40 Best Movies Theme Songs You Should Play Right Now

These essential songs and why we are saying important is that these songs sometimes gave identity to the movies. Sometimes, all these best movie theme songs taken from many films were initially performed by a particular artist. Various cover versions got made over the several decades that followed them. Many famous songs released a long time ago are still popular because of the euphoria they give their listeners.

Many theme songs have found their importance in film history, and 40 have been mentioned in our list. The best movie songs have been carefully selected, and the list of these hit songs is provided with their song title and appropriate information so that it becomes easy for our readers to find these tracks if they haven’t listened to them.

40. Theme song- Mission: Impossible (1996)

Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Emmanuelle Béart, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
Streaming Platform: Paramount+, FXNow

After Star Wars, this is the most loved film in history. This track builds up suspense and excites the audience at the same time. Tom Cruise is seen performing great action scenes in this theme song. Lalo Schifrin composed this song in just three minutes.

This Indiana Jones theme song will follow you everywhere once you listen. The image of a young Harrison Ford immediately comes to mind, where he can be seen wearing a felt fedora.

39. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Neptune’s Daughter, 1949)

Director: Edward Buzzell
Cast: Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalbán, Red Skelton, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.4/10
Streaming Platform: Prime Video, Apple TV

Baby, It’s Cold Outside is a song that got into the movie by chance and rightly deserves to be among the best movie songs ever. This song became a smash hit and is an Oscar-winning one for Best original music.

Broadway songwriter Loesser used to perform this song at the parties he went to with his wife. The Top 20 Hits list was topped by four duos that sang different versions of this song. Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban sing the original piece.

38. High Hopes (A Hole In The Head, 1959)

Director: Frank Capra
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eleanor Parker, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.3/10
Streaming Platform: VUDU

A children’s choir sang This Frank Sinatra song for the movie A Hole In The Head. In Swings Both Ways Tour of 2014, Robbie Williams sings it across the country with different ensembles. It is a noteworthy entry in this list and was nominated for Grammy awards. It also won Best Original Song at the Oscars.

37. La Bamba (La Bamba, 1987)

Director: Luis Valdez
Cast: Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Elizabeth Peña, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video

This title song is a Mexican wedding song by Ritchie Valens. It was revived as a movie theme song for La Mamba and is about a young singer who died at the young age of 17 years. He died in a plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly. Lou Diamond Philips is seen playing Valens in this film. Los Lobos, the great band from Los Angeles, scored the No. 1 hit with this title song.

36. Cheek To Cheek (Top Hat, 1935)

Director: Mark Sandrich
Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Irving Berlin, a Russian-Jewish, wrote the song Cheek To Cheek. It was written on demand for a movie by Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers and was written in a single day. The piece highlights a memorable scene where Astaire declares his love for Rogers.

The words- “And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak” make it one of the most memorable romantic songs ever. This song has been covered multiple times, including by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald for their album Ella and Louis, released in 1956.

35. Céline Dion, “When I Fall in Love” Sleepless In Seattle (1993)

Director: Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, and others
Cast: Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, Ross Malinger
IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video

When I Fall in Love was originally recorded by Nat King Cole before every other musician like Tom Jones, John Mathis, or Sandra Dee. This love song is the anthem of Sleepless in Seattle. The song made one believe they can fall in love even through talk radio. Celine teamed up with Clive Griffin to create this beautiful song four years before she worked on Titanic and defined a beautiful movie soundtrack.

34. The Sound of Music- The Sound of Music (1965)

Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Charmian Carr, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, VUDU

Julie Andrews performed this title song of The Sound of Music film, and it served as an introduction to Maria’s character and how her jolly nature went with nature. It comes under iconic songs and is used in the opening scene of The Sound of Music. The lyrics and tune of the song signify that popular culture has brought the pop song world and is still given references like in Moulin Rouge movies.

