Hollywood's Playlist: Which Song, Artist & Album Movies Use The Most (2024)

The right movie soundtrack can turn a good movie into a great one, and based on Hollywood’s playlist, certain songs, artists, and albums are used more than others to elevate a scene. From Rocky’s inspirational training montage to the fist-pumping end of The Breakfast Club, pop music has provided audiences with some of the most memorable scenes in cinema. A handful of songs and artists have had their work featured in hundreds of movies and shows. To find the most played song and artist in film, research was conducted using Casumo and IMDB. The songs, artists, and albums used most may surprise the most loyal fans of the movies and musicians.

Hollywood’s most iconic scenes would be nothing without music. While scores have accompanied movies since the creation of film, movies like Easy Rider and The Graduate paved the way for more filmmakers to utilize more musicians. Based on the genre, setting, or time period, some songs and artists are heard repeatedly to set the right tone. Viewers can recall Creedence Clearwater Revival’s "Fortunate Son" for scenes depicting the Vietnam War or Marvin Gaye’s "Let’s Get In On" in risqué comedies. This list refers strictly to movies and does not include any music utilized for television, trailers, or commercials.

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"Spirit in the Sky" Is Hollywood's Most Frequently-Used Movie Song

According to IMDB, the most frequently used song in movies is Norman Greenbaum’s "Spirit in the Sky." The 1969 psychedelic rock and gospel anthem has been heard in more than forty movies that range from drama to comedy to space adventures like Apollo 13. From Remember the Titans to This is the End, Greenbaum’s chugging guitar riff ramps up the energy in a sports scene while equally providing a celebratory soundtrack to heaven. "Spirit in the Sky" was a modest hit in the late 1960s, but movies have given the song new life and popularity for the past five decades.

Greenbaum explained that "Spirit in the Sky" was inspired by gospel music and was intended to be an acoustic jugband song. After recording a bluesy version in San Francisco with the help of the Stovall Sisters on backing vocals, Greenbaum finally produced the version audiences know today. The song about meeting Jesus and accepting death was written in 15 minutes, and Greenbaum himself is Jewish. Whether "Spirit in the Sky" is used for comedic effect or to ponder life off earth, the song has provided a time machine to the past that still resonates with movies and audiences today.

Bob Dylan Is The Most Common Music Artist Used In Movies

With over 200 movie appearances that span from the 1960s to today, Bob Dylan is the most common music artist used in movies and all media. From montages to dream sequences, Bob Dylan’s songs are the perfect movie soundtrack for a variety of scenes. The raspy folk singer can encapsulate the 1960s in Watchmen with "The Times They Are A-Changin'" or croon as the Dude dreams of getting his rug back in The Big Lebowski. While Bob Dylan is credited for writing hits like "Forever Young" and "Like a Rolling Stone", his most popular song in movies is the melancholic ballad, "Knockin’ on Heaven Door".

Bob Dylan’s guitar plucking, harmonica solos, and poetic observations have long represented working people’s struggles and the pains of revolution. One of the first times his music could be heard in a movie is in the 1960s counterculture biker film Easy Rider, featuring Dylan’s anti-war song "It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)." Dylan’s lyrics continue to be used as soundtracks to rebellion and love songs for the lonely. The anti-establishment musician ironically sold his songwriting catalog to the Universal Publishing Music Group for an estimated $300 million, so audiences will get the chance to hear plenty of Bob Dylan music across movies, television, and commercials.

David Bowie’s Hunky Dory Has More Songs In Movies Than Any Other Album

Bob Dylan and "Spirit in the Sky" may have the most artist and song credits, but David Bowie’s Hunky Dory has more songs in movies than any other album. According to Casumo’s 4,000-movie database combined with IMDB’s soundtrack credits, David Bowie's songs are used in movies consistently. His art-pop masterpiece Hunky Dory has the most movie credits of any album, with songs like "Life on Mars" and "Queen B*tch" in at least 30 films. While Bowie’s hits like "Starman," "Heroes," and Queen collaboration "Under Pressure" are more popular across all forms of media, no album has been more utilized in movies than Bowie’s 1971 album.

Hunky Dory includes memorable Bowie piano ballads like "Changes" and "Life on Mars" while also featuring punchy punk songs like "Queen B*tch." The songs have been featured in celebrated films like Shrek 2, Licorice Pizza, Neighbors, and 2022’s Bowie documentary, Moonage Daydream. While Bowie is no stranger to acting in movies, his music continues to inspire generations of filmmakers and their magic on camera. David Bowie may have died in 2016, but his music establishes that a person's influence can last an eternity through the art they create in movie soundtracks.