AFI's 100 YEARS...100 SONGS


"Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Skies are Blue and the Dreams That You Dare to Dream Really Do Come True"
– Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), THE WIZARD OF OZ

AFI's 100 GREATEST AMERICAN MOVIE MUSIC

AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs is a list of the 100 top movie songs of all time.

The songs on this list are from American films and set a tone or mood, define character, advance plot and/or express the film's themes in a manner that elevates the moving image art form. These songs also capture the nation's heart and resonate across the century, enriching America's film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today.

The AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs television special, hosted by John Travolta, originally aired on June 22, 2004.

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SONG

MOVIE

YEAR

1

Over the Rainbow
PERFORMER Judy Garland
MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen/E. Y. Harburg

WIZARD OF OZ, THE

1939

2

As Time Goes By
PERFORMER Dooley Wilson
MUSIC/LYRICS Herman Hupfeld

CASABLANCA

1942

3

Singin' in the Rain
PERFORMER Gene Kelly
MUSIC/LYRICS Nacio Herb Brown/Arthur Freed

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

1952

4

Moon River
PERFORMER Audrey Hepburn
MUSIC/LYRICS Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S

1961

5

White Christmas
PERFORMER Bing Crosby
MUSIC/LYRICS Irving Berlin

HOLIDAY INN

1942

6

Mrs. Robinson
PERFORMERS Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel
MUSIC/LYRICS Paul Simon

GRADUATE, THE

1967

7

When You Wish Upon A Star
PERFORMER Cliff Edwards
MUSIC/LYRICS Leigh Harline/Ned Washington

PINOCCHIO

1940

8

Way We Were, The
PERFORMER Barbra Streisand
MUSIC/LYRICS Marvin Hamlisch/Alan and Marilyn Bergman

THE WAY WE WERE

1973

9

Stayin' Alive
PERFORMER The Bee Gees
MUSIC/LYRICS Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

1977

10

Sound of Music, The
PERFORMER Julie Andrews
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II

SOUND OF MUSIC, THE

1965

11

Man That Got Away, The
PERFORMER Judy Garland MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen/Ira Gershwin

STAR IS BORN, A

1954

12

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
PERFORMER Marilyn Monroe
MUSIC/LYRICS Jule Styne/Leo Robin

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES

1953

13

People
PERFORMER Barbra Streisand
MUSIC/LYRICS Jule Styne/Bob Merrill

FUNNY GIRL

1968

14

My Heart Will Go On
PERFORMER Céline Dion
MUSIC/LYRICS James Horner/Will Jennings

TITANIC

1997

15

Cheek to Cheek
PERFORMERS Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers
MUSIC/LYRICS Irving Berlin

TOP HAT

1935

16

Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star is Born)
PERFORMER Barbra Streisand
MUSIC/LYRICS Barbra Streisand/Paul Williams

STAR IS BORN, A

1976

17

I Could Have Danced All Night
PERFORMER Audrey Hepburn (voiced by Marni Nixon)
MUSIC/LYRICS Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner

MY FAIR LADY

1964

18

Cabaret
PERFORMER Liza Minnelli
MUSIC/LYRICS John Kander/Fred Ebb

CABARET

1972

19

Some Day My Prince Will Come
PERFORMER Adriana Caselotti
MUSIC/LYRICS Frank Churchill/Larry Morey

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

1937

20

Somewhere
PERFORMERS Natalie Wood (voiced by Marni Nixon), Richard Beymer (voiced by Jimmy Bryant)
MUSIC/LYRICS Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim

WEST SIDE STORY

1961

21

Jailhouse Rock
PERFORMER Elvis Presley
MUSIC/LYRICS Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller

JAILHOUSE ROCK

1957

22

Everybody's Talkin'
PERFORMER Harry Nilsson
MUSIC/LYRICS Fred Neil

MIDNIGHT COWBOY

1969

23

Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
PERFORMER B. J. Thomas
MUSIC/LYRICS Burt Bacharach/Hal David

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

1969

24

Ol' Man River
PERFORMER Paul Robeson
MUSIC/LYRICS Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II

SHOW BOAT

1936

25

High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin)
PERFORMER Tex Ritter
MUSIC/LYRICS Dimitri Tiomkin/Ned Washington

