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Best Buy Survey Reveals Fans' Thoughts on `AFI's 100 Years… 100 Songs' List

Business Wire, June 23, 2004

MINNEAPOLIS -- Movie Lovers Weigh In On "Most Romantic Movie Song," "Best Singing Actor," and Other Musical Topics

The American Film Institute's "100 Years... 100 Songs" list showcases the greatest musical moments in cinematic history. To coincide with the AFI announcement, a national survey from Best Buy provides a look at which songs make Americans laugh, cry and dance at the movies.

Rock N' Roll Is Here To Stay

According to the survey of nearly 500 adults across the country, Grease is the word when it comes to great music. The movie ranks at the top for having the best music of any musical, receiving 27 percent of the vote, easily beating the second place winner, The Sound of Music (17 percent). West Side Story comes in third (13 percent).

The stars of Grease also garner rave reviews. John Travolta is cited as the best singing actor, with 35 percent rewarding his work as the love-struck, Danny. Sissy Spacek places second in the voting for her portrayal of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter.

Conversely, Olivia Newton John's performance in Grease is called out as the best acting by a singer (28 percent). She comes in just ahead of Whitney Houston for The Bodyguard (23 percent).

It's not just musicals that feature great music. Movie lovers cite O Brother Where Art Thou as the non-musical with the best music (17 percent). Elvis comes in second with Viva Las Vegas (15 percent).

We Laughed, We Cried

The songs on the AFI list show how important music can be in setting a mood for a movie. According to the Best Buy survey, movie lovers in the mood for romance can't go wrong with "Unchained Melody" from Ghost. The Righteous Brothers' hit ranks at the top of the most romantic songs list (30 percent), followed by Whitney Houston's version of "I will Always Love You," from The Bodyguard (19 percent), and Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic (17 percent).

The song that most makes moviegoers want to get up and dance is the '80s classic, "Footloose," by Kenny Loggins (19 percent). Another '80s staple, Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" from Risky Business comes in second (16 percent) and the Bee Gee's '70s anthem "Stayin' Alive" from Saturday Night Fever (13 percent) places third.

While some songs make people dance, others make them sing, and nothing makes movie lovers want to sing along more than "Bohemian Rhapsody" from Wayne's World. One in five survey respondents feel the urge to break out into song with Wayne and Garth. The Lion King's "Hakuna Matata" comes in second at 18 percent.

Finally, for a laugh, the best music to tickle the funny bone is Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" from the Robin Williams comedy, Mrs. Doubtfire. Eddy Murphy's rendition of "I'm a Believer" for Shrek comes in second with nearly 20 percent of the vote.

About the Best Buy Music in Movies Survey - Best Buy commissioned a study to determine consumer views about music and movies to coincide with the AFI "100 songs... 100 movies" list. The survey, conducted by Click IQ, polled a representative sample of 493 adults and has a margin of error of /- 4 percent.

About Best Buy Stores - Best Buy Stores, owned and operated by Minneapolis-based Best Buy Co., Inc., is the nation's leading specialty retailer of technology and entertainment products and services. Best Buy was founded in St. Paul, Minn., in 1966. Best Buy Stores reach an estimated 300 million consumers per year through more than 600 retail stores in 48 states and online at BestBuy.com. For more information about Best Buy, visit: http://onlinepressroom.net/bestbuy.>