Top 5 Tuesday

I’ve had quite a bit of time in my absence to plot my top 5 for this week, but rather than anything especially eloquent or grandiose, I opted to stick to my favorite musical moments in movies. It took me a while to whittle down the list, but I’m especially pleased with these five. It was hard to cut out GREAT ones like What a Feeling in Flashdance or Secret Garden in Jerry Maguire, but these are truly the ones I remember the most, and watch over and over again.




5. Wouldn’t it Be Nice-50 First Dates. This isn’t the first, or BEST, time that Drew Barrymore and a feelgood Beach Boys song have been united, but it was a perfect combination for her whimsical reunion with Adam Sandler. Those two make a great pair in romantic comedies! Anyway, I loved the scenes with forgetful Lucy painting the same room over and over again, and her unabashed, slightly off-tune singing of the sweet song. I couldn't help but include this video, by the way-hilarious!




4. If You Were Here, 16 Candles. Ah, Sixteen Candles. I’m awash in fond memories of the many, many sleepovers spent watching this movie, the offensive re-enactments of Long Duck Dong’s drunken partying, mocking at the nerd’s expense, and most especially, gratuitous rewinding of the desperately romantic final scene with Jake Ryan. Does any girl not feel a tender thrill of nostalgia when hearing the strains of the Thompson Twins?


3. Brown-Eyed Girl/Runaround Sue, Sleeping with the Enemy. I shamefully acknowledged in this post that my first real exposure to the quintessential Van Morrison song was in this movie. I KNOW! It’s embarrassing! In my defense, I was fairly young at the time, not more than 15. The two songs together provide what is most certainly one of my most favorite Julia Roberts moments. After running from her abusive husband, Julia’s character meets and falls for a charming young theater professor, and for their first date, he takes her to the local university’s theater department, sharing all his knowledge of special effects and letting her frolic amongst the costumes. It’s a positively delightful stretch of film, made especially wonderful with the two selected songs.

2. In Your Eyes, Say Anything. This is one 80’s movie that I didn’t actually watch until I was in college, though for the life of me I don’t know why. It’s certainly the best, putting John Hughes and Molly Ringwald to absolute shame. Who doesn’t love Lloyd Dobler? How can one not be touched by his relentless quest for the love of one Diane Court? Of course, even the few who haven’t seen the movie will likely know the iconic image of John Cusack, decked out in full 80’s garb, brandishing his boombox, standing outside Diane’s window, despite the fact that SHE rejected him. The song, so significant to their experience of first love, has the best lyrics on my list. I can’t believe I didn’t include it on my wedding playlist.


1. Flightless Bird, American Mouth, Twilight. Reputedly, Kristen Stewart suggested this song for the final, blissfully romantic prom scene. Say what you will about the moody, famously awkward actress, but she has excellent musical taste. I'm a fan, by the way-she's a fabulous actress. The song is absolutely perfect-it MAKES the scene. I don’t even need to write anything else!

Did I skip anything especially wonderful?