Grease has been named the UK’s favourite movie soundtrack of all time, according to a study carried out by Showcase Cinemas. It saw nearly a quarter of Brits (23%) opt for the iconic 1970s musical, with dance classic Dirty Dancing (18%) and ABBA extravaganza Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (16%) rounding off the top three.
Whitney Houston claimed top spot when it came to the UK’s favourite song from a film soundtrack as nearly 1 in 5 (18%) voted for her iconic power ballad I Will Always Love You from The Bodyguard. The 90s smash hit narrowly beat competition from Bryan Adams’ Everything I Do (I Do it For You), from 1991s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (17%) and Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers, synonymous with 1990s movie Ghost.
In the battle to be crowned the UK’s favourite tune from an animated movie, singing bear Baloo from 1967’s Jungle Book took joint top spot with The Bare Necessities (26%) alongside the Elton John composition Circle of Life from Disney favourite The Lion King. Support from the younger generation saw 21st century favourite Let it Go from Frozen propelled into the top three (23%).
Over 1 in 5 people (22%) choose Don’t Cry for Me Argentina from Evita as their favourite song from a musical. The Andrew Lloyd Webber composition edged its way to the top of the list despite fierce competition from Grease’s Summer Nights (21%) and Grease (20%), which both landed inside the top three.
1 in 3 Brits identified the James Bond theme as the most recognisable movie song/instrumental, with Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On from Titanic accounting for more than a quarter of votes (26%) and the disturbing Jaws (25%) theme landing in third place.
The older generation tended to opt for songs from older movies, with 25% of over 65s selecting The Bodyguard, Ghost and The Graduate as their favourite movie soundtracks, whereas at the other end of the spectrum, 18 – 24-year-olds chose My Heart Will Go On from Titanic as their song of choice.
There was also a gender divide when it came to choosing a favourite song from a movie soundtrack. More than one in five women (21%) selected I Will Always Love You, while men (17%) primarily went for Simon & Garfunkel favourite Mrs. Robinson from 1967’s The Graduate.
Grease named UK’s favourite movie soundtrack
