Speakers to silver screens: Which hit songs inspired Hollywood films?

Bee Gees, 'Night Fever' - In 1977, the Bee Gees manager was producing a movie about the New York disco scene that he wanted to call 'Saturday Night.' The Bee Gees didn't like the name, and had already written a song called 'Night Fever,' so they convinced their manager to change the film's title to 'Saturday Night Fever.'

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The Clovers, 'Love Potion No.9' - The 1959 song saw early success in the US, even more so when it was recorded by The Searchers. The 1992 rom-com, starring Sandra Bullock and Tate Donovan, used the original story from the song.

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Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston, 'It Takes Two' - The film of the same name, starring the Olsen twins, got its name from the famous song, and you can hear it in the credits.

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The B-52s, 'Private Idaho' - Gus Van Sant used the title of this song for his 1991 movie 'My Own Private Idaho.' You can see him thank the band in the credits!

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Stan Jones, '(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend' - The 1948 song influenced a lot of art, but particularly the 1949 Western film 'Riders in the Sky,' about a rancher accused of murder and a man who wants to clear his name.

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The Doors, 'Riders On the Storm' - This song was actually born from a jam session around Stan Jones' song. Eric Red, screenwriter of the 1986 film 'The Hitcher,' has said that this song's cinematic imagery of a killer on the road in a storm was the starting point for his screenplay.

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Soundgarden, 'Outshined' - The line, "I am looking California but feeling Minnesota" from this song became one of the most memorable Soundgarden lyrics ever, and it even crept into the 1996 film 'Feeling Minnesota' starring Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz.

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Elvis Presley, 'Love Me Tender' - The 1956 black-and-white film of the same name was actually changed from 'The Reno Brothers' after Presley's single became the first ever to pass one million in advanced sales. It was also the King's acting debut!

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ABBA, 'Mamma Mia' - The hit 1975 track, and a whole album's worth of ABBA's other songs, formed the foundation for the 2008 hit musical rom-com.

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Arlo Guthrie, 'Alice's Restaurant Massacree' - 'Alice's Restaurant' is a 1969 comedy, directed by Arthur Penn, adapted from the 1967 folk song. Alro Guthrie, son of Woodie Guthrie, even stars in the film!

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Buddy Holly, 'Peggy Sue Got Married' - In this song, Holly finds out that the girl from his 1957 hit 'Peggy Sue' has gotten married. The sequel song became the title for the 1986 movie starring Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage.

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Jeannie C. Riley, 'Harper Valley P.T.A.' - This wildly successful country hit topped the charts and inspired both a 1978 film and a 1981 spin-off television series, both starring Barbara Eden as the main character of the song.

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C.W. McCall, 'Convoy' - The Western novelty song about a convoy of truckers that go rogue inspired Sam Peckinpah to make his 1978 movie of the same name.

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Heatwave, 'Boogie Nights' - The 1977 song is about the groovy evenings out dancing in the disco era, and the 1997 film, set in the year the song was released, appropriately took its name from the emblematic song. The film starred Mark Wahlberg.

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N.W.A., 'Boyz-N-the-Hood' - The N.W.A. song about life in Compton, CA, inspired the 1991 movie of the same name, starring Ice Cube in his first role as a street-smart teenager who spent time in prison.

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Lauren Alaina, 'Road Less Traveled' - The 'American Idol' alumna's 2015 song was adapted into a feature-length film in 2016, written by Michael and Samantha Shear, directed by Blair Hayes, and starring Alaina in her debut movie role.

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Kenny Rogers, 'The Gambler' - The 1978 song spawned not one, but five made-for-TV movies, from 1980 to 1994, starring none other than Rogers himself. The first was also the highest-rated TV film of the year!

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Mariah Carey, 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' - Other than being the signature song performed at the climax of 'Love Actually,' Mariah Carey's famous Christmas song formed the basis of a 2017 animated film.

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Rick Nelson, 'Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)' - This popular song was written in 1940 and recorded by many different artists, but Nelson's version was the highest on the charts. The song inspired the 1997 rom-com 'Fools Rush In,' starring Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek.

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Bessie Smith, 'St. Louis Blues' - Though several other artists also recorded this song, Smith's was regarded as the best and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1993. In 1929, Bessie Smith made her only film appearance, starring in a movie based off her hit song.

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Julie Brown, 'Earth Girls Are Easy' - The 1984 song's plot inspired the 1988 musical sci-fi rom-com starring Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Damon Wayans, Jim Carrey, and Julie Brown herself.

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Jimmy Boyd, 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' - Countless variations of the song, written by Tommie Connor, have been recorded, but it also inspired a made-for-TV family film starring Dylan and Cole Sprouse in 2001.

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The Persuaders, 'Thin Line Between Love And Hate' - The hit song, written from the perspective of a man whose woman is loyal to him despite his blatant indiscretions, inspired a 1996 film of the same name starring and directed by Martin Lawrence. He plays a philanderer who, like the man in the song, gets his comeuppance.

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Bruce Springsteen, 'Highway Patrolman' - This song is written from the viewpoint of a highway patrolman whose brother is constantly getting into trouble, and it provided the basis for Sean Penn's 1991 film 'The Indian Runner.'

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Toby Keith and Willie Nelson, 'Beer For My Horses' - This number one country hit of 2002 was turned into a film in 2008, starring Toby Keith and Rodney Carrington, and featuring a lot of guns, trucks, and—of course—Willie Nelson.

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MercyMe, 'I Can Only Imagine' - The best-selling Christian single of all time was adapted into a 2018 Christian drama feature film by the Erwin Brothers, starring J. Michael Finley and Dennis Quaid. A specially recorded version of the song appears in the film as well.

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Kenny Vance, 'Looking For an Echo' - This 1975 song tells the nostalgic story of a Doo-Wop group that was always searching for a good place to sing, and it inspired the 2000 movie of the same name, which is told from the perspective of a faded Doo-Wop star.

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Lady Gaga, 'Bad Romance' - So it's not an American film, but this hit pop song inspired the plot of a 2011 mainland China indie drama. The filmmaker, François Chang, apparently took the essence of the song to create a story of seven people who each become transformed by love.

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Dolly Parton, 'Jolene' - The 2008 drama, directed by Dan Ireland and starring Jessica Chastain, was based on the short story 'Jolene: A Life' by E. L. Doctorow, which was based on Parton's 1973 song.

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