The 1990s was an unbelievable time for music. Hair metal from the 1980s transformed into grunge, new-wave elements appeared in pop music, and country was getting an injection of excitement from artists like Garth Brooks, Brooks and Dunn, and Shania Twain. Movie soundtracks were solid, too, and some of the most memorable tunes that played on the radio in the '90s got there because of the films they appeared in.
There's a mountain of great songs in '90s movies, and it would be impossible to cover them all. Some of the best-selling movie soundtracks ever came out of that era. It seemed like the soundtracks for movies like Singles, Batman Forever, and The Crow, to name a few, were packed with hits, and that doesn't even scratch the surface of the great tunes that would come later on. These are some of the songs from the '90s that instantly bring back memories of specific movie scenes.
10 Seal - "Kiss From a Rose" (Batman Forever)
Of all the Batman movies to date, Batman Forever is probably the most unique. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the movie features Val Kilmer in his only turn as the Caped Crusader. It's packed with more villains than anyone can keep track of, including Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face and Jim Carrey as The Riddler.
The soundtrack to Batman Forever is equally interesting. Pop singer Seal broke through to the mainstream with the hit song "Kiss From a Rose," which is played when Bruce Wayne and Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) meet in the Batcave. Seal's video for the song prominently featured clips from the movie as well, forever intertwining these two pieces of '90s art.
9 Dick Dale - "Misirlou" (Pulp Fiction)
Dick Dale (born Richard Anthony Monsour) was an American guitarist who started playing professionally way back in the 1950s. He was known as "The King of Surf Guitar", bringing an upbeat surf-rock style to traditional and popular songs. He even worked directly with Leo Fender to create Fender guitars that matched his style and personal preferences.
Dale gained some ground in the 1960s and his hit song "Misirlou" came was conceived in 1962. But it wasn't until Quentin Tarantino featured the track in the opening credits for his movie Pulp Fiction that it really took off. Nowadays, it's almost impossible not to picture the film when the opening riff of "Misirlou" comes on. The two blend together perfectly, and it was a great way for Tarantino to start the wild ride that he was about to subject audiences to.
8 Sixpence None The Richer - "Kiss Me" (She's All That)
Sixpence None The Richer is a band from New Braunfels, Texas that had a few hits in the '90s. Though technically not broken up, the band hasn't been very active since 2016. They won a Grammy Award for their 1997 song "Kiss Me" and the tune has appeared in multiple movies and TV shows over the years. There's one movie in particular, though, that used "Kiss Me" to great effect.
She's All That came out in 1999 and featured Freddie Prinze Jr. as a high school jock who loses his girlfriend to another guy. He decides to take up the challenge of transforming dorky outcast Laney Boggs (Rachel Leigh Cook) into a prom queen in just six weeks. The song "Kiss Me" plays when the grand reveal is made and Laney turns into a beautiful girl. It's hard not to picture that scene whenever you hear the song. She's All That was pretty corny overall, but the cast is up to some interesting things.
7 Aerosmith - "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing" (Armageddon)
Aerosmith's legacy in rock history was already cemented when "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing" came out in 1998. The band already had one of the most powerful vocalists in the world with Steven Tyler, and one of the most versatile guitarists with Joe Perry. The was released as a single for the soundtrack to Armageddon, a disaster movie that blended thrilling action sequences and tender, tear-jerking moments perfectly.
One of those sweet moments is when Ben Affleck's character A.J. is spending time with his fiance Grace (Liv Tyler). "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing" plays in the background while the couple enjoys an outdoor picnic. The song instantly makes you think of Armageddon because it acted like the theme of the movie, reminding listeners that some jobs take sacrifice, courage, and bravery just to do every day.
