3 Songs That Became Early 2000s Classics After They Were Featured in Movies

There’s one thing I love almost as much as early 2000s songs, and that’s early 2000s movies. Here are three classic songs you probably know from a movie soundtrack, because that’s where you heard them first.

Videos by American Songwriter

“Perfect Day” by Hoku

Ah, yes, the quintessential teen-pop banger about sleeping in past your alarm, making breakfast, and having a day that almost sounds a little bit too good to be true. If you’re like me, this song was an essential part of your morning playlist growing up. However, what you might not know is that “Perfect Day” was originally released on the Legally Blonde soundtrack in 2001.

The song was first introduced to listeners in the opening scene, where you meet Elle Woods, an ambitious, girly, and very blonde college student. In time, it would unexpectedly become an early 2000s classic. In an interview with Marie Claire about twenty years after Legally Blonde, Hoku spoke on the song’s longevity.

“It’s amazing,” she shared. “Honestly, it’s just really cool to see the shelf life that it’s had. I know for a fact that no one anticipated that when we released it. It’s really cool that it’s taken on the life that it has.”

“Life Is A Highway” by Rascal Flatts

Real fans know that Rascal Flatts‘ “Life Is A Highway” is a cover of Tom Cochrane’s 1991 No. 1 hit. However, most people have probably heard the Flatts’ version, which became popular through the 2006 kids’ movie, Cars.

With SongFacts, lead singer Gary LeVox discussed the conversation that led to the band singing “Life Is A Highway”.

“You know, there’s certain songs you just wanna leave alone,” he shared. “You’re, like, ‘How can you re-do that?’ There are staples of music history, and ‘Life Is A Highway’ is one of them with Tom Cochrane. But [director John Lasseter] was like, ‘I want you guys to do ‘Life Is A Highway.” And we were, like, ‘Wow! Really?’”

The cool thing about this song is that it was already a big song when Rascal Flatts covered it. But thanks to Cars, it became a classic for a younger generation.

“Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson

This song would have likely done well regardless (it was released by early-2000s Kelly Clarkson, for goodness’ sake). However, it was its appearance in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement that made it a staple for young audiences. Later, Clarkson would also release “Breakaway” on her album of the same name. It would prove to be one of her most enduring hits.

A fun fact about this song is that it was actually written by Avril Lavigne, Bridget Benenate, and Matthew Gerard for Avril’s 2002 album, Let Go. Lavigne didn’t end up using the song, but later admitted in a video for The Kelly Clarkson Show that “[Kelly] did an incredible job with it.”

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