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The best songs from movies: AFI's Top 15.

The American Film Institute has released its ranking of the 100 best songs that are part of the soundtrack of U.S. movies.

In order to be selected, the films had to meet these criteria: they had to be at least 60 minutes long, they had to be in English, they had to have won critical acclaim, and they had to have won awards and popularity over time, leaving a positive impact on American music.

Here are the Top 15 best English-language songs excerpted from movies according to AFI.

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The best songs from movies: AFI's Top 15
The American Film Institute has released its ranking of the 100 best songs that are part of the soundtrack of U.S. films. To be selected, the films had to meet these criteria: running time of at least 60 minutes, being in English, having gained critical recognition and popularity over time, leaving a positive impact on American music. Here are the Top 15 of the best songs in English extracted from films according to AFI.
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15. Cheek to Cheek - Fred Astaire, Top Hat, 1935
In the film, Astaire sings the song to Ginger Rogers as they dance. The song received an Oscar nomination for best song in 1936, the year it won "Lullaby of Broadway".
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14. My Heart Will Go On - Céline Dion, Titanic, 1997
Titanic 's poignant and beautiful song has won 3 distinguished awards, the Oscar for Best Song, Grammy for Song of the Year and Grammy for Recording of the Year. "My Heart Will Go On" is the biggest commercial success of Céline Dion 's career and is one of the best-selling singles in history, having sold 18 million copies worldwide.
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13. People - Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl, 1968
This song has been interpreted by many artists, but the most famous version is that of Barbra Streisand, who sang the song in the musical "Funny Girl": thanks to her performance in this film, Streisand was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress.
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12. Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend, Marilyn Monroe, Gentlemen prefer blondes, 1953
Originally sung by Carol Channing, the most famous version of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is certainly that of Marilyn Monroe, which in the interpretation was dubbed in two parts by soprano Marni Nixon: on the phrase "These rocks don't lose their shape, diamonds are a girl's best friend", and at the beginning, in a series of very high-pitched "no!"
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11. The Man that Got Away - Judy Garland, A Star is Born, 1954
"A Star is Born" was one of the most popular musical films, offered in cinema in four main versions: the first in 1937 with Janet Gaynor, the third in 1976 with Barbra Streisand, the last in 2018 with Lady Gaga. The second version, from 1954, instead starred Judy Garland, whose performance of "The Man that Got Away" earned her a 1955 Oscar nomination in the best song category.
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10. The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music, 1965
"The Sound of Music" was originally sung by Mary Martin in the world premiere performance of the play "The Sound of Music" in 1959 at Broadway. However, the version included inAFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs is that of Julie Andrews, who sang the song in the film remake of musical.
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9. Stayin' Alive - The Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever, 1977
Arguably the signature song of the 1970s: "Stayin' Alive" is still one of the most beloved and replayed songs, particularly when one wants to recreate the atmosphere of the 1970s. Originally included in the film "Saturday Night Fever," this song has since been part of so many other soundtracks, sometimes even for parody purposes.
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8. The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand, The Way We Were, 1973
"The Way We Were" won the Oscar and Golden Globe for best song in 1974. On Dec. 30, 2008, Beyoncé sang "The Way We Were" at Kennedy Center Honors at Washington, in front of the original performer, namely Barbra Streisand.
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7. When You Wish Upon a Star - Cliff Edwards, Pinocchio, 1940
The lyrics of this song were written by Ned Washington, the music, on the other hand, was composed by Leigh Harline, but the singer was Cliff Edwards. The former Beatle Ringo Starr also published a cover of this famous song, which in its original version became the anthem of Walt Disney Pictures.
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6. Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel, The Graduate, 1967
Originally the song was called "Mrs. Roosevelt" since the protagonist of the lyrics was the former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Later, the lyrics were partially rewritten specifically for the famous movie "The Graduate." This was the second song by Simon & Garfunkel to reach the top of the charts after "The Sound of Silence".
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5. White Christmas - Bing Crosby, Holiday Inn, 1942
There is also a Christmas song on this chart. "White Christmas" has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling record single in history. The most famous recording of "White Christmas" is actually from Bing Crosby, topping the chart Billboard for 11 weeks and winning the 1943 Academy Award for Best Song.
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4. Moon River - Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's,1961
Yet another Oscar-winning song, this time in 1962: "Moon River" was written especially for Audrey Hepburn in such a way as to fit her vocal range perfectly. "Moon River" also gave its name to an inlet near Savannah, in Georgia, hometown of Johnny Mercer, composer of this song.
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3. Singin' in the Rain - Gene Kelly, Singin' in the Rain, 1952
The original song dates back to 1929, performed by Cliff Edwards. The version included in the charts, however, is from the film of the same name. The song, however, is also included in the famous film "A Clockwork Orange (A Clockwork Orange)," hummed ironically by the main character, the young Alex DeLarge.
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2. As Time Goes By - Dooley Wilson, Casablanca, 1942
The original version dates back to 1931, but the song's notoriety came with the version by Dooley Wilson in the movie "Casablanca". The melody of the song has been repurposed as the theme song for Warner Bros. since 1998.
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1. Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland, The Wizard of Oz, 1939
A song full of hope, but at the same time very intense: "Over the Rainbow " was first sung in 1939 by little Judy Garland. However, this song has been interpreted by so many other artists: one of the most beloved versions is by the Hawaiian musician Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwo'ole, who recorded the song in a medley with "What a Wonderful World".
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