If there are two things in this world that go hand in hand, it's music and movies. A movie relies on music, whether it's a song or part of the score, to elevate the tone of certain scenes and just to enhance the overall atmosphere of the movie. It keeps the audience engaged and heightens our experience of watching a film. Sometimes the choice of music is the reason why certain scenes become the most memorable in a movie.
Imagine Tom Cruise sliding in front of his living room in socks and a button-down shirt without "Old Time Rock & Roll" playing over the scene in Risky Business. Would it be as memorable without that particular song playing? Most likely not. It's the movie's most famous scene because of the song choice (and because he's home alone dancing in his underwear).
Movies have given us some incredible musical scenes over the years and introduced audiences to music they may not have listened to otherwise. Movies have helped preserve the life of some songs simply because people associate a song with a movie. Movies have also introduced us to some seriously incredible fictional bands. Sometimes these fictional bands sound so good and the story surrounding them is so convincing that we have to remind ourselves they're not real.
We are often left wishing that they were real because we would listen to every song and every album these bands released. Bands of varying genres have been created for us in movies, from classic rock to blues and basically every genre in between. While there are numerous fictional bands out there, here are 11 fictional bands we wish were real.
11 Spinal Tap - This is Spinal Tap (1984)
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In 1982, one of England's loudest bands decides to head overseas for an American comeback tour, and they are accompanied by a fan who happens to be a filmmaker. The resulting documentary candidly follows this legendary heavy metal band as they head towards crises, including getting lost on the way to the stage, multiple falling-outs, and getting stuck inside stage props.
Real-life rock and heavy metal bands have actually spoken out about how realistic the portrayal of band life is in This is Spinal Tap. Ozzy Osborne of Black Sabbath has reported getting lost on the way to the stage multiple times, and apparently, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith didn't even find the film funny the first time he watched it because of how true to life this fictitious documentary is. The cool thing about this fictional band is that the actors are actually accomplished musicians and have played as Spinal Tap on several occasions.
10 Powerline - A Goofy Movie (1995)
If you grew up in the '90s or the 2000s, A Goofy Movie was a staple in your VHS rotation, and you probably watched it so much that you wore out the tape. The Disney movie is beloved by Millennials and older Gen Zs for many reasons, but one of the most obvious reasons is because of Powerline. Max's sole goal throughout the movie is to derail his dad's father/son fishing trip and trick Goofy into taking him to the Powerline concert, so he can somehow get onstage to impress his crush, Roxanne. Other than Max performing "Stand Out" at his school at the beginning of the movie, only got to hear one song performed by Powerline at the end of the movie when Max and Goofy perform with them, but "I2I" is so catchy that many of us have been hopelessly wishing for a real-life Powerline concert and album.
9 The Wonders - That Thing You Do! (1996)
The year after the Beatles took America by storm, the lives of local Pennsylvania band The Wonders are changed when they hire a new drummer who injects a four/four rock beat into lead singer Jimmy's pop ballad, catapulting them into a brief whirlwind of stardom. They try to ride the star-making machine as long as they can with their one-hit-wonder in the wake of the music industry's British Invasion.
Tom Hanks' directorial debut is a wonderful tribute to the era of '60s pop and a major turning point within the music industry. Music was starting to evolve to keep up with the times and many Americans were in awe of British bands, something that still hasn't changed to this day. Even though That Thing You Do! is about a band that only had one hit, the band had enough charisma and the song was infectious enough that it actually charted on real music charts. The '60s may have been a long time ago, but a band like The Wonders would probably do well today by bringing pop back to its roots.
8 The Blues Brothers - The Blues Brothers (1980)
Joliet Jake (John Belushi) reunites with his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) after being released from prison, but the brothers only have a few days to get their only R&B band back together again in order to raise enough money to save the Catholic orphanage where they were raised. As they take off on the road to complete their "mission from God", they'll have to outrun the police every step of the way.
The Blues Brothers first appeared in a Saturday Night Live skit before being brought to the big screen in John Landis' film. Not only is the movie a laugh riot from start to finish, but there is some genuine musical talent between Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi. Plus, they got to perform with music legends such as Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, showcasing that the comedic pair were both funny and musically inclined. They would make for an outrageously entertaining band, one that would probably rival other comedy bands such as The Lonely Island.
7 Steel Dragon - Rock Star (2001)
Chris Cole (Mark Wahlberg) is the frontman for a tribute band from Pennsylvania for the legendary heavy metal band, Steel Dragon. Chris embodies the actual Steel Dragon lead singer Bobby Beers when he's on stage. On the same night that his bandmates kick him out of the group, he gets a phone call that changes his life forever. Chris has been tapped to replace Bobby Beers as the new lead singer for Steel Dragon. He is launched into sudden stardom, from rock fan to rock god. He's the wannabe who got to be.
Rock Star is based on the real-life events of Tim "Ripper" Owens, who fronted a Judas Priest tribute band and was later chosen as the replacement for Rob Halford when he left the actual band, Judas Priest. Every actor who plays the members of Steel Dragon are musicians in real life. Mike Matijevic of Steelheart is the singing voice of Chris Cole. Jeff Pilsen plays Steel Dragon's bassist and was the bassist for Dokken. Jason Bonham plays Steel Dragon's drummer and is actually the son of Led Zepplin's late drummer, John Bonham, and has played with Zepplin on occasion. Of course, Mark Wahlberg himself was the face of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. With the talent behind Steel Dragon, it's a shame that they never toured stadiums as an actual band.
