2018 CGI Fridays Music Extravaganza!

***EDITORS NOTE: This was made in 2018 and some things have moved around outside the tie for the top three. However, the formatting is messed up and I can't edit anything without destroying everything.

But honestly - who's keeping track? Enjoy this ridiculously comprehensive list I put together during my three-hour Monday night newspaper editing class in college.

*Second Note: The first three are tied and considered my "Holy Trinity" of music. I can't edit it but blogger is free so who am I to complain?!

1. (Tie-1) Maroon 5/Adam Levine
   1. “Never Gonna Leave This Bed”
   2. “She Will Be Loved”
   3. “Sunday Morning”
   4. “Payphone”
   5. “Won’t Go Home Without You”
   6. “This Love”
   7. “Lost Stars”
   8. “Daylight”
   9. “Leaving California”
   10. “Must Get Out”
2. (Tie-1) Green Day
   1. “Jesus of Suburbia”
   2. “American Idiot”
   3. “Holiday”
   4. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
   5. “Wake Me Up When September Ends”
   6. “Homecoming”
   7. “The Static Age”
   8. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”
   9. “21st Century Breakdown”
   10. "Minority"
3. (Tie-1) The Killers/Brandon Flowers
   1. “Mr. Brightside”
   2. “Spaceman”
   3. “Human”
   4. “Read My Mind”
   5. “When You Were Young”
   6. “All These Things That I’ve Done”
   7. “Just Another Girl”
   8. “The Way It Was”
   9. “Rut”
   10. “Runaways”
4. *NSYNC
   1. “Pop”
   2. “This I Promise You”
   3. “It’s Gonna Be Me”
   4. “Bye Bye Bye”
   5. “Gone”
   6. “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays”
   7. “That Girl (Will Never Be Mine)”
   8. “I Want You Back” (OMG the 90s…)
   9. “God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You”
   10. “Tearin’ Up My Heart”
5. Justin Bieber
   1. “Never Let You Go”
   2. “Baby”
   3. “Down to Earth”
   4. “Stuck in the Moment”
   5. “Somebody to Love”
   6. “That Should Be Me”
   7. “Die In Your Arms”
   8. “One Time”
   9. “One Less Lonely Girl”
   10. “Sorry”
6. The All-American Rejects
   1. “It Ends Tonight”
   2. “Move Along”
   3. “Gives You Hell”
   4. “Swing, Swing”
   5. “Dirty Little Secret”
   6. “I Wanna”
   7. “Fast & Slow”
   8. “Heartbeat Slowing Down”
   9. “The Last Song”
   10. “Night Drive”
7. Bowling For Soup
   1. “1985”
   2. “High School Never Ends”
   3. “Ohio (Come Back to Texas)”
   4. “Girl All the Bad Guys Want”
   5. “Almost”
   6. “Punk Rock 101”
   7. “Trucker Hat”
   8. “Get Happy”
   9. “A-Hole”
   10. “When We Die”
8. One Direction/Niall Horan
   1. “Hey Angel”
   2. “Story of My Life”
   3. “She's Not Afraid”
   4. “One Thing”
   5. “What Makes You Beautiful”
   6. “Best Song Ever”
   7. “Live While We’re Young”
   8. “I Would”
   9. “Infinity”
   10. “History”
9. High School Musical cast/Zac Efron
   1. “Everyday”
   2. “Breaking Free”
   3. “You Are the Music in Me”
   4. “We're All in This Together”
   5. “What Time Is It?”
   6. “Right Here, Right Now”
   7. “Get’cha Head in the Game”
   8. “Scream”
   9. “Start of Something New”
   10. “High School Musical”
10. Daughtry
    1. “Life After You”
    2. “Home”
    3. “Waiting for Superman”
    4. “No Surprise”
    5. “What About Now”
    6. “It’s Not Over”
    7. “Used To”
    8. “Feels Like Tonight”
    9. “September”
    10. “Battleships”
11. Fall Out Boy
    1. “Sugar We’re Goin Down”
    2. “Dance, Dance”
    3. “Centuries”
    4. “Thnks fr th Mmrs”
    5. “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race”
12. OneRepublic
    1. “Stop and Stare”
    2. “All the Right Moves”
    3. “Good Life”
    4. “Secrets”
    5. “I Lived”
13. Imagine Dragons
    1. “Thunder”
    2. “I’m So Sorry”
    3. “Demons”
    4. “On Top of the World”
    5. “My Fault”
14. Lifehouse
    1. “Broken”
    2. “All In”
    3. “Whatever It Takes”
    4. “You and Me”
    5. “Halfway Gone”
15. Justin Timberlake
    1. “Can't Stop The Feeling”
    2. “Señorita”
    3. “Cry Me A River”
    4. ...What Goes Around...Comes Around
    5. “Mirrors”
16. Linkin Park
    1. “Numb”
    2. “Burn It Down”
    3. “In the End”
17. The Greatest Showman cast
    1. “The Other Side”
    2. “This Is Me”
    3. “From Now On”
18. Michael Jackson
    The winner of the “wasn’t alive for him” category.
    1. "Thriller”
    2. “Billie Jean”
    3. “Man in the Mirror”
19. Queen
    The winner of the “wasn’t alive for them” category.
    1. “Bohemian Rhapsody”
    2. “Don’t Stop Me Now”
    3. “We Will Rock You”
20. Keith Urban
    1. “Stupid Boy”
    2. “I Told You So”
    3. “Days Go By”
21. Blink-182
    “I Miss You”
22. Jonas Brothers/Nick Jonas
    “Lovebug”
23. Brad Paisley
    “Ticks”
24. Aaron Carter
    “I Want Candy”
25. Panic! At the Disco
    I always liked Panic! and had appreciation for what they did, but not until their 2018 album “Pray for the Wicked” did I really take notice. Rarely does an entire album deliver like Wicked does.
26. Cold War Kids
    Neither last nor least, “First!”
27. Coldplay
28. Tim McGraw
29. Sing Street cast/Hudson Thames
    I’ll mention Sing Street again but amidst a soundtrack loaded with amazing original music, Thames’ “Drive It Like You Stole It” is the gold medal.
30. Kenny Chesney
31. AC/DC
    Maybe it was being exposed to Richard Linklater’s iconic School of Rock at a young age, but, as I said, I’m a huge fan of 1970s and ‘80s music. It must have been cool to live through that.
32. Bruno Mars
    #OPINIONALERT: Him or Justin Timberlake is this generation’s “King of Pop.”
