Traxan

What songs got ruined for you because of a crushing, traumatizing scene in a movie or TV show? For me it's two, plus an honorable mention.

1) "Battleflag," Lo Fidelity All Stars, "ER." That song cranking while Carter got stabbed and writhed around ruined it forever for me. I can't hear that song and not think of that scene.

2) "Stuck in the Middle With You," Stealers Wheel. "Reservoir Dogs." Seriously, who DOESN'T think of Madsen dancing around with that razor when they hear that song?

Honorable mention: "My City Was Gone," The Pretenders, Rush Limbaugh bumper theme. He killed that song dead on radio. I haven't heard it on radio in 30 years. Word is he pays Chrissy Hynde a six figure sum for rights, which she donates to PETA.

Your turn.

Alan Smithee

Rush Limbaugh still uses that? It got old a LONG time ago (I used to listen to him for laughs, but his schtick also got pretty old fast.)

My vote- Heard it Through the Grapevine- just try not to think about dancing raisins.

I'm sure there's at least one older unknown song that was considered by most as "new" when it appeared in a movie a few years later, such as Real Life's Send me an Angel (1983) heard in The Wizard (1989)- granted that was also a re-done version not as good as the original which also got a lot more radio play.

Traxan

Yeah I can't believe he stuck with it after Hynde openly rooted for the Iraqi army to win in 2003. But I guess it's his signature for however long he has left.

Michael Corvin

Try to listen to this without thinking about beer:



Totally ruined.

Perkinsun Dzees

Toddarino

I won’t say destroyed in a bad way, but every song Homer has butchered on the Simpsons sticks with me when I hear the real version.

[email protected]

"Come Sail Away" by Styx - I always hear Cartman from South Park now.

Paff

Asia's Heat of the Moment, same reason.

I also think of Stewie Griffin when I hear Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight, and Elton John's Rocketman, although that's really more William Shatner's fault

Mabuse

My Life by Billy Joel being the opening number for Bossom Buddies. Terrible show, terrible title, song was not a good choice, and it’s all I think about when I hear it.

Noonan

Game of Thrones opening thanks to South Park

Paff

Merging with the James Taylor thread, I always find myself singing "A prostitute is someone who loves you no matter who you are, or what you look like. But that's not why you pay a prostitute you don't pay her to stay you pay her to leave afterwards"

Thanks, Chef.

orangerunner

There was a Vietnam war TV show called "Tour of Duty" in the late-1980s that used The Rolling Stones "Paint it Black" as a title song. Given my age at the time this was my first introduction to that song and it probably ruined for me ever since.

Eddie W

Maybe not ruined, but I cannot believe Jim Morrison actually wrote The End without visualizing napalm burning palm trees and Martin Sheen's upside down face.

fujishig

Maybe it's just me but I will always associate "The Final Countdown" with Gob Bluth.

Also "Bad Boys" by Inner Circle.

Oops, sorry, neither is crushing or traumatizing, (I guess depending on how you feel about Cops).

Paff

The Simpsons have caused a few:

Theme From Shaft, now I can only picture Bart and Lisa singing it in a karaoke bar.

Dream Police by Cheap Trick, I always sing it with Apu's accent now. Yeah I know it's wrong. I still do it.

cultshock

Me too.

Mondo Kane

"Be Thankful For What You've Got" by William Devaughn. One of the most chill, relaxing songs I've ever heard....Made incredibly dirty by playing it over (Real) footage of a john banging a prostitute in public on one of the many documentaries HBO made about Hookers.

Spiderbite

Same here.

Not sure if you can say it ruined the song but I still only think of Duncan Hines when I hear "I Can't Help Myself" by The Four Tops.

d2cheer

Bad to the Bone. One of the most overused songs for sure. Not sure that meats the threads criteria.

Nick Danger

Bad to the Bone has been used so often that I don't associate it with any movie in particular. Well, maybe with Stephen King's Christine.

It's such a great song. I hope the movie royalties made George Thorogood rich.

bluetoast

That song I wonder about. Was it ever intended to be “badass” sounding when it came out? Or was it always a comedic song

Norm de Plume

"Like a Rock" ruined by those insufferable pickup truck ads.

LorenzoL

I have to say for me is Baltimora "Tarzan Boy" which was used by Listerine for one of their TV commercial.

JeffTheAlpaca

The Who - Baba O' Riley

It has been used a ton of times

The only good time it was used was in the Little Richard Miami Vice episode.