The next stop on the Best of the 00′s tour is my top 10 greatest songs from film. The rules for eligibility on this one may seem a little tricky, but I wanted to go with original songs only. Therefore the great music from Chicago (All That Jazz), Dream Girls (And I Am Telling You), or even Nine (Be Italian) was not eligible for my list. Also, just because AMPAS made a song ineligible for their list, does not mean it was ineligible for mine (see song #10).
Once again, my choice for the number 1 spot was a very easy decision for me. In fact, I think my favorite Oscar moment of the decade came when this song won the Oscar for Best Original Song. If you have not seen the movie it is from, do yourself a favor a rent this little seen treasure.
If you have missed any of my prior top 10 lists of the decade, feel free to check out my Characters, Male Performances, Female Performances and Quotes pages.
And as always, feel free to leave comments on your thoughts about my choices as well as your own top ten film songs of the decade!
See the 10 songs after the jump…
10. Help Yourself – Sad Brad Smith (Up in the Air, 2009) (Ruled ineligible for Oscar)
9. Aniron (Theme for Aragorn and Arwen) – Enya (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001)
8. Jai Ho! – A. R. Rahman, by Mahalakshmi Iyer, Tanvi Shah, Vijay Prakash and Sukhwinder Singh (Slumdog Millionaire, 2008) (Won Best Original Song Oscar)
7. Guaranteed – Eddie Vedder (Into the Wild, 2007)
6. Things Have Changed – Bob Dylan (Wonder Boys, 2000) (Won Best Original Song Oscar)
5. The Wrestler – Bruce Springsteen (The Wrestler, 2008)
4. The Weary Kind – Ryan Bingham (Crazy Heart, 2009) (Heavy favorite to win Best Original Song at this years Oscars)
3. Into the West – Annie Lennox (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003) (Won Best Original Song Oscar)
2. Lose Yourself – Eminem (8 Mile, 2002) (Won Best Original Song Oscar)
1. Falling Slowly – Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Once, 2007) (Won Best Original Song Oscar)
(Honorable Mention: In the Deep – Bird York (Crash, 2005); It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp – Three 6 Mafia (Hustle and Flow, 2005); You Know My Name – Chris Cornell (Casino Royale, 2006); When Your Mind’s Made Up – Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Once, 2007); That’s How You Know – Amy Adams (Enchanted, 2007); If I Didn’t Have You – John Goodman and Billy Crystal (Monster’s, Inc., 2001); Gollum’s Song – Emiliana Torrini (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002); Belleville Rendez-Vous – Michele Caucheteux, Jean-Claude Donda, Michel Robin, and Monica Viegas (The Triplets of Belleville, 2003); Man of the Hour – Pearl Jam (Big Fish, 2003); Old Habits Die Hard – Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart (Alfie, 2004); Al Otro Lado del Rio – Jorge Drexler (The Motorcycle Diaries, 2004); All is Love – Karen O and the Kids (Where the Wild Things Are, 2009).
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Like the top male performance, there is no arguing this one. This song had me even before it was performed. Just hearing the basic notes while he was teaching it to her, I knew it would be something special. I can’t recall what happened the five minutes after the song because I was just in awe of what I had witnessed.
Falling Slowly was the perfect song for the perfect moment in a perfect movie.
In conclusion, I really love the song.
P.S. – Their Oscars speeches are the epitome of class.
Anthony, I couldn’t have said it better.
I agree with all but Lose Yourself…. and at the #2 spot????? Falling Slowly is a great song.. glad to see it was your top pick…
i strongly believe that GUARANTEED AND JAI HO deserved higher places… but it was ok and in the honorary list i would have included O SAYA from slumdog millionaire. and RISE also from INTO THE WILD (indeed, i believe this is more beautiful than guaranteed) it’s terrific. i agree with the first place and with the mentioning of chris cornell’s YOU KNOW MY NAME great song…
but nice list. now what’s next?
Overplayed or overhyped, Lose Yourself won a LOT of awards and still gets me pumped up whenever I hear it.
Next up is my top 10 Scores of the decade.
Ela ela dude….nice stuff…
Lose Yourself has the same effect on me. It actually started playing on my ipod as I started reading the list.
I would like to give a personal honorable mention to Upside Down by Jack Johnson from Curious George.
Can’t wait for the next list!
I’ll have to check that song out as well Anthony. I am not familiar with it.
“A Mighty Wind” is tragically excluded.
Ha! See… that’s why I count on you guys/girls to leave comments! Helps me remember the ones I may have forgotten.
My top 10 greatest movie songs of the decade(listed by song title, musical artist or performer & film title/year released date in parentheses):
10.) Accidentally In Love, The Counting Crows(Shrek 2/2004)
9.) Hero, Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott(Spider-Man/2002)
8.) The Hill, Marketa Irglova(Once/2007)
7.) The Weary Kind, Ryan Bingham(Crazy Heart/2009)
****6.) The Wrestler, Bruce Springsteen(The Wrestler/2008)
5.) Guaranteed, Eddie Vedder(Into the Wild/2007)
4.) Long Nights, Eddie Vedder(Into the Wild/2007)
***3.) Coyotes, Don Edwards(Grizzly Man/2005)
**2.) Extreme Ways, Moby(The Bourne Identity/2002, The Bourne Supremacy/2004, The Bourne Ultimatum/2007)
1.) Falling Slowly, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova(Once/2007)
Honorable mention(unranked):
Society, Eddie Vedder(Into the Wild/2007)
Rise, Eddie Vedder(Into the Wild/2007)
Anyone Else But You, The Moldy Peaches(Juno/2007)
Lose Yourself, Eminem(8 Mile/2002)
Things Have Changed, Bob Dylan(Wonder Boys/2000)
When Your Mind’s Made Up, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova(Once/2007)
If You Want Me, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova(Once/2007)
Belleville Rendez-Vous, Michele Caucheteux, Jean-Claude Donda, Michel Robin and Monica Viegas(The Triplets of Belleville/2003)
*Jai Ho, A.R. Rahman, by Mahalakshmi Iyer, Tanvi Shah, Vijay Prakash and Sukhwinder Singh(Slumdog Millionaire/2008)
*I know I had mentioned before that I didn’t like “Jai Ho”. That’s not really true. I like it. I just didn’t like it as much as “The Wrestler” from the same year.
**This song gets me jacked up. Every time I listen to it, I feel like running out into the streets, pretend I am Jason Bourne and start kicking butt!
***This is a haunting song from what is easily my favorite documentary film of the decade, GRIZZLY MAN(2005), directed by the legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog.
****I could have easily switched this song’s place with “The Weary Kind”, but the beautiful intro and piano exit to “The Wrestler” is the reason why I put it ahead of “The Weary Kind”.
Great list! I will have to get more acquainted with the Into the Wild soundtrack. I only know three songs from the film and I love them all. A few people have mentioned a couple more that I am not familiar with. I’ll check it out this weekend!
Seems like most will agree… Falling Slowly is the greatest film song of the decade!
Thanks a lot! No doubt with “Falling Slowly”! I also want to say that I am thrilled you remembered “Things Have Changed” & “Belleville Rendez-Vous”, especially the former since that song was from the beginning of the decade(2000). Both of these songs were on my mind from the start.
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