33. Jesse McCartney
34. Train/Pat Monahan
35. Rascal Flatts
36. Phil Collins
    Certainly an accomplished musician, but he’ll always be in my heart for Tarzan.
37. Zac Brown Band/Sir Roosevelt
38. Jet
    Kept on showing up in Spider-Man movies and I’m a better human being for it.
39. Gavin DeGraw
40. Pat Green
    If the Texas Rangers win, “(You) Like Texas.”
41. Thirty Seconds to Mars
42. The Who
    “Eminence Front” is peak instrumental and is the Dallas Mavericks form of “I Like Texas.”
43. Kelly Clarkson
    It’s not just because she’s a Cowboys fan. I don’t think it would suck, but I’m glad to have Kelly in my life.
44. Phillip Phillips
45. Jack Ingram
46. Taylor Swift
47. Snow Patrol
    Just like movies, I definitely appreciate leaving the theater feeling up. But sometimes feeling “down” through music is liberating.
48. Twenty One Pilots
49. Katy Perry
50. P!nk
51. Montgomery Gentry
52. The Script
53. Billy Currington
54. Backstreet Boys
55. CeeLo Green/Gnarls Barkley
56. Toby Keith
57. Foo Fighters
58. The Beatles/George Harrison/Paul McCartney
    A convenient grouping here because they each warrant their own bullet point, but sometimes we only get by with a little help from our friends.
59. Shinedown
60. Weird Al Yankovic
    I have a lot of artists listed in this extravaganza that aren’t “real” per se. What is reality anyway? Weird Al’s Star Wars collection is beloved and the force will be with “The Saga Begins.” Always.
61. Shawn Mendes
62. JAY-Z
63. Darius Rucker
64. Britney Spears
65. George Strait
66. Elton John
67. Usher
68. Guns N’ Roses
69. Johnny Cash
    My dad played Johnny Cash CD’s (compact disks for those of you born after 1998) when he drove me places. That was his right to pick the artist and I was in good musical hands. We went everywhere together…
70. Eli Young Band
71. The Fray
72. Adam Sandler
    As a Jew, i’m inclined to support Sandler’s hilarious Chanukah songs. That, and they really are amazing.
73. MGMT
74. Lady Gaga
75. Smash Mouth
76. Frank Sinatra
    Thank you grandma, for introducing me to your favorite artist.
77. Blake Shelton
78. Lady Antebellum
79. Eric Church
80. Dropkick Murphys
    I’ve visited Boston and, while there, the Bruins won a Stanley Cup. “Tessie” is for the Red Sox but it’s close enough for me to claim some sort of connection to its triumphant Boston roots.
81. The Temper Trap
82. Matchbox 20/Rob Thomas
83. Soundgarden/Chris Cornell
    RIP to Chris Cornell, author of my favorite Bond song.
84. Fountains of Wayne
    My friend and I watched the “Stacy’s Mom” music video waaaaaaay too many times.
85. Boys Like Girls
86. Bleachers
87. Carolina Liar
    Tell me the frontman for Carolina Liar is not you-know-who.
88. Wolfmother
89. K’naan
    I was fortunate enough to go to Africa in 2017. The first thing I packed was “Wavin’ Flag.”
90. Daniel Powter
91. Semisonic
92. John Denver
    The Kingsman movies are two of my all-timer’s (as you’ll see below), but that damn Merlin scene takes the cake. (Spoiler warning!)
93. WALK THE MOON
94. James Blunt
95. Matisyahu
96. The Lonely Island
    SNL skits turned into actual media have produced some popular movies like Wayne’s World and The Blues Brothers but my favorite is Popstar and The Lonely Island group behind it. Whether it’s partnerships with Maroon 5’s Adam Levine or Justin Timberlake, the hits just keep on cumming. (Can I say that?)
97. Journey
    One of my personal favorite sports + music moments. (With more to come.)
98. Jason Mraz
99. Ayokay
    While we’re feeling the baseball fever, Ian Desmond had perhaps the greatest walk-up song ever.
100. Hinder
101. Alt-J
     If not for 2016’s top movie, Captain America: Civil War, maybe I never learn about “Left Hand Free” or even Alt-J. It’s definitely not a recognizable keyboard function. Especially on a Mac, which doesn’t have an “Alt” button. (I just tried “Command”+”J” and it did nothing.)
102. Papa Roach
103. American Authors
104. David Bowie
105. Nickelback
106. The Black Eyed Peas/will.i.am
107. Muse
     Muse debut “Mercy” in partnership with Arkham Knight and forever claimed a piece of my heart.
108. Fun.
109. O.A.R.
110. Goo Goo Dolls
111. Sum 41
112. The Jackson 5
113. Steve Miller Band
114. Switchfoot
115. Carly Rae Jepsen
116. Owl City
117. Barns Courtney
118. The Strumbellas
119. Ramones
     Whether you know the song or not, you know the sound of “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
120. Good Charlotte
121. Simple Plan
122. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
123. Greek Fire
124. Plain White T's
125. Timbaland
126. The Struts
127. X Ambassadors
128. Hot Hot Heat
129. Aloe Blacc
     One of the sweetest voices in the biz.
130. Kendrick Lamar
     I’m the first to admit rap isn’t my favorite genre. Obviously that’s obvious. But that Kendrick Lamar is talented, I tell ya!
131. Yellowcard
132. The Score
133. Hunter Hayes
134. Creedence Clearwater Revival/John Fogerty
     Where there’s a sitcom war montage, there’s “Fortunate Son.”
135. Weezer
136. Rodney Atkins
137. Drake Bell
138. Third Eye Blind
139. Matt Nathanson
140. Hot Chelle Rae
141. Shooter Jennings
142. Passion Pit
143. Bastille
144. 3 Doors Down
145. Wylde Bunch
146. Lupe Fiasco
     One of my best friends is black and said to me once, “Ace, you know ‘Kick, Push’ isn’t about skateboarding right?” I may be musically uninformed, but I know other things FRIEND.
147. Michael Bublé
148. Twisted Sister
