00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the songs whose use in memorable movie endings made their popularity skyrocket.
00:13To be clear, we won't be including any songs specifically written for the movies they appear in, although a few remixes might appear.
00:19Also, naturally. Spoilers ahead.
00:21Going Nowhere, Going Nowhere
00:27Number 10. A Real Hero by College Featuring Electric Youth, Drive
00:33This ethereal synth song features prominently throughout this Ryan Gosling crime film.
00:46Effectively acting as the main theme for Gosling's unnamed driver, a real hero truly shines with the movie's bittersweet ending.
00:53The driver's attempt to save his neighbor Irene and her son sees him stabbed by a mobster.
00:57However, he manages to kill the man in return, and decides to leave the money, effectively putting an end to the conflict and ensuring Irene's safety.
01:05What a warmer than his head so cool, but that type I knew what to do.
01:14As the driver drives off into the night, leaving her behind for her safety, the song's frequent refrain and title has never been truer.
01:21The film truly helped a real hero become a real hit, receiving accolades and notoriety after its release.
01:27Real human being
01:30And a real hero
01:34Number 9. The Promise by When in Rome
01:37Napoleon Dynamite
01:39If you need a friend
01:41Don't look to a stranger
01:46There are a ton of tracks throughout this indie cult hit comedy that received new or renewed attention, particularly from the 80s, and the song that closes it out is no exception.
01:56In a simple scene, the titular Napoleon is joined for a game of tetherball by Deb, as The Promise plays, lending this moment of friendship a timeless, nostalgic feeling.
02:05Take a look all around
02:07And I'll be there
02:12Although When in Rome's classic synth-pop tune was a hit upon initial release in 1988, it reached a whole new generation with its inclusion here.
02:20When you need a friend, this song will be there.
02:22When you need a friend, this song will be there.
02:23I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the ride
02:25So I promise you
02:27I know they don't sound the way I planned that to be
02:31Number 8. Slow Ride by Foghat
02:34Dazed and Confused
02:35The ultimate hangout movie, Dazed and Confused is loaded from top to bottom with incredible 70s rock songs.
02:49While Foghat's Slow Ride has long been a fixture of classic rock, it's still inextricably tied to this ending.
02:54After a wild night, Mitch settles down to listen to the tune, as several of the older characters he met along the way drive off to buy concert tickets.
03:10Slow Ride perfectly captures the chill, rock and roll attitude of the film.
03:14It's become so linked with the movie that it's equally famous as the ultimate hangout song.
03:19It's right there in the lyrics. Take it easy.
03:22Alright, alright, alright
03:24Number 7. The End by The Doors
03:27Apocalypse Now
03:29This is the end, beautiful friend
03:35It's fitting that a song called The End helps close out this epic, often surreal war film, even if it does open it too.
03:43During Willard's climatic assassination of the mad Colonel Kurtz, this uncanny, frantic rock song accompanies the long-anticipated act.
03:51Mind-bending, long, and loaded with counter-cultural elements, the song perfectly fits this truly unique Vietnam War movie.
03:58Come on, baby, take a chance with us
04:06While The End had already been a hit for The Doors for over ten years prior, the remixed version used in Apocalypse Now
04:11helped secure the track's legacy as the quintessential dark, psychedelic auditory journey.
04:16Just imagining the movie without it? Horror. Indeed.
04:20Number 6. Oh Yeah by Yellow
04:31Ferris Bueller's Day Off
04:32The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California
04:37Oh yeah
04:42There's just no escaping that iconic chorus, is there?
04:45Although used several times during the film, Yellow's legendary new wave song is played in full during the ending.
04:50Ferris Bueller's nemesis, Principal Rooney, is forced to hitch a ride with his students after having his plans foiled by Ferris at every turn.
04:57Did you get in a fight?
04:59Oh yeah
05:01You want a lift?
