Photo Credit: Pixabay

Some songs are automatically linked to some of our favorite movie moments, from "My Heart Will Go On" in the Titanic, to "Stayin 'Alive" in Saturday Night Fever, or more recent examples like "Happy" in Despicable Me 2. But many other songs have appeared in several movies over the years and appeared on our screens several times over the decades.

In a recent study by Casumo casino, a database of over 4,000 movies has been analyzed to find out which are the most common movie songs and artists that appear most on soundtracks.

The most common movie songs

Although many of the most widely used songs are immediately recognizable classics, others may be less well known, but have still garnered an impressive number of film appearances. The song that came up more than anyone else was actually "Happy Birthday to You", which makes sense when you think about it! However, this song has not been included in the ranking, it would have been a bit of a cheat.

U Can’t Touch This - MC Hammer

The song that topped the list in the survey was one that everyone knows, although you may struggle to put your finger on all the films that MC Hammer's signature song "U Can't Touch This" has actually appeared in, there are an incredible number of them. It has been played in as many as 15 films over the years, including Tropic Thunder, Into the Wild, Grown Ups 2 and The Festival.

Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie

In second place was another famous song, "Under Pressure" by Queen & David Bowie, which has been played in 14 films, including Happy Feet Two, Minions, Sing and It's Kind of a Funny Story. This was just a movie away from a shared first place with "U Can't Touch This".

Push It - Salt-N-Pepa

Three songs came in shared third place, on 13 songs each, which started with Salt-N-Pepa's hit "Push It" from 1987, which has featured in films such as 10 Things I Hate About You, Love, Rosie and recent releases such as f. ex. Booksmart and what men want.

Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum

From back in 1969 until now, Norman Greenbaum's big hit "Spirit in the Sky" has been featured in 13 films, including blockbuster superhero films such as Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as other major films such as Oceans's Eleven, Wayne's World 2 and The Longest Yard. Truly a song that deserves a (shared) third place.

It Takes Two - Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock

It Takes Two by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock is considered one of the best hip-hop songs of all time and has been sampled countless times over the years, but it has also appeared in a number of films, including Iron Man 2, The Proposal , Sisters, The Disaster Artist and Spies in Disguise. This was also a shared third place.

The greatest film composer

Now that we have looked at the most used songs, it can also be interesting to look at the greatest film composer. You've probably heard of Alan Silvestri, who's been involved in the Back to the Future series, Forrest Gump and several of the movies that take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the highest grossing movie ever, Avengers: Endgame.

If you would like to read more about all the findings of this study, including the most common film artists, and many more songs and artists that were not mentioned in this post, just read on here.