Top 10 Movie Theme Songs from the '90s

A movie theme song is usually referred to as the song played during the opening or closing credits. There are many movie theme songs from the '90s that are memorable. Oftentimes, the theme song from a film is more popular than the film itself.

Here is my take on the top 10 movie theme songs from the 90's. I've tried not to include sequels or prequels in this list that were made in the '90s. For example, the prequel Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menance(1999), would be at the top of the list for theme songs, but since the first Star Wars movie came out prior to the '90s, I decided not to use it. Also, since there are a number of hit theme songs for animated movies of the '90s I tried to steer clear of those, too. That's a whole other list in itself.

10. The theme song from the film The Last of the Mohicans (1992) is one that I will never forget. Maybe it's because I reviewed the original novel by James Fenimore Cooper for my American Literature class in college and I had watched the movie a couple of times to compare it to the book. The entire film score of this movie is awesome.

9. Roy Orbison's song "Oh, Pretty Woman" for the role that really put Julia Roberts on the map in the 1990 box office hit Pretty Woman. This song is a perfect fit for this film.

8. As a tribute to a dear friend I grew up with, Angie, that turned me on to SNL, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, I am offering a two for one here. Is there anyone that grew up in the early 90's or is an SNL fan who doesn't think of Wayne's World (1992) when they here the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. The main theme song for this movie is of course, the "Wayne's World Theme" by Mike Myers and G.E. Smith, based on the popular SNL "Wayne's World" skit. But who can forget the famous "Bohemian Rhapsody" scene! These two Wayne's World themes are definitely in the top 10 movie theme songs of the 90's.

7. "Unchained Melody", written by Alex North and Hy Zaret is a classic song that became popular again in 1990 when used on the soundtrack for the hit film Ghost (1990).

The Righteous Brother's version of this song was used in the film and became the #1 selling single in the U.K. in 1990, according to Wikipedia.

6. The instrumental theme song from Mission Impossible (1996), performed by Larry Mullen Jr. & Adam Clayton is one of the most memorable instrumental theme songs from the movies in the 90's. The "Theme From Mission: Impossible" was written by Lalo Schifrin for the original T.V. series Mission Impossible. I couldn't resist putting this on the list even though the theme song was taken from a TV series prior to the '90s.

5. Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from the hit flick Armageddon (1998) makes the list of top 10 movie theme songs of the 90's. I thought this was a great flick even though it was kind of hard to believe. When Bruce Willis' character stays behind and forces his daughters boyfriend, Ben Affleck, to go back and take care of Bruce's daughter, Liv Tyler, and then Liv has to say goodbye to her dad through a camera, it is a very emotional moment in the film. Every time I watch it, I know it's coming...I know what happens...but it still gets me every time! There is yet another song that ties in with the underlying love story but it can also be interpreted to tie in with all the characters in this film that "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" if they don't accomplish their mission. This song is one of Aerosmith's top sellers.

4. Bryan Adams single, "Everything I Do, I Do It for You" in which he co-wrote and performed for the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991), became one of the best-selling singles of all time and broke music chart records in the U.S. and the UK. The title of the song let alone the lyrics, describes the underlying love story in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, which is, everything that Robin Hood (Kevin Costner) does is for Maid Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). This was another Costner flick that didn't get rave reviews but I beg to differ with most of the film critics out there. I think this was a great movie, one that I own and would watch over again from time to time.

3. The main title from the score by James Horner for the epic drama Braveheart (1995) is a very memorable movie theme song from the 90's. Not only is the main title memorable but the entire soundtrack was such a hit that James Horner released a second soundtrack titled More Music from Braveheart.

2. Whitney Houston's hit single " I Will Always Love You", which she performed for movie The Bodyguard (1992), sold over 10 million copies worldwide, according to Wikipedia. I wasn't a big fan of The Bodyguard. It is ranked #65 on the "AFI's 100 years...100 songs list." It's not one of those movies that I would watch for a second time even if it is on cable nor would I recommend it to a friend. I seen it once and that's good enough. This is Houston's film debut where she basically plays herself, a famous singer in which she receives threats. Enters Kevin Costner as the bodyguard hired to protect her. They have a little romance but then Costner's character decides that he needs to concentrate on the job and the job only. The song "I will Always Love You", ties in with the underlying love story. I have not read any raving reviews about the film. This is clearly an example of a theme song being more popular than the movie itself.

1. The love theme song performed by Céline Dion from the film Titanic (1997), "My Heart Will Go On", is probably the most popular theme song from the '90s. This song has won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and Best Song for a Motion Picture or Television, among several other awards. It ranks #14 on the "AFI's 100 years...100 songs list." The music was written by composer James Horner originally as an instrumental piece but later decided to make add lyrics. Will Jennings wrote the lyrics for "My Heart Will Go On". You cannot hear this song without thinking of Dion and the film Titanic. It seemed like they milked that movie for all it was worth. The music and lyrics of this song were beautifully written and Dion's performance of this ballad was perfection. I was a big fan of the movie and soundtrack when it came out. But I have to say I am so glad it was left in the '90s. The radio stations beat that song into our heads that I now cringe at the thought of it. It's true, you can have too much of a good thing.