It’s the last Friday of the month, and two of the best things in life, music and movies, are here to rock you this weekend. Hello, guys, be welcome to my second music post of 2025, you will find some incredible pieces of rock music here, so come on in.
“Films are fantasy – and fantasy needs music.” – Jack Warner
Music and film have been together practically since the beginning of cinema itself. In the early twentieth century, when cinema was silent, it was common to play a recording of music alongside a movie, and sometimes even a whole orchestra. The release of The Jazz Singer in 1927, the first film with both music and dialogue, marked the end of the silent film era. In the next decades movies had their own music and the first soundtracks started to appear. In the decade of the 1990s, The Bodyguard soundtrack became the best-selling soundtrack album of all-time.
Music also became a great marketing tool to draw attention to movies, whether they’d be big budget productions or small indie films. And rock n’ roll has been together with cinema since its inception in the 1950s. The next decades produced great songs for movies, but it was in the 1990s when rock songs reached a new level. Acts like U2, Guns N' Roses and Alice in Chains all had hit songs tied to movies.
On this post you will find some great rock songs (because rock is the best popular music that exists) that left their mark in 12 great movies, and you could say those movies wouldn’t be the same without them. Some of these have become classics, while others have flew under the radar for years, but are still great to listen to decades later.
All of these came out in a time when MTV actually played great rock music and wasn’t promoting drug addiction, homosexuality or teen pregnancy. So, without further ado, let’s begin:
12- Placebo – Every You Every Me
From Cruel Intentions (1999)
Placebo - Every You Every Me (Official Music Video)
This song is as addictive as a drug. Cruel Intentions is a remake of the great Dangerous Liaisons (1988), which is based on a French novel written in 1782. It might have been a little forgotten, but this song certainly isn’t. You can hear this one at the beginning of that movie with an amazing shot of New York City and the villain Sebastian driving his cool 1956 Jaguar Roadster. It was written by Placebo frontman Brian Molko and its lyrics reflect troubles with bad relationships and selfishness, which is perfect for a movie about lies and betrayal. It is the best song from that soundtrack and one of Placebo’s best works ever.
11- Ratt – Nobody Rides For Free
From Point Break (1991)
Ratt - Nobody Rides For Free - Point Break Soundtrack (1991) HQ
Founded in California in the late 1970s, Ratt was one of those hair metal bands that were really popular in the 1980s before being wiped out by the grunge/alternative movement of the next decade. In 1991, they managed to realize this cool aggressive track for the Point Break soundtrack. It has great vocals and a killer guitar solo. You can listen to this one at the end of Point Break, the first action movie Keanu Reeves ever made along the late and great Patrick Swayze. You gotta rock with this one.
10- Billy Idol – Speed
From Speed (1994)
Billy Idol - Speed [Official Music Video by the movie "Speed"]
The 1990s weren’t precisely nice to punk rocker Billy Idol. After a successful decade, he suffered a motorcycle accident that nearly ended his life; then, his 1993 album wasn’t well-received neither by the critics nor the public, and the magic seemed to have been gone forever. But the next year, Billy wrote and recorded this cool song, ideal for the eponymous action movie that became a global sensation and made Keanu Reeves a star on his own merit. The song has a similar drum and guitar riff as 1983’s Rebel Yell, and the lyrics remind you of the same ideas. It was included in Billy Idol’s Greatest Hits compilation album released in 2001.
9- Chris Isaak – Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
From Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing - Official Music Video
The first half of Stanley Kubrick’s final film is perfection made cinema. There, you can see a beautiful and naked Nicole Kidman while this song is played in the background. It is the first track from Chris Isaak fifth studio album Forever Blue, probably the best of his career. Written by Isaak himself, this sexy rockabilly song is about somebody who is so evil, but attractive at the same time you just can’t stop wanting them. The steamy video, where you can see Chris and French model Laetitia Casta, was actually shot in 1999 after the song was included on the soundtrack of Eyes Wide Shut. You cannot help but sing and dance with this one.
8- Stone Temple Pilots – Big Empty
From The Crow (1994)
Big Empty
The only single from one of the best soundtracks of the 1990s decade. The Crow, a cult classic film based on a comic book, will forever by marked by the tragic death of Brandon Lee just days before filming was finished in 1993. A dark and supernatural story about vengeance, it premiered a year later and all of its subsequent sequels and remakes have failed in capturing the magic and power of this original and first. And Big Empty, a song about loneliness and frustration, written by the late Scott Weiland fits perfectly for that film. It starts slow and acoustic to erupt later in a big chorus; the lyrics are haunting and I have always loved that line “Conversations kill”. Other great bands you can listen in The Crow soundtrack are: The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Violent Femmes and Pantera.
7- Gin Blossoms – Til I Hear It from You
From Empire Records (1995)
Gin Blossoms - Til I Hear It From You (Official Music Video)
In the mid-1990s, Arizona’s favorite band was a refreshing sound in a decade full of cynicism. Although Gin Blossoms never became a megaband, several of their songs charted and you always cheer up when you listen to something from them. Til I Hear It from You was the lead single for the soundtrack of Empire Records, starring Liv Tyler, a movie about the adventures of a group of employees of a record store while they try to prevent a hostile takeover from another record chain. It may have not been a success, but it has gained cult-following over the years and has a great soundtrack. Cool and melodic, written by singer Robin Wilson in collaboration with other guys, I hope this song will have a permanent place in your 90s heart, even if you weren’t alive back then.