149. Lil' Bow Wow
150. My Chemical Romance
151. System Of A Down
152. Nelly
153. Electric Light Orchestra
154. Pitbull
     I confess. I like Pitbull. Maybe it’s my Miami roots. I also like Nickelback and a slew of boy bands. Dale.
155. Led Zeppelin
156. Kiss
157. Phoenix
158. John Mayer
159. Dierks Bentley
160. Sam Smith
161. Big & Rich
162. BBMak/On the Line soundtrack/Joey Fatone
     On the Line is just a dreadful movie, but the music is great. (Given my #4 band, I would think so.)
163. Sara Bareilles
164. 5ive
     Not to be confused with...
165. Five for Fighting
     …If there’s a tearjerker of a song at a Bar Mitzvah/wedding, it probably came from 5F5.
166. Fitz & The Tantrums
     Producing a hit song is one thing, but to give sports venues the perfect sound bite is an even great accomplishment.
167. Mötley Crüe
168. Little Big Town
169. Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana
170. Hoobastank
171. Kanye West
     I hear he’s crazy, but I tend to mute celebrities personal lives unless they pull a(n?) R. Kelly. Kanye might be coo coo, but the man is pretty amazing.
172. Eminem
173. Jason Derulo
174. Rihanna
175. Bon Jovi
176. The Black Keys
177. Looking Glass
178. Jason Aldean
179. Three Dog Night
180. Oasis
181. Outkast/Andre 3000
182. The Chainsmokers
183. Jimmy Eat World
184. Sweet
185. Christina Aguilera
186. Kid Rock
187. Redbone
     Music and movies are a match made in heaven. James Gunn used music and his “Awesome Mix” tapes to create entertainment magic.
188. U2
189. Toto
190. Sheryl Crow
191. Uncle Kracker
192. John Newman
193. Lonestar
194. Lucky Boys Confusion
195. Lynyrd Skynyrd
     The Kingsman movies are criminally underappreciated, providing some of the best and most realistic action set pieces in cinema. Like this.
196. Prince
     And this.
197. Tinie Tempah
198. Metro Station
199. Steriogram
     A lot of song lyrics are impossible to comprehend, but “Walkie Talkie Man” might be the winner.
200. Fort Minor
201. Sean Kingston
202. Carrie Underwood
203. The Spinners
204. Sammie
205. Cat Stevens
206. Cheap Trick
     I discovered so much wonderful 1970s music through That 70’s Show. Cheap Trick supplied the iconic opening salvo.
207. Neon Trees
208. Modest Mouse
209. Stellastarr
210. The Strokes
211. Avril Lavigne
212. Kings of Leon
213. DMX
214. The Rolling Stones
215. Todd Rundgren
     Another from That 70’s Show, “Hello It’s Me” takes the emotional cake. And I love cake.
216. Hoodie Allen
217. Bryan Adams
218. Of Monsters and Men
219. Gwen Stefani
220. Eiffel 65
221. Blue Swede
222. KC and The Sunshine Band
223. 5 Seconds of Summer
224. Infant Sorrow
     Fictional bands still make real music.
225. Brooks & Dunn
226. Trickside
227. Aerosmith
228. Adele
229. Gloria Gaynor
     One of very favorite movies with one of my very favorite scenes with one of my very favorite songs. First I was afraid. Sh*t, I was petrified!
230. Arcade Fire
     Music + sports = emotions…
231. Finger Eleven
232. Motion City Soundtrack
233. Jimmy Buffett
     It’s always 5:00 in Margaritaville.
234. Daryl Hall & John Oates
235. Sam Cooke
236. Big Star
237. Saliva
238. Trace Adkins
239. Run The Jewels
     One of the coolest movie trailers ever thanks to RTJ.
240. No Doubt
241. George Michael
242. Neil Diamond
     People will try to overplay “Sweet Caroline” to death, but I won’t let them.
243. LMFAO/Redfoo
244. Kenny Rogers
245. The White Stripes
246. M83
247. Survivor
248. Lionel Richie
249. The O'Jays
250. The Band Perry
251. ZZ Top
252. Sia
253. Gary Allen
254. Donots
     A lot of this list is decorated with music from select video game soundtracks. Chief amongst them are the back-to-back all-time great MVP Baseball 04 and 05. For the Donots, “We (definitely) Got the Noise!”
255. Foster the People
256. Metallica
257. The Outfield
     “Your Love,” my favorite baseball player Frank Catalanotto’s walk-up.
258. SZA
259. Duran Duran
     Sing Street is a must-see movie if you like to smile and feel good.
260. Kevin Rudolf
261. Jupiter One
262. Willie Nelson
263. Remy Zero
264. The Ataris
265. Kevin Fowler
     A cover that I actually prefer to the original.
266. Nelly Furtado
267. Baha Men
     2019 and we still have no clue who let the dogs out.
268. Zedd
269. Vertical Horizon
270. Haddaway
271. Major Lazer
272. Stevie Wonder
273. Wiz Khalifa
     I’ve got Wiz’s part in Maroon 5’s “Payphone” completely memorized.
274. Halsey
275. Enrique Iglesias
276. Huey Lewis and the News
277. Kenny Loggins
278. Dashboard Confessional
279. Alicia Keys
280. Secondhand Serenade
281. Don Henley
282. The Heavy
283. Kevin Lyttle
284. Dustin Lynch
285. Embrace
286. Randy Houser
287. Daddy Yankee
288. Alan Jackson
289. Steppenwolf
290. Post Malone
291. Bill Gentry
292. NEEDTOBREATHE
293. Hairspray soundtrack
294. Adam Lambert
295. Sam Hunt
296. Billy Idol
     *Mavericks score…TIMEOUT OTHER TEAM!*
297. Calvin Harris
298. Drake
299. Waylon Jennings
300. Beastie Boys
301. Norman Greenbaum
     Got to be one of the most recognizable sounds.
302. B.o.B.
303. Take That
304. Franz Ferdinand
305. Depeche Mode
306. Flo Rida
307. The Fratellis
308. Nirvana
309. Gorillaz
310. Steve Holy
311. MAGIC!
312. Thin Lizzy
313. Al Green
314. The Lumineers
315. Village People
316. Night Ranger
     Night. Ranger. Man.
317. Matt and Kim
318. My Morning Jacket
     It’s a trip, man.
319. Max Frost
320. B.J. Thomas
321. Stoney Larue
322. Marvin Gaye
323. Ok Go
324. T.I.
325. Caesars
326. The Phantoms
