1

Accident, Maryland

Image: Chiara Guercio

We’ll begin this article by quoting the great Bob Ross: "We don’t make mistakes; we make happy accidents". In that sense, a certain small town located in Garrett County, Maryland, is a living testament to the wonderful nature of accidents: Certainly, the town of Accident could use this Bob Ross quote as a town motto.

Nobody really knows where this unusual name comes from, but a popular theory states that when two men were conducting separate surveys in the area, one of them claimed land owned by the other "by accident". While we might never be sure if this story is true or not, people from Accident (or, as they like to be called, "Accidentals") definitively take pride in their weirdly named town.

2

Boring, Oregon

Image: charlesdeluvio

At first glance, the town of Boring, Oregon, seems to encapsulate the slow living of many American towns. While many disgruntled teenagers might call this peaceful lifestyle boring, we choose to consider it "peaceful". In any case, the name of this unincorporated community comes from a rather flashy geographical feature: a lava field.

If this unusual name makes you feel sorry about this town, don’t be: It has found a rather extraordinary group of sister cities. Boring, Oregon, is a proud member of a group known as "Trinity of Tedium", which includes the village of Dull, Scotland, as well as Bland, Australia.

3

Cucumber, West Virginia

Image: Harshal S. Hirve

The cucumber is definitively the star of many delicious salads. This versatile vegetable provides a fresh and unique taste to any dish. You would think that all the 74 residents of Cucumber, West Virginia, are big fans of this green delicacy, but in fact, the naming of this town seems to be in reference to entirely different reasons.

This mining-centered community was named after either Cucumber Creek, which is in the town’s proximity, or after the abundant cucumber trees in the area (which sadly don’t produce the green vegetables we know and love).

4

Mexican Hat, Utah

Image: Melanie Rosillo Galvan

With a population of only 31, the town of Mexican Hat in Utah is named after a peculiarly shaped landmark. A strange rock overlooks the northeast side of town, shaped just like an upside-down sombrero . This rock has 2 different climbing routes that ascend it, in case you want to take a trip and see this hat-shaped landmark in all its magnificence.

Mexican Hat was founded in 1908 by E.L. Goodridge, a man seeking oil in the area. While his efforts were unsuccessful, this settlement would eventually result in one of the most oddly named towns in America.

5

Chicken, Alaska

Image: Stephen Mierendorf

There’s no denying that America loves chicken: After all, we are the country that consumes the most chicken in the world. In that sense, it stands to reason that one of our many towns chose to celebrate our favorite domesticated bird. However, the history behind the naming of Chicken, Alaska, actually tells a different story.

This town was settled in the 19th century by gold miners rushing to Alaska during this state’s gold rush. When, in 1902, the site established a post office, it required a community name, and the settlers decided to name the newly-formed town after a type of game bird called ptarmigan. However, since no one was able to spell "ptarmigan" correctly, they ultimately settled on the much more spellable "Chicken".

6

Hot Coffee, Mississippi

Image: Alex Padurariu

Don’t you agree that thanking coffee for everything it does for us should be enough reason for this homage? The small community of Hot Coffee, Mississippi, pays a warm tribute to that miraculous drink that helps millions start their day right.

The community was established in the 19th century, located at the crossroads between two major travel routes. Logically, an inn was built to house weary travelers. A local man called L.J. Davis built a store and hung a sign designed to attract out-of-town customers that simply read: "the best hot coffee around". Davis’ store became a local landmark, and his excellent coffee soon became such a staple that it would eventually become the town’s name.

7

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

Image: Photography Maghradze PH

On a certain day in March 1950, the city of Hot Springs, New Mexico, heard a weird yet exciting pitch on the radio: Ralph Edwards, the host of the popular NBC show "Truth or Consequences" , announced that he would broadcast a 10-year anniversary show from the first American town that chose to rename itself after the show.

By the end of that month, Hot Springs had collectively chosen to change its name, renaming itself "Truth or Consequence". Edwards not only held his end of the bargain, broadcasting the special show from the town, but also remained a lifelong friend of this city. He visited the town during the first weekend of May for the next 50 years, in an event that turned into a local Fiesta still celebrated today.

8

Nothing, Arizona

Image: Marta Nogueira

We get it: Naming a town must be difficult. Having said that, we think the founders of this now-abandoned town probably just winged it. Nothing, Arizona, was founded in the late 70s as an extremely small settlement: At its height, it had a population of 4.

While small and only comprising a small convenience store and a gas station, Nothing quickly became a popular tourist attraction. The town sign famously included the following phrase: "Thru-the-years-these dedicated people had faith in Nothing, hoped for Nothing, worked at Nothing, for Nothing."

9

No Name, Colorado

Image: Valentin Antonucci

Apparently, the name "placeholder" was already taken when it came time to name this small Colorado town. Located in Garfield County, No Name has a population of 117. Contrary to popular belief, this town’s name is not a result of a lack of creativity but rather a reference to the No Name Creek and the No Name Canyon, which are nearby. And in fact, both the town and these landmarks pay homage to an event in Colorado’s history.

In 1869, John Wesley Powell set out on an expedition to map out the Colorado River. Powell’s expedition included several boats, which featured names like "Emma Dean" and "Maid of the Canyon". Among them was the "No-Name", a boat that proved that even the most inconspicuous names can leave a huge mark.

10

Friendship, Maine

Image: Duy Pham

What’s life without friends? If there’s someone that can attest to that it’s the residents of Friendship, Maine . After all, they decided to name their town after one of the most important things in life.

You might be familiar with Friendship from the many examples of popular culture that feature this town. For instance, the 1995 film "Casper" takes place entirely in Friendship (which seems only fitting, since Casper is known as "the friendly ghost"). Also, many American authors have written about the town in their stories. Most notably, the short story "The Run of Yourself" by Richard Ford is set in Friendship.

