There are some moments in cinema history where the right song makes all the difference.
It’s been 30 years since the release of Ghost proved our point when director Jerry Zucker decided to use The Righteous Brothers’ cover of “Unchained Melody” to suitably set the mood for the scene Patrick Swayze‘s Sam returns from beyond the grave to help Molly (Demi Moore) sensually spin some pottery. And the confluence of the emotional moment and the romantic ballad helped make one of the most iconic and frequently referenced moments in movie music history.
As such, it’s practically impossible to listen to that song and not think about that scene.
Though it may be the most obvious example, “Unchained Melody” is hardly the only song to find itself inextricable linked to movie. As directors turn to popular music to punctuate their films’ most powerful moments, we’ve seen the power such moments have on the songs in question. They can popularize them like never before, while also making sure that no one can ever listen to them in quite the same way ever again.