327. Jay Sean
328. The Weeknd
329. The Vines
330. Van Halen
331. Phases
332. Ray Charles
333. The Rembrandts
     If Friends bombed, would the song go to waste?
334. Alphaville
335. Gary Clark Jr.
336. Toploader
337. Spoon
338. Manchester Orchestra
339. J. Cole
340. Macklemore
341. Soulja Boy
342. Alice Cooper
343. Akon
344. TLC
     Yes. And Yes.
345. Adam Ant
     Viewer discretion advised. I guess.
346. T-Pain
347. Big Boi
348. The Verve
349. Staind
350. Lil Wayne
351. The Beach Boys
352. Grouplove
353. TQ
354. Taio Cruz
355. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
356. The Foundations
357. James Brown
358. Lukas Graham
359. Colbie Caillat
360. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
361. G-Eazy
362. Cults
363. Nine Days
364. Celine Dion
365. 2Pac
366. Gavin Rossdale
367. Mann
368. Kutless
369. OMI
370. The Presidents of The U.S.A.
     Cleveland temporarily rocks.
371. Red Hot Chili Peppers
372. The Temptations
373. Jefferson Starship
374. Fallzone
375. Biggie Smalls
376. Rock 'N Roll Soldiers
377. Rupert Holmes
378. Glen Campbell
379. Don McLean
     Without “American Pie,” aforementioned this would not exist.
380. Spencer Lee
381. Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah
382. Ozzy Osbourne
383. The Prodigy
384. Labrinth
385. Carl Douglas
386. Nas
387. Randy Rogers Band
388. Trust Company
389. John Legend
390. Dispatch
391. The Wallflowers
392. R.E.M.
393. Lit
394. Chase Baker
395. The Hives
396. Wax Fang
     You’ll be seeing more from this show.
397. Jim Croce
398. Tracy Byrd
399. Jidenna
400. Blur
401. Wild Cherry
402. Joey Scarbury
403. Jimi Hendrix
404. Black Sabbath
405. The Five Stairsteps
406. The Hit Girls
407. The Animals
408. Europe
409. The Runaways
     Side note: both Maroon 5 andThe Killers have a song called “Runaway” or “Runaways” that are both great.
410. Joan Jett
411. Gorillaz
412. Gary Glitter
413. Billy Joel
414. Dream Street
415. DNCE
416. Garth Brooks
417. Fleetwood Mac
418. Florida Georgia Line
419. Sheppard
420. Gang of Youths
421. Ludacris
422. Dia Frampton/Javier Colon/Nakia/Terry McDermott/Vicci Martinez/Xenia
     My favorite from these “The Voice” graduates is “Stitch by Stitch” from Colon.
423. Kula Shaker
424. Travie McCoy
425. Juice Newton
426. Elvis Presley
427. Vance Joy
428. R. City
429. Alessia Cara
430. 50 Cent
431. Eric Hutchinson
432. Ryan Cabrera
433. Zutons
434. Harry Belafonte
435. Gym Class Heroes
436. Hot Chocolate
437. Dire Straits
438. Atomic Otro Way
439. Boyz II Men
440. Lee Greenwood
441. Bell Biv DeVoe
442. Luniz
443. Planetshakers
444. Grease soundtrack
445. Ed Sheeran
446. Snoop Dogg
447. Elvin Bishop
448. The Interrupters
449. Hole
450. Bruce Springsteen
451. Cameo/The BossHoss
     Feast your eyes.
452. Guided by Voices
453. Bebe Rexha
454. Boyz 12
455. Passenger
456. Josh Abbott Band
457. Bucky Covington
458. Mumford & Sons
459. Louis XIV
460. Grace
461. Mark Ronson
462. Von Bondies
463. Kaleo
464. Meghan Trainor
465. Rag’n’Bone
466. Portugal. The Man
467. Little Texas
468. Juicy J
     This list has a lot of song producers that don’t really sing, yet are attached to multiple songs that please my inner eardrum.
469. Bonnie Tyler
470. Cheat Codes
471. Death Cab for Cutie
472. The Edgar Winter Band
473. Funeral Party
474. Styx
     #FreeStyx!
475. Men Without Hats
476. A Great Big World
477. P Diddy
478. Ray Parker Jr.
479. Earth, Wind & Fire
480. Bleu
481. Louis Armstrong
482. Rednex
483. Moniker
     Songs from movies and TV shows are popular on this list. It still is CGI Fridays after all!
484. New Radicals
485. Luis Fonsi
486. Kongos
487. a-Ha
488. Def Leppard
489. Boston
490. MC Hammer
491. Saint Motel
492. The Buggles
493. Average White Band
494. Oingo Boingo
     Blew my mind to find out it was Danny Elfman at the front of this band.
495. Oliver Cheatham
496. Slash
497. Ace Frehley
498. Cynthia Erivo
499. Iyaz
500. Capital Cities
501. Loverboy
502. Rachel Platten
503. We Are Scientists
504. The Trashmen
     Heh.
505. Ace of Base
     On that same note, this is honestly probably the best installment in the Alien franchise.
506. Jonny Lives!
507. Barry Manilow
508. Empire of the Sun
509. Andy Grammer
510. Phosphorescent
     Not sure who Zula is, but this song used in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is hypnotic.
511. Superchunk
512. Daft Punk
513. Bachman–Turner Overdrive
514. AJR
515. De La Soul
516. Jerry Reed
517. Leona Lewis
518. Kansas
519. Three Days Grace
520. The Cars
521. Barenaked Ladies
522. The Sneepers
     Also not really a band or even non-fiction, but I challenge you not to tap your foot to this…
523. Salt-N-Pepa
524. Whitesnake
525. Foghat
526. The Proclaimers
527. Wang Chung
528. SNAP!
529. The Monkees
530. Home Town Hero
531. Foreigner
532. Goodie Mob
533. David Guetta
534. Ben Vaughn
535. The Tokens
536. Evanescence
     “Bring Me to Life” was D.A.R.E.’s song for their “don’t do drugs” program. Add in some strobe lights and scarred for life.
537. Frankie Valli
538. Dolly Parton
539. Jay & The Americans
540. Teamheadkick
541. Pigeon John
542. Blondie
543. Charli XCX
544. Del Amitri
545. Bob Seger
546. Four Tops
547. Disclosure
548. Cab Calloway
     Hi-de-hi-de-hi ho-de-ho-de-ho!
549. Jurassic 5
550. Hozier
551. LIZ
552. DJ Kool
553. Kernkraft 400
554. Robin Thicke
555. Ed Helms
     So the most-of-the-times-funny actor Helms isn’t really a singer, but there’s no denying the power of “Stu’s Song” from The Hangover.

