'Titanic' (1997)
Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On"
The story of Jack, Rose and the sinking ship stole every teen girl's heart in the late '90s, as did its sweeping (some might say sappy) theme song. It's one of the best-selling singles ever, also winning the 1997 Academy Award for Best Original Song and a host of awards at the 1998 Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year.
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'Dangerous Minds' (1995)
Coolio, "Gangsta's Paradise"
Both the movie "Dangerous Minds" and its theme song tell the story of life in a violent, poverty-stricken neighborhood. The rap song ranked 85th on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All Time list, was the top-selling single of 1995 and—perhaps more impressively—earned a "Weird Al" Yankovic spoof called "Amish Paradise."
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'Despicable Me 2' (2013)
Pharrell Williams, "Happy"
Just like the chipper minions of "Despicable Me 2," this song sometimes sparks an eye roll or two due to its overwhelming exuberance, but also has the undeniable ability to spark, well, happiness in its audience. "Happy" hit 13.9 million sales and streams combined worldwide in 2014, becoming the most successful song of the year.
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'The Breakfast Club' (1985)
Simple Minds, "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
Played in the opening and closing credits of the classic Brat Pack flick, this song reached the top of the charts in 1985. As the anthem of the movie that's emblematic of the '80s as a whole, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" more or less represents an entire decade. Since then, it's been used in TV shows and movies like "American Pie," "Not Another Teen Movie," "Scrubs" and "30 Rock."
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'Footloose' (1984)
Kenny Loggins, "Footloose"
It's only appropriate that a movie about a teen who brings dancing and rock music to a stifled small town features a song that's become iconic. "Footloose" reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart and is recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the top cinematic songs ever.
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'The Graduate' (1967)
Simon & Garfunkel, "Mrs. Robinson"
From the classic 1967 movie about a college grad who's seduced by an older woman, "Mrs. Robinson" was the first rock song ever to take home a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Since then, it's been covered by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, the Lemonheads and Bon Jovi.
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'Saturday Night Fever' (1977)
Bee Gees, "Stayin' Alive"
An anthem of the disco era, "Stayin' Alive" is on numerous top-songs lists, including VH1's 100 Greatest Rock Songs and All-Time 100 Songs from Time magazine. Since 1977, when the song was featured in the John Travolta flick about a champion disco dancer, it's become incredibly well-known—so much so, in fact, that when paramedics learn CPR, they're taught to time their compressions to its beat.
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'Rocky III' (1982)
Survivor, "Eye of the Tiger"
With four unmistakable beginning beats, "Eye of the Tiger" is still used in sports arenas everywhere to hype up crowds at important moments, just like it hyped up Rocky Balboa in the third installment of his series. Director Sylvester Stallone actually wanted to license Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" for the movie, but when Queen declined, Survivor was given a shot. Their song wound up taking home a 1982 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance.
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'The Bodyguard' (1992)
Whitney Houston, "I Will Always Love You"
Whitney Houston's signature song was actually first recorded by Dolly Parton in 1973. Houston's version, covered in 1992 for the romance film she also starred in, is still the top-selling female single of all time. After she died in 2012, it only took a few hours for the song to climb back to the top of the charts.
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'8 Mile'
Eminem, "Lose Yourself"
The first rap song ever to win an Academy Award, "Lose Yourself" was featured in the flick about a poor white Detroit rapper. Eminem, who also starred in "8 Mile," wrote the song during breaks on the set of the film. Many music critics now consider it one of the best rap songs of all time.
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'Ghostbusters' (1984)
Ray Parker Jr., "Ghostbusters"
This slightly cheesy song is the perfect mate for the 1984 comedy about three parapsychologists in New York City. With only a few days to write the song, Ray Parker Jr. took his inspiration from a cheap late-night TV commercial. After being nominated for an Academy Award, it entered the pop culture lexicon, earning references on shows like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Key & Peele."
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'Purple Rain' (1984)
Prince, "When Doves Cry"
Not only did legendary rocker Prince write this signature song in one night, but he also played every instrument on the recording. The quasi-biographical film helped turn Prince into a global superstar and spawned a classic soundtrack. As the top-selling song of 1982, "When Doves Cry" was Prince's first No. 1 hit.
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'Flashdance' (1983)
Irene Cara, "Flashdance … What a Feeling"
As the No. 3 song of 1983, "Flashdance … What a Feeling" took home a Grammy, an Oscar and a Golden Globe. The Jennifer Beals film of the same name tells the story of a young (and poor) exotic dancer with higher aspirations.
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'Charlie's Angels' (2000)
Destiny's Child, "Independent Women, Pt. 1"
The 2000 remake of the franchise about a trio of female spies needed a strong anthem, and this pop song from Beyoncé's girl group fit the bill perfectly. It spent 11 weeks on top of the Billboard charts, and was recognized as the 18th most successful song of the entire decade.
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'Batman Forever' (1995)
Seal, "Kiss From a Rose"
Seal's ballad plays during the final credits of the third movie in the "Batman" franchise. At the 1996 Grammy Awards, it received the distinction of Record of the Year, among others. Though the song has been covered numerous times since, it's experienced a particular renaissance in the last few years, earning reference in shows like "Shameless," "Community" and "American Horror Story."
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'Top Gun' (1986)
Kenny Loggins, "Danger Zone"
Just call Kenny Loggins the king of the 1986 movie soundtrack. He just barely gained this distinction, as the band Toto was slated to perform "Danger Zone" until legal conflicts got in the way. The song is still synonymous with the military, which is the setting for "Top Gun."
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'Boomerang' (1992)
Boyz II Men, "End of the Road"
This ballad, which took center stage in Eddie Murphy's romantic comedy about a hotshot womanizer, spent 13 weeks atop the charts in 1992. (A record at the time, this feat was soon surpassed by the 14 weeks Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' spent at No. 1.) At the end of the year, it was recognized as the top song of 1992.
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'Dirty Dancing' (1987)
Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
Winning an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe in 1982, this song was a mega hit from a mega-hit movie about a summer fling (revolving, of course, around dancing). While a Lionel Richie song was supposed to play for the movie's finale, the choreographer liked "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" so much that he chose it instead.
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'Back to the Future' (1985)
Huey Lewis and the News, "The Power of Love"
Being featured in the classic sci-fi comedy blockbuster certainly didn't hurt for this song, which was the first Billboard No. 1 hit for Huey Lewis and the News. In the film, Marty McFly's band bungles the song at the high school talent show, earning criticism from a judge played by Lewis himself.
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'When Harry Met Sally' (1989)
Harry Connick Jr, "It Had to Be You"
First performed in 1936, "It Had to be You" reached arguably peak position with Harry Connick Jr.'s 1989 rendition for one of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time. Connick's entire movie soundtrack was one of the top jazz albums of the year, and since then this song in particular has remained a song of choice for lovebirds everywhere.
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