You’ve probably seen the meme: A young carer is helping an old lady with a walking frame. The senior is talking about something mundane that people used to do all the time in the ‘80s or ‘90s. The carer replies, “Sure Grandma, let’s get you to bed.”

I’ve reached the point where I feel like that a lot - the Grandma, I mean - when I’m telling my kids about my childhood. Some of it even sounds far-fetched to me, such as one of my favourite activities back then: Ripping music off directly from the radio to make compilation tapes. 

Back then, I tell them, people couldn’t listen to music whenever they felt like it on Spotify or Youtube. They either had to go out and buy the album or single from a store. This would come on physical media called records, tapes, or CDs. Sometimes the liner notes would even contain the lyrics to the songs, which was great because we didn’t have the internet to look up vocals we couldn’t decipher.

Otherwise, they had to wait for a song to come on the radio. I loved sitting in front of my parents’ giant stereo stack on Sunday afternoons listening to the chart show, primed and ready to hit record when my favourites came on. I usually didn’t bother with #1, because the top spot was invariably a song from a movie soundtrack that had been playing on the airwaves for weeks – sometimes months – on end.

But while we teenagers often groaned and made fun of these cinematic hits, many of which were huge power ballads, we still had a soft spot for them. They provided an audio backdrop to many memories and formative moments, and to hear them nowadays is like a time-warp back to a certain point in time.

Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers from Ghost (1990)

The Righteous Brothers were a Californian double act formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield in 1963 after leaving their previous group called the Paramours. Apparently they got their name from a show performed at the El Toro Marine base when black members of the audience referred to them as “righteous brothers.” They enjoyed moderate success before Phil Spector signed them up and produced their first #1 hit, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” a song that was covered by many artists and re-entered pop culture again after featuring in Top Gun.

“Unchained Melody” originated from another movie soundtrack in the ‘50s. Composer Alex North was hired to write music for Unchained, a forgotten prison drama from 1955. North had composed the tune back in the ‘30s and employed it again for the film, writing lyrics with Hy Zaret for what would become known as the “Unchained Melody,” despite the fact that the word “unchained” didn’t feature in the song.

Several covers followed, including Les Baxter’s choral version which hit #1 in the UK and US before the Righteous Brothers recorded their legendary take, released as a B-side to “Hung on You.” Bill Medley said that Spector would often dump songs on the flip side of singles that weren’t meant to catch anyone’s attention, but radio DJs started playing “Unchained Melody” instead of the A-side, much to the producer’s irritation. Reportedly, he called up stations demanding that they stop playing it. His efforts were in vain, however, and the song reached #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #14 in the UK.

The song fared even better when it was re-released after playing in the infamous pottery scene with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in Ghost. While it only reached #19 in the Hot 100 this time around, it soared to top spot in several countries including the UK. Brits were “treated” to two more chart-topping renditions: In 1995 by Robson & Jerome from the popular ITV show Soldier Soldier, and again in 2002 by Gareth Gates, runner-up on the first series of Pop Idol.

The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss) by Cher from Mermaids (1990)

1990 was big on ‘60s nostalgia and another song from the decade also reached number one that year, Cher’s version of Betty Everett’s 1964 hit “It’s in His Kiss” from Mermaids. Richard Benjamin’s comedy-drama was a modest hit, offering up the unlikely romantic pairing of Cher and Bob Hoskins, not to mention the screen debut of Christina Ricci.

Cher had appeared in movies as early as the mid-60s, back when she was finding fame as one half of Sonny & Cher with her then-husband Sonny Bono. But it was the 1980s when she put her solo music career on hold for a short while and focused on her acting career, with great success. She received an Oscar nod for her performance in Silkwood (1983) and took home Best Actress for Moonstruck (1987), as well as putting in solid turns in Mask (1985) and The Witches of Eastwick (also 1987).

Cher recorded two songs for the Mermaids soundtrack (the other being a cover of Barbara Lewis’ “Baby I’m Yours”) but the re-titled “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)” was the big hit, playing out over the final credits. The single was an international hit, reaching #1 in several countries including the UK. It was a special success for Cher whose previous chart-topper was “I Got You Babe” back in the ‘60s with her old husband. Incidentally, she would re-record that song with Beavis and Butthead in 1993.

