50 Greatest Musical Numbers In Film History

42. Steam Heat - The Pajama Game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQdyDlSie0Q The Pajama Game is a classic musical from the 1950s that has largely been forgotten by modern audiences. To be fair, the story isn't exactly the greatest material for a musical: it's about a garment factory full of workers attempting to unionize. Maybe a Soviet montage musical, but otherwise it's a little bit odd. But it's a notable film in one regard, and that's because it's the very first movie that utilizes the talents of Bob Fosse, one of the most famous and influential choreographers in musical theater history. Fosse had a very unique and recognizable style, and his fingerprints are all over the set piece of Steam Heat.

41. You Always Hurt The One You Love - Blue Valentine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN1vLnYEDZg This song could not be further from the large-scale, big-budget show pieces that were popular half a century before this film came out, but it's emotionally evocative and a treat to watch all the same. Compared to some of the other productions on this list, it may as well have been shot on home video. Regardless, this is as real a moment as you're going to get in film, especially in a musical number which by its very nature usually has to be prepared and rehearsed over and over again. Here's the behind the scenes story: the director told each actor to think of a hidden talent for their character and then, when they were filming the first date sequence, instructed them to ask each other about it. So that's what you get here, a totally genuine moment that is a hallmark of this film. The honestly and lack of pretense about the story-telling is what makes it beautiful while it lasts and heartbreaking when it ends.