HIGH NOON

1952

26

Trolley Song, The
PERFORMER Judy Garland
MUSIC/LYRICS Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS

1944

27

Unchained Melody
PERFORMER The Righteous Brothers
MUSIC/LYRICS Alex North, Hy Zaret

GHOST

1990

28

Some Enchanted Evening
PERFORMER Rossano Brazzi (voiced by Giorgio Tozzi)
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II

SOUTH PACIFIC

1958

29

Born To Be Wild
PERFORMER Steppenwolf
MUSIC/LYRICS Mars Bonfire

EASY RIDER

1969

30

Stormy Weather
PERFORMER Lena Horne
MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler

STORMY WEATHER

1943

31

Theme from New York, New York
PERFORMER Liza Minnelli
MUSIC/LYRICS John Kander/Fred Ebb

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

1977

32

I Got Rhythm
PERFORMER Gene Kelly
MUSIC/LYRICS George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin

AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN

1951

33

Aquarius
PERFORMERS Ren Woods, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Galt MacDermot/Gerome Ragni, James Rado

HAIR

1979

34

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
PERFORMERS Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers
MUSIC/LYRICS George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin

SHALL WE DANCE

1937

35

America
PERFORMERS Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim

WEST SIDE STORY

1961

36

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
PERFORMERS Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman

MARY POPPINS

1964

37

Swinging on a Star
PERFORMER Bing Crosby
MUSIC/LYRICS James Van Heusen/Johnny Burke

GOING MY WAY

1944

38

Theme from Shaft
PERFORMERS Isaac Hayes, Chorus
MUSIC/LYRICS Isaac Hayes

SHAFT

1971

39

Days of Wine and Roses
PERFORMER Chorus
MUSIC/LYRICS Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer

DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES

1962

40

Fight the Power
PERFORMER Public Enemy
MUSIC/LYRICS Carlton Ridenhour, Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler, Keith Shocklee

DO THE RIGHT THING

1989

41

New York, New York
PERFORMERS Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin
MUSIC/LYRICS Leonard Bernstein/Betty Comden, Adolph Green

ON THE TOWN

1949

42

Luck Be A Lady
PERFORMERS Marlon Brando, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Frank Loesser

GUYS AND DOLLS

1955

43

Way You Look Tonight, The
PERFORMER Fred Astaire
MUSIC/LYRICS Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields

SWING TIME

1936

44

Wind Beneath My Wings
PERFORMER Bette Midler
MUSIC/LYRICS Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar

BEACHES

1988

45

That's Entertainment
PERFORMERS Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan, Oscar Levant
MUSIC/LYRICS Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz

BAND WAGON, THE

1953

46

Don't Rain On My Parade
PERFORMER Barbra Streisand
MUSIC/LYRICS Jule Styne/ Bob Merrill

FUNNY GIRL

1968

47

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
PERFORMER James Baskett
MUSIC/LYRICS Allie Wrubel/Ray Gilbert

SONG OF THE SOUTH

1947

48

Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)
PERFORMER Doris Day
MUSIC/LYRICS Ray Evans, Jay Livingston

MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, THE

1956

49

Make 'Em Laugh
PERFORMER Donald OÕConnor
MUSIC/LYRICS Nacio Herb Brown/Arthur Freed

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

1952

50

Rock Around the Clock
PERFORMERS Bill Haley and the Comets
MUSIC/LYRICS Bill Haley and the Comets

BLACKBOARD JUNGLE

1955

51

Fame
PERFORMER Irene Cara
MUSIC/LYRICS Michael Gore/Dean Pitchford

FAME

1980

52

Summertime
PERFORMER Diahann Carroll (voiced by Loulie Jean Norman)
MUSIC/LYRICS George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward

PORGY AND BESS

1959

53

Goldfinger
PERFORMER Shirley Bassey
MUSIC/LYRICS John Barry/Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley

GOLDFINGER

1964

54

Shall We Dance
PERFORMERS Deborah Kerr (voiced by Marni Nixon), Yul Brynner
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II

KING AND I, THE

1956

55

Flashdance...What a Feeling
PERFORMER Irene Cara
MUSIC/LYRICS Giorgio Moroder/Keith Forsey, Irene Cara