33. Unchained Melody (Ghost, 1990)

Director: Jerry Zucker
Cast: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Acorn TV, Disney+

This gorgeous song by The Righteous Brothers’ was viral even before it came in the film Ghost. It was written for Unchained, a low-budget film in 1995 where it was seen as a prisoner’s wailing. Then, it was used for the scene in which Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze get steamy. A whole new life was given to this song after being used in that scene.

32. Rawhide (The Blues Brothers, 1980)

Director: John Landis
Cast: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, John Landis, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple T.V.

It would be impossible for The Blue Brothers’ name not to appear in this list of best movie songs of all time. The soundtrack of this film is filled with Southern soul. Rawhide is an exception, as it is a popular song used for the famous T.V. show of the same name. A hilarious scene in this is when the band pretends to be a part of the group- The Good Ole Boys- so they can play at Bob’s Country Bunker.

31. Stayin’ Alive- Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Director: John Badham
Cast: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Donna Pescow, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
Streaming Platform: HBO Max

The harmonies and chorus in Stayin’ Alive song by the Bee Gees made everyone their fans. It is definitely among the catchiest songs of all time. The song also comes with a serious message hidden in it, about survival in New York’s streets. The lyrics convey the same message. The song matches the film’s themes and opens the film, and we see Travolta walking the streets of the city. The movie also received a sequel- Staying Alive- but didn’t do well.

30. Rainbow Connection- The Muppet Movie (1979)

Director: James Frawley
Cast: Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
Streaming Platform: Disney Plus, Vudu, iTunes, Amazon Prime Video

Jim Henson and the lyrics that performed Rainbow Connection wereten by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams. Both songwriters were given the challenge to open the film The Muppet Movie with an original song. It featured Jim Henson (or Kermit the Frog) playing the banjo. The result of all their efforts was Rainbow Connection, a song that connected rainbows with this film’s theme.

29. The Rose- The Rose (1979)

Director: Mark Rydell
Cast: Bette Midler, Alan Bates, Frederic Forrest, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Acorn TV, Apple TV, Disney+

Bette Midler performed The Rose, and Amanda McBroom penned down the lyrics for this beautiful song. The Rose song shares the same name as its film. This pop song was played only during the film’s credits and became popular among the masses. Since its release with that movie, various artists have recorded The Rose’s cover versions on multiple timesheets. Country singer Conway Twitty’s version was the most popular one among those.

28. Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)- Arthur (1981)

Director: Steve Gordon
Cast: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
Streaming Platform: HBO Max, Prime Video, Apple TV

Christopher Cross sang this theme song for Arthur. The lyrics are written by Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross, and Peter Allen. This comedy film focused on a New York billionaire who fell in love with an ordinary girl. This drunken billionaire was already promised to someone else through an arranged marriage. This song by Christopher Cross very well summarizes the title character. Fitz and the Tantrums covered this song in 2011 when the remake of the movie was made.

27. Theme song from Jaws, 1975

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
Streaming Platform: iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu

Composer John Williams, through this theme song, proved how repeating just two notes can be an entirely new experience. No other movie in modern cinema has such a brilliant soundtrack as this one. It is the main instrumental theme song for the horror film franchise Jaws. Both movie and music critics liked this song exceptionally well.

26. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Meet Me in St Louis, 1944)

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Margaret O’Brien, Judy Garland, Tom Drake, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
Streaming Platform: Vudu, Prime Video, Apple T.V.

This song is performed by Judy Garland and written by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin. It is among those traditional Christmas songs that have to be played. The origins of this song are not much known. Judy Garland performed this song for the film, and many cover versions followed later. Presently, this song is still present on various Christmas albums.

The song started as a dark Christmas, but Judy Garland complained that the lyrics were desolate. The lyrics were altered, and some changes were made. This lyrical trick worked well for them. Meet Me in St Louis is famous for this song, The Boy Next Door, and The Trolley Song.

