In part 1, we recaptured the magical spirit of the holidays, learned scales with Julie Andrews, fought the power, and briefly considered life as a chimney sweep. Before we dive into the second part of this epic musical countdown, let's recap the criteria for ranking this list:

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1. Be a good song. Obviously.

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2. Have a legitimate application in the movie. No “Hey, let’s score a hit real quick” end credits nonsense. You have to at least use music from the movie, be inspired by an iconic line, something...

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3. Be written for the movie. Many songs have iconic moments in movies, but they weren’t written for the movie or are covers. Those don't count. However, songs from movie musicals adapted from the stage are okay because those are direct adaptations.

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4. No “used in a movie but only became famous after someone else covered it decades later or it became a staple of something else” songs.

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5. If it’s just kind of tacked on there at the end, even if it’s a great song and accurately depicts the film’s themes, etc. it won’t make it on. It has to feel like it’s truly part of the movie in a more tangible way. Lots of leeway here, but it won’t be ignored, Dan!

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Sadly, these criteria mean many great songs had to be left off, and we must pay tribute to them before kicking off the countdown: someone play the “My Heart Will Go On” recorder cover!

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“Kiss from a Rose” - Seal, from Batman Forever (1995)

“Shake Ya Tailfeather” - Nelly, Diddy, and Murphy Lee, from Bad Boys II (2003)

“I Will Always Love You” - Whitney Houston, from The Bodyguard (1992)

“The Way You Look Tonight” - Fred Astaire, from Swing Time (1936)

“White Christmas” - Bing Crosby, from Holiday Inn (1942)

“Love Is All Around” - Wet Wet Wet, from Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” - BJ Thomas, from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

“Love Love” - Take That, from X-Men: First Class (2011)

“Masterpiece” - Madonna, from W.E. (2011)

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Now, on to part 2!

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60. “Down to Joy” - Van Morrison, from Belfast (2021)

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Belfast is not a good movie. In fact, none of Kenneth Branagh’s movies are good.

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But, because Belfast itself is so lackluster, it was critical that “Down to Joy” evoked everything Branagh could not. Sometimes songs are at their best when we can’t quite put the words to their effectiveness. “Down to Joy” isn’t distinctive, but it has that special quality that inspires true nostalgia and those retrospective feelings of both triumph and tragedy. It sounds like more than Morrison’s most die-hard fans would likely tell you it is, but that’s fine; it only needs to meet its goals, not trump all that came before in its artist’s discography.

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59. “The Ballad of High Noon” - Tex Ritter, from High Noon (1952)

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“The Ballad of High Noon” could not be more on-the-nose if it tried, with lyrics plainly reflective of both the film’s plot and its anti-McCarthyism message, accompanied by Tex Ritter’s rich, baritone voice powering through the song.

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Good.

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High Noon doesn't try to mask its intentions, so why should the song? Its theme is a fantastic introduction to all it is and stands for, and more movie songs could take note of its effectiveness.

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58. “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” - Whitney Houston, from Waiting to Exhale (1995)

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Whitney Houston was determined not to record any songs for the all-female, black-led Waiting to Exhale, wanting to focus on acting. Alas, when composer Babyface brought her “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” Houston couldn’t resist. It’s a warm, soulful ballad perfectly emblematic of its film. Life will knock us down, throw us for a loop, and force upon us obstacles that often feel insurmountable, but if we have friends to wish us well, we’ll find our point when we exhale.

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57. “Til You’re Home” - David Hodges, from A Man Called Otto (2022)

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As far as criteria, this is a split-the-difference situation. Hodges' version, the one actually used in the film, is far superior to the soundtrack version sung by Rita Wilson and Sebastián Yatra. Sadly, the song gets strangely utilized in-film, played briefly as Otto recalls his first date with his late wife, and then stopped abruptly as the flashback takes shape. However, it’s a fantastic song, equal parts schmaltzy and romantically earnest, and Hodges' vocal is tender and sincere without delving into an indie pretentiousness that prioritizes affectation over feeling. It deserved better from the movie, but it earned a spot.

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56. “Accidentally in Love” - The Counting Crows, from Shrek 2 (2004)

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One of the many ways that Shrek 2 is inferior to its predecessor is its opening number, because nothing can compare to Smash Mouth’s “All-Star” playing over a montage of our beloved green ogre terrorizing the townsfolk and bathing in mud.

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However, that’s a testament to the original (and far superior in literally every conceivable way) movie’s genius because “Accidentally in Love” is an effin’ banger.

