A Movie Bonus Song must be:
- Featured in a film adaptation of a musical (and not be a Cut Song)
- Written specifically for the film version, not carried over from the stage production or originating elsewhere (which excludes "From This Moment On" from Kiss Me, Kate, and "When All Is Said and Done" from Mamma Mia!)
- Written by at least one of the original songwriters (which excludes songs such as "The Continental" from The Gay Divorcee, "You're the One That I Want" from Grease and "I Will Always Love You" from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas)
This often overlaps with Award-Bait Song, especially if the film is gunning for as many awards as possible, since songs carried over from the stage musical aren't eligible for the Best Original Song Oscar.note However, the practice of writing Movie Bonus Songs dates back to the first generation of movie musicals, long before the Original Song category existed.
Liable to be integrated into future stage productions, if the film adaptation is successful.
Examples:
- Aladdin (2019): "Speechless" (Jasmine).
- Animal Crackers (1930): "Why Am I So Romantic?"
- Annie (1982): "Let's Go to the Movies", "We Got Annie" (based on a Cut Song) and "Sign". There's also an odd case in "Dumb Dog/Sandy", which recycled the melody of a song from composer Charles Strouse's flop A Broadway Musical.
- The 2014 adaptation adds a few more, such as "Opportunity" and "Who Am I", while removing others partly due to the present day Setting Update and partly due to Values Dissonance.
- If The Band Wagon is considered as an adaptation of the 1931 revue of that name (which also featured Fred Astaire and several songs used in the film), "That's Entertainment" would qualify as a Movie Bonus Song.
- Beauty and the Beast (2017) features three of these written by original composer Alan Menken — as opposed to expanding the score with songs from Broadway: "How Does a Moment Last Forever" (two versions with completely different lyrics are used; one sung by Maurice and one by Belle), "Days in the Sun" (the Enchanted Objects) and "Evermore" (The Beast).
- Bells Are Ringing (1960): "Do It Yourself"
- Best Foot Forward (1943): "You're Lucky" and "Wish I May"
- The Boys from Syracuse (1940): "The Greeks Have No Word for It" and "Who Are You"
- Bye Bye Birdie (1963) added a title song, along with an alternate version of "We Love You, Conrad" entitled "We Hate You, Conrad", sung by all the boys in town. The 1995 TV remake added several more: "Let's Settle Down", "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore" and "A Giant Step".
- Cabaret (1972): "Mein Herr" and "Money, Money". The film also added "Maybe This Time", originally a standalone song by the same songwriting team. All have been added to subsequent stage productions.
- Cats (2019): "Beautiful Ghosts", written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and co-star Taylor Swift. Swift herself sings its over the closing credits but in the actual film, it's the big solo for Victoria (Francesca Hayward), and is tied into the Signature Song, "Memory".
- Chicago (2002): "I Move On", performed over the first part of credits by its stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger.
- A Chorus Line (1985): "Surprise, Surprise" and "Let Me Dance for You" (replaces "The Music and the Mirror")
- The Cocoanuts (1929): "When My Dreams Come True" is the Ur-Example.
- The Color Purple (2023): "Keep It Movin'", "She'll Be Mine", "Workin'" and "Superpower".
- Damn Yankees (1958): "There's Something About an Empty Chair". Written by Richard Adler alone, as Jerry Ross had Died During Production.
- Dear Evan Hansen (2021): "The Anonymous Ones" (Alana) and "A Little Closer" (Connor).
- Dreamgirls (2006): "Love You I Do", "Patience", "Perfect World" and "Listen". The latter has been incorporated into at least one post-film stage production.
- Everybody's Talking About Jamie (2021): "This Was Me", replaces "The Legend of Loco Chanelle (and the Blood Red Dress)".
- Evita (1996): "You Must Love Me".
- Funny Girl (1968) has... "Funny Girl".
- Girl Crazy (1932): "You've Got What Gets Me" — though the song is nearly as obscure as the movie, it's the only Movie Bonus Song ever written by George and Ira Gershwin.
- Godspell (1973): "Beautiful City"
- Guys and Dolls (1955): "Pet Me, Poppa", "Adelaide" and "A Woman in Love".
- Hairspray (2007): "Ladies' Choice" (Link), "I Can Wait" (Tracy; replaces "Good Morning Baltimore" (reprise); it became a Cut Song) and "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)" (Seaweed, Tracy, Link and Motormouth). "Come So Far" was added into the 2016 live TV production as a curtain call.
- Hello, Dolly! (1969): "Just Leave Everything to Me" and "Love Is Only Love"
- In the Heights (2021): "Home All Around". The film itself contains no new songs but this, performed by Anthony Ramos, Leslie Grace and Marc Anthony, plays over the first half of the end credits.
- Into the Woods (2014): Sondheim penned two new songs, one titled "Rainbows", which was cut before filming began, and one for the Witch, "She'll Be Back", which was filmed but cut during post-production. You can find it on the home release though.
- Jesus Christ Superstar (1973): "Then We Are Decided". The film also had "Could We Start Again, Please?", which comes not from the original concept album but the first Broadway production.
- Li'l Abner (1959): "I Wish It Could Be Otherwise", originally a Cut Song.
- The Lion King (2019) has two new songs, but only "Never Too Late" was written by original composers Elton John and Tim Rice.
- A Little Night Music (1972): "Love Takes Time" (mostly "Night Waltz" with new lyrics) and "The Glamorous Life" (same title but almost entirely rewritten as a Fredrika solo).
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986): "Some Fun Now" (which only barely counts - it's heavily based on the cut song "Ya Never Know") and the Oscar-nominated "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space".
- Mame (1974): "Loving You".
- Mamma Mia! (2008) notably averts this. Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson were asked to write an original song for the film and blankly refused.
- Matilda (2022): "Still Holding My Hand" (Matilda, Miss Honey and Company), replaces the end reprises of "When I Grow Up" and "Naughty".
- Les Miserables (2012), the film version of the musical, includes a new song called "Suddenly" (Valjean), written by Claude-Michel Schonberg.
- The Music Man (1962): "Being in Love", which directly replaces "My White Knight", though the middle section (actually a remnant of a Cut Song) was unchanged.
- Nine (2009) has three: "Cinema Italiano" (a solo for Stephanie), "Guarda la Luna" (replacing the titular song; based on the "Waltz for Nine" instrumental) and "Take It All" (replacing "Be on Your Own").
- On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970): "Love with All the Trimmings" and "Go to Sleep". These additions sound much more like contemporary pop songs than the original score, yet were written by the same songwriters.
- On the Town (1949): "Prehistoric Man", "Main Street", "You're Awful", "On the Town", "Count on Me" and "That's All There Is, Folks". MGM teamed original writers Comden and Green with Roger Edens to replace most of Bernstein's songs so their publisher could own most of the score.
- Basically a "Movie Bonus Score", all but "New York, New York", "Come Up to My Place" and a few instrumental pieces were cut from the stage version.
- One Touch of Venus (1948): "Don't Look Now", which is actually just "Foolish Heart" with new lyrics. ("West Wind" from the original show was similarly converted into "My Week", but then cut from the movie. There would have been more Movie Bonus Songs if not for dreadful amounts of Executive Meddling which drove Kurt Weill from the production.)
- Paint Your Wagon (1969): "The First Thing You Know", "A Million Miles Away Behind the Door", "The Gospel of No Name City", "Best Things" and "Gold Fever". All of these were written by Alan Jay Lerner to music by André Previn. Frederick Loewe was not involved.
- The Phantom of the Opera (2004): "Learn to Be Lonely". The Phantom was meant to sing another song with the same melody, called "No One Would Listen", but that scene was cut. You can find it on the DVD though. So this is a case of both Movie Bonus Song and Cut Song. Or something.
- Pink Floyd - The Wall (1982): "When the Tigers Broke Free", an outtake from the 1979 source album's sessions. The song was eventually added to The Final Cut in 2004 (it was supposed to be on that album as early as its 1983 release, but was initially left off for unknown reasons).
- The Producers (2005): "You'll Find Your Happiness in Rio" (cut from the stage production) and "There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway" (performed by the two leads over the end credits).
- The Prom (2020): "Wear Your Crown" serves as a new Grand Finale, and "Simply Love", a new song played during the end credits.
- Reefer Madness (2005): "Mary Jane/Mary Lane", which has since become part of the stage production's roster.
- Roberta (1935): "Lovely to Look At" and "I Won't Dance". The latter was a substantial rewrite of a song written for the obscure London musical Three Sisters.
- Show Boat (1936): "I Have the Room Above Her", "Gallivantin' Around" and "Ah Still Suits Me"
- Silk Stockings (1957): "Fated to Be Mated" and "The Ritz Roll and Rock"
- The Sound of Music (1965): "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good". Both were written by Rodgers alone, due to Hammerstein's death.
- State Fair (1962) is a remake of the 1945 movie musical, not an adaptation of a Broadway show, but it still adds "More Than Just a Friend", "Never Say No to a Man", "Willing and Eager", "This Isn't Heaven" and "The Little Things in Texas". These songs were also written by Rodgers after Hammerstein's death.)
- Sweet Charity (1969): "My Personal Property", "It's a Nice Face" and a new title song.
- This Is the Army: "What Does He Look Like (That Boy Of Mine)?" The stage show had featured an all-male cast, but the film needed a number for a Glamorous Wartime Singer, in this case, Frances Langford.
- Tommy (1975): "Bernie's Holiday Camp", "Extra, Extra" (set to the tune of "Miracle Cure"), "Champagne", "Mother and Son" and "TV Studio".
- Too Many Girls (1940): "You're Nearer", though it was inserted into the show's post-Broadway tour before the film's release.
- Top Hat's (1935) stage adaptation inverts it, including a couple more songs by original composer Irving Berlin, such as "Let's Face the Music and Dance".
- The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964): "He's My Friend".
- Whoopee! (1930) has several, including "My Baby Just Cares for Me".
- Wicked (2024-25): Three new songs are reported for the two-part adaptation, one in Part One and two in Part Two.