FLASHDANCE

1983

56

Thank Heaven for Little Girls
PERFORMER Maurice Chevalier
MUSIC/LYRICS Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner

GIGI

1958

57

Windmills of Your Mind, The
PERFORMER Noel Harrison
MUSIC/LYRICS Michel Legrand/Alan and Marilyn Bergman

THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, THE

1968

58

Gonna Fly Now
PERFORMERS DeEtta Little, Nelson Pigford
MUSIC/LYRICS Bill Conti/Carol Connors, Ayn Robbins

ROCKY

1976

59

Tonight
PERFORMERS Natalie Wood (voiced by Marni Nixon), Richard Beymer (voiced by Jimmy Bryant)
MUSIC/LYRICS Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim

WEST SIDE STORY

1961

60

It Had to Be You
PERFORMERS Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick, Jr.
MUSIC/LYRICS Isham Jones/Gus Kahn

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

1989

61

Get Happy
PERFORMER Judy Garland
MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler

SUMMER STOCK

1950

62

Beauty and the Beast
PERFORMER Angela Lansbury
MUSIC/LYRICS Alan Menken/Howard Ashman

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

1991

63

Thanks for the Memory
PERFORMERS Bob Hope, Shirley Ross
MUSIC/LYRICS Ralph Rainger/Leo Robin

BIG BROADCAST OF 1938, THE

1938

64

My Favorite Things
PERFORMER Julie Andrews
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II

SOUND OF MUSIC, THE

1965

65

I Will Always Love You
PERFORMER Whitney Houston
MUSIC/LYRICS Dolly Parton

BODYGUARD, THE

1992

66

Suicide is Painless
PERFORMER Johnny Mandel
MUSIC/LYRICS Johnny Mandel/Mike Altman

M*A*S*H

1970

67

Nobody Does it Better
PERFORMER Carly Simon
MUSIC/LYRICS Marvin Hamlisch/Carole Bayer Sager

SPY WHO LOVED ME, THE

1977

68

Streets of Philadelphia
PERFORMER Bruce Springsteen
MUSIC/LYRICS Bruce Springsteen

PHILADELPHIA

1993

69

On the Good Ship Lollipop
PERFORMER Shirley Temple
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard A. Whiting/Sidney Clare

BRIGHT EYES

1934

70

Summer Nights
PERFORMERS John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey

GREASE

1978

71

Yankee Doodle Boy, The
PERFORMER James Cagney
MUSIC/LYRICS George M. Cohan

YANKEE DOODLE DANDY

1942

72

Good Morning
PERFORMERS Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald OÕConnor
MUSIC/LYRICS Nacio Herb Brown/Arthur Freed

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

1952

73

Isn't it Romantic?
PERFORMERS Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart

LOVE ME TONIGHT

1932

74

Rainbow Connection
PERFORMER Kermit the Frog (voiced by Jim Henson)
MUSIC/LYRICS Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher

MUPPET MOVIE, THE

1979

75

Up Where We Belong
PERFORMERS Joe Cocker, Jennifer Warnes
MUSIC/LYRICS Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie/Will Jennings

OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, AN

1982

76

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
PERFORMER Judy Garland
MUSIC/LYRICS Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS

1944

77

Shadow of Your Smile, The
PERFORMER Chorus
MUSIC/LYRICS Johnny Mandel/Paul Francis Webster

SANDPIPER, THE

1965

78

9 To 5
PERFORMER Dolly Parton
MUSIC/LYRICS Dolly Parton

9 TO 5

1980

79

Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
PERFORMER Christopher Cross
MUSIC/LYRICS Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross, Peter Allen

ARTHUR

1981

80

Springtime for Hitler
PERFORMER Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Mel Brooks

PRODUCERS, THE

1968

81

I'm Easy
PERFORMER Keith Carradine
MUSIC/LYRICS Keith Carradine

NASHVILLE

1975

82

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead
PERFORMER Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Harold Arlen/E. Y. Harburg

WIZARD OF OZ, THE

1939

83

Rose, The
PERFORMER Bette Midler
MUSIC/LYRICS Amanda McBroom

ROSE, THE

1979

84

Put the Blame on Mame
PERFORMER Rita Hayworth (voiced by Anita Ellis)
MUSIC/LYRICS Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts

GILDA

1946

85

Come What May
PERFORMERS Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor
MUSIC/LYRICS David Baerwald

MOULIN ROUGE!