25. Main Title, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, 1977

Director: George Lucas
Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
Streaming Platform: Disney+

The musical score of Star Wars is exemplary and unforgettable. This title song by John Williams became a point of argument, and those who want to know what and why will need to do a little digging on this topic. This song became the central musical theme of the franchise Star Wars and will never get old. This song has been a part of cinema history since the franchise’s first film was released.

24. You’ve Got A Friend In Me (Toy Story, 1995)

Director: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Tom Hanks, and others
Cast: Tom Hanks, Laurie Metcalf, Ernie Sabella, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
Streaming Platform: Disney+

Randy Newman is a fantastic composer known as the master of satire. He made this feel-good song for a Pixar movie- Toy Story, and after that, it became the theme tune of the film series. Lyle Lovett sang this beautiful song.

23. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (The Wizard Of Oz, 1939)

Director: Victor Fleming
Cast: Judy Garland, Jack Haley, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
Streaming Platform: HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, VUDU

Some songs are remembered because of the artists rather than the music itself. If Somewhere Over The Rainbow is mentioned anywhere, Judy Garland is recognized for its 1939 version. Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen did a great job in composing this song.

This song almost got cut from the movie because the film’s opening scene was very long. But, thankfully, it got included and then, later on, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

22. Gonna Fly Now- Rocky (1976)

Director: Sylvester Stallone, John G. Avildsen, Talia Shire, and others
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Talia Shire, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
Streaming Platform: Hulu

DeEtta Little and Nelson Pigford performed this song for the film Rocky. Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins write it, and Bill Conti gives the music.

Those who are not even regular movie watchers will surely recognize this film’s theme song. In cinema history, this montage sequence is iconic, and we see Rocky striking a victory pose after running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Other T.V. shows and movies often copy this song through a sound-alike song.

21. Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Director: George Roy Hill
Cast: Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Katharine Ross, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple T.V.

B.J. Thomas performed this song written by Hal David. Both Hal and Burt Bacharach wrote the musical score for this classic movie. This song plays through a lovely montage about Butch (played by Paul Newman) and Etta (played by Katherine Ross). This song is still prevalent in pop culture and has appeared in several films like Spider-Man 2 and Forrest Gump.

20. Tonight- West Side Story (1961)

Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins, Richard Beymer, and others
Cast: Rita Moreno, Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
Streaming Platform: HBO Max, Prime Video, Apple TV

Marni Nixon (who dubbed Natalie Wood) and Jimmy Bryant (who dubbed Richard Beymer) performed this song that Stephen Sondheim penned down. The lovely leads of the film are seen singing to each other on a fire escape.

Many artists of that time, like Shirley Bassey, covered this song- Tonight, which was trendy. For the singing portions of the scene, Tony (played by Richard Beymer) and Juliet Maria (played by Natalie Wood) are the lead characters. Richard and Natalie were dubbed for this singing portion of the scene.

19. White Christmas (Holiday Inn, 1942)

Director: Mark Sandrich
Cast: Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
Streaming Platform: iTunes, Prime Video

Irving Berlin, the songwriter of this film, won an Academy Award in 1943, and it has to be a part of our best movie songs on the all-time list. Bing Crosby’s song’s lyrics were felt to be very relatable by the American troops that were sent away in World War II.

This song’s enormous sales amounted to 50 million, making it the biggest-selling single ever. The version sung by Crosby took only 18 minutes to record. Since its release, artists like Bob Marley, U2, and Willie Nelson have tried their luck on this one.

18. Common and John Legend, “Glory” Selma (2014)

Director: Ava DuVernay
Cast: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Google Play

Glory won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2015. While watching Chris Pine perform this on stage, everyone got emotional listening to it. This single very well deserved the award Glory is a combination of instrumentals, a supporting choir, and great lyrics. This song forms an integral part of the message of power and hopes Selma wanted to send.

17. (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, Dirty Dancing, 1987

Director: Emile Ardolino
Cast: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Cynthia Rhodes, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7/10
Streaming Platform: Netflix

Franke Previte, the songwriter of this track, had just $100 in his account when he was asked to write a song for a ‘little movie”. At the Academy Awards in 1988, Previte met Patrick Swayze, who told him that his perception of the film changed after hearing the song. More than three decades after its release, this song is entwined with many memories that people have.

