Top 10 Unexpected Musical Numbers in Non-Musical Movies
#10: “Every Sperm Is Sacred” “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life” (1983)
If anything, the Monty Python crew can always be counted on for a jaunty piece of music to go along with their witty brand of comedy. Though there are some lesser singing moments in the film as well, this is the only one that pulls out all the stops. It pokes fun at certain religious beliefs with a family that is depicted as consisting of sixty-three children because they don’t believe in contraception. When the kids start asking questions, what a better time is there to break out into song and dance? What follows is a hysterically satirical number that sees the whole village join in. Seriously, couldn’t our sex ed classes in school have been this musical?
#9: Diner Dance “Pulp Fiction” (1994)
There’s really no better way to bring together two big personalities than with a good, old-fashioned twist. Tasked with seeing to Marsellus’s wife Mia while he’s out of town, Vincent escorts her to a ‘50s diner like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Following some snippy dialogue regarding Marsellus’s behavior, the scene takes a turn when the two participate in a dance competition. Without physically touching, Mia and Vincent find themselves on the same wavelength regardless, with such fancy footwork it’s difficult for us to believe they aren’t at least a little experienced. Naturally, they win the contest despite going first, though we’d like to believe their moves dissuaded others to even try.
#8: “Bohemian Rhapsody” “Wayne’s World” (1992)
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Now this is how you open up a film in a way that totally endears the audience to your characters. Gearing up for a night on the town, Wayne, Garth and the boys want to pick a song that’ll set the tone in just the right way as they cruise around. Though it’s probably the weirdest tune they could have chosen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen is quite arguably the best for the job all the same. Granted, the close quarters of the car keeps them from busting out entirely, but the gang completely owns it, singing along with gusto one minute and banging their heads the next. The scene has proved so iconic, that the song has become tied to the film forever more.
#7: “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005)
We’re pretty sure we’d be singing and dancing too if we lost our virginity after forty years. Upon marrying the woman he loves and spending his first time with her, Andy kicks off the closing credits with a rendition of “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In” from the musical “Hair,” which appropriately is all about sex. Before long he’s joined by the entire cast in what has to be one of the most hilariously blissful celebrations of life we’ve ever seen. With the film’s preponderance of kooky characters dancing in the background, each of Andy’s friends get a little solo of their own. Even if the individual singing isn’t sublime, it’s the unabashed strangeness that gets us every time.
#6: “Day-O” “Beetlejuice” (1988)
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Here’s another musical number that basically comes out of nowhere. Even by the late ‘80s, we’d pretty much become accustomed to the ways ghosts haunt up a house, and let’s just say forcible singing was not high on the list. Hitting the new homeowners where it hurts, ghost couple Barbara and Adam interrupt a dinner party by singing - or, rather, having them sing - a rendition of “Day-O,” also known as “The Banana Boat Song.” It starts with Catherine O’Hara’s Delia but soon infects the other guests until they’re all out of their seats dancing about. What’s so priceless about the Maitlands showing up these snooty socialites is the confused looks on their faces as their bodies move to the rhythm.
#5: Tearing Up the Dance Floor “Ex Machina” (2014)
Up till now, tech mogul Nathan has been something of an enigma to Caleb, acting like a laid-back dude one minute and an off-putting and potentially dangerous host the next. Caleb seeks out Nathan’s assistant Kyoko, who for all he knows doesn’t speak English. Keen to Caleb’s nascent duplicity, Nathan is one step ahead, shutting down any collusion with… dancing? The song prompts Kyoko to bust a move, and Nathan joins in as the two show off some sweet moves in tandem, leaving Caleb to gape in confusion. Seeing as we’d later learn that Kyoko is an android, this impromptu number only becomes more enjoyable with hindsight.
#4: “Jai Ho” “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008)
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In traditional Bollywood-style, this Best Picture winner from 2008 wraps things up with a musical number that’ll lift your spirits and restore your faith in human endurance. Now that Jamal and Latika are finally reunited and free of their outside burdens, they are joined in celebration by a throng of commuters at a train station, dancing in unison. With the credits simultaneously rolling, we feel just as uplifted having gone on this arduous journey with them, and wish Jamal and Latika all the happiness they deserve. It’s no wonder that “Jai Ho” won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 81st Academy Awards.
#3: “Twist and Shout” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986)
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Ferris Bueller is just about the coolest kid there ever was; that much is clear. As if he needed to solidify the fact further, he commandeers a German parade float in downtown Chicago and gives the crowd the lip synching performance of a lifetime. Sure, his opening number of “Danke Schoen” is charming in its own right, but who could compete with the crowd-pleaser that is “Twist and Shout?” Almost immediately the congregation erupts in a dancing frenzy, and seeing their various moves is a sight to behold on its own. Heck, even his oblivious dad does a little boogie from his high-rise office. And as far as showmanship is concerned, Ferris might even have the Beatles beat.
#2: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999)
Say what you will about grand, romantic gestures in public, but seeing a young Heath Ledger serenade his love interest in this classic teen movie charmed the pants off nearly all of us. Looking to get back in the good graces of the girl he’s technically being paid to date, Ledger’s Patrick Verona stages a little musical number of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”on the football field. With a full-on marching band in tow, Patrick completely owns the performance, and isn’t that bad of a singer neither. Though he’s shooed away by security for hijacking the speaker system, his gambit ultimately works, as Kat, though maybe a little embarrassed, is as smitten as we are. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” / “This Is the End” (2013) No Heaven Would Be Complete Without the Backstreet Boys “A Place Called Slaughter Race” / “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (2018) It Might Be Surprising to Hear an Alan Menken “I Want” Song in THIS Princess Movie “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” / “Ella Enchanted” (2004) The Wedding Procession Takes the Film Out on a High Note “Thriller” / “13 Going on 30” (2004) If There’s 1 Song That’ll Get People on the Dance floor, It’s “Thriller”
#1: “You Make My Dreams” “500 Days of Summer” (2009)
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On our best days, our daydreams look a little something like this too. When Tom finally sleeps with whom he believes to be the woman of his dreams, he finds himself squarely on cloud nine, where the entire world brightens up significantly. His reflection starts to look like Harrison Ford, animated birds land on his finger, and total strangers greet and dance alongside him to Hall & Oates’s “You Make My Dreams.” Even for a movie that’s constantly pressing filmmaking boundaries, this caught us by surprise, and we can’t help but have our mood lifted right along with Tom. Though his relationship wouldn’t last, it’s feelings like these that make us love being in love.
