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Song of the Day #4,436: ‘Elephant Love Medley’ – Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman

Continuing my personal ranking of the 25 movie musicals deemed essential by the American Film Institute…

#17. Moulin Rouge! – 2001
(#25 on the AFI list)

If I were ranking top scenes from these 25 musicals, two standouts from Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 Moulin Rouge may well top that list. One is Ewan McGregor’s earnest performance of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ and the other is today’s SOTD, the so-called ‘Elephant Medley.’

This extravagant mash-up of a dozen love songs is both a brilliant piece of music and transporting cinema. McGregor leaping on the elephant’s head to belt out “love lifts us up where we belong” and the explosion of heart-shaped stars surrounding the lovers as they break into the chorus of ‘I Will Always Love You’ — these are breathtaking moments.

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Song of the Day #4,435: ‘The Man That Got Away’ – Judy Garland

Continuing my personal ranking of the 25 movie musicals deemed essential by the American Film Institute…

#18. A Star is Born – 1954
(#7 on the AFI list)

This project has given me my first real exposure to Judy Garland, and I’ve come away as fascinated and impressed as fans the world over have been for years. Garland stars in three films on this list, spanning her whole turbulent film career.

A Star is Born, directed by George Cukor (who also helmed a film still to come), was considered Garland’s comeback film at the ripe old age of 32. It was also one of the last movies she ever made.

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Song of the Day #4,434: ‘Be Our Guest’ – Beauty and the Beast cast

Continuing my personal ranking of the 25 movie musicals deemed essential by the American Film Institute…

#19. Beauty and the Beast – 1991
(#22 on the AFI list)

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is the only animated film on AFI’s list of essential musicals, and I’m not wild about its inclusion. While the film is indeed a musical in the traditional sense, for me the animation puts it in another category, one that shouldn’t be compared to the live-action films on this list.

Additionally, if we are to include animated musicals, I can think of at least a half dozen I would rank above this one (Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled and Moana leap to mind, for starters).

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Song of the Day #4,433: ‘Attics of My Life’ – Grateful Dead

1970’s American Beauty is the only Grateful Dead album I own, and the only one I’ve ever wanted to own. While I’m sure the Dead have many treasures in their discography, I’ve never had the urge to dig any deeper, largely due to my general aversion to jam bands.

American Beauty, though, is a deserved classic. The opening trio of ‘Box of Rain,’ ‘Friend of the Devil’ and ‘Sugar Magnolia’ alone puts it up there alongside the great folk rock albums of the era.

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Song of the Day #4,432: ‘Sunrise’ – Childish Gambino

I’m a big fan of Donald Glover as an actor, writer and overall entertainer. His work on Community was sublime absurdity, and the auteur’s touch he brings to Atlanta is simply brilliant.

But when it comes to his music, recorded under the name Childish Gambino, I’ve found it harder to enjoy. With the exception of the wonderful ‘Redbone,’ his second and third albums left me pretty cold. I see he released a fourth album this past March that totally missed my radar, so maybe I should give that a listen.

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