(Everything I Do) I Do it For You by Bryan Adams from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

It is hard to get across to anyone who wasn’t there just how ubiquitous Bryan Adams’ smash rock-ballad from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was in 1991. It was everywhere, from constant airplay on the radio and constant rotation on MTV to the slow dance session at school discos. It was huge, spending a record-breaking 16 weeks at the top of the UK charts.

The phenomenal success of the song was a decent return for less than an hour that the Canadian rocker spent writing the lyrics with composer Michael Kamen and producer Mutt Lange during a studio session in London in 1990. Working from Kamen’s film score and a line of dialogue (“I do it for you”), it was originally intended to be sung from Maid Marian’s perspective with Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, and Lisa Stansfield all potential vocalists for the track.

But that format was considered too bland and male performers were considered instead, with Peter Cetera of Chicago also approached to write a version. Ultimately, Adams won out and his gravelly delivery made it the hit that it was. Aside from conquering the charts, the song also earned the movie its lone Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, losing out to the twee title tune from Beauty and the Beast. It would also win the Grammy for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television.

I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston from The Bodyguard (1992)

Kevin Costner was big in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and another of his films provided our next endless movie soundtrack hit. This time around he starred opposite Whitney Houston, making her screen debut, in a romantic thriller originally written as an unproduced vehicle for Steve McQueen and Diana Ross.

Houston’s music career started in the late ‘70s but really took off with her self-titled #1 album Whitney Houston in 1985, containing hits like “How Will I Know,” “The Greatest Love of All,” and “Saving All My Love For You.” She was connected with The Bodyguard as early as 1986 when it was rumoured she would make her cinematic bow opposite Clint Eastwood. Yet the project remained in development hell until Costner finally built up the clout he needed to get it greenlit after Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Reviews were middling but critics were generally appreciative of Houston’s performance, and she also contributed the vocals for six songs on the soundtrack. Two of them - “I Have Nothing” and “Run to You” received Oscar nominations, but by far the biggest hit was her cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”

The story goes that Parton knocked out both “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” during one productive songwriting session in 1973. While the latter is a tender ballad, it was born of frustration with her career situation at the time, wanting to make a break from her star-making contract with country singer Porter Wagoner. She sang the song to him in his office and he agreed to let her go it alone on one condition – that he produce the recording first. 

Both “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” topped the US Country Charts as Parton went on to become a crossover superstar. She would also have a successful movie career in the ‘80s with roles in 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Steel Magnolias. 

Reportedly, she made around $10 million in royalties from The Bodyguard cover version of her song. As for Houston’s rendition, it spent 10 weeks at the top of the UK charts on its way to becoming the biggest-selling single of the year.

I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers from Benny & Joon (1993)

Twin brothers Craig Reid and Charles Reid were unlikely pop stars, dubbed the “Kings of Uncool” by Neil McCormick of the Telegraph when trying to sum up their unique appeal. The gangly, speccy duo were proud of their Leith heritage and sang with undiluted Edinburgh accents, forming The Proclaimers in 1983. They gained widespread attention four years later with “Letter from America,” and their most successful album to date followed the year after with “Sunshine on Leith.”

The title song from the album went on to become the anthem of the boys’ favourite football team, Hibernian – if you haven’t heard Hibs fans singing it, check out this clip. But it was the album’s opening track that gained them Hollywood attention as “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” featured on the soundtrack for Benny & Joon, the quirky romantic comedy starring Johnny Deep and Mary Stuart Masterson as two winsome eccentrics who fall in love.

A recurring theme in this list is how quickly some of the songs were knocked out. “500 Miles” is no different – Craig Reid told the Guardian that he dashed it off in 45 minutes while waiting for a lift to a gig in Aberdeen. It topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland when it was first released as a single in 1988 but only reached #11 in the UK. 

The song blew up after appearing in Benny & Joon, making the boys a regular on MTV and chat shows. They estimate that it has made them around five times more money than the rest of their discography put together. They recorded it again for Comic Relief in 2007 with Peter Kay, with the latter performing it alongside Matt Lucas as their wheelchair-bound characters from Phoenix Nights and Little Britain respectively. That version, replacing the lyrics with “I would roll 500 miles”, reached number one and was the 8th-biggest selling single in the UK that year. The legacy of the song lives on, a popular shout-along at music bars and drunken knees-ups across the country.

