Ode to movie theme songs—Part 1: Blaze of Glory

I like movies. And I like music. Yeah, who doesn’t, Sergio? But there’s something oh-so-wonderful when a recording artist works with a studio to create a beautiful backdrop for a film, elevating it from a mere flick to a motion picture masterpiece.

Not to be mistaken for a soundtrack—a collection of music used in a film—a movie theme song is the element that carries the story, both within the picture and throughout other mediums (i.e. radio, music videos, etc.). And, with so many theme songs being created every year, I decided to pick my top 5 favorite and share them with all of you.

My first pick has to be the song Blaze of Glory by Jon Bon Jovi for the movie Young Guns II. If you haven’t seen it, or the first Young Guns for that matter, I suggest adding them both to your Netflix queue. However, I personally like the second one better than the first, which is weird because sequels rarely win my choice for best of.

Now, regardless of Young Guns II being such a great movie, its theme song is what I believe helped make it such a huge box office blow out back in 1990. I mean, come on—you have Jon Bon Jovi, at his pique, writing a song for a movie about Billy “The Kid”. Bon Jovi—a man who just 4 years prior won the world over with his runaway hit Wanted Dead or Alive from the album Slippery When Wet. This classic combo didn’t just happen by chance. Hell no! The marketing geniuses over at 20th Century Fox knew exactly what they were doing. And trust me, it worked. So, without further ado, I give you “Blaze of Glory”.

So do you agree? Should this theme song be on my list? Comment below and let me know.