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Dreadful “strawberry ice cream” line aside, this is a perfect song for a comic montage of Shrek and Fiona doing what all ogre newlyweds adore: terrifying children, murdering mermaids, fleeing from villagers, and farting.

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55. “Everything I Do (I Do It for You) - Bryan Adams, from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

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It feels almost cliché, doesn’t it? Bryan Adams, though an already globally renowned rockstar by 1991, shot into the stratosphere with the ending song of the Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which went to number 1 on every planet in the Solar System and sold 5 trillion copies worldwide.

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In all seriousness, Adams expertly weaves Michael Kamen’s love theme into what still proves, over 30 years later, the preeminent rock-romance shredder of all time. It’s a simple message: everything I do, I do it for you. Costner’s atrocious acting and a wooden Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio won’t sell you on that, so Adams must: he clearly would’ve made a fantastic used car salesman.

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54. “You Know My Name” - Chris Cornell, from Casino Royale (2006)

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The Craig era began with a complete overhaul: new Bond, fewer gadgets, actual character development, and concrete ideas about where to take the franchise instead of going movie-by-movie.

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“You Know My Name” was a killer way to introduce Craig’s take on 007: edgy, uncompromising, relentless, but not so brooding that he isn’t compelling to watch. Few Bond songs match their style with the idea behind their movie: Cornell (RIP) deserves credit for legitimizing Bond songs as genuine thematic creations.

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53. “GoldenEye” - Tina Turner, from GoldenEye (1995)

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By the time the Bond franchise returned in 1995, with a new 007 (Pierce Brosnan) in tow, it’d seen some serious lows. The last few Roger Moore installments were duds, and the Dalton flicks, though arguable precursors to the acclaimed Daniel Craig era, didn’t land. We needed a shot in the arm, and Tina Turner gave it to us with the Bono-penned “GoldenEye.” At long last, a Bond song gave us a dose of mystery, not just in the image-heavy lyrics of smoke and mirrors but in the opening instrumentation and Turner’s hushed vocals. Eventually, it unleashes hell, just like any good Bond song (or movie) is wont to do.

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“GoldenEye” was more than a great song: it was the dawning of a new age.

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52. “Tomorrow Never Dies” - Sheryl Crow, from Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

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Many Bond fans take the contrarian route and claim k.d. lang’s “Surrender” should’ve been the opener to the 1997 Bond movie.

No.

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lang’s offering is bland and lifeless; Crow’s has mystique and aura, which are far more than dancers in a nightclub. Yes, it’s lyrics don’t speak to the film’s as well as lang’s song, and Crow doesn’t have the range to belt as often as she does, or at all.

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But “Tomorrow Never Dies” is late '90s-Brosnan Bond in a nutshell: a little camp, a little self-serious, a smidge too sure of itself, but all in all solid.

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51. “Lovin’ You Lots and Lots” - The Norm Wooster Singers, from That Thing You Do! (1996)

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Tom Hanks’ That Thing You Do! relies heavily on creating a tangible '60s energy, and “Lovin’ You Lots and Lots,” sung by the fictional Norm Wooster Singers, does just that. The film opens with the song playing over a montage of classic American muscle cars strolling down the streets of Erie, Pennsylvania while future drumming sensation Guy Patterson maneuvers his father’s neighborhood appliance store. If you doubt you’re in for a musical treat, and an undeniable ode to 60s mania, after this intro, it’s on you, not the movie.

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50. “Happy Working Song” - Amy Adams, from Enchanted (2007)

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Amy Adams had turned out stellar work in studio flicks like Catch Me If You Can and scored an Oscar nod in 2005 for indie comedy Junebug, but Enchanted gave her superstardom. No song from Disney’s acclaimed live-action musical reflects her chops better than “Happy Working Song,” Gisele’s summoning cry to her animal friends to clean an apartment. It’s ludicrous as often as delightful, delivered with enough charm to sell you on Adams for a lifetime.

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49. “Over the Rainbow” - Judy Garland, from The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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It had to be here, and it more than earned its spot, but truth be told, “Over the Rainbow” is overrated. Garland nails Dorothy’s wistful innocence, and everything she’s ever wanted forces its way into our imagination with the song’s colorful, childlike imagery, but it’s a tad too on-the-nose, and while she certainly captures the emotion, Garland's voice isn’t the most pleasant. Future deliveries of this variety expose it a bit; it’s a great song… but not the best.

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