Tommy Richman's “Million Dollar Baby,” which has climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, shares its name with a Clint Eastwood film that won best picture at the Academy Awards in 2005. It's the 10th time the Hot 100 shared its name with an Academy Award winner for best picture.
We're not counting title songs from the movies in question (that would be too easy). Or near misses. Metallica had a hit in 1992 with “The Unforgiven”, which is close to its title Unforgivableanother film directed by Eastwood that won the top prize in 1993, but not exactly.
We also don't count songs with the same titles as Oscar-winning movies that made noise but didn't make the Hot 100. These include “Grand Hotel” (the winner in 1932, also a Procol Harum song released under the Hot 100 in 1973), “From Here to Eternity” (the 1954 winner, also a Giorgio Morder song that hit the Hot 100 in 1977). “Parasite” (the 2020 winner, also a song from the 1974 Kiss album Hotter than hell) and “Forrest Gump” (the winner in 1995, also a song from Frank Ocean's 2012 album Channel Orange).
In addition, three major musical acts – Wings, Chicago and Tom Jones – have the exact same names as the titles of the best movies.
Wings topped the Hot 100 with “Listen to What the Man Said,” “Silly Love Songs” and “With a Little Luck.” (The group had three more No. 1s when the bill was Paul McCartney & Wings.) Behind the scenes was the title of the first Best Picture Oscar winner in 1929.
Chicago topped the Hot 100 with “If You Leave Me Now”, “Hard to Say I'm Sorry” and “Look Away”. Chicago was the title of the 2003 Best Picture Oscar winner.
Tom Jones never reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, but did reach No. 2 in 1971 with “She's a Lady” and No. 3 in 1965 with “What's New Pussycat.” Tom Jones was the title of the 1964 Best Picture Oscar winner.
Finally, to the first year of the Oscars, the Academy presented both excellent pictures (at Behind the scenes) and unique and artistic image (na Sunrise). The Academy considers the previous award to be equivalent to Best Picture, as you can see in its roster Best Picture winnersbut we can't completely ignore the latter award — especially since, as it happens, two songs titled “Sunrise” have cracked the Hot 100. They were recorded by Eric Carmen (No. 34 in 1976) and Morgan Wallen (No. 30 in 2023).
Here are the Hot 100 hits with the exact same titles as the films that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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Behind the scenes
Best photo wins: 1929
Hot 100 hits: Little Mix (No. 79 in 2013)
Note: “Wings” was the English girl's first Hot 100 hit.
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Gone With the Wind
Best photo wins: 1940
Hot 100 hits: The Duprees (No. 89 in 1963)
Note: The Duprees are best known for their doo-wop rendition of Jo Stafford's 1952 smash 'You Belong to Me'. Duprees version cracked the top 10 in 1962.
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West Side Story
Best photo wins: 1962
Hot 100 hits: LFO (No. 84 in 2000)
Note: LFO is best known for “Summer Girls”, a No. 3 hit in 1999.
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Rocky
Best photo wins: 1977
Hot 100 hits: Austin Roberts (No. 9 in 1975)
Note: This was the first time the Hot 100 hit preceded the Academy Award-winning film of the same name.
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Simple people
Best photo wins: 1981
Hot 100 hits: John Legend (No. 24 in 2005)
Note: Legend's song won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and was nominated for both Song of the Year and Best R&B Song.
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Chicago
Best photo wins: 2003
Hot 100 Hits: Frank Sinatra (No. 84 in 1957), Graham Nash (No. 35 in 1971)
Note: Both these songs were before the movie. Sinatra's song is best known for its exuberant chorus, “Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town.” Nash's song is about the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention held in that city and the subsequent trial of the so-called Chicago Eight, protest leaders charged with conspiracy to incite a riot.
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Million dollar baby
Best photo wins: 2005
Hot 100 hits: Tommy Richman (No. 2, so far, in 2024)
Note: “Million Dollar Baby” is Richman's first Hot 100 hit.
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Conflict
Best photo wins: 2006
Hot 100 hits: Gwen Stefani (No. 49 in 2006)
Note: “Crash” was included on Stefani's debut solo album, Love.Angel.Music.Baby.
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Center of attention
Win the best photo: 2016
Hot 100 Hits: Jennifer Hudson (No. 24 in 2008), Gucci Mane with Usher (No. 42 in 2009)
Note: Both of these hits predate the film. Additionally, Madonna reached No. 32 on Radio Songs in 1988 with a song called “Spotlight.”
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Moonlight
Best photo wins: 2017
Hot 100 Hits: Jay-Z (No. 86 in 2017), XXXTentacion (No. 13 in 2018)
Note: XXXTentacion was still alive when “Moonlight” entered the Hot 100 in March 2018. He was shot to death in June. The song peaked in July.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/hot-100-hits-same-titles-best-picture-oscar-winners-million-dollar-baby-billboard-list/