05:03It's overpowering presence in the finale only further emphasizes Ferris' victory over Rooney,
05:09and is held cemented as being not only synonymous with the movie, but also with the unrestrained freedom and desire embodied by Bueller, Bueller, himself.
05:24Number 5. Wake Up by Rage Against The Machine The Matrix
05:28Just about every frame of this cyberpunk action thriller oozes cool, but the song that underscores its ending takes it to another level.
05:44After Neo delivers a badass speech to the machines running The Matrix, promising to open the eyes of everyone trapped inside it to the truth,
05:51this hard rock song drops as he flies past the camera.
06:01While its headbanging sound and rebellious lyrics are certainly enough to make an impact,
06:04the song's association with The Matrix has kept the perfectly titled Wake Up by the equally appropriately named Rage Against The Machine
06:11just as much of a cultural touchstone.
06:18Number 4. Midnight The Stars and You by Ray Noble's Mayfair Dance Orchestra featuring Al Bully, The Shining
06:27It's good to see you.
06:29It's good to be back, Lloyd.
06:32What'll it be so?
06:34The hair of the dog that bit me.
06:37Nearly everything about this iconic horror film is unnerving, and that includes its musical choices.
06:42Earlier in the film, Jack Torrance is seduced by a phantasmal party within the abandoned Overlook Hotel,
06:47where this same foxtrot ballad plays, and by the film's end, Jack has been driven mad and seemingly frozen to death.
06:53Except, in the final shot, the camera zooms in on Jack in a period photo from years earlier,
06:58having apparently become a part of the Overlook's history.
07:01Midnight The Stars and You is an otherwise pleasant classic tune,
07:11but its use in this ending has secured its reputation as an eerie, unnerving song,
07:16if its use in other movies and shows is anything to go by.
07:19Saying I surrender, all my love for you.
07:28Number 3. We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn, Doctor Strangelove.
07:32We'll Meet Again.
07:41This stark comedy often pairs bleak events with more uplifting or comedic content throughout its runtime.
07:47However, this reaches its crescendo in its literally explosive climax.
07:51After incompetence and bad luck set off a chain of nuclear reactions that seemingly end the world,
07:56we're treated to a sequence of these detonations, paired with Vera Lynn's wartime ballad, We'll Meet Again.
08:02While the song has always had a certain tragic nostalgia to it,
08:15its ironic pairing with the most grim imagery of all has lent the tune a comedic air, along with making it world famous.
08:21We'll Meet Again. Don't know where. Don't know where.
08:31Number 2. Mad World by Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules. Donnie Darko.
08:37Around me are familiar faces. Worn out places. Worn out faces.
08:47While the song was originally written and performed by Tears for Fears, this version created for Donnie Darko is arguably more well known.
08:54The finale of this mind-bending movie sees the titular Donnie return to the past and dies,
08:59with those he met in the future apparently having vague recollections of the other timeline.
09:03This montage is underscored by a haunting, yet simple piano melody and Gary Jules' breathy vocals.
09:09Mad World has practically become the go-to song for melancholy and lamenting one's fortunes in various media,
09:25and this version of it is practically the definitive one.
09:29When people run in circles, it's a very, very mad world.
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09:52The conclusion of the film about the thing we don't talk about
10:07sees the unnamed narrator overcome his alternate personality, Tyler Durden, in rather violent fashion.
10:13He's then joined by one-off love interest Marla, as they watch the mayhem Tyler unleashed play out,
10:18and the Pixie's echoing tune plays.
10:28Although Where Is My Mind was successful upon its release,
10:31its association with this perennial cult film has lent the song an equally devoted following
10:36and has helped make it the Pixie's most famous song.
10:39It's practically impossible to think of one without the other being on our minds.
10:43Is there a song that got famous because of a movie ending we forgot?
10:55Share your endings in the comments.
10:57the Greggs!
11:00the90 lug
11:04the 60 snipers
11:06the 80s
11:08the 80s
11:09the 60s
11:12of 20
11:15the 80s
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