Ranking All the Songs from The Wedding Singer Soundtrack
The Wedding Singer is a great film, with both Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore delivering standout performances in this cute story about a wedding singer who falls in love with a waitress. But would it be as good without its soundtrack? Considering it gives us 90-year-old Ellen Dow rapping over the Sugarhill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight, absolutely not. Here’s how we rank all the songs from The Wedding Singer soundtrack in order of greatness.
13. Somebody Kill Me – Adam Sandler
A soundtrack of a movie starring Adam Sandler wouldn’t be complete without at least one contribution from the funnyman himself. Sung about his failed relationship in the style of The Cure, Somebody Kill Me won’t be winning any prizes for subtlety anytime soon, but it’s good for a laugh anyway.
12. Rapper’s Delight – Sugarhill Gang and Ellen Dow
Getting Ellen Dow to rap over a song that’s been voted one of the greatest songs of all time, not to mention preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2011 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” was never going to win over hip-hop purists, but there’s something irresistible about this track from the rapping grandmother regardless.
11. Video Killed the Radio Star – The Presidents of the United States of America
Video Killed the Radio Star was written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley and turned into a major hit by The Buggles. Released in 1979, it soared to the top of the charts in the UK, Australia, Japan, and sixteen other countries, while its music video became the first one ever shown on MTV in the US. The Buggles didn’t bother the charts again, but the song became a classic. Numerous artists have covered it since, with the version by The Presidents of the United States of America making it onto The Wedding Singer soundtrack.
10. White Wedding – Billy Idol
Considering Billy Idol was nice enough to make a cameo in The Wedding Singer, it was only fair that the producers returned the favor by including one of his songs on the soundtrack. The one they choose is one of his biggest ever hits – White Wedding, which gave the singer a top ten hit in the UK and a top 40 hit in the US in the mid-80s.
9. Love My Way – The Psychedelic Furs
Love My Way was recorded by The Psychedelic Furs for their third album Forever Now. Released as the first single from the album in 1982, it charted in the top 50 in the UK and US and broke into the top 10 in New Zealand. Listen out for Todd Rundgren on marimba.
8. Hold Me Now – Thompson Twins
Described by Blender as “a new wave let’s-stay-together plea” that is “so cornball it works,” this nugget of new wave-pop perfection became one of the Thompson Twins’ biggest hits in 1983, taking them to number 4 in the UK charts and topping the Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US.
7. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me – Culture Club
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me was Culture Club’s first major hit, taking Boy George and co to number 1 in the UK, Canada, and Australia, number 2 in the US, and breaking into the top 5 across various other international charts. Although it was believed at the time to have been written by Boy Goerge about his relationship with Culture Club’s drummer Jon Moss, he later revealed to the Guardian that it ” was about all the guys I dated at that time in my life.”
6. Everyday I Write the Book – Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Speaking to simongrigg.info, Elvis Costello revealed he wrote Everyday I Write the Book in ten minutes as a challenge to see whether he could write “a simple, almost formula song and make it mean something.” Apparently, he could – the song reached number 28 on the UK charts and became his and the Attractions’ first ever hit in the US, where it peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100.
5. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic – The Police
Described by All Music as “pop brilliance,” Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic was first recorded as a demo in 1976 but became a major hit for The Police when it topped the UK charts and reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in late 1981.
4. How Soon Is Now? – The Smiths
Whatever you think of Morrissey’s politics, he and Johnny Marr made some cracking tunes during their time together in The Smiths. How Soon Is Now? didn’t perform that well in the charts, but it remains one of their most beloved songs to this day.
3. Pass the Dutchie – Musical Youth
Musical Youth only released two studio albums, but they’ll forever be remembered thanks to the strength of this one song, which took the group to number one in the UK in September 1982 and has since sold over 5 million copies worldwide.
2. China Girl – David Bowie
China Girl made its first appearance on Iggy Pop’s debut solo album The Idiot in 1977. Six years later, David Bowie turned it into an international smash hit when he polished it up and recorded it for his mega-selling album, Let’s Dance. Released as a single in May 1983, it reached the top ten in both the UK and US.
1. Blue Monday – New Order
Of all their songs, Blue Monday is perhaps New Order’s most instantly recognizable. It’s also one of their most popular, having sold over 1.16 million copies since it first hit the charts in 1983. It’s been covered by numerous bands since, including Health, Orgy, and Flunk, but no one has come close to matching the original.