There was a time when films had a heavy impact on the popularity of songs; while that was mostly seen with popular music featured in films, oftentimes the best showcase of this is made-for-movie songs.
During the early 2000s, animated movies were the largest examples of this. Movie franchises like Shrek and even the SpongeBob movie were responsible for certain tracks that remain popular amongst many people to this day.
While some might equate this lingering popularity to the unavoidable effects of nostalgia, most of these songs have branched away from their original context and have managed to be popular in their own right. This is likely due to the impact the internet and social media have had on the music industry in the past two decades.
These songs have been repurposed for a variety of fan content and trends on sites like YouTube and TikTok, and reused thousands of times over. Made-for-movie songs were largely made because they were a great way to reach more audiences. Now that social media and the internet have practically surpassed the reach of the film industry, made-for-movie music isn’t really seen as needed anymore.
However, that shouldn’t dismiss the lingering popularity of these songs or film soundtracks in general. Many modern film soundtracks like Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and even a few made-for-movie songs in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film have managed to survive three years since their film’s release. There are many reasons for productions to include made-for-movie songs outside of audience reach, and it would be a shame if they are fazed out.
