From Beauty and the Beast to Batman: 5 new takes on classic movie theme songs

From John Legend to the Flaming Lips, a round-up of re-recorded theme songs.

Image | Ariana Grande and John Legend

Caption: Ariana Grande and John Legend's new take on the Beauty and the Beast theme song. (DisneyMusicVEVO/YouTube)

Beauty and the Beast hits theatres this Friday, March 17, and one of the most memorable parts from the original 1991 film has to be its incredible soundtrack. With a new film, comes a new soundtrack.
Last week, John Legend and Ariana Grande released a new video for their version of the film's theme song, which got us thinking about other notable updates to movie themes. Below are five examples of movie theme songs that have been re-recorded: the good, the bad and the psychedelic.

John Legend and Ariana Grande, 'Beauty and the Beast'
Grande has shown off her many incredible impressions over the past few years, including a pretty spot-on Céline Dion(external link). So, it should come as no surprise that the pop star recently teamed up with R&B star Legend to re-record one of Dion's most well-known hits, "Beauty and the Beast." Here, Grande sticks to her own vocal flairs though, as she and Legend do a fairly straightforward (but well done, nonetheless) rendition of the classic Disney number.

Embed | YouTube

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The Flaming Lips, 'Batman Theme'
In case you've ever wondered what a more psychedelic version of the classic Batman theme song would sound like, Flaming Lips have got you covered. Admittedly, the hyper energy behind the flurry of guitars on this fun track feels like the perfect companion to the bright campiness of the '60s show.

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Fall Out Boy feat. Missy Elliott, 'Ghostbusters (I'm Not Afraid)'
This updated, pop punked-out version of the '80s theme song received almost as much criticism as the movie itself when it was first released. With Fall Out Boy taking the reins on this cover, the song veered pretty far from the original, and sometimes risks like that don't exactly pay off.

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Grease: Live cast, 'You're the One That I Want'
Last year, Fox aired Grease Live!, a TV special that recreated the 1978 movie. With Aaron Tveit as Danny and Julianne Hough as Sandy, they led the cast in performing all the classic songs from the film's original soundtrack (with the addition of a few new songs) including the famous duet "You're the One That I Want." The show went on to win five Emmy Awards, including outstanding special class program.

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Ludwig Göransson, 'You're a Creed'
OK, this one's a bit of a cheat. The theme for 2015's Creed features interpolations from "Gonna Fly Now," the theme from the 1976 movie Rocky. Since Creed is a spin-off/sequel to the Rocky series, it makes sense that composer Göransson would take from the iconic theme and incorporate it into his own. While it's not the exact same, we'll count this one.

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— Melody Lau, q digital staff