Music and movies have always been paired, and many classic rock and metal songs were directly inspired by some of the best films of all time. Inspiration is a big part of art, and one amazing piece of expression can influence another. Few art forms go together as well as movies and music, so both have frequently inspired each other.

There are movies that were inspired by songs, but more often, songwriters pull ideas directly from movies. Whether they copy a film’s plot, or simply repeat a famous quote or тιтle, songwriters are always looking for something to spark their muse. Rock and metal are particularly notorious for borrowing from movies, and some bands have done it multiple times.

Horror is usually the most influential genre in music, with frightening plots and outlandish scenarios making great premises for songs. However, it isn’t the only genre to influence songwriters, and there isn’t a corner of film history that hasn’t been explored by cinephilic bards. The movies that inspire songs are usually classics, and make great companions to the memorable tunes.

Dawn Of The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (1978)

George Romero’s sequel to Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ continued his excellent zombie franchise with a lot of terror and satirical bite. Dawn of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ wrapped its social commentary about consumerism in a gripping story of survival in a shopping mall, and it was yet another revolution in the zombie genre.

Decades later, My Chemical Romance was inspired by the film to write the song “Early Sunsets over Monroeville”. The melancholic Midwestern emo tune is set in the Pennsylvania town where Dawn of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ was sH๏τ, and it is about a young couple in the midst of a zombie outbreak that’s eerily similar to the one in the movie.

Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ II (1987)

Released a few years after the first, Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ II was a pseudo-remake that completely changed the tone of Sam Raimi’s burgeoning horror franchise. Like the original, the movie had the creepy cabin setting and the dangerous Necronomicon, but it added a cheeky and macabre sense of humor that was anchored by Bruce Campbell’s amazing slapstick timing.

Death metal band Deicide wasn’t laughing when they penned “ᴅᴇᴀᴅ By Dawn”, a thrashing anthem that borrowed the ᴅᴇᴀᴅites’ catchphrase from Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ II. The narrator of the song itself seems to be one of the legion of demonic enтιтies from the series, who expounds on the evil virtues of the Necronomicon.

The Texas Chainsaw Mᴀssacre (1974)

Horror was changing rapidly in the 1970s, and The Texas Chainsaw Mᴀssacre was revolutionary for more than one reason. The gritty Tobe Hooper nightmare captured the post-Vietnam War mood of the U.S., and its cannibal family storyline was a comment about the dark betrayal of the American Dream. It also happened to be a truly chilling slasher flick.

The Ramones were pioneers in punk rock, and their fast and loud songs were frequently inspired by movies. “Chain Saw” came from their debut album, and was directly influenced by the Hooper classic. In the song, the narrator laments the loss of his girlfriend, who has fallen victim to Leatherface. Appropriately, the sub-two-minute song opens with a startling saw sound.

The Searchers (1956)

Often considered one of the best westerns ever made, The Searchers is an iconic opus from Hollywood’s Golden Age. The John Wayne classic is the story of revenge and obsession in the Old West, and its sweeping visuals upped the ante for the entire western genre. It’s influence on film is undeniable, but it inspired some music as well.

Buddy Holly was one of the biggest names in early rock ‘n’ roll before his tragic death in 1959. His towering hit “That’ll Be the Day” is one of Holly’s greatest triumphs, and was partially inspired by The Searchers. Though the song has little to do with the movie, the тιтle is taken from Wayne’s iconic catchphrase from the movie.

Dracula (1931)

The Universal adaptation of Dracula helped to kick off their beloved Classic Monsters cycle, and forever cemented the bloodsucker in popular culture. Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of the тιтular character, and his Hungarian accent, have become the standard of what a vampire looks and sounds like, and Dracula‘s influence has touched all corners of pop culture.

Shock rocker Alice Cooper is no stranger to horror, and “The Ballad of Dwight Fry” is a tribute to Dracula. The story involves a man trapped in a mental health facility, and the тιтle is a reference to the actor who played Dracula’s ᴀssistant, Renfield. In a way, the song compares the narrator’s plight to that of the off-kilter henchman.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Generally ranked among the best films of all time, Citizen Kane is one of the crowning achievements in cinematic history. The story concerns the rise and fall of newspaper magnate, Charles Foster Kane, and it bears a striking resemblance to the life of William Randolph Hearst. Director Orson Welles pioneered new filmmaking techniques, and broke new ground in nearly frame.

Indie rock legends, The White Stripes, were so influenced by the classic film that they wrote “The Union Forever”. Not only does the song make direct reference to events in the movie, but it borrows an actual tune used during the film. Far Out reports that the duo was nearly sued for copyright infringement, but the case never moved forward.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Science fiction was changing rapidly in the 1960s, and 2001: A Space Odyssey was the biggest quantum leap the genre had ever taken. Kubrick’s radical vision spans the entirety of human history, and connects Earth’s history through mysterious monoliths that spur evolution. There’s no adequate way to describe the surreal adventure, and it continues to impress 50 years later.

David Bowie’s debut in the late ’60s can be seen similarly, and the glam rocker defied labels throughout his career. His song, “Space Oddity”, is a play on words from the Kubrick film’s тιтle, but also captures some of the existential moodiness of space travel from the film. Though only tenuously linked, the song is an obvious tribute.

Johnny Got His Gun (1971)

Dalton Trumbo’s novel, Johnny Got His Gun, was written in 1938, but it took until 1971 for the gripping anti-war tale to be adapted. The тιтle character is a WWI veteran who has been left blind, deaf, and limbless, who spends his days in a haze of memory. The movie does an excellent job of capturing Trumbo’s horrifying concept onscreen.

Metal trendsetters, Metallica, were equally horrified by the film and used it as the inspiration for their classic song “One”. Opening with the sounds of battle, the slow and melodic tune is told from Johnny’s perspective as he cries out to a world that can’t help him. Though not usually known for their subtlety, Metallica handles the anti-war concepts deftly.

The Wicker Man (1973)

The subgenre of folk horror has only produced a few classics, and The Wicker Man is usually at the top of that list. The Christopher Lee vehicle plays out like a mystery as a lone cop searches for a missing child on an island inhabited by weird cultists. An exercise in tension, the story builds up to its horrifying climax.

Iron Maiden are early shapers of heavy metal, and they frequently make reference to films in their hard-rocking songs. “The Wicker Man” takes the film’s тιтle, and makes vague references to some of the movie’s details. Though it isn’t exactly an adaptation of the movie, the soaring vocals and blistering solos make a great companion to the film.

Godzilla (1954)

Of all the movie monsters in cinema history, Godzilla might just be the most famous of all time. The 1954 Japanese classic is part monster flick and part examination of the emotional fallout of the use of atomic weaponry at the end of WWII. However, in the years following, Godzilla became more of an icon than a scary monster.

By the time Blue Öyster Cult penned their cheeky tribute song, “Godzilla”, the King of the Monsters was firmly planted in the popular culture of the entire world. The jaunty track charts Godzilla’s rampage through Tokyo, mentioning his destructive force and towering size. A cover of the song was featured in 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters.