Does anyone know of any songs written specifically for a movie, and then not used, but released by the band/artist anyway? The song that inspires this question is "A Girl Like You" by the Smithereeens, originally intended to be in "Say Anything."

So, any others?

Pretty much the entirety of Belle & Sebastian's album Storytelling. It was all written for the movie of the same name, but very little of it actually made it in.

The hit song "Maniac" from Flashdance was originally written for, but not used in, the slasher horror film Maniac.

(disclaimer, since sometimes people aren't sure: this post is not a joke)

The title song that you hear in Thunderball was supposed to be a song called "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" performed by Dionne Warwick. Warwick's vocals and lyrics were removed from this particular version, but you can still hear the horns saying "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang".

The entire album "Music from The Elder", by KISS. Actually, the movie itself was not used, either.

Elvis Costello's "Put Your Big Toe in the Milk of Human Kindness" was originally written for a Disney animated film.

I remember reading that the British band Stereophonics was supposed to do some songs for A Bug's Life - but I don't think anything was actually written nor included in the final cut (obviousily).

Neil Youngs album "After the Goldrush" was written for a movie. Alice Cooper a big James Bond fan wrote "The Man With The Golden Gun" for the Bond movie of the same name but they didn't use it.

"Dead Man" by Pearl Jam was written for Dead Man Walking but not used, I think.

Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill - Real Thing
and
Tool - Rage Against the Machine - Revolution

from Judgement Night sdtk

Alice Cooper wrote the title track for Man With The Golden Gun which was never used. It Showed up on the Muscle Of Love Album.

I always figured "Dazed and Confused" should've been in the movie of the same title. I heard Linklater couldn't afford the rights.

But he finally got a Zepplin tune for School of Rock. And they sure had to beg for it!

Zeppelin songs were supposed to permeate all of "Almost Famous" but Cameron Crowe couldn't get the rights. I think even one of the commentary tracks mentions exactly where at least one of the songs should have begun and ended.

"Who Let the Dogs Out" by the Baha Men was supposed to be in Titanic.

You sure it wasn't "Ice Ice Baby"?

That would make way too much sense....

Easily the greatest song to (sorta) fit this discussion is the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Mrs Robinson" which only appears in a rough, placeholder version in The Graduate. I don't know the story there, maybe they couldn't wait for Paul Simon to finish the lyrics before locking the print? The same thing with Nothing Is Good Enough by Aimee Mann. It's only an instrumental in Magnolia, but finished by her next album.

Also the original song from Moulin Rouge "Come What May" was ruled ineligible by the Academy, because it was written (but not used ) in Baz Luhrmann's previous film : Romeo + Juliet

Didn't The Pixies want "Bam Thwok" in Shrek2?

Yea, that's the one I was thinking. The movie people asked the Pixies to make some changes and they wouldn't do it.

I've also heard that Pink Floyd - Echoes was written for 2001. Not sure how true that one is though.

I'm pretty sure I've heard tale Ben Folds was told the update of the Grinch movie was going to be adult-orientated and dirty, so he wrote a nasty, swearing-filled Christmas song for it. Then he found out it was a family flick, and wrote the song that appears in the movie now.

Bon Jovi's "always" was supposed to be in "Romeo is bleeding"

Another rejected song for a Bond film is Pulp's "Tomorrow Never Lies" (for Tomorrow Never Dies). Pulp eventually released the track as a B-side.

I also remember hearing that "To Sheila" by the Smashing Pumpkins was supposed to be in Cruel Intentions, but I don't think the song was written specifically for the film.

For Your Eyes Only-Blondie, but they went with the Sheena Easton song instead and the Blondie song wound up on their 1982 album THE HUNTER

Erasure recorded "First Contact" for the Star Trek film of the same name but it ended up as a B-side track.