The best artists of our generation aren’t even real. Since the dawn of television, Hollywood has created movies and TV shows of all kinds, telling the stories of fictional rock bands, teen pop stars, heartthrob boy bands and empowered girl groups. For the most part, viewers should just be invested in their story and not listen to the music on repeat. Of course, that's not the case, as millennials who grew up listening to Hannah Montana and Josie & the Pussycats are still reminiscing about these nostalgic jams decades after their debut Putting it on a playlist only makes our obsession with newer fictional artists like Ashley O and Daisy Jones Six more powerful.
In recent years, fictional songs have found more real-life payoffs. Lady Gaga played rising pop star Ellie in the 2019 film A Star Is Born , and won her first real-life Oscar and multiple Grammy Awards for writing folk songs for the film. She's not the only time a fake artist has been recognized by real critics and awards bodies. Given the influence fictional artists have on the entire music industry, now is a perfect time to rank the 20 best fictional artist songs that have stood the test of time.
For the purposes of this ranking, only completely fictional artists from major movies and TV shows are included, as opposed to those who started on the silver screen but later continued in real life, such as The Cheetah Girls and Big Time Rush . These fake bands and pop stars also have to have at least some level of fame and stardom in their fictional worlds beyond just musical aspirations, which means the kids from Camp Rock and Glee don't count. These 20 songs come from a variety of millennial classics, but one thing they all have in common is their uncanny ability to live in our heads rent-free.
20. Sex Bob-Omb, “Garbage Truck” ( Scott Pilgrim vs. the World )
Scott Pilgrim vs The World Sex Bob-Omb was ahead of its time partly because of the way it starred A-listers like Brie Larson, Chris Evans and Anna Kendrick before the outbreak, but mostly because The band "Sex Bob-Omb" is brilliantly named. While "Garbage Truck" is a little too fuzzy and jarring to make permanent playlists, the tried-but-completely-failed lyrics make for a good laugh.
19. DuJour, "Backdoor Lovers" ( Josie and the Pussycats )
Josie and the Pussycats aren't the only band in their movie - their entire reason for existing is due to the tragic story of boy band DuJour, who died in a plane crash. That's a shame, because "Backdoor Lover" is extremely catchy and may be the second-best pop song about anal sex (lost to Britney Spears' "Over to You Now"). Considering comedians like Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer and Seth Green play boy band members, they know exactly what they're doing.
18. That's So Raven
Yes, the best song on "Pop Boy" is actually called "Pop Boy," and it does deserve our dedication because it's so catchy it could put the Jonas Brothers to shame. The only reason Raven Baxter's favorite boy band ranks so low is because their biggest hit is only a minute long. At least they know how to leave us wanting more.
17. Celeste, “EKG” ( Vox Lux )
Everything about "Vox Lux ," from Natalie Portman's roller-coaster performance as pop star Celeste to Sia's original songs written for the film, is the definition of camp, mayhem, and mayhem. No song exemplifies this more than Celeste's show finale "EKG," which features heavy doses of autotune and the lyrics "My heart's like a housebeat." It plays right after the movie's crazy twist is revealed, making it easy to question your life choices. But it’s easier to succumb to madness, like Celeste’s sister and daughter in the audience.
16. Robin Sparkles, "Let's Go to the Mall" ( How I Met Your Mother )
Before Robin Scherbatsky was just a bored reporter on How I Met Your Mother , she was Robin Sparkles, a teen pop star in the '80s who loved all the good things that made the decade popular, like shopping. center. An ode to flirting with boys in the food court, shopping for hoop earrings, and trying on jelly bracelets with her best friends Jessica and Tori, "Let's Go to the Mall" is like Orr An old movie from the Mori Twins, which is a huge compliment. She has no reason to be embarrassed about her pop star past.
15. Jordan Cahill, "Beyond Me" ( Trapped in Suburbia )
Taran Killam may be better known for playing King George on "Saturday Night Live" and "Hamilton ," but most of all, he'll always be Jordan on "Trapped in Suburbia." Cahill. 2004's DCOM proved he could be a great teen pop star, his bleach-blonde skills and carefree, yearning anthems making for the ultimate car karaoke. However, dancing still requires some effort.
14. Girls5eva, “BPE” ( Girls5eva )
Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell and Busy Philipps' fictional girl group Girls5eva perfectly straddles the line between imitation and greatness (what else could you expect from series creator Tina Fey?). “BPE” is a perfect example of this winning combination, and yes, it stands for exactly what you think it does. Wishes like "Vitamin P boosts confidence" and "Open confidential Treasury documents" are something you can either laugh off or laugh off.
13. Ellie, “Why Did You Do That?” ( A Star Is Born )
In "A Star Is Born ," "Why Did You Do It?" was supposed to be Ally's sell-out pop moment, which caused tension in her marriage to Bradley Cooper's country singer Jackson Maine, Jackson watched her performance on "Saturday Night Live" with disgust. It does its job well, but one thing everyone involved with the song's creation (including Lady Gaga) missed is that it's an absolute slap in the face . If you don't want to get up and dance in a movie theater, you're a liar. Clearly, Jackson is not the best arbiter of taste.
12. Josie and the Pussycats, "Pretend to be Friendly" ( Josie and the Pussycats )
Nothing establishes a new girl group like a great breakup anthem. In the 2001 film, Josie and the Pussycats' explosive moment comes when they lash out at an ex-boyfriend who doesn't understand the value of his woman, can't even pretend to be nice, and sometimes Be with her for days. With guitar solos and epic key changes, Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid, and Rachael Leigh Cook prove they're one of a kind are a pop-rock force to be reckoned with, as their sinister label chiefs will soon discover.
11. Lemonade Mouth, "OK" ( Lemonade Mouth )
Lemonade Mouth's first hit was exactly what a fake band's song should be: catchy, powerful, and completely ridiculous. "Determinate" quickly shifts from a rousing piano ballad to an electro-pop rallying cry to the nerdy boy rap you would normally laugh at before realizing you don't have the stamina to replicate it, all based on a song that doesn't get used The word is correct. Bridget Mendler, Naomi Scott, and Haley Kiyoko went on to greater things, but "Determination" remains their most interesting achievement.
10. Daisy Jones and the Six , "Regret Me"
In Amazon's 2023 limited series, Daisy Jones and the Six leap from the page to a real-life (still fictional) rock band, with lyrics from the 2019 novel finally coming to life. "Regret Me" establishes the band's Fleetwood Mac inspiration, with stars Riley Keough and Sam Claflin exchanging voices about a star-crossed relationship as if they really were Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Their characters didn't actually end up together, but the song's catchiness and relatability made it a hit regardless.
9. Cora, "The Joy of the Buddha" ( Music and Lyrics )
As Drew Barrymore's character says in "Music & Lyrics ," Shakira-inspired pop star Cora (Haley Bennett's most iconic character) had her first hit The song is "the high point in Gandhi 's soundtrack," and that's what makes "The Joy of the Buddha" truly enjoyable—or a guilty pleasure, given its potential to offend multiple cultures at once. Hugh Grant is a washed-up '80s singer-songwriter who thinks his entire image and catalog is a travesty, so when Cora invites him to write a love song, he becomes very Sentimental, trying to humanize her, but the problem is that's not nearly as interesting as her Buddhist chants.
8. 4*TOWN, "Nobody Like U" ( turn red )
If Oscars meant anything, 4*TOWN's "Nobody Like U" would be the third Oscar-nominated song on this list (at least the Grammys acknowledged its greatness). Finneas leads a band of Disney millennial dream boys, including Jordan Fisher and himself, who drive the plot of "Go Red" and remind us how much fun being a fan can be. Co-written with his sister Billie Eilish, "Nobody Like U" perfectly captures the glory days of 2000s boy bands while adding the duo's moody style and charmingly silly quips.
7. Pink Slip, "Take Me Away" ( Freaky Friday )
Freaky Friday star Lindsay Lohan didn't even sing on Pink Slip's first garage-rock song, but it sounds like something from her 2004 debut album Speak . "Take Me Away" is an anxious appeal to people leaving the suburbs to pursue rock star life, and is full of content that rivals LiLo hits like "Rumors" and "First." The highlight, of course, is Lohan and screen mom Jamie Lee Curtis' epic guitar solo, which transforms it into a legitimate pop-rock song worthy of mainstream hit status.
6. Hannah Montana, “ The Best of Both Worlds”
If Miley Stewart were a real person and released this single as her first single from pop star Hannah Montana in 2023, fans would be singing by the end of the song Find out her secrets, but "The Best of Both Worlds" transcends real-world inaccuracies. From the first guitar riff to the screams of Orlando Bloom, the 2006 show's theme song ensured Hannah Montana became the most influential fake pop star of her generation, and provided the perfect backdrop for Miley Cyrus The foundation was laid for reaching greater heights 15 years later.
5. Fire Saga, “Húsavík” ( Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga )
Fire Saga’s ode to an Icelandic village is spot-on. A Eurovision contender, it's cheesy enough, convincing enough, sincere enough to move you to tears, and so cinematic that a real-life Oscar nomination feels inevitable rather than like one joke. Not even Will Ferrell's singing can ruin it, and it doesn't matter that Rachel McAdams doesn't always sing - her voice is mixed in with Molly Sandon's. When she sings in Icelandic and hits the film's "sperog notes," you begin to miss Husavik herself.
4. Ashley O, "On A Roll" ( "Black Mirror ")
Apparently, playing a fake pop star wasn't enough for Cyrus. Her second on-screen stunt double, Ashley O, appeared in the season five finale of Netflix's Black Mirror , the same one she proudly wore for Hannah Montana Pop culture tropes are poked fun at, but in doing so it creates a high-profile, clever scene. "On A Roll" is a subversion of Nine Inch Nails' 1990 anti-capitalist anthem "Head Like A Hole," keeping the melody but inverting the lyrics to become a super-cheerful, slyly resigned, money-driven bubblegum hit. Even the band couldn't deny its brilliance, selling Ashley O merchandise after the episode.
3. Ellie's "Shallow" ( A Star Is Born )
When Lady Gaga yelled, "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh sizes trailer sizes-and- basis sizes- restraints." Ally became a recognized name on and off the screen with "Shallow," an epic power ballad that spawned as many memes as it won awards and 2019 Academy Award for Best Original Song. Cooper received some praise for their electronic anthem Oscar-winning chemistry that was so strong on screen and stage that it sparked a slew of romance rumors, but it was Gaga's brooding lyrics and soaring vocals that made "Shallow" timeless classic.
2. Hannah Montana, “No one is perfect” ( Hannah Montana )
Yes, Hannah Montana has a song that ranks higher than the Oscar winner, so what? One might say "Nobody's Perfect" predates the 2010-11 trend of self-empowerment pop songs, which included Gaga's "Born This Way" and Katy Perry's "Firework," but it does so in a Disney-friendly way. way of telling us to embrace our mistakes and accept our mistakes. defect. The cheesy message feels grandiose, with catchy mantras, a cinematic orchestral intro, and even a spoken monologue before the finale. This stylish and heartfelt dance-pop motive is why Hannah Montana's TV improv never goes out of style.
1. Isabella Parigi, What Dreams Are Made of ( Lizzie Maguire Films )
Lizzie McGuire only experienced her 15 minutes of fame with What Dreams Are Made Of, but her Italian doppelgänger Isabella is a full-fledged pop star who has given us some of the greatest songs ever written by fictional artists (along with Paolo , fans don’t like him) said). Hilary Duff proved she was destined to be a pop star when she performed this song at the Colosseum, the song is so sweet and whimsical yet so well produced that it works perfectly as a romantic ballad and movie pop song. Twenty years after the 2003 film was released, the song's legacy lives on, being tirelessly quoted and soundtracking emotional milestones for millennials. "The Dream" might have won an Oscar if it had been in a Disney animated classic, rather than a Disney Channel spin-off that the Academy might consider it to be.
