The Gunslinger45's Top 10 Favorite Movie Opening Songs

Hello MoFo’s! It is time for another list from your pal The Gunslinger45. Now I love movies, and I love music. Pair the two together in the right way and you have the recipe for a fantastic part of a film. And one of the best ways to establish a film is by the opening song over the title. With this in mind I wish to post my top 10 Favorite Movie Opening Songs. Now the rules for this list are simple, they must be actual songs with lyrics. No scores will be on this list. So no Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns, John Carpenter, and sadly no Taxi Driver either. (Might do a separate score list later on). Now it does not have to be a song that was specifically written for the movie, it has to be used in the opening credit and title sequences. And I am not counting the Mortal Kombat theme. It does have lyrics in it, but since it is made up of only a few words and sampled sounds from the video game, that makes it closer to a score then an actual song.

So sit back, relax and enjoy, as we look at my Top 10 Movie Opening Songs.

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Oh God. This list is going to be all Tarantino and nothing else.

10. Come and Get Your Love by RedBone – Guardians of the Galaxy

Our first installment is also the most recent. Blessed with one of the best soundtracks to a movie in decades, it also really sets the tone for the film. Here you have a guy decked out in all kinds of high tech space gear with a space ship, and what is he doing? Lip synching to a song from the 70’s, dancing and using strange little rat creature as an impromptu microphone. It sets the movies offbeat and up-beat tone that made Guardians of the Galaxy awesome.

Yeah you wish.

Great start.

9. The Anthem of the Soviet Union performed by the Red Army Choir - The Hunt for Red October


As most of you know I am a proud patriotic kind of guy. I love my country and I love our national anthem. It makes me tear up, and I will stand to put my hand over my heart whenever it is played before a ball game. It does not matter if I am at the stadium, a bar, or at home, I am standing. Many of you know I also do not care for the commies. Hence why Red Dawn is one of my favorite films of all time. But let’s give the Russkies credit, they know how to write music and sing. And the National Anthem of old Soviet Union being played throughout The Hunt for Red October including the intro is really really effective. I can’t understand a damn word the Red Army Choir is singing, I’m sure it has something disparaging about the US in it, but it is a hell of a song to appreciate. It is not going to make me cry like The Star Spangled Banner, but it is pretty epic. Point to the now defunct USSR.

As soon as I saw this I thought about Guardians. Best. Intro. Ever.

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8. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica – Zombieland


Combine one of my favorite Metallica songs with a movie about zombies, add some fantastic imagery of Z Day carnage, and you have an easy favorite opening of mine. The opening is appropriate for the setting showing that the Earth is going to hell, and the song itself is metal as f**k. Perfect start to one of my favorite movies.

Yeah, Zombieland has a great opening for sure. Stylish goodness.

7. Shakedown by Bob Segar – Beverly Hills Cop II


The 80’s was a decade of awesome opening songs. Several of which almost made the list. From Back to the Future’s Huey Lewis and the News, to Queen’s vocal praise of Flash Gordon, the 80’s really knew how to pair a great song with a great movie. And one of my favorite instances of this is the opening to Beverly Hills Cop II. Bob’s Shakedown though it has nothing to do with the film, really just fits perfectly with the flick. Right down to the montage of Eddie Murphy getting ready for work. It is just awesome sequence and song.

6. Body Talk by Sandi Farina – The Toxic Avenger


For a film that opens in a health spa there is no better or catchier song then Body Talk. It is just a really infectious song with a very simple beat that works to the opening of the film. Again, not written for the film, but it really works.

5. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr - Ghostbusters


This on the other hand was written for the film. And it is probably one of the greatest opening theme songs of the movies. Sets the premise, establishes what is going on, catchy as hell, and one of the quintessential movie theme songs. The theme was so good they used it in the cartoon too. Who ya gonna call?

4. This is the End by The Doors – Apocalypse Now


Not written for the film, instead selected by Coppola himself to set the tone of the film. He talked with vets of the war and they told him what music they really liked and The Doors was one of the bands discussed. So Coppola used this song to open the movie. Not catchy like the others, but very haunting and somber. As the Vietnam jungle explodes with napalm and fire and choppers hover over the chaos you get the perfect feel for the tone of the film. By no means cheery, and by no means upbeat; but for a film about the horrors of madness set in war this is the perfect song to open with.

Wow, great stuff man. Apocalypse Now has without a doubt one of the better opening musical sequences, but I think my favorite on this list so far has to be Toxic Avenger.

3. Anything Goes performed by Kate Capshaw– Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom


This song ultimately has nothing to do with the film, has no bearing on the plot, and really comes out of nowhere. But I do not care, I love it! Kate Capshaw’s rendition of Anything Goes is the only way I wish to hear the song. If I hear the English version I groan and pine for the good version in Cantonese. Got to love how films influence you at the age of 5.

Still more to come.

Temple Of Doom is a great pick. Classic.

2. Neon Slime performed by Wings Hauser – Vice Squad


Not the most known opening song, but the perfect song to open a sleaze-fest like Vice Squad. A movie about hookers, psycho pimps, johns, sleaze, and crime needs a song that reflects this world. And Wings Hauser really hits it out of the park with this song. Expect me to refer to the sleazier parts of my town as the Neon Slime.

Still need to see that.

Should be free to see on YouTube.