C'mon Hollywood #137 | Movie News

... stop using that song!
by Sturdy

It’s sad that Hollywood has to recycle just about everything. We get more sequels than we can stomach, the same old plotlines and even the same old songs. Have you ever noticed how overused the song “I Will Survive” is in movies? It seems like every time they need a catchy sing-along, they have to bust out Gloria Gaynor’s old hit. Don’t get me wrong, the song is actually pretty good, it’s just been so overused in Hollywood these days that I’m sick of it.

I don’t know what the most overused song in film history is, but I’d bet “I Will Survive” is in the top five. I guess we should be thankful that it's typically used in fluff movies that aren't going to earn many originality points anyway, but it still seems a little lazy to use this song. I'm not sure why it continues to get used to the extent it does, but whenever I hear it in a movie, that usually throws up a red flag that I'm probably in for a tough ride.

Uggghhh. We get it, they like the song.

It is definitely a catchy song and I’ll admit that every time I hear it I want to sing along and tap my feet, but its already been used as the motivational theme song in a movie (REPLACEMENTS), so using it at this point makes the whole movie seem too familiar. Also, if you need a karaoke song, please choose something else. Too often, when a character needs to sing a song, they sing “I Will Survive”. Given the overuse of the song, singing it during a karaoke scene will pretty much take away any point the scene was trying to make. Assuming, of course, you can make a point singing karaoke.

Ok, using the song for this film is understandable.

Sometimes, movies make the song the focal point of a gag, like in MAN ON THE MOON. At least that was based on history and was used because that’s what Kauffman used to sing. However, when it was used in MEN IN BLACK 2, it was another eye roller. The gag has been used and it’s not funny anymore, if it ever was.

Nothing could’ve saved this film.

I think the most frustrating thing about the overuse of the song is that there’s no excuse for it. There are millions of songs out there and if you don’t know your music, then find someone that does. Surely there are directors out there other than Tarantino that know their music. So c’mon Hollywood, find another song to use and let this one stay hidden away in our Ipods.

So how many films has it been used in? Here’s what I could count: REPLACEMENTS, MAN ON THE MOON, MEN IN BLACK 2, GREY MATTERS, IN AND OUT, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, COYOTE UGLY, I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, CHICKEN LITTLE and DR. DOOLITTLE 2. That gives us 12 films, and I still feel like I’m leaving some out.