16. Dueling Banjos (Deliverance, 1972)

Director: John Boorman
Cast: Ned Beatty, Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
Streaming Platform: HBO Max, Vudu

Arthur Smith 1955 composed this song Dueling Banjos. Steve Mandell and Eric Weissberg recorded the song. This song was successful and was at No. 2 on the Billboard charts for a month. Dueling Banjos represents songs that enrich the films they hear, like John Williams- Promontory (Last Of The Mohicans).

15. Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Harrison Ford, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8.4/10
Streaming Platform: Prime Video, Vudu

This Indiana Jones theme song is composed by John Williams and is among the most memorable songs ever. It is also known as Raiders March and was first released in a classic movie from the 1980s- Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981.

14. Don’t You (Forget About Me) (The Breakfast Club, 1985)

Director: John Hughes
Cast: Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video

The Breakfast Club is a film that communicates with people of all generations. In its closing scene, five high school students are in detention. They escape from it and then come to know about their real identities. This song is an iconic piece of this high school film. This song made the young actors into stars and ensured that it doesn’t disappear without being remembered in film history.

13. As Time Goes By (Casablanca, 1942)

Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8.5/10
Streaming Platform: HBO Max, Prime Video, iTunes

Herman Hupfeld wrote this song As Time Goes By. He wrote it for a Broadway musical- Everybody’s Welcome. The song got a life of its own when it became one of the best movie songs in Hollywood. It was later sung by Dooley Wilson, pianist for Casablanca, and became embedded in the people’s memories. The same song has been sung by artists like Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, and Julie London multiple times.

12. Sixpence None the Richer, “Kiss Me” She’s All That (1999)

Director: Robert Iscove
Cast: Rachael Leigh Cook, Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard, and others
IMDb Ratings: 5.9/10
Streaming Platform: Netflix

Kiss Me is a love song written for Sixpence None the Richer. One best thing you can say about this movie song is that it is still as beautiful as it was when it came out. The lyrics have been so beautifully written. It played during the most iconic scene of the movie. In this song, New Laney Boggs is seen in her glass-free avatar and makes Freddie Prinze Jr. believe that a young woman who was beautiful before can still be beautiful.

11. Let the River Run- Working Girl (1988)

Director: Mike Nichols
Cast: Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
Streaming Platform: Hulu

Let the River Run is performed and written by Carly Simon. The song was inspired by the script of Working Girl, in which we can see Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, and Harrison Ford. The music was played in the opening sequence of the film. It won Grammy, Golden Globe, and an Oscar for Best Original Song. Sometimes this song resurfaces back in modern-day pop culture. Recently, in the episodes of The Simpsons, we saw this being played.

10. Seal “Kiss From a Rose” Batman Forever (1994 and 1995)

Director: Joel Schumacher
Cast: Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones, and others
IMDb Ratings: 5..4/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video

All thanks to Bruce Wayne for Seal to achieve this popularity. After getting released in 1994, we saw this song again in 1995 in Batman Forever. It won Grammy for Record of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and Song of the Year, and was the best thing made.

The track was unique because it was connected to Batman. It wasn’t easy to imagine that this emotional song was associated with a movie that is opposite to its identity.

9. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing (Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing, 1955)

Director: Henry King
Cast: Jennifer Jones, William Holden, Isobel Elsom, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.4/10
Streaming Platform: Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes

Sammy Cahn wrote this song for a film where we saw William Holden. Originally recorded by The Four Aces, it became a repetitive song in Hollywood. Many versions were sung in films like Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Private Parts, and Grease. Frank Sinatra sang its famous version.