Love is All Around by Wet Wet Wet from Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

“The British are coming!” screenwriter Colin Welland famously declared when he picked up his Oscar for Chariots of Fire in 1981. But, aside from Gandhi and A Fish Called Wanda, we didn’t really have a huge movie to challenge Hollywood again until Four Weddings and a Funeral made serious bank in 1994. Richard Curtis’s rom-com became the highest-grossing British film of all time and also had a monster hit in Wet Wet Wet’s “Love is All Around.”

With its sweeping musical arrangement and Marti Pellow’s irresistible vocals, it remains the Scottish rock band’s greatest contribution to popular culture. Formed in Clydebank in 1983, the outfit had success with the likes of “Wishing I Was Lucky,” “Sweet Little Mystery,” and a number one hit with a cover of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends” before Curtis approached them to record a song for his upcoming movie.

They had a choice between covering Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” Barry Manilow’s “Can’t Smile Without You,” and “Love is All Around” by the Troggs. Inspired by a Salvation Army band, singing “Love That’s All Around” on TV, lead singer Reg Presley wrote the Trogg’s version in 10 minutes. Released in the UK in October 1967, it made the top ten on both sides of the pond. Marti Pellow later said that choosing the song was a no-brainer because Wet Wet Wet knew they could make it their own, and it is certainly a cut above the original.

“Love is All Around” took the #1 spot in several countries and remained top of the UK charts for 15 weeks over the summer of 1994. It was so ubiquitous that some radio stations eventually banned it. Cheekily, Richard Curtis returned to the well again with Bill Nighy’s “Christmas is All Around” in Love Actually in 2003.

Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio from Dangerous Minds (1995)

Father of ten Artis Leon Ivey Jr, better known as Coolio, was something of an also-ran of the booming gangsta rap scene of the ‘90s before he struck gold with “Gangsta’s Paradise,” the breakout single from John N. Smith’s classroom drama Dangerous Minds.

“As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” Coolio starts ominously, borrowing from Psalm 23:4 before reworking Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise” to describe the dangerous realities of life in the hood. It was a totally different vibe from Wonder’s original, which appeared on his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life, and summed up the overall mood of the film. Hilariously, the music video tried to hoodwink viewers into believing Coolio was singing directly to Michelle Pfieffer, casting the rapper wreathed in shadow opposite a body double in a blonde wig.

The song was a global hit, reaching #1 in the UK and US, and became a favourite of schoolboys awkwardly trying to rap on their lunch break across Britain. It was so successful that it launched Coolio on a Grammy-winning upward career trajectory and attracted the attention of Weird Al Yankovic, who spoofed it with “Amish Paradise” the following year. Coolio passed away due to an accidental drug overdose in 2022 aged 59.

Lovefool by The Cardigans from Romeo + Juliet (1996)

From Swedish rock outfit the Cardigan’s third album First Band on the Moon, “Lovefool” didn’t make a huge impression when it was initially released in 1996, only reaching #21 in the UK and #15 in their home country. It became an international hit when it featured on the soundtrack from Baz Luhrmann’s hyperactive modernisation of Romeo + Juliet, starring the impossibly youthful and beautiful Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Daines.

The song had mundane beginnings, written by lead singer Nina Persson while waiting at an airport. Originally, the band performed it with a slower tempo before a catchy disco beat was added, turning it into the perfect lovesick bubblegum ballad. You’re probably imagining DiCaprio and Danes making goo-goo eyes at each other through a fish tank right now.

My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion from Titanic (1997)

Although only an instrumental version with wordless vocal harmonies accompany the scene in the film, few songs are as intrinsically linked with a movie moment as Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” You know the scene I’m talking about – Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet on the prow of the Titanic: “I’m flying, Jack!”

Taking his cue from James Horner’s score for Titanic, lyricist Will Jennings was inspired by a real-life person unrelated to Cameron’s all-conquering blockbuster. He told Songfacts in 2006:

“I had met this very vibrant woman who was about 101 years old… And she came into my mind. I realised she could have been on the Titanic. So I wrote everything from the point of view of a person of a great age looking back so many years.”