CGI Fridays Composer Rankings

In the 2018 documentary, Score: A Film Music Documentary, a composer in the film calls a movie's musical soundtrack "emotion lotion."

I like that.

Music is as important to a movie as the actors, the director and the pictures on screen themselves. Our ears are always open and movies are constantly attending to our multiple human senses for entertainment.

Superhero movies in particular are pretty much required to have an accompanying character theme —or two or five— and it’s no coincidence that most of my favorite musical cues in motion pictures come from superhero films.

It’s simply part of a movie’s DNA. A soundtrack can make a good movie great (Pirates of the Caribbean), a flawed movie memorable (Jaws) and a great movie an all-time classic (Jurassic Park).

So while I’m no music aficionado and really can’t tell you all about that base, my ears are as open as my eyes when absorbing a movie.

Behind every note is a composer. Here are my favorites.

56. Joe Harnell

Harnell's "Lonely Man" motif from The Incredible Hulk TV series --and reprised in 2008's movie-- is iconic enough to earn a spot on the list.

55. Harry Gregson-Williams

Gregson-Williams collaborated with John Powell for the popular Shrek theme, and also provided music for Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens.

54. Clinton Shorter

Shorter's work on District 9 perfectly captures the dreading tone in Neill Blomkamp's breakout film.

53. Rob Dougan

Dougan's contribution to The Matrix, the intimidatingly named "Clubbed to Death" piece, became a staple for sports games soon and long after.

52. Walter Murphy

"A Fifth of Beethoven" is the perfect amount of Beethoven.

51. Sam Spence

When I think of NFL Films, or even Madden soundtracks, I think of Sam Spence.

50. Jóhann Jóhannsson

The late Jóhannsson was victim to an accidental overdose in February 2018. His combination of orchestral and electronic factors was heard strong in his Oscar nominated work for Sicario, especially “The Beast.”

49. Jared Emerson-Johnson

Emerson-Johnson's partnership withTelltale resulted in a memorable addition to Batman lore.

48. Hildur Guðnadóttir

Hailing from Iceland, Guðnadóttir won an Oscar for her work on Joker.

47. Benjamin Wallfisch

Wallfisch has found a home with Warner Bros. blockbusters like It and Shazam! His score for It hits home as both a horror score and a touching coming-of-age for "The Loser's Club."

46. Trevor Morris

Morris is one of multiple video game veterans on the list, a Marvel games collaborator for the first two editions of Ultimate Alliance.

