Charli XCX has made a jump to film: this week marks the release of the independent movie Erupcja, in which she stars as a woman adrift in Warsaw with her boyfriend, breaking up and making up. She joins a long list of stars who have crossed from pop to Hollywood, for better or worse. Here are five of the best songs in their films.
David Bowie played the charismatic goblin king in Jim Henson’s fantasy film Labyrinth and wrote this song for the soundtrack. Electrically charged and pure 1980s nostalgia, it’s a fun listen even outside the film’s magical universe.
Kevin Costner fought for Whitney Houston to play Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard, a cult classic about a famous singer falling in love with a member of her security team. Her cover of I Will Always Love You made the film’s soundtrack the highest-selling of all time. There’s a reason why no one can beat it: Houston’s voice is transcendent.
Prince’s 1986 film Under the Cherry Moon is largely considered a vanity project and a flop – but the soundtrack, released as the album Parade, was one of his biggest hits. For the movie he reclaimed his song Kiss, which he had given away to the funk band Mazarati. The film’s title track is a beautiful, melodramatic love song.
Country star Dolly Parton wrote this song for the 1980 film 9 to 5, in which she starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The film, which became a feminist classic, follows three women overthrowing their sexist and bigoted boss. The song, meanwhile, needs no introduction.
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Aged 19 and already a superstar, Britney Spears came up with the concept of Crossroads, a teen comedy about three friends embarking on a road trip. She released this classic pop hit alongside it and it played in the credits. Knowing all that Spears went through, it’s a melancholic song, but remains one of her sweetest.
Illustration by Charlotte Durance