The American Film Institute has recently revealed the list for the top 100 movie songs of all time. Chosen from 400 nominees, jurors considered the following criteria while making their selection:

Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes in length.

American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.

Song: Music and lyrics featured in an American film that set a tone or mood, define character, advance plot and/or express the film's themes in a manner that elevates the moving image art form. Songs may have been written and/or recorded specifically for the film or previously written and/or recorded and selected by the filmmaker to achieve the above goals.

Cultural Impact: Songs that have captured the nation's heart, echoed beyond the walls of a movie theater, and ultimately stand in our collective memory of the film itself.

Legacy: Songs that resonate across the century, enriching America's film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today.

And here are the songs that made it to the top ten on the AFI list, and I must confess, they're all pretty good~! (.. though I can't really stand song number 9! ;p )

1. Over the Rainbow (The Wizard Of Oz, 1939)
2. As Time Goes By (Casablanca, 1942)
3. Singin' in the Rain (Singin' in the Rain, 1952)
4. Moon River (Breakfast At Tiffany's, 1961)
5. White Christmas (Holiday Inn, 1942)
6. Mrs Robinson (The Graduate, 1967)
7. When You Wish Upon A Star (Pinocchio, 1940)
8. The Way We Were (The Way We Were, 1973)
9. Stayin' Alive (Saturday Night Fever, 1977)
10. The Sound Of Music (The Sound Of Music, 1965)

It's interesting to note that most of the songs that were eventually selected to be listed can be considered as "oldies" with only a handful representing songs from movies that were made within the last decade or so. For instance, only FOUR songs from the top 50 spots were from movies made/released in the years AFTER my birth and these are, Celine Dion's mush-fest My Heart WIll Go On (Titanic, 1997) at no.14, the Righteous Brothers' soulful Unchained Melody (Ghost, 1990) at no.27, Fight The Power (Do The Right Thing, 1989) by rap-duo Public Enemy at no.40, and Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings (Beaches, 1988) at no.44.

Of course, this list would probably not mean much to the average Singaporean but lovers/appreciators of American film and its rich and colorful history would have a greater cause for celebration. Well, anyway, Eminem's Lose Yourself from 8 Mile DID manage to scrape through onto the list at no. 93. How lucky~

 4:27 PM