45. Craig Armstrong

Armstrong’s superhero score has been mostly forgotten along with the attached movie (The Incredible Hulk). It was a dark, gloomy beat fit for the movie it was attached to, appropriately not lending itself to something too heroic. Also a fan of his work on the biopic Ray andThe Great Gatsby remake in 2013.

44. Kevin Kiner

Kiner really just took John Williams original Star Wars theme and got to tinker with it. He stayed closer to Williams’ original melody, moreso repurposing the theme for The Clone Wars rather than needing to open it up like Powell for an entirely new cinematic film. His intro to The Clone Wars is a really cool variation of the OG theme.

43. Rupert Gregson-Williams

The Wonder Woman theme itself deserves to be far higher, but Gregson-Williams, not unlike Powell and Kiner with Star Wars material, had something ready for him to work with. Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL put things on a platter for the talented RGW to build on. (2018 edit: Aquaman score = major disappointment)

42. Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow

Salisbury and Barrow collaborated with Alex Garland to produce music for the epic Ex Machina and the not-as-good-but-still-good Annihilation. Their work is fittingly unsettling and creepy, prime for both Ex Machina (“Ava’s Theme”) and Annihilation (“The Alien.”).

41. Randy Newman

Newman is perhaps known best for his many Pixar team-ups, like Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and Cars. My favorite score from Newman is not from this crop, but his majestic home run theme from "The Natural."

40. Pinar Toprak

It's only right that Captain Marvel would boast a female composer. Toprak, a disciple of Danny Elfman, brings a definitively uplifting sound to Carol Danvers.

39. Greg Edmonson

Edmondson is behind the theme for perhaps the greatest video game protagonist ever.

38. John Debney

Debney worked with Jon Favreau on two personal favorites, Elf and Iron Man 2 (aka Total Recall). He also scored the football classic The Replacements. If I had to recommend a track of his, it would be “I Am Iron Man.”

37. Nick Arundel

Arundel worked on two of the best video games of all time, with Ron Fish on Arkham City and David Buckley on the succeeding Arkham Knight.

36. Marius Vries

One of many to work on the…wait for it…kick-ass score for Matthew Vaughn’s…Kick-Ass, Vries’ portion of the soundtrack is just as good as any. He gets the big finishing number with “Flying Home.”

35. John Carpenter

The unusual director AND composer combo, Carpenter’s Halloween has become a classic in the horror genre. Personally, I think it’s a little overrated and inflated by the times, but there is absolutely no denying the haunting power of that piano.

34. Harold Faltermeyer

I didn't love the cult classic Top Gun like the rest, but there's no fault in Faltermeyer's beautiful theme.

33. John Paesano

Finally, Marvel entered the next-gen world and with it came an inspiring theme from Paesano.

32. Bill Brown

The first video game composer on the list, Brown did the music for the unexpectedly fantastic Captain America: Super Soldier PS3 game and provided a worthy compliment to Alan Silvestri’s cinematic march. Standout track: the appropriately named “Hero.”

31. Marco Beltrami

Predominantly on this list for his unique, somber Logan score, Beltrami’s work with Buck Sanders on the blink-and-you-missed-it zombie flick Warm Bodies is also worth mentioning. From Logan, peep “Forest Fight.”

30. John Powell

Powell is known for work on many animated films like How to Train Your Dragon, which he earned an Oscar nom for, as well as his folksy Shrek theme, which he conducted with Harry Gregson-Williams.

My favorite Powell choice is some unique chorus line work on Solo: A Star Wars Story. The movie came and went, doomed by the backlash of The Last Jedi, and deserves so much better.

29. Junkie XL

One of many, many protégés from Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions, Junkie XL aka Antonius Tom Holkenborg has emerged in the techno-tronic genre. His work on Deadpool is fun, if not that memorable outside of “Maximum Effort.”

He worked with his mentor/Jedi Master Zimmer on the criminally underrated The Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack, as well as Batman v Superman. Helping elevate a messy film into something at least musically compelling. Highlights on the BvS soundtrack include “A Beautiful Lie,” “Their War Here” and, on display above, Wonder Woman’s theme born out of “Is She With You?”

28. Mark Mancina

The animated Tarzan gets remembered for its Phil Collins content, but we must remember that the soundtrack was done as a team along with Mancina, another associate of Zimmer.

27. Lalo Schifrin

Schifrin, a frequent partner to Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry series, does fantastic work there but is certainly known for his Mission Impossible theme.

26. Ludwig Goransson

Ryan Coogler’s collab absolutely kills it with the Black Panther soundtrack. The playlist comfortably runs more than a dozen tracks deep and has great hero and villain themes. Additionally, Goransson's The Mandalorian motif is a worthy addition to the galaxy far, far away.

25. Mark Griskey

Griskey is a video game veteran, working on several of my favorites. He’s a go-to for Star Wars video games, scoring The Force Unleashed and its sequel, The Old Republic, as well as many Marvel games like the critically acclaimed Ultimate Alliance.

24. John Murphy

Murphy’s insane theme from 28 Days (and Weeks) Later was abnormally reused in Kick-Ass for Big Daddy’s theme. I suppose it is indeed that good. Murphy added a few more tracks to Kick-Ass, like “The Corridor",” but nothing surpasses “In the House, In a Heartbeat”/”Big Daddy Kills.”

23. Ramin Djawadi

Iron Man’s theme has an epic build-up appropriate for the MCU’s feature debut. Djawadi is mostly known for a little side project called Game of Thrones, but I’m here for his work on Iron Man. He also does good stuff on Pacific Rim too, though I couldn’t, in good conscious, recommend that film.