6- AC/DC – Big Gun
From Last Action Hero (1993)
AC/DC - Big Gun (Official HD Video)
This one starts with a cool riff, courtesy of one of my favorite guitarist of all time, and the raspy voice of Brian Johnson and the chorus are enough to make you love the good old rock n’ roll. Big Gun was the first single of a soundtrack that featured other great bands such as Def Leppard, Megadeth and Alice in Chains. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a the hero of a movie trapped in our real world, Last Action Hero wasn’t the commercial success it was expected when it was released alongside certain dinosaur movie directed by a guy named Steven Spielberg. But I loved it when I first saw it at the theater that summer; it’s a very imaginative movie, smarter than most people think, and has been reassured and appreciated over the years. In the music video, you can see Arnold dressed as a school boy, ala Angus Young, and performing live with the band. Too bad this great song has never been played live.
5- U2 – Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
From Batman Forever (1995)
U2 - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (Official Music Video) [HD Upgrade]
In the 1990s, U2 were at the top of their game being the biggest rock band in the world. In 1995, they offered this song as a contribution to the soundtrack of Batman Forever, directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Val Kilmer in the role of the cape crusader and billionaire Bruce Wayne. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me was already composed but was left out of the Zooropa album of 1993; it deals with themes of fame and being a rock star constantly on the spotlight. Written by Bono, it was the most electronic song U2 had made at the time, has a killer intro, great guitar by The Edge and a compelling chorus. The video was a smash hit, MTV played the hell out of it, and won the Best Video of the Year for MTV Europe. This was one of my favorite songs in the summer of 1995.
4- Red Hot Chili Peppers – Soul to Squeeze
From Coneheads (1993)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Soul To Squeeze [Official Music Video]
A great song never included in any of the Peppers studio albums. It was recorded during the sessions of the great Blood Sugar Sex Magik but was left out of it. It was released in 1993 as the only single of a horrible movie that nobody remembers now and may have killed Dan Aykroyd’s career in the movie business. The lyrics of this great track, are credited to the whole band and deal with lead singer Anthony Kiedis’ personal struggles with addiction. The black and white video is one of the most artistic and beautiful rock videos of the 1990s. A soft, cool and melodic song, ideal for relaxing on a road trip.
3– Alice in Chains – Would?
From Singles (1992)
Alice In Chains - Would? (Official HD Video)
In 1992, director Cameron Crowe made a curious film about four single people and their misadventures in the cloudy city of Seattle. In this movie you can see cameos by the members of Pearl Jam, the late Chris Cornell and the guys of Alice in Chains performing a live version of Would? This song is the first track of what is considered the best soundtrack of the 1990s, and was the first single for that album; it was also included in Alice in Chains’ Dirt album of 1992, one of the best rock albums of that entire decade. Written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell, it deals with common Alice in Chains’ themes about sadness and drug addiction. It has a great bass intro and vocals, and you can hear Cantrell singing the first part. RIP Layne Staley.
2- Guns N’ Roses – You Could Be Mine
From Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Guns N' Roses - You Could Be Mine (Official Video HD)
Axl Rose and company came back strong in 1991 with the title song for the soundtrack of the biggest movie of the year. Directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger at the top of his popularity, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released in the summer of that year with great reviews and groundbreaking special effects that let the whole world astonished. You Could Be Mine was later included in the second part of the epic Use Your Illusion albums. It was already in preproduction for Appetite for Destruction, but was included in the soundtrack of T2 after Arnold personally requested a song from the band for the film. You can hear it briefly in a scene from the film where a reckless teenager John Connor is riding his bike through the streets of LA. The video was one of the most viewed on MTV in the summer of 1991, and you can see Arnold himself as the T-800 interacting with the guys of the band. The teenage me used to love this song.
1- Jon Bon Jovi – Blaze of Glory
From Young Guns II (1990)
Jon Bon Jovi - Blaze Of Glory (Official Music Video)
In 1990, after taking a sort of hiatus from his band, Jon Bon Jovi released his first solo album, the soundtrack of a cool western about the life of American outlaw Billy the Kid. The album contained 11 songs with collaborations of other great artists and is a quality album on its own. Blaze of Glory, the first single, it’s a poignant ballad told from the perspective of Billy the Kid himself. It was written only by Jon and features and amazing guitar solo by the late Jeff Beck. I used to love this song as a kid; it went number one and is the only song written by Jon away from his band that has topped the charts. The music video, directed by Wayne Isham, was shot in the Utah desert and has a retro vibe. Blaze of Glory was also nominated for Best Original Song at the 1991 Academy Awards. By the way, I still have the Young Guns II vinyl album in my record collection.
Conclusion
That’s it for this post, guys, I hope you have liked it, and I hope it brought you memories from the last decade of the 20th century, or that you have discovered something new. I didn’t want to include Aerosmith’s I Don't Want to Miss a Thing or Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls since those songs have been overplayed throughout the decades. I wanted to include Bryan Adams’ (Everything I Do) I Do It for You, but apparently there’s an issue with the rights and the nice video shot in a British forest that was played ad nausea on MTV in 1991 is nowhere to be found.
This post is also part of the #ninetiesfriday event.
Now I want to hear from you, which one of these songs is your favorite? Did you discover something new? Were you even alive in the 1990s? Do you have another rock song of 90s movies that I missed here? If so leave it in the comment section.
Since you’re there, check now 20 great songs from the 1990s right here:
@thereadingman/20-rock-songs-from-the
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Until Next Time
Take care
Orlando Caine.
