E. Wright | Alan Menken Howard Ashman |
| N | When She Loved Me | Toy Story 2 | 1999 | Sarah McLachlan | Randy Newman |
| N | When You Believe | The Prince of Egypt | 1998 | Michelle Pfeiffer (Tzipporah) Sally Dworsky (Miriam) | Stephen Schwartz |
| N | A Whole New World | Aladdin | 1992 | Lea Salonga Brad Kane | Alan Menken Tim Rice |
| N | You'll Be in My Heart | Tarzan | 1999 | Phil Collins Glenn Close | Phil Collins |
Other AFI ListsAFI's 100 Years 100 Movies greatest American films all time AFI's TOP 10 Animated List AFI's 100 Years 100 Passions |