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Song Titles that Became Movies

Chief Imagination Officer

Nov

2009

Minnesota Public Radio this morning asked it’s listeners for titles of songs that eventually inspired a movie (or at least the movie stole the title of the song for one reason or another). It seems like it became a particularly common method of naming movies in the ’80s, but there are fine examples from other eras too.

I’m bad at coming up with stuff like that off the top of my head but I still didn’t think there were that many. Boy was I was wrong! Listeners came up with dozens. Here’s quite a smattering of them. As a Friday conversation starter, what movie titles can you think of that were originally song titles?

Some Kind of Wonderful
Pretty in Pink
The Sweetest Thing
Pretty Woman
Purple Rain
Can’t Buy Me Love
Reign Over Me
Detroit Rock City
Dream a Little Dream
Accross the Universe
Spaceballs
Closer
Prelude To A Kiss
Jungle Fever
Less Than Zero
Ode To Billie Joe
Dazed And Confused
Whip It
Boys Don’t Cry
Super Bad
Roxanne
Stand By Me
My Blue Heaven
Addicted to Love
Jumping Jack Flash
Can’t Hardly Wait
Iron Man – I don’t think this one counts.
Blue Velvet
American Pie
Corrina, Corrina
Just Like Heaven
My Girl
Sea of Love
Jailhouse Rock
Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Do movie biographies of the actual artist count?
La Bamba
Walk the Line
Coal Miner’s Daughter

2 response about Song Titles that Became Movies »

Nice list. I’m absolutely rubbish at coming up with titles for my little creative endeavors. For the pair of shorts I made in film school, I used the song titles “Ready to Go” by Republica and “Would I Lie To You?” by the Eurythmics. Both really bad songs and neither one had anything to do with the stories of my films, but I had no better ideas for original titles.

Comment by Ashley — November 13, 2009
I would have to add Alice’s Restaurant and from 1944, I’ll be Seeing You.

Comment by Peter Nellhaus — November 18, 2009

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Song Titles that Became Movies

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