6 Coolio - "Gangsta's Paradise" (Dangerous Minds)
Coolio was a rapper originally from Pennsylvania who made a huge splash on the hip-hop scene of the mid-90s. His hits "Fantastic Voyage", "Gansta's Paradise", and "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)" were staples of the era and his signature hairstyle made him stand out from the crowd. In 1995, "Gangsta's Paradise" was featured in the drama Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
In the movie, Pfeiffer plays mild-mannered teacher LouAnn Johnson who is excited to start a new job after only a brief interview. She soon learns that the kids she's teaching are less enthusiastic about being in school. They cause disruptions at every moment and call her names. Throughout the film, she helps them cope with tragedy and teaches them to believe in themselves. Dangerous Minds may not be one of the best Michelle Pfeiffer movies, but "Gangsta's Paradise" was the perfect song to soundtrack a film about violence, gangs, and overcoming life on the streets.
5 Celine Dion - "My Heart Will Go On" (Titanic)
It's pretty much impossible to think about James Cameron's Titanic without humming "My Heart Will Go" by Celine Dion in your heart. This sweeping drama movie was released in 1997 and was centered around the love affair between two passengers on the Titanic, Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet). Rose is a wealthy passenger who is engaged to a terrible fiance (BiBillyane). She's desperate to escape her life and lowly nomad Jack saves her from jumping off the boat into the ocean.
"My Heart Will Go On" is the soundtrack of Jack and Rose's relationship. Although Jack doesn't survive the freezing temperatures of the water once the Titanic sinks, Rose thinks about how he sacrificed himself so that she could stay afloat and survive. Celine Dion's power ballad not only shows off her incredible pipes, but it makes listeners think about Rose's story every time they hear it.
4 The Wallflowers - "Heroes" (Godzilla)
Another '90s movie with a wicked soundtrack was 1998's Godzilla. The album included cuts from Green Day, Sean Combs featuring Jimmy Page, Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, and more. One song fans couldn't get enough of was "Heroes", a cover of a David Bowie song recorded by The Wallflowers. The video for the song featured the band playing in the rain as Godzilla attacks.
Though many bands have covered "Heroes" over the years, The Wallflowers' version was considered pretty exciting back in 1998. It gave Godzilla a human theme and image. Whenever "Heroes" comes on, it's hard not to picture Jakob Dylan and his band rocking out to the song as the giant monster causes chaos through the skyscrapers.
3 Elton John - "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" (The Lion King)
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Elton John wrote the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" with his writing partner Tim Rice specifically for the 1994 animated Disney movie The Lion King. It's a movie about a lion cub named Simba out is outcast by his uncle Scar after supposedly starting a stampede that killed Simba's father Mufasa. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and is largely considered one of the best Oscar-winning Disney songs.
The song plays when Simba reunites with his childhood friend Nala after many years of being away from the rest of the pride. Simba and Nala quickly reconnect, and she convinces him to go home and reclaim the throne from Scar. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is synonymous with this scene and matches perfectly with the mood directors Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers were trying to portray.
2 Geto Boys - "Damn it Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" (Office Space)
1999's Office Space is one of the most underrated comedies of the '90s. The Mike Judge movie centered around Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) an employee at an office who's bored out of his mind. He cooks up a scheme with his co-workers to steal money from the company pennies at a time using a computer virus. However, the plan backfires and the trio scores a ton of cash right away, making them more suspicious that they will be found out.
Once Peter installs the virus, he steals a broken printer outside and proceeds to destroy it with his friends. "Damn it Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" by Geto Boys plays as the group smashes the equipment with a baseball bat. For many Office Space fans, the song instantly brings back memories of times they wish they could do the same thing and just destroy pieces of technology at work that frequently annoy them.
1 Will Smith - "Wild Wild West" (Wild Wild West)
Another movie from 1999 with a memorable song is Wild Wild West, starring Will Smith and Kevin Kline. When the President of the United States (Kline) hears that there's a plot to assassinate him in motion, he hires war hero James West (Smith) to find the man responsible and stop him.
Smith is the comic relief in the movie, and his song "Wild Wild West" ties into the film. After the success of Men in Black and Smith's hit rap song "Men in Black", the movie studio chought it would be smart to repeat the idea. "Wild Wild West" the song had a memorable music video with catchy verses and clips from the film, but Wild Wild West the movie didn't fare that well. It currently holds a sad 16% score on Rotten Tomatoes and isn't talked about much these days.
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