22. Mark Mothersbaugh

Whip It. Whit It Good. From the band Devo. That’s Mark Mothersbaugh at the mic. Thor: Ragnarok would have been lying to itself if it didn’t sign on a composer willing to make some weird sounds.

Like “Everything Is Awesome!!!” from The Lego Movie., a partnership continued with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller after both Jump Street’s. Ragnarok’s soundtrack is super catchy and super Taika Waititi. “Parade,” “What Heroes Do” and if you dare, “Grandmaster’s Jam Session” are just ridiculous.

21. Klaus Badelt

Another Zimmer product, Badelt claims sole credit on the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Zimmer’s name is on the following three movies (neither worked on the forgettable fifth film), so unless I get the chance to ask in person, it’s hard to know where Zimmer ends and Badelt begins. Even still, the Pirates theme is so fantastic that Badelt gets high marks. (The Pirates score is very similar to Zimmer’s Gladiator theme but is it so wrong to enhance your own work?)

20. Jerry Goldsmith

Back in the 60s, 70s and 80s when Hollywood movies were finding their footing, Goldsmith was the man you wanted to score your film. His library of work is incredible. Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, The Omen, Total Recall, Poltergeist, Alien, Rudy… Jerry Goldsmith is behind so many of the best music ever put to movies, with his Planet of the Apes tune one of my all-time favs.

19. Christopher Young

Another composer who already had his theme in place from a prior artist, Young came onto the studio-battled Spider-Man 3, replacing Danny Elfman. Why Young still has such a high rank is because of what he added to Elfman’s iconic Spidey theme. His cues for Sandman and Venom are joined together for a super supervillain theme, both spooky and reflective of his horror roots alongside Sam Raimi.

18. Ennio Morricone

Morricone’s treasure is, without question, “The Ecstasy of Gold” from The Good, the Bad & The Ugly. He also worked with Quentin Tarantino on The Hateful Eight, but “Ecstasy of Gold” has become as prolific outside of movies as it has within cinema.

17. Daniel Pemberton

Pemberton’s work on Into the Spider-Verse is a techno funky beat that he drops for the amazing (heh) animated Spider-Man film. It's up-tempo yet emotional and goes straight to the best parts of the brain. If there’s a message here, it’s that Spider-Man Loves You.

16. Patrick Doyle

Doyle’s Thor score seemed to get outmatched in perception by the follow-up Thor music from Brian Tyler and Mark Mothersbaugh. Doyle’s theme is the most poignant of the three, very easy on the ears but also triumphant as Hel when you come to Thor Kills the Destroyer,” which I’m sure you can guess what that's about.

15. James Horner

Horner’s contributions to a fellow James, James Cameron’s blockbuster giants Titanic and Avatar, are well documented. But the late, great musician’s work on The Amazing Spider-Man is brilliant. “Main Title (Young Peter)” acts as a suite to that album and is worthy of the Horner name.

14. James Newton Howard

Newton Howard has scored over 100 films. Some of my favorites are from the extremely underrated animated Dinosaur, I Am Legend and I also enjoy his Fantastic Beasts theme. The cream of the crop, though, is his partnership with Hans Zimmer on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

13. Christopher Drake

The best video game soundtrack, in my opinion, comes from Drake. The spinoff Arkham game Arkham Origins wasn’t as popular as the flagship three from Rocksteady Studios, but while the game isn’t as notorious, Drake’s themes for a younger Batman, Joker and Gotham City have stayed the test of time.

Around the same time as the game, Drake also concocted the theme for Batman: Under the Red Hood, a 2010 animated movie focusing on one of my favorite DC stories, perhaps because of its semblance to the Winter Soldier arc. He also did the music for both parts of the animated Dark Knight Returns, a perfect adaptation of Frank Miller’s legendary Batman versus Superman comic and my favorite animated superhero feature of all time.

12. Monty Norman

A pair of truly iconic themes here from the next two artists. Norman for James Bond…

11. Bill Conti

…and Conti for Rocky.

10. Matthew Margeson

By himself, Margeson reimagines the 80s in spectacular fashion for Eddie the Eagle. He also teamed up with the talented (and upcoming) Henry Jackman on the Kingsman films, and those soundtracks nothing short of legendary.

9. Christophe Beck

A good song, lyrical or instrumental, is one you can hum for days on end and not hate the world for it. Beck’s Ant-Man material, and the rare MCU musical continuity supplied for the sequel, is one of the more fascinating hero themes I’ve ever heard.

8. Tyler Bates

The triumphant main theme for the Guardians of the Galaxy was kind of discovered by accident. Director James Gunn (prior to his exile) likes to score his movies before filming, a very unusual and unpracticed technique. He got a clip from Bates to use for the movie and decided then and there that was the one he wanted for the money shots.

Known for their Awesome Mix soundtracks, Bates delivers the instrumental goods on Guardians. Check out “The Kyln Escape,” “The Final Battle Begins” and “The Ballad of the Nova Corps.” From Vol. 2, he starts hot with “Showtime A-Holes.”

Bates also produced some metallic-y sounds for the Deadpool sequel and both John Wick films, partnering on the Wick’s with Joel J. Richard. His close partnership with James Gunn also resulted in fun work on the Dawn of the Dead remake as well as Gunn’s own Kick-Ass-ian film Super.

7. Brian Tyler

For me, Tyler has delivered two of the biggest home runs of any movie soundtrack. Those would be back-to-back MCU movies Iron Man 3 andThor: The Dark World. The sounds here are similar yet not at all alike, giving Iron Man and Thor signature themes and redefining the previous entries into the extended Marvel Studios universe.