2001

86

(I've Had) The Time of My Life
PERFORMERS Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes
MUSIC/LYRICS Frank Previte, John DeNicola, Donald Markowitz/Frank Previte

DIRTY DANCING

1987

87

Buttons and Bows
PERFORMER Bob Hope
MUSIC/LYRICS Jay Livingston/Ray Evans

PALEFACE, THE

1948

88

Do Re Mi
PERFORMERS Julie Andrews, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II

SOUND OF MUSIC, THE

1965

89

Puttin' on the Ritz
PERFORMERS Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle
MUSIC/LYRICS Irving Berlin

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

1974

90

Seems Like Old Times
PERFORMER Diane Keaton
MUSIC/LYRICS Carmen Lombardo/John Jacob Loeb

ANNIE HALL

1977

91

Let the River Run
PERFORMER Carly Simon
MUSIC/LYRICS Carly Simon

WORKING GIRL

1988

92

Long Ago and Far Away
PERFORMERS Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth (voiced by Martha Mears)
MUSIC/LYRICS Jerome Kern/Ira Gershwin

COVER GIRL

1944

93

Lose Yourself
PERFORMER Eminem
MUSIC/LYRICS Eminem, Jeff Bass, Luis Resto/Eminem

8 MILE

2002

94

Ain't Too Proud to Beg
PERFORMER The Temptations
MUSIC/LYRICS Eddie Holland, Norman Whitfield

BIG CHILL, THE

1983

95

(We're Off on the) Road to Morocco
PERFORMERS Bing Crosby, Bob Hope
MUSIC/LYRICS Jimmy Van Heusen/Johnny Burke

ROAD TO MOROCCO

1942

96

Footloose
PERFORMER Kenny Loggins
MUSIC/LYRICS Kenny Loggins, Dean Pitchford

FOOTLOOSE

1984

97

42nd Street
PERFORMERS Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Ensemble
MUSIC/LYRICS Harry Warren/Al Dubin

42nd STREET

1933

98

All That Jazz
PERFORMERS Catherine Zeta-Jones, RenŽe Zellweger
MUSIC/LYRICS John Kander/Fred Ebb

CHICAGO

2002

99

Hakuna Matata
PERFORMERS Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, Joseph Williams
MUSIC/LYRICS Elton John/Tim Rice

LION KING, THE

1994

100

Old Time Rock and Roll
PERFORMERS Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band (lip-synched by Tom Cruise)
MUSIC/LYRICS George Jackson, Tom Jones III

RISKY BUSINESS

1983

SELECTION CRITERIA

The jurors were asked to consider the following criteria while making their selections:

  • Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes in length.

  • American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.

  • Song: Music and lyrics featured in an American film that set a tone or mood, define character, advance plot and/or express the film's themes in a manner that elevates the moving image art form. Songs may have been written and/or recorded specifically for the film or previously written and/or recorded and selected by the filmmaker to achieve the above goals.

  • Cultural Impact: Songs that have captured the nation's heart, echoed beyond the walls of a movie theater, and ultimately stand in our collective memory of the film itself.

  • Legacy: Songs that resonate across the century, enriching America's film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today.


The special is the seventh installment in AFI's centennial celebration of American cinema, following the six critically-acclaimed network specials — AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies, AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs, AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills, AFI'S 100 Years...100 Passions and AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains — which, each year, spark a national discussion of America's film history among movie lovers across the nation. Each year the AFI program has garnered the highest rating for its time slot.

AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs: America's Greatest Movie Music is distributed by SFM Entertainment, LLC. Among the sponsors of this series are Pepsi, Sony, Johnson & Johnson, Best Buy, Napster, Citibank, General Motors, S.C. Johnson, Gillette, Anheuser-Busch, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Colgate-Palmolive.


AFI's 100 YEARS...100 SONGS (2004)
List of the 400 nominated songs
List of the 100 winning songs