25 songs we're tired of hearing on movie soundtracks

First recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1967 and later by Diana Ross in 1970, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" became a staple of films where a feeling of togetherness and overcoming struggle is needed. The song can be seen in countless films from "Guardians of the Galaxy" through "Stepmom," "Sister Act 2" and "Remember the Titans." There may be no mountain high enough, but maybe the ceiling is the roof for using this classic for awhile. 

Bill Withers' 1971 soul classic is often used in films wherever there's a need to show a breakup or other significant loss. In small doses in films like "Flight" or "Munich," it's fine, but when overused, it can lead to some overly sappy scenes like in "Old School" and "Notting Hill," which ends up cheapening what is truly a classic song of loss and regret. 

There is probably no song in existence that is used to describe dissent, struggle or war like Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower", although the song originated with Bob Dylan, his version is rarely used by filmmakers, instead opting for Hendrix's version, which appears in pretty much any film that has a war or protest theme set in the '60s or '70s. Examples include: "Watchmen," "Forrest Gump," "Rush," "Flashback," "1969" and "Withnail & I."

While calling Smash Mouth a one-hit wonder might be a teensy bit of a stretch, the one song that's guaranteed to show up on their collective tombstones is 1999's "All Star." an insanely annoying song that filmmakers love to use as a super saccharine ode to celebrations. Originally included on the "Mystery Men" soundtrack, the song was famously used in films like "Shrek "and "Rat Race," in addition to trailers for most family films in the early-2000s.

Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" is a standard go-to for filmmakers who want to provide a groovy sense of foreboding in a film. Probably the best use of the song appeared in John Landis' horror comedy classic "An American Werewolf in London." Since then, the song has appeared ad nauseam in a variety of films such as "The Big Chill," "Transylmania," "Mr. Woodcock," "Man of the House" and "American Flyers."

Need a character to show how tough they are? Look no further than George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone," a song used so much to butch up a scene, it broke the barriers of parody (see:"Terminator 2: Judgment Day") long ago. You can see it's various "bad" uses in films like, "The Muppets," "Megamind," "Joe Dirt," "3000 Miles to Graceland," "Major Payne," "Flesh and Bone," and the "Problem Child" series.

Outside of "Bad to the Bone," no other song encapsulates campy butch like Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild". Originally used – and correctly so – in open road classic "Easy Rider," the song has since become a standard for any film that needs to give viewers a spirit of rebellion, regardless of the genre. Examples of overuse include: "Hotel for Dogs," "Borat," "Dudley Do-Right," "Wild America," "Flashback," "One Crazy Summer," "Lost In America," and, of course, "Bad to the Bone" (dog movies, sheesh).

A beautiful composition created for the Academy Award-winning film of the same name, Vangelis' "Chariots of Fire", only made the film greater. Since then, the song found itself recycled in far lesser films like "Happy Gilmore," "Old School" and "Madagascar," in order to depict some sort of epic victory, often set to slow motion and almost always for comedic effect. 

Somewhere, there has to be a hidden document that decrees that any film about Vietnam, or the futility of war in general has to, by law, include Buffalo Springfield's 1966 counter-culture classic "For What It's Worth." While it appears in films like Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam," "Tropic Thunder," "Lord of War" and "Coming Home," the song was not meant as an anti-war anthem. It was originally written in response to the Hollywood "Hippie Riots" in November 1966.

Unlike "For What It's Worth," the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," was written as an anti-war anthem, but largely because of its use in the Maysles Brothers' documentary of the same name, the song became a go-to for any film needing to depict chaos or disarray, largely in a crime setting (Martin Scorsese being the biggest culprit). Examples include: 
"Goodfellas," "Casino," "Air America," "The Departed," "Layer Cake" and "The Fan." 

Winning the award for most overused song to convey emotions of loss and piety has to be Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," a song that on its own is a meditative masterpiece, but in film is used to stir up emotions on death and dying... or just being a martyr in general. From "The West Wing," "ER," "Crossing Jordan," "Criminal Minds," "House," "Ugly Betty," to "Shrek," "Lord of War," "Without a Trace," "Third Watch" and "NCIS," you can count on hearing this song when a major character dies.

What started out as a simple B-side disco tune from the '70s that uses probably the one hook to describe Asian culture somehow managed to become a cult phenomenon used by filmmakers to pretty much reinforce every stereotype using martial arts as a comedy device. But since it's mostly fun and harmless as an ode to Kung Fu cinema of the same era, Carl Douglas' one-hit wonder has been largely embraced and featured in films like "Horrible Bosses," "Kung Fu Panda," "Rush Hour 3," "Beverly Hills Ninja," "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie," "Supercop" and "I’m Gonna Git You Sucka."

If you need to butch up your characters, use "Bad to the Bone," but if you need to butch up your characters in a cool, So-Cal stereotypical way, you go to WAR's "Low Rider". The song appears in over 18 feature films and countless television shows, including, "Up in Smoke," "Friday," "Dazed and Confused," "Blood In Blood Out," "Colors," "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," "21 Grams" and "Gone in Sixty Seconds."