The titular titles for both movies are the first to check out, with “Isolation” from Iron Man 3 and “Into Eternity” from Thor: The Dark World providing a respite from the booming music and giving the heroes a softer touch.

Tyler stuck with the MCU for Avengers: Age of Ultron but his dynamic duo is definitely the previous two. Can You Dig It?!

6. Danny Elfman

Elfman is well traveled, his strong kinship with director Tim Burton a driving force behind his project selection. He’s done several superhero films, starting with the original Burton Batman and also helping Shirley Walker conduct the theme for Batman: The Animated Series on TV.

He turned in a good Hulk score, a fantastic Men in Black theme and cashed a check on Justice League after replacing Junkie XL at the last minute. He was also brought in late on Avengers: Age of Ultron, and has several great additions to Alan Silvestri’s Avengers theme, like “Heroes Unite,” "New Avengers - Age of Ultron” and the similarly scripted “Heroes” and “It Begins.”

But most of all, he helped get the superhero ball rolling with his iconic score for the first two Spider-Man movies.

5. Michael Giacchino

The busy Giacchino scored Spider-Man: Homecoming for Marvel Studios right after composing Doctor Strange. Most composers have a certain style that carries from film to film, but Giacchino is as versatile as it gets.

An Academy Award winner for Up, the man known for his track list puns has produced music for all of the following blockbusters since 2015: Jurassic World, Inside Out, Zootopia, Star Trek Beyond, Doctor Strange, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Spider-Man: Homecoming, War for the Planet of the Apes, Coco and Incredibles 2.

Just some of the best from his collection: “Master of the Mystic End Credits” and “Go For Baroque” from Doctor Strange, “Academic Decommitment” and “Bussed a Move” from Spider-Man: Homecoming, “Hope” from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, “The Ecstasy of the Bold” from War for the Planet of the Apes, “Married Life” from Up, the main theme from the modern Star Trek series and so many more…

It’s not just anyone who is picked to carry on the legacy of names like Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams, but Giacchino was the man for the job, taking over the Planet of the Apes and Jurassic Park franchises, as well as continuing Star Wars in Rogue One.

4. Alan Silvestri

It was obviously crucial for Marvel to attach a winning number to their highly anticipated team-up in 2012. After knocking it out of the park with the victorious notes of Captain America: The First Avenger, Silvestri moved seamlessly intoThe Avengers, going from from home run to grand slam.

His theme for Marvel’s superhero team has become as memorable and entrenched in cinematic history as the movies themselves. For all of Silvestri’s work, and there’s a lot of it (like his many Robert Zemeckis partnerships, most notably Back to the Future) his legacy is tied to the magic of the Avengers movies and their sequels.

3. Hans Zimmer

Zimmer could be third, he could be first. His combination of instruments and modern electronic technology has changed the movie music industry. Where Silvestri is tied to the Avengers, Zimmer’s name will forever by synonymous with Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

Musical continuity isn’t as prevalent in Marvel movies, especially with the episodic nature of the MCU, but the three Batman movies from Nolan seem to be just as much Hans Zimmer’s baby as they are belonging to Nolan and Christian Bale.

Zimmer’s work in the monumental Batman trilogy evolved tremendously through the three movies, while also keeping a through-line theme for the hero. Few have matched his work when it comes to villains, too, his tempos for the Joker, Bane and then Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 some of the best in the business for any character, good or bad.

With all that said for The Dark Knight trilogy, Zimmer also knocked it out of the park for Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel and did his best to save Batman v Superman. In-between those DC movies, he worked on the The Amazing Spider-Man 2, providing one of the most underrated superhero scores ever, clouded by the inauspicious reputation of that film.

Zimmer’s extensive gallery extends to other Nolan films Inception and Interstellar. Everything he touches turns to gold, from The Lion King to Rush to Chappie to Pirates of the Caribbean to Sherlock Holmes. The man is incredible.

2. Henry Jackman

Jackman learned from Hans himself and has produced two of my absolute all-time favorites with his work on Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the Kingsman films.

Taking a cue from Zimmer for The Winter Soldier, Jackman delivers the rare compliment of an iconic villain theme as well as the obligatory hero’s theme. He also scored the next Cap movie, the pseudo-Avengers Captain America; Civil War, creating numerous memorable themes for an array of different heroes, not to mention the titular super soldier.

Both Kingsman movies have the same main theme, but just like Zimmer tinkered with his Batman themes for the sequels, Jackman and partner Matthew Margeson only made their trademark Kingsman theme better in the sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Jackman’s style is felt again on his work for Big Hero 6, X-Men: First Class, Kong: Skull Island, Kick-Ass, Captain Phillips and the hit video game Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

1. John Williams

What is there to say about the man, the myth, the legend and the maker himself. His bombastic Superman theme, his adventurous Indiana Jones cue, Jaws, Jurassic Park and even kicking off the Harry Potter franchise.

Williams has obviously done a literal lifetime’s worth of movies, but like George Lucas, he will certainly be remembered for Star Wars. As those movies have evolved, so has the legendary Williams. He’s scored all eight episodes and also contributed a track to Solo.

It’s not possible to top the original main theme, the famous opening and closing numbers, but Williams has given every Star Wars movie something of its own.

From the original trilogy, the themes for Han, Leia, Yoda, the twin suns of Tatooine, and the victory tune from Return of the Jedi are not to be challenged. The theme of Darth Vader and the Empire, the “Imperial March” speaks for itself.

From the prequels, “Duel of the Fates” from The Phantom Menace and “Battle of the Heroes” from Revenge of the Sith might be the coup de grâce of Williams’ entire catalog. His Star Wars collection is nothing short of historical.