10 Ridiculously Overused Movie Songs

7. George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Bad To The Bone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9bOsdHckhg The go-to song if you need to depict a character as being a total badass, Bad to the Bone was famously used in James Cameron's masterful Terminator 2: Judgment Day, when Arnie's T-800 acquires the famous clothes, boots and motorcycle. The opening guitar riff instantly lets us know who's in charge, and so iconic is the scene's musical accompaniment, that it's been used in tongue-in-cheek fashion in countless movies, TV shows, sporting events and adverts. Again, to try and use the song in a serious fashion nowadays would be absolutely tone-deaf; even in Terminator 2, it wasn't intended to be completely serious, and so it would invite nothing but laughter. Needless to say, whenever I see it in a film nowadays, even amusingly, I'm struck by the patent lack of imagination, and usually this is an indication of the rest of the project as well. I would be happy to never hear it in another film again.
 
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.