Musicalsspread the spirit of cinema like few other film genres, with thegreatest musical numberscapable of connecting millions of people through the collective act of singing along to a classic movie. In some cases, a great song accompanied by dazzling visuals and charismatic performances can singlehandedly secure a movie’s place in history.
Of course, such songs abound in films that are regularly ranked among thebest musicals of all time. But a rare few even crop up in classic movies, which don’t even qualify as musicals.An outstanding song can be a showstopping moment in virtually any big-screen genre, but especially in the case of romance films, as this list will bear out.
Given the abundance of high-quality cinematic musicals that have been released in recent years, there are now plenty of contemporary songs in contention with the classics when it comes to naming thebest movie musical numbers. However,it’s important not to overlook the classics,which naturally helped shape what the genre has become today.
10"Luck Be A Lady"
Guys And Dolls (1955)
With directorRob Marshall expected to helm aGuys and Dollsremake, it’s the perfect time to take a look back at the original screen version of this classic musical. Marlon Brando’s inimitable rendition of the score’s standout song is a rare example of speak-singing in the 1950s.
Brando insisted on singing live in the scene without overdubbing, and his performance is more vibrant than any professional singer could have managed to make it. Frank Sinatra may have been the movie’s best vocalist, but this is far-and-away its best musical number.
9"Moon River"
Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961)
Breakfast at Tiffany’sis amongAudrey Hepburn’s best movie performancesregardless of this iconic song, but Hepburn’s wispy performance of “Moon River” helped elevate the film to the status of an all-time classic. It’s now impossible to imagine the movie without this seductive ballad.
“Moon River” has arguably become the defining moment of Audrey Hepburn’s career.
While it isn’t a musical,Breakfast at Tiffany’suses the song as its central motif. “Moon River” was actually written especially for the movie byPeter Gunntheme composer Henry Mancini, with lyrics by Tin Pan Alley veteran Johnny Mercer. It’s arguably become the defining moment of Audrey Hepburn’s career in the six decades since.
8"The Trolley Song"
Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)
Meet Me in St. Louisfeatures several great vocal performances from one of the verygreatest Old Hollywood actresses, Judy Garland. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” in particular, could easily have made this list. Yet, it’s ensemble number “The Trolley Song” that best exemplifies the exuberant spirit of Vincente Minnelli’s 1944 movie.
Performed entirely aboard a streetcar meant to signify the homely feel of St. Louis, Missouri for the titular Smith family,“The Trolley Song” is a multi-sensory experience full of onomatopoeic music and lyrics, which is ultimately impossible not to join in with.
7"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"
Mary Poppins (1964)
If “The Trolley Song” uses onomatopoeia to hook you in, theSherman Brothers’ best Disney songuses something different altogether to invent one of the longest words in the English Dictionary.Mary Poppinsis another movie that could easily have contributed multiple songs to this list, butnothing else in the Julie Andrews classic is as deliriously funas “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
The Oxford English Dictionary first included a word similar to supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with a different spelling in 1931, 33 years before the release ofMary Poppins.
The number has been both perplexing and entertaining children everywhere for more than 60 years, but it’s not just youngsters who enjoy it. I defy any adult reading this article who’s seenMary Poppinsto stop themselves from either singing the tune or trying to say the word.
6"As Time Goes By"
Casablanca (1942)
The version of jazz standard “As Time Goes By” performed inCasablancais so venerated by the cinema industry thatWarner Bros. includes a line from the song’s melody in its animated logoto this day. Dooley Wilson’s performance of the number in the movie is preceded by one ofCasablancabest and most repeated quotes.
“Dooley Wilson’s Sam is unforgettable, acting as conscience and confidante while also performing the film’s signature song.” - Sarah Moran -ScreenRant’s review ofCasablanca
“Play it, Sam,” Ingrid Bergman’s Ilsa tells Wilson’s character. The song was already well-known in jazz circles by 1942, afterit debuted in the 1931 Broadway musicalEverybody’s Welcome. But it was theCasablancaversion that would define the sound of cinematic romance for generations to come.
5"Do Re Mi"
The Sound Of Music (1965)
Of all the genre-defining musical numbers to feature inThe Sound of Music, “Do Re Mi” is surely the most integral to the movie’s message about the power of song. Arguably the greatestmusical movie to win the Best Picture Oscar, the big-screen rendering of the von Trapp family’s true story is overflowing with landmark showtunes.
The song’s educational aspirations and earworm of a melody make it a staple starting point for singing lessons across the globe.
Playful ensemble number “So Long, Farewell”, pop standard “My Favorite Things”, yearning ballad “Edelweiss”, and the enchanting title track all belong in the pantheon of all-time great musical songs. Still, none of them figure more prominently in the world of music than “Do Re Mi.”
The song’s educational aspirations and earworm of a melody make it a staple starting point for singing lessons across the globe.Rarely has music sounded more intrinsically embedded in our natural surroundingsthan in the delightful collection of homophones Julie Andrews has to play with here.
4"America"
West Side Story (1961)
We shouldn’t be surprised thatSteven Spielberg’sWest Side Storyremake failed at the box office, given the act it had to follow. Rita Moreno and George Chakiris sparkle in the original 1961 film version of this stunning set-piece number about race and class divides in the United States of their day.
Only very occasionally do musical numbers transcend their own story, and speak directly to their audience about social issues or the human condition.West Side Story’s “America” is one such remarkable occasion, andits message is helped along by some of the most brilliantly imaginative choreographyin the history of musical cinema.
3"Cheek To Cheek"
Top Hat (1935)
Speaking of choreography, nobody does it better than Fred Astaire and his dance partner Ginger Rogers.Top Hatis thegreat movie star’s best movie, not least thanks to this legendary number that’s the all-singing, all-dancing highlight of Astaire’s glittering career with Rogers.
Astaire works his way through three different voices in a two-minute vocal performance at the start of the song, after which he and his partner break intothe greatest couple dance in movie history. They sail through several forms of ballroom, jazz and tap dance before the number draws to a close, and we pick our jaws up off the floor.
2"Over The Rainbow"
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Judy Garland was just 16 years old whenThe Wizard of Ozturned her into a global megastar, and “Over the Rainbow” made her one of modern music’s most iconic voices. Since then, this ballad by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg has gone far beyond the world of musicals, ranking among the 20th century’s most popular and recognizable songs.
By the end of the movie, “Over the Rainbow” had already outgrown Dorothy’s parochial dream. Now, it belongs to all of us.
Still,it all started with Garland’s big-screen character Dorothyimagining that there was a world beyond her home in Kansas. She’d later come to cherish the place she left behind to visit Oz, but by then “Over the Rainbow” had already outgrown Dorothy’s parochial dream. Now, it belongs to all of us.
1"Singin' In The Rain"
Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
Thebest original movie musical of all timealso features the best original musical number in the entire cinematic canon. Gene Kelly’s version of “Singin’ in the Rain” isthe most singable, hummable movie tune around, while his performance of the song in the 1952 film of the same name is surely the most iconic musical moment on the big screen.
This song is inextricably intertwined with film’s evolution from the silent era to talkies, both in its real-life history dating back to 1929, and in the story of the movie it lends its name to. It’s also been referenced everywhere from Stanley Kubrick’sA Clockwork Orangeto Damien Chazelle’sLa La Land.
When it comes tomusical numbers in classic movies, “Singin’ in the Rain” has to be top of the pile. More than any other song, it’s impossible to imagine modern cinema without it.
