Mental Floss

The 25 Most Shazamed Movie Songs of All Time

By Ellen Gutoskey

Wayne (Mike Myers), Garth (Dana Carvey) and company rock out to "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 1992's 'Wayne's World.'
Wayne (Mike Myers), Garth (Dana Carvey) and company rock out to "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 1992's 'Wayne's World.' / Paramount Pictures
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As evidenced by the resurgence of interest in Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” after it was featured in Stranger Things season 4, movies and TV shows can do wonders for a song’s success. While many older viewers no doubt recognized that track immediately, younger ones may have needed help from Shazam—the app that can identify a song after hearing a clip.

After analyzing data from Shazam, electronics manufacturer Roberts compiled a list of classic movie tunes that get Shazamed most often. In the top spot, with more than 18.5 million searches, was Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again,” which featured in the seventh installment of the Fast & Furious franchise. 

How many of those searches occurred while people were actually watching Furious 7 (2015) is anyone’s guess. Considering the song’s ubiquity over the last several years, it seems just as likely that most of the amateur music detectives sought answers from Shazam when the song came on in a grocery store or somewhere similar.

A number of tracks on the list were created specifically for a movie—like Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” from 2018’s A Star Is Born, Adele’s “Skyfall” for the 2012 James Bond film of the same name, and the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” for 1977’s Saturday Night Fever.

Others already existed and just got co-opted by filmmakers for scenes and/or soundtracks. This category includes Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which Wayne’s World fans surely remember; and “Kiss From a Rose,” which Seal released on his second album the year before it landed on the soundtrack of 1995’s Batman Forever. (It was also on the soundtrack for 1994’s The NeverEnding Story III.)

See if your favorite movie song made the top 25 below, and check out the Shazam search stats here.

  1. "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth // Furious 7 (2015)
  2. "Happy" by Pharrell Williams // Despicable Me 2 (2013)
  3. "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio ft. LV // Dangerous Minds (1995)
  4. "Shallow" by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga // A Star Is Born (2018)
  5. "Earned It" by The Weeknd // Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
  6. "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls // City of Angels (1998)
  7. "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve // Cruel Intentions (1999)
  8. "Stayin' Alive" by Bee Gees // Saturday Night Fever (1977)
  9. "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith // Armageddon (1998)
  10. "Lose Yourself" by Eminem // 8 Mile (2002)
  11. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen // Wayne's World (1992)
  12. "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak // Wild at Heart (1990)
  13. "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams // Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
  14. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears // Tesla (2020)
  15. "Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara // Flashdance (1983)
  16. "I've Had the Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes // Dirty Dancing (1987)
  17. "Skyfall" by Adele // Skyfall (2012)
  18. "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers // Ghost (1990)
  19. "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston // The Bodyguard (1992)
  20. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers // Benny & Joon (1993)
  21. "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer // She's All That (1999)
  22. "Where Is My Mind?" by Pixies // Fight Club (1999)
  23. "Regulate" by Warren G ft. Nate Dogg // Above the Rim (1994)
  24. "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars // The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)
  25. "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal // Batman Forever (1995)
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