10 Amazing Rock Songs Written For Movies

From Spotify to the Screen.

By Tim Coffman /

Musicians can really be inspired by anything. Whether it be having their heart broken, the loss of a family member, or just what they had for breakfast that morning, there's no limit as to where the traditional rock songwriter can go. However, it's not exactly out of the question to pull from the big screen either.

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Ever since Elvis first emerged on the screen shaking his ass, rock and roll has always had some role in the movie world. Though plenty of artists have put their own faces in front of the camera, the real shining moments are when they actually stick to what they know best...the music. Instead of being some generic fodder to pump out in between albums, these are the songs that were given the real Hollywood treatment by their respective musicians. While they still sound like your favorite bands, you can tell they did their homework to immerse themselves in the world of the film.

From sappy ballads to meaty hard rock songs, these are the perfect soundtrack to every respective movie they are in. Are they over the top? Hell yes. Then again, when you are soundtracking a big budget blockbuster, it sometimes pays to go all out like this.

10. I Disappear - Metallica

I Disappear by Metallica is a song better known now for its reputation than anything else. Anyone who saw this song released in real time remembers that this was the Metallica song that caused Lars Ulrich to sue Napster, making him one of the most disliked people in the music industry. However, Ulrich was right to be pissed since this is one of Metallica's greatest later tracks.

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From a lyrical perspective, there's not really anything new going on, with Hetfield spewing out the same disaffected lyrics you've become used to for a while. On the other hand, the devil is all in the details of this one, with Kirk Hammett contributing the key hook of the song with his wah-wahed guitar. Even though the memes of Kirk's wah has been mocked to high hell at this point, this is one of the few instances where it pays off in spades.

Also, in comparison to something like their previous output Load, this is actually much better, with the drums taking a heavier emphasis on the groove and those bluesy licks working much better in the action movie context of the film. This heavier approach didn't really save them in the long run with St. Anger around the corner, but for what it is, I Disappear does much more than you would expect out of your generic action thriller.

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