3 Songs That Could Serve as CliffsNotes to Your Favorite 90s Rom-Coms

The perfect rom-com needs the perfect love song. A large part of building up the emotion in a film is the soundtrack choices. Films of all genres know this fact, but rom-coms do it especially well, often with popular songs that the audience already loves. The three songs below are so integral to specific 90s rom-coms that they could serve as CliffsNotes for the plot.

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“Kiss Me” — Sixpence None The Richer

This 90s hit has been featured in countless rom-coms. It’s the epitome of blushing, heart-racing first loves, making it a shoo-in for soundtracks of this kind. But if there is one rom-com that owns this song, it’s She’s All That.

This 1999 film is a classic makeover story where the awkward misfit finally reaches her full potential. A bet goes awry, and love ensues, punctuated by one particular moment featuring this song. As the female lead comes down the stairs, now remade, this song plays, and the love interest turns his head. It’s the moment of this 90s classic. All you really need to know about this film is this song and the scene it scores.

“She” — Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello covered Charles Aznavour’s “She” for the 1999 film Notting Hill. This song encapsulates the love story in this rom-com classic, painting a vivid portrait of Julia Roberts’ character. “She may be the face I can’t forget / A trace of pleasure or regret / May be my treasure or the price I have to pay / She may be the song that summer sings / May be the chill that autumn brings,” the lyrics read, summarizing the will-they-won’t-they plotline of this film.

Reading the lyrics to this cover is a similar experience to watching this film. They give off the same emotion and key points, making “She” a suitable CliffsNotes for Notting Hill.

“When I Fall In Love” — Celine Dion and Clive Griffin

Going back to the early 90s, there is only one song that sums up the 1993 classic Sleepless In Seattle, and that’s Celine Dion and Clive Griffin’s version of “When I Fall In Love.” This romantic standard is the very essence of this story of fate and missed connections.

“When I give my heart / It will be completely / Or I’ll never give my heart / And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too,” the lyrics read. No song could better score this timeless rom-com than this one.

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