Movies and television are great at making certain songs become ubiquitous and yet frustratingly anonymous. You know, like the music that plays whenever rich people are holding a pretentious party or during an obnoxiously goofy chase scene?
Some of those artists probably never intended their songs to be requisitioned by Hollywood and, sadly, many people never learn the names of the songs or the people who made them.
Have no fear! The Reddit hivemind is here.
Users of the social news site have have been compiling a mega-list of all these types of songs since yesterday, prompted by this question from redditor DanielTaylor: “Can we make a list of Songs, Tunes and Music that everyone has heard but rarely knows the name?”
We’ve compiled the top 10 songs from that list below. A good number of the posts came from a single redditor munificient, who is so good at this little game we figure he or she must work at a movie studio or record store.
After checking out our list below, be sure to read the full thread here. You will never see a Chips Ahoy! commercial the same way again.
1. “Minuet,” by Luigi Boccherini
Reddditor ragnarockette calls this “that song they always play in movies when there’s an upper-class party? I think it was playing in Ace Ventura 2 when he is at the party at the mansion in the beginning.”
2. “Get Ready for This,” by 2 Unlimited
Explains fhite_n_derdy: “incredibly popular as pump-up music, even though very few actually know what it’s called or have listened to it in full.”
3. Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman.
It’s the the Chips Ahoy! song observes Mawbellog.
4. “I’m a Man,” by Bo Diddley
munificient says: “The GOD of guitar riffs. Used in countless other songs like “Bad to the Bone”.”
5. “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” by Edvard Grieg
“Classical song used anywhere shit goes crazy,” munificent explains.
6. “Time of the Season,” by The Zombies
“Quintessential slice of the sound of the 60’s,” munificient notes.
7. “Yakety Sax,” by Boots Randolph
Normal_Steve says: “It’s used on so many chase scenes.”
8. “Fanfare for the Common Man,” by Aaron Copland
Says munificient: “Someone common has just done something uncommon. Wrestled a bear. Landed on a moon. Landed on the moon and wrestled a moon bear. This pays tribute.”
9. “Sirius,” by the Alan Parsons Project-
Ever been to a Chicago Bulls game? Then you know this song.
10. Perpetuum Mobile by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
You know, from that HP commercial.