8. The Windmills of Your Mind- The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Director: Norman Jewison
Cast: Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Instant Video, Vudu

The Windmills of Your Mind is sung by Noel Harrison and written by Marilyn and Alan Bergman. It is a beautiful outcome of the collaboration between Michel Legrand (a French composer) and Alan and Marilyn Bergman (an American lyricist). The English version of this song was first seen in The Thomas Crown Affair. This dramatic song played in the movie’s opening credits and another scene involving Tho mas Crown.

7. Summer Nights- Grease (1978)

Director: Randal Kleiser
Cast: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Michelle Pfeiffer, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John sing Summer Nights, and Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs give the music and lyrics. Grease became famous for Summer Nights, and You’re The One I Want. Fat initially started on stage and then found popularity in Hollywood. The film adaptation in the 1970s saw John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John playing the role of the protagonists who recalled their summer affair in this song.

6. I Just Called To Say I Love You (The Woman In Red, 1984)

Director: Gene Wilder
Cast: Gene Wilder, Kelly LeBrock, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

The Woman In Red was a comedy film in which Gene Wilder starred. Its soundtrack was a global hit and was the U.K. No.1 and topped various charts. It also won the Academy Awards for Best Original Song.

5. Fight the Power- Do the Right Thing (1989)

Director: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, and others
Cast: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Rosie Perez, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Public Enemy sings this song from Do the Right Thing, and the music and lyrics have been provided by Carlton Ridenhour, Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler, and Keith Shocklee. This song is featured in the film’s opening credits, where Rosie Perez can be seen giving an intense dance performance.

Public Enemy matched her levels with this equally intense song about African Americans and civil rights, just like James Brown’s music. Radio Raheem carries a boombox in the film, and the theme is at various points of the movie.

4. 9 to 5- Nine to Five (1980)

Director: Colin Higgins
Cast: Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
Streaming Platform: Disney Plus, Amazon Channel

Dolly Parton sang and wrote this beautiful song from 9 to 5. It is not only the point of attraction of the film but also the top albums by Dolly Parton. The singer rose to national fame through this song. Dolly also starred in this film about three women who outwit their boss.

The catchy theme song of 9 to 5 was also nominated for the Academy Awards. In 2020, it also became popular among the Tik Tok creators, which could be seen as its modern resurgence.

3. Moon River (Breakfast At Tiffany’s, 1961)

Director: Blake Edwards
Cast: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, and others
IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
Streaming Platform: Prime Video, Paramount Plus, Apple TV

Audrey Hepburn performed this beautiful song written by Johnny Mercer. The song was of personal importance for the lyricist Johnny Mercer as it was based on his childhood experiences. The success of this song revived his career and remains memorable now. This is another on our list that won an Oscar Award for Best Original Song.

2. Hakuna Matata- The Lion King (1994)

Director: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
Cast: Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, and others
IMDb Ratings: 8.5/10
Streaming Platform: Disney Plus, Apple iTunes, VUDU

Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, and Joseph Williams performed this song by Tim Rice. The Lion King is Disney’s animated film; in this, we can see several original songs and instant hits among the audiences. It includes Circle of Life, Can You Feel the Love Tonight.

Hakuna Matata carries different importance in this film as we see Timon (played by Nathan Lane) and Pumba (played by Ernie Sabella) teaching Simba the meaning s of the words Hakuna Matata. This song shows Simba’s growth from a cub to an adult lion. Not only this song written by Elton John and Tim Rice is popular now but, the phrase has also become popular.

1. I Will Always Love You- The Bodyguard (1992)

Director: Mick Jackson
Cast: Whitney Houston, Kevin Costner, Bill Cobbs, and others
IMDb Ratings: 6.3/10
Streaming Platform: HBO Max, Prime Video, VUDU

Whitney Houston performed this song in The Bodyguard; Dolly Parton wrote this. This was a hit in the 1970s and the decades following it. The most famous Houston version showed an actress and singer bodyguarded by a stalker.

The Whitney Houston version is still popular, and you can see it in films like Spider-Man: Far From Home. Many artists continue to make cover versions of this song. Recently, a dance version from Sarah Washington also came out.