If movies are all about immersion and world-building, one of the best ways to do that is to add believable details — like a hit song, for example. Movie soundtracks are a great way to turn a good song into a hit, especially when the movie itself ends up becoming popular. This is mostly true for songs that already exist, or songs written by a band or singer to play over the credits of a movie, but sometimes the effect can be reverse-engineered.
Some of the best hit songs come from the world of movies themselves. That is, a song that is “already” a hit in the movie can escape the matrix and become a hit in real life. These are the types of songs that are written to be hits, often taking cues from real popular songs that already exist. This often happens in parody movies, where the sheer corniness of the song is what makes it so catchy. In a way, all of these “fake” songs are written this way, with a degree of self-awareness, and they’re great for that.
For this list, we’ve rounded up 12 of the best fake movie hits, from funk bangers to futuristic pop hits, ’70s and ’80s jams that never existed, self-deprecating rap tracks, and ballads that beg to be sung during late-night karaoke. These songs may have faked their initial popularity, but you can’t deny that they’re bona fide hits now.
12 “Fake” Movie Songs That Are Actually Great
This is what happens when a song that is “already” a hit in a movie escapes the matrix and becomes a hit in real life.
Gallery credit: Emma Stefansky
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