The UK’s Favourite Movie Soundtracks


Shutterstock / Blueee77 © movie soundtracks

“Grease” is the word, according to a recent survey of the UK’s favourite movie soundtracks.

The study was carried out by Showcase Cinemas to celebrate the release of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”.

The results saw nearly a quarter of Brits (23%) opt for the iconic 1970s musical, with dance classic “Dirty Dancing” (18%) and ABBA extravaganza “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” (16%) rounding off the top three.

Whitney Houston claimed top spot when it came to the UK’s favourite song from a film soundtrack as nearly 1 in 5 (18%) voted for her iconic power ballad “I Will Always Love You” from “The Bodyguard”.

The 90s smash hit narrowly beat competition from Bryan Adams’ “Everything I Do (I Do it For You)”, from 1991s “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” (17%) and “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers, synonymous with 1990s movie “Ghost”.

Favourite song from an animated movie

In the battle to be crowned the UK’s favourite tune from an animated movie, the top two could not be separated.

Singing bear Baloo from 1967’s “Jungle Book” took joint top spot with “The Bare Necessities” (26%) alongside the Elton John composition “Circle of Life” from Disney favourite “The Lion King”.

Support from the younger generation saw 21st century favourite “Let it Go” from “Frozen” propelled into the top three (23%).

Perhaps the most surprising result from the study saw over 1 in 5 people (22%) choose “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from “Evita” as their favourite song from a musical.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber composition edged its way to the top of the list despite fierce competition from “Summer Nights” (21%) and “Grease” (20%), which both landed inside the top three.

“The big screen has provided us with so many iconic soundtracks over the years that it is near impossible to choose a favourite,” Mark Barlow, UK General Manager for Showcase Cinemas, said.

“However, with its enduring popularity ‘Grease’ took top spot, having maintained its status throughout several generations.

“Elsewhere it was interesting to see the UK was unable to decide when it came to their favourite song from an animated movie, with both “The Bare Necessities” and “Circle of Life” providing a heart-warming dose of nostalgia whenever they are heard.

The survey also revealed that over 7 in 10 people (71%) said a good film soundtrack is important to them, with only 1 in 5 saying it doesn’t matter to their enjoyment of a movie.

Best movie soundtracks of all time

  1. “Grease” (1978)
  2. “Dirty Dancing” (1987)
  3. “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” (2018)
  4. “Saturday Night Fever” (1977)
  5. “The Greatest Showman” (2017)
  6. “The Bodyguard” (1992)
  7. “Top Gun” (1986)
  8. “Pulp Fiction” (1994)
  9. “The Graduate” (1967)
  10. “The Wizard Of Oz” (1939)

Best movie song of all time

  1. Whitney Houston – “I Will Always Love You”. From the film, “The Bodyguard”
  2. Bryan Adams – “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”. From the film, “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”
  3. The Righteous Brothers – “Unchained Melody”. From the film, “Ghost”.
  4. The Bee Gees – “Stayin’ Alive”. From the film, “Saturday Night Fever”.
  5. Simon & Garfunkel – “Mrs. Robinson”. From the film, “The Graduate”.
  6. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – “Summer Nights”. From the film, “Grease”.
  7. Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes – “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life”. From the film, “Dirty Dancing”.
  8. Elton John – “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”. From the film, “The Lion King”.
  9. Celine Dion – “My Heart Will Go On”. From the film, “Titanic”.
  10. Huey Lewis and the News – “The Power of Love”. From the film, “Back To The Future”.

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Iain McDonald

Iain is Digital Content Editor at the "Friend", making him responsible for managing flow of interesting and entertaining content on the magazine's website and social media channels.