Uncanny considering that is the framing device of the entire movie, but we’ll take his word for it. The song was originally intended for Norwegian vocalist Sissel Kyrkjebø before Celine Dion was suggested, then reaching a career peak with her chart-topping albums The Colour of My Love and Falling into You. Dion wasn’t too sure at first, having already recorded two film songs with “Beauty and the Beast” and “Because I Loved You” from Up Close & Personal.

Horner persuaded her by explaining the themes of the film and, depending on who you ask, Dion laid out the vocal in just one or two takes. That’s quite remarkable – whether you love it or hate it, there is little denying that the singer absolutely knocks it out of the park.

Once Horner had added the instrumentals, he still had to convince James Cameron to include the song over the closing credits of the movie. Cameron, as we all know, is a pretty strong-minded individual, and he was initially adamant that he didn’t want a theme song for Titanic. Cameron was swayed after hearing the tape, however, although he was still worried that it might draw criticism for going too commercial – a strange concern from a man making a movie with a $200 million price tag.

“My Heart Will Go On” was a global phenomenon, topping the charts in 25 countries including seven weeks at #1 in the UK, on its way to becoming the second-best selling single by a female artist of all time. When the Academy Awards rolled around, it added to Titanic’s tally of 11 Oscars by taking home the gong for Best Original Song.

Men in Black by Will Smith from Men in Black (1997)

Will Smith could almost do no wrong in the 1990s. He had a successful music career as one half of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, became a household name in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and effortlessly made the step up to Hollywood leading man in blockbusters like Bad Boys and Independence Day. Next up was another extra-terrestrial smash, Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black, for which Smith also chipped in with the hit closing credits tune.

Rapping about the duties of the shadowy organisation assigned to protect Earth from “the worst scum of the Universe,” the track heavily samples Patrice Rushen’s 1982 hit “Forget Me Nots,” a song told from the perspective of a woman imploring her ex-lover not to forget her. 

George Michael beat Smith to the punch a year earlier by also quoting Rushen’s hook in “Fastlove,” but the success of that song was no match for Will Smith and “Men in Black.” Smith’s first solo single also appeared on his debut album Big Willie Style and cruised to #1 in over a dozen countries including the UK. The music video was also an event, featuring Smith dancing the Electric Slide with one of the CGI aliens from the movie.

I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith from Armageddon (1998)

Boston stadium rockers Aerosmith had an eventful career since first forming in 1970, but they reached the peak of their commercial success in the late ‘80s and throughout the ‘90s. Leaving behind the drug-and-alcohol fuelled earlier years, they became a staple of MTV with their rock/rap crossover hit “Walk this Way” with Run DMC and a string of popular videos for hits like “Cryin’” and “Crazy,” which incidentally starred frontman Steve Tyler’s daughter Liv and a young Alicia Silverstone. 

On top of that, “(Dude) Looks Like a Lady” also featured prominently on the Mrs Doubtfire soundtrack – make no mistake, the veteran band were back, and they went even bigger when they performed “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” as the theme song for Michael Bay’s Armageddon.

It was penned by prolific #1 songwriter Dianne Warren (“If I Could Turn Back Time,” “Because You Loved Me,” “How Do I Live”) who was inspired by an anecdote about Barbra Streisand’s husband. Apparently, the pop diva told an interviewer that her fella didn’t like to go to sleep because it meant missing time spent with her. 

Warren thought that was cute and used it as the basis for the lyrics, fully expecting that they would come from the lips of “Celine Dion or someone like that.” Instead, it ended up coming from leathery old Steven Tyler, who sings it with disarming sincerity and unexpected tenderness, perhaps because it echoes the film’s romance between Ben Affleck and his kid, Liv.

Released as a single by popular demand, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” is remarkably Aerosmith’s first and only #1 hit in America. It also reached top spot in several other countries but didn’t fare quite so well in the UK, only reaching #4. Even so, combined with the success of Armageddon and the MTV spot, it was still inescapable and earned the movie one of four Oscar nominations.

So there you have it, a rundown of some of the biggest movie soundtrack hits of the 1990s. What other songs (from that decade or otherwise) form part of your personal soundtrack? Let us know!