The Most Expensive Pieces Of Music Ever Used In The Movies

Movies would be nothing without the soundtracks and compositions that bring them to life. If you've ever wondered about the full impact that a score or song adds to the general tone and intent of a scene, just watch the viral video that replaces "The Imperial March" with "True" by Spandau Ballet in "Star Wars: A New Hope" when Darth Vader enters and Tarkin swallows. Is Vader's right-hand man swallowing in fear or because he's nervous about his first date with Darth? Well, it depends on the music. 

So, it's easy to see why studios will pay massive amounts of money (and a significant portion of the overall budget) to pick songs that are just right for a scene. Sometimes, writers have a piece of music in mind when they write a script. Other times, it comes after the fact. And though it's not necessarily the first thing fans think of when it comes to movie budgets, music choices can be as integral, if not more so in some cases, than casting.

Of course, specific numbers on most song licensing fees are hush-hush, which could be because studios don't want it getting out how much they're willing to pay for certain needle drops. While an AC/DC or Zeppelin track is often worth the hefty fee, movie bigwigs don't want overall costs to rise. As a result, there's only so much we have to go on determining the priciest beats and soundtracks in movies.

Led Zeppelin is notoriously picky with the projects they greenlight songs for — and the group is passionate about the accuracy of these moments. "Argo" made the cut, but not before a whole lot of negotiation. Not every movie moment has a clear-cut musical choice that's immediately obvious to creatives. Sometimes, it takes dozens of pitches to decide on the right track — and that's just the first step to acquiring the rights.

Ben Affleck told Los Angeles Times that he and editor William Goldberg cycled through 40 song choices and landed on "Hotel California" before pivoting to something subtler. Ultimately, Affleck opted to go with Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks," but the actor knew it would be an uphill battle from there. He noted, "It's got an ominous feeling, but it's celebratory in a sense as well," adding, "Zeppelin, to me, is the greatest rock 'n roll band. People say, 'The Beatles, the Stones.' No. It's Zeppelin."

Led Zeppelin is a stickler for authenticity, and because the shot was filmed prior to the song choice, the band wanted the needle to land accurately on the record during the scene. As a result, the film had to pay for some post-production TLC. The iconic U.K. band is known to have licensing rights in the $1 million range, so that cost plus the special effects fee was no doubt an outrageously expensive number. "So not only did we have to pay for the song, we had to pay for an effects shot," Affleck explained. "You have to appreciate their attention to detail, though."

Creating a song and music video for a movie is undoubtedly different than licensing an already-established song. But sometimes, that price far surpasses most licensing agreements. That was the case for Madonna's "Die Another Day" video which cost a hefty $6.1 million to make. The song was released in conjunction with 2002's "Die Another Day," and the clip is considered to be the second most expensive music video of all time (surpassed only by Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream").

Pierce Brosnan may be a fan-favorite James Bond, but audiences panned the film. Madonna's song opens the movie, and audiences were as disenchanted with the number as the flick as a whole. The music icon even makes a cameo in the movie, playing a fencing instructor named Verity — which was basically product placement for her music video. Naturally, the priciest aspect of the music video is thought to be the sequence where Madonna fences herself.

Madonna's cameo in "Die Another Day" is as baffling as the music video itself. Given the hefty budget of the video, it's a bummer that the sequence wasn't more of a success. Only Madonna, the studio, and the creatives know how much money she received to sign on and record the song in the first place. Was it worth it? Fans don't think so. Even iconic musician Elton John dubbed the track "the worst Bond tune ever" when speaking to Sky News (per CBS). "It hasn't got a tune," John said. "James Bond themes are usually very camp and this one's different..."

"Dazed and Confused" may be an indie venture, but it's yet another film that hinges on a soundtrack. Though the Richard Linklater movie remains the epitome of '90s stoner culture, the film stands up today — and that's due in part to its soundtrack.

On some level, it's pretty impressive that the film scored tracks by Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Aerosmith for just over $1 million of the film's $6.9 million budget; that's roughly one-sixth of the movie's total budget. Like many cult classics, "Dazed and Confused" has grown in popularity over the years. However, the venture only brought in just under $8 million at the box office — which is just over $1 million in profits when you account for the movie's budget.

But sometimes, you've just got to do it for the art. Some of pop culture's most influential movies either lost money or barely made a profit, but they continue to inform films today like 2016's "Everybody Wants Some!!." Ironically, the film that was dubbed a "spiritual sequel" to Linklater's masterpiece brought in less than its $10 million budget despite being a critic hit. And with songs like "Sweet Emotion," "Paranoid," and "Hurricane," fans aren't forgetting "Dazed and Confused" anytime soon. But when will people learn to trust Linklater and show up in theaters? The guy clearly knows what he's doing, and his music taste is impeccable and spot-on for period pieces.

"Bring It On" is arguably one of the most iconic teen movies of all time. And speaking of icon status, Warrant's "Cherry Pie" has become synonymous with stripping routines in TV and film. Yet the song isn't just relegated to late-night club scenes or testosterone-filled dreams. There's no denying that the cheerleader tryouts sequence in "Bring It On" is one of the film's most memorable scenes, and that's due in part to Warrant's steamiest number.

One student at Rancho Carne High School tries out for the cheer squad with a routine that is absolutely not appropriate for high school — fit with a table dance and something that comes dangerously close to a lap dance. So, what song could they possibly use other than "Cherry Pie"?  Director Peyton Reed told DVD Talk that they paid $40,000 to use the song — and that was after negotiations.

"Both the stripper tryout and the bikini car wash were so reminiscent of '80s teen movies, we needed the music to match that tone." Reed said. "To me, Cherry Pie was the perfect fit. It is such a cheesy mid-80s song with the worst, most obvious lyrics to it. It gave me a sense of irony about it — which I thought was really important." The director considered other songs, but he noted that many were "too nasty and too dirty" for what they were trying to do. Reed continued: "When you get over the fact that it costs $40,000.00 — and originally it was going to be more, but that's the price they got it down to. We changed some other things to try to get the overall budget down. There are times when you just have to fight for something like that."