These are the songs that make you roll your eyes in theatres, change the channel or even put the TV on mute when you hear them come on in movie trailers.
Some are actually fantastic and beautifully written songs that have been ruined by overexposure; some are inexplicably popular songs that need to die immediately.
http://www.ranker.com/list/20-most-annoyingly-over-used-movie-trailer-songs/awesomeballa,
Who Let The Dogs Out
We have no idea how this song even came to fruition. Who thought this was cool? The song itself even starts out kind of badass (imagine you'd never heard it before) and then goes on to get really really friendly. It was actually a huge hit on Radio Disney for YEARS.
But seriously, we have no idea who possibly thought it was a good idea to spend time and money and actually use their names, faces and voices to make such a stupid and horribly annoying song.
Songs like these usually go away... songs like these usually go away! *Rocks back and forth* Songs like these usually go away.
But not this one. It first came out in 1999, started being used in trailers then... and it STILL. IS.
The worst part is that now any kids' movie with a dog and/or men behaving like dogs, or even just fun, light-hearted family films has this in the trailer.
The ultimate one-hit wonder song, "Who Let the Dogs Out" can rape your ears in everything from "The Hangover" to "Shallow Hal" to "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie." and graces such trailers as the one embedded here, where it is arguably most distastefully used.
Here's your token "dogs are on the screen so let's get the s**tty tropical dog song" moment from the "Snow Dogs" trailer at 0:50 to the left.
Bad Reputation
"I don't give a damn about my bad reputation!"
Used in "Shrek," "10 Things I Hate About You," "Baby Mama" and a few others, Joan Jett's "Bad reputation" has got a bad reputation for being used in otherwise pretty decent movie trailers. It's just not right to do this sort of thing to an awesome song!
Formerly used as the theme song for the great canceled-way-too-early NBC show "Freaks & Geeks," this song is being overused in trailers like "Kick-Ass" and any other trailer that involves children fighting back or something juvenile or anthropomorphic rebelling in some way, shape or form.
See for yourself. Here's Joan's song being used in one of its most cliche ways in the "Kick-Ass" movie trailer (1:40).
Kung Fu Fighting
An original B-side song, recorded in ten minutes by a Jamaican dude name Carl doesn't exactly motiviate the listener to allow their minds to be transported to a dreamworld of dragons, egg rolls and other supercool Asian stuff. Oh wait, that is exactly the kind of Asia that a song like "Kung Fu Fighting" makes the listener connect with. With appearances in everything from "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" to "Rush Hour 3," it seems like "City of God" is one of the only movies on this song's list of cultural infiltration that is actually worth being proud of.
Shockingly, the song was also used in the Dreamworks' movie "Kung Fu Panda" (gasp!), which is actually a cute movie if you're seven or like drugs. Fast-forward to the 0:34 mark to begin your immersion in Asian culture, the Hollywood way.
Thanks Carl! Now all martial arts comedies will be able to share one CD (who are we kidding, this is totally on a beta) for their soundtrack until the end of time.
Bodies
Ah yes, the ubiquitous anthem of every ass kicking, bone breaking and tights-wearing action movie trailer. Why? Because it's obvious.
With such moving and thought provoking lyrics like "Let the bodies hit the floor.Let the bodies hit the floor. Let the bodies hit the floor. Let the bodies hit the floor. Let the bodies hit the floor."
Yeah, that's about it.
In any movie where bodies need to, or will be, hitting the floor you can bet your sweet ass that at some point you will hear the brutally-metal voices of Drowning Pool letting you know that they're going to be allowing something, and that something is bodies hitting the god damn floor.
Skip to 1:19 in this trailer for "Jason X" to hear the satisfying thud of some bodies. Also used in Vin Diesel movies and crappy, not-going-to-make-their-money-back-in-theatres movies, which are essentially the same thing.
ABC
No question, you know this song. You've heard it in "Clerks 2," and in the part of any movie trailer where a kooky guy (or crew of guys) has to change their ways or take on a seemingly impossibly task. Who knows what could happen? Craziness ensues! But no matter what does, you know that everything is going to be OK because it's "ABC" time, so go see their crappy movie!
Here's the trailer for "Daddy Day Care" (you're welcome). At 1:16 the song starts, giving us the perfect, cliche example of how Hollywood uses this song.
That's right, if you have a child running amok or a clueless man learning anything in a movie, Tito Jackson is sure to get a check.
Perhaps the saddest thing about this song though is that it was responsible for kicking "Let It Be" out of the number one Billboard spot in 1970.
Oh, and for those who just can't get enough of the first three letters of the alphabet, you can download this jam for Rock Band or play it on Band Hero.
But seriously, please don't.
All Star
Just gonna put this out there, and although we don't wanna rock any boats, we'll be the first ones to admit it. You know what? We HATE this song. By "we", I mean "the thinking people of America".
And I think it's because of how Hollywood has saturated every part of our lives with this song. It's in video games, television and movies like "Digimon: The Movie", "Inspector Gadget," seemingly every single Shrek movie and "Mystery Men" (where they apparently had enough people on staff who smoked crack that they decided to make this the theme of their movie).
We would donate our dozens of dollars to charity to never have to hear this song in a movie (or life) ever again.
I Got You (I Feel Good)
A song that's cool enough to be in both "Full House" and "Lost" is alright in my book, no matter how over-utilized it is by Hollywood. But dear God is it overused in trailers.
The Godfather of Soul's hit single has been made an appearance on basically every soundtrack ever, including "The Nutty Professor," "It Takes Two," "Garfield: The Movie" and "Home Alone 4" (hey, I never said they were good soundtracks).
Really, this song is used masterfully by trailers in a way that isn't obvious in the least... ready for it? It's played whenever someone "feels good". BOOSH.
Remember this Richard Gere movie? GREAT example of how lame it is.
Bad to the Bone
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
Another case of a great band that had one song sucked into the movie trailer vortex that sits in the center of Hollywood's first "O" never to be played or sung outside of any other context besides a children's movie about magical nannies, faeries, unicorns or whatever magical crap kids today believe in (note to children: THEY'RE NOT REAL, well except for unicorns, those are totally real. and you shouldn't be on this website anyway, go now. scat).
Shockingly unexpected was the decision to use "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" in the new Nanny McPhee trailer (1:36), as it's most often spotted along with images of Adam Sandler smiling above his name at the end of a trailer that gives away the whole movie, or for mid-level, barely-got-made romantic comedies that have no personality.
Walking on Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves
The embedded trailer for "High Fidelity" uses the song for its intended purpose, galavantingly great feelings. This is what you use in a trailer when your characters are feeling a few notches above "I Feel Good". When people want to jump on tables, run while their hair bounces, drive off in a car, wear sunglasses or dance for no reason, this is the song to play.
Cheesy/lame uses of it? Most def. Check out this trailer for Mr. Bean
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jCq13TtzRY
where they introduce him as "the new face of comedy" even though the British had known him for YEARS.
Honorable Mentions:
"Eye of the Tiger" (cause really, we're not sick of that one, it will last forever)
"Wake Up" by Arcade Fire (give it a few years, it'll belong here)
"Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (watch Indie trailers for it)