Nothing encapsulates '80s excess and reckless abandon on film quite like the use of Swiss house music pioneer Yello's "Oh Yeah." From its early use in "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off," filmmakers turned the song into an instant cliche, used as an anthem for lustful excess. In recent years, the song is used more as parody than cliche, showing up in "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," "The Office," "The Simpsons," "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Soul Plane" and "Not Another Teen Movie."

Need a wistful soundtrack for your montage or segue? Nothing says thoughtful and pensive better than The Five Starsteps' "O-o-h Child." The song's soulful, uplifting and hopeful theme is a frequent go-to for filmmakers who need to hit the right emotional note, regardless of the genre. The song is featured in montages from John Singleton’s instant classic "Boyz 'n the Hood," to lighter fare such as "Shark Tale," "Bridge to Terabithia" and most notably, in an awkward dance-off in "Guardians of the Galaxy."

Originally written for MGM's the Wizard of Oz to be sung during the film by its lead character (played by Judy Garland), "Over the Rainbow" has since featured in more than 100 films by various artists including "50 First Dates," "Meet Joe Black," "Finding Forrester," "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You’ve Got Mail." The American Film Institute listed the song #1 in its "100 Years...100 Songs" list. Hopefully, after so much use, it will become the #1 most unused song in film sometime in the near future.

Outside of its original use for the soundtrack of 1977's Saturday Night Fever, the Bee-Gee's "Stayin' Alive" became a tried and true device for filmmakers to depict any party or dance scene, to the point of almost instant exhaustion. Films like "Meet Dave," "Arthur and the Invisibles," "Chicken Little," "Madagascar," "Baby Geniuses," "A Night at the Roxbury," "Full Tilt Boogie," "Swingers," "Airplane," "Foul Play," and (obviously) "Staying Alive" are all guilty of beating this song as dead as disco itself.

Need a little Girl Power in a film? Leave it to Scottish singer-songwriter K.T. Tunstall's "Suddenly I See" as the answer, which films like "The Devil Wears Prada," "Blind Dating," "Ghost Whisperer," "The Hills," "Ugly Betty" and "Love, Rosie" have to create uplifting images of feminism in action.

Not sure where a film is set? Don't worry, if the film is set in the South, you'll know it because Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" will quickly remind you, even if the majority of the films where the song is used – save for Reese Witherspoon vehicle "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Forrest Gump" – aren't actually set in Alabama. "NASCAR: The IMAX Experience," "The Girl Next Door," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)," "Joe Dirt," "Con Air," "Crimson Tide" (the sub is the USS Alabama) and "Mask."

Judging by the sheer number of films that overuse the Rolling Stones' classic "Sympathy For the Devil", one might think bad guys are mostly misunderstood. You can routinely hear this track in films like "Interview with the Vampire," "Fallen," "The Devil's Advocate" and "Suicide Squad" where the villains find a way to come out on top, in essence creating a cliche unto itself.

Spandau Ballet's schmoozy ballad was a hallmark of '80s schmoozy ballads, but nowadays it finds itself overused "ironically" in a myriad of films that want include the song as a wink and a nod to '80s obnoxiousness that at this point is almost meta in its obnoxious overuse. Examples include "Hot Tub Time Machine," "I Love You Beth Cooper," "Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector," "Duplex," "Grind," "I’m with Lucy," "Not Another Teen Movie" and "The Wedding Singer."

While the best use of '80s staple "Walking on Sunshine" might be in the '80s satire of "American Psycho," the song is more often used as a soundtrack for happiness in general. Films like "The Secret of My Success," "Bean," "Look Who’s Talking" and "Daddy Day Care" are all guilty for its overuse, but the real crime is possibly in how many trailers the song shows up in.

Whether it's Louis Armstrong's classic version or Israel Kamakawiwo'ole’s 1993 ukulele-filled mashup with "Over the Rainbow," "What a Wonderful World" has been used in countless films to express feelings of beauty all around, often towards the end of a film. You can see examples of this in "New Year’s Eve," "Bowling for Columbine," "Finding Forrester," "Meet Joe Black," "Madeline," "Michael," "12 Monkeys" and "Good Morning Vietnam."

Jefferson Airplane's '60s psychedelic classic "White Rabbit" is simply and egregiously used pretty much whenever a scene that includes drugs, drug use or hallucinations in general calls for it. Which, by the sheer number of films which use it, like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," "Purple Haze," "America’s Sweethearts," "Coming Home," "Circuit," "Love and Music," "Where the Truth Lies," and "Go Ask Alice," is very often.

Whoever let the dogs out should be forced into sleep in the dog house because someone has to pay for what is possibly one of the most annoying songs ever written. The Baha Men made a fair coin from films that used the song in everything from sporting events to just about every children's movie you can think of, including "Rat Race," "Men in Black 2," "Bubble Boy" and pretty much all movies where a dog is involved. For everyone's sake, put the dogs back in.