6 The Hex Girls - Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Incorporated gang have been entertaining kids and adults alike for decades. Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost follows the gang to the spooky town of Oakhaven, Massachusetts to attend the Autumn Harvest Festival where they investigate an evil witch as well as the Gothic female rock group, The Hex Girls. They sing a total of three songs throughout the movie, but the most notable is "Hex Girls", which they perform on stage in front of Scoob and the gang. Their music combined eco-friendly messages with a Gothic aesthetic and a girl-power attitude that had kids in awe of them. The Hex Girls appeared in quite a few Scooby-Doo episodes as well as other movies, which only furthers the belief that they should be a real band.
5 Wyld Stallyns - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
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Teenage stoners Bill S. Preston (Alex Winters) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves) have dreams of taking their rock band Wyld Stallyns to stardom, but they need to pass their high school history class first. A man named Rufus (George Carlin) visits from the future to tell them that they must pass their history class because Wyld Stallyns is meant to save the world in the future. He lends the boys a telephone booth time machine, so they can gather prominent figures in history to help them give their presentation in front of their class.
The 1989 versions of the boys in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure have no clue how to play their instruments, causing Wyld Stallyns to sound like two dufuses thrashing around in their garage. They even say to each other at one point "Maybe we should learn how to play." In fact, their air guitar playing has a better sound than their actual guitar playing. However, the future versions of Bill and Ted show that they become musically trained and that Wyld Stallyns actually becomes quite good with a sound that emulates many famous heavy metal bands from the '80s. It would be very entertaining to watch Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters tour the world as Wyld Stallyns.
4 Sex Bob-Omb - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
In Edgar Wright's comic book movie, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott (Michael Cera) must battle new girl Ramona Flowers' seven evil exes in order to date her. In between defeating the exes and trying to win over Ramona, Scott and his garage band, Sex Bob-Omb, try to score a record deal in Toronto. This proves to be difficult as not only are Ramona's deadly exes seeking Scott out, but his ex's successful band is in town as well.
Sex Bob-Omb is one of those bands that are so bad, they're actually good. They really don't possess any solid musical talent, yet they are somehow able to win a battle of the bands against another weird band that actually has some talent. The songs that Sex Bob-Ombs sing were written for the movie by musician and songwriter Beck, and have a fast-paced, quirky sound that aligns perfectly with the tone of the movie. Michael Cera already knew how to play the bass before filming this movie and had to tone down his playing to not outshine his bandmates. Considering that Cera can actually play the bass and his co-stars Allison Pill and Mark Webber learned to play for the movie, it would be cool to see them perform as an actual band.
3 Sing Street - Sing Street (2016)
Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is a teenage boy living in 1980s Dublin who struggles to cope with his strained family relationship, reconnect with his older brother, and navigate the hostile environment of his new school. When he sees a girl standing outside the school's gate observing the other students, he decides to gather a group of boys to start a band in order to impress the girl. At first, they cover their favorite songs. Then, they start to write their own.
Sing Street puts a new spin on the classic coming-of-age story by infusing music into the heart of the story and providing its characters with viable opportunities to advance their dreams. It has a love story, but that story is treated with respect rather than just brushing it off as a teenage romance. Plus, the songs that the band Sing Street writes are quite impressive. They are heavily inspired by the British New Wave era of synth-pop, and they are seriously catchy. The entire soundtrack is full of infectious songs that make you wish Sing Street was a real band.
2 Pink Slip - Freaky Friday (2003)
Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teenage daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) cannot see eye to eye. They argue over everything and cannot understand each other's lifestyles. On a Thursday night, they get into an argument at a local Chinese restaurant when they are each given a fortune cookie by the restaurant owner's mother. They wake up the next day to discover that they have switched bodies and the only way to switch back is to learn to understand each other and work out their differences.
Freaky Friday is a fan-favorite Disney movie that does a great job of depicting the ways that teenagers and their parents can butt heads. Lindsay Lohan's Anna has a band with her friends called Pink Slip that usually practices in her garage, much to Tess' dismay. Anna's band is an aspect of her life that she can't get her mom to understand until Tess has to perform as her daughter when the band plays at the House of Blues. The thing about Pink Slip is that they are truly a talented band. The two songs we get to see them perform, "Ultimate" and "Take Me Away", are incredibly infectious and have a punk-rock sound to them that makes it nearly impossible to not sing along to. If Pink Slip were a real band today, they would sell out shows to adults in their 20s and 30s.
1 Stillwater - Almost Famous (2000)
In the early '70s, 15-year-old aspiring rock journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit) lands an opportunity with Rolling Stone magazine to write a cover story about rock and roll band Stillwater. His task is to detail his experience on the road with the band, where he will see everything that goes on behind the scenes, including the moments when the band falls apart. The experience will also prove to be a period of time when he can find himself outside the protective grasp of his mother.
Almost Famous has a killer soundtrack that features songs from great artists such as Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull, Led Zepplin, and many others. The film's incredible soundtrack elevates the storytelling and helps viewers throw themselves into the rock and roll world of the 1970s with ease. The fictional band that this movie is about, Stillwater, had some great songs as well that make the soundtrack as good as it is. Memorable characters and talent make Stillwater feel like a real-life band, and they perfectly encapsulate the '70s music scene with their sound, style, and behavior.
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