1

The Blues Brothers - Rogues at Full Speed (Spain)

Image: Tanner Boriack

The Blues Brothers sounds like a pretty straightforward name, right? Not for the Spanish , who are very protective of their native language and translate every movie title that comes across their border. When this 1980 movie was released in Spain, its title could have been easily translated as " Los Hermanos del Blues ," but, for some reason, it was named Rogues at Full Speed .

2

Die Hard - The Crystal Jungle (Spain)

Image: Yns Plt

The second entry on the list is also awarded to Spain for its creative title translation of Bruce Willis’ Die Hard as The Crystal Jungle . The reasons for this name remain a mystery . Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the city can be considered a jungle, and a significant part of the movie takes place in a city. Other than that, we're stumped.

3

Leon The Professional - This Hit Man is Not as Cold as He Thought (China)

Image: Matt Seymour

The Chinese translators of the French movie Léon: The Professional decided that the title wasn’t descriptive enough and opted instead for a name that served as a commentary on the main character .

4

Airplane - The Unbelievable Trip in A Wacky Aeroplane (Germany)

Image: Niels And Marco

Apparently, the Chinese are not alone when it comes to inventing more descriptive names for the movies they translate. The German version of the slapstick comedy Airplane! is translated as The Unbelievable Trip in a Wacky Aeroplane .

5

Thelma and Louise - An Unexpected Ending (Mexico)

Image: Amanda Sandlin

An implied rule when it comes to movie titles is that they should not be spoilers . Mexican translators decided to partially, at least, ignore this rule and went with An Unexpected Ending for the local version of Thelma and Louise . Yes, there could be countless possible unexpected endings, but still...

6

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - The Boy Who Drowned in Chocolate Sauce (Denmark)

Image: Kaffee Meister

It's well known that Scandinavians have a dark sense of humor , but some things are still surprising. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory , the 1971 movie featuring Gene Wilder in the title role, received an odd translation from the Danish.

7

Ghostbusters - Exorcists of Spirits (Serbia)

Image: Winston Chen

Serbians are no strangers to the supernatural . Many ghost stories and myths can be found in their beautiful and mysterious land. Perhaps that is why the people responsible for translating Ghostbusters thought it was acceptable to modify the original name to Exorcists of Spirits .

8

Grease - Pomade (Hungary)

Image: Lachlan Rennie

This one is not as far off as the previous examples, but there is something about it that just doesn’t sound quite as right as the original title. Who knows? Maybe that’s what Hungarians call their hair gel .

9

Home Alone - Mom, I Missed the Plane (France)

Image: Liubomyr Vovchak

The French translators could have done a lot worse with this one. After all, while the film’s storyline involves Kevin being stuck home alone, he ends up stuck at home because he missed his flight in the first place .

10

Annie Hall - The Urban Neurotic (Germany)

Image: Dylan Freedom

Yes, this is a Woody Allen movie, and yes, the main character, aside from Annie herself, is an urban neurotic. Maybe that’s why the German translators decided, once again, to change the simple original title of the movie to a description of the leading man’s character .

11

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - It’s Raining Falafel (Israel)

Image: Clark Douglas

Similar, but not the same— not by a long shot. The Israeli title for this children’s movie evokes a somewhat similar image to the one in the original title, but it does so with a more local dish as the element replacing the rain .

12

Deep Impact - The End of the World, the Sky Collapsed, and the Land Collapsed (Thailand)

Image: Viktor Mindt

Some movie title translations seem as if they were written by small children. But then, maybe that’s the kind of content their audience demands, in which case, more power to them. Deep Impact sounds ominous enough, sure. But a title like The End of the World, the Sky Collapsed, and the Land Collapsed is much more exciting , isn’t it?

1

Singin’ in the Rain

Image: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

According to the American Film Institute, Singin' in the Rain is the greatest movie musical of all time . Its centerpiece is the film's title song, written by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown and performed by the brilliant Gene Kelly.

The scene in which this melancholic melody is played has become a staple of American culture. "Singin' in the Rain" was later featured in dozens of films and remains a source of joy for many today.

2

Moon River

Image: Trailer screenshot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The theme song for Breakfast at Tiffany's was composed specifically by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini to be performed in Audrey Hepburn’s dreamy voice . The balcony scene in which Fred discovers Holly Golightly playing the song on the guitar is one of the most iconic moments in Blake Edwards' film—and to think it was almost removed from the final cut!

"Moon River" is such a timeless tune that it even won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and has been recorded by many other artists since its release in 1961.

3

Let The River Run

Image: David Jones

Remember those aerial shots of New York paired with the gorgeous music of "Let The River Run" in the title sequence of Working Girl ? Just epic!

The main theme of the 1988 film, directed by Mike Nichols, is one of the greatest of all time. Thanks to this song, Carly Simon became the first person in history to win an Oscar , a Golden Globe , and a Grammy for a track composed, written, and performed entirely by a single artist.

4

I Will Always Love You

Image: Hunters Race

Dolly Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You" in 1973. While it was a commercial success for the country legend at the time, it is Whitney Houston’s version of the song for The Bodyguard that everybody remembers.

Houston's 1992 pop ballad stayed at number one on the Billboard chart for 14 weeks and became one of the best-selling singles of all time. It also became the actress’s signature song.

5

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Image: Stainless Images

According to the American Film Institute, the greatest song in the history of cinema is "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from _The Wizard of Oz_—and no wonder! The 1939 song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and was later inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural significance.

The ballad was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg with Judy Garland in mind . At just 16 years old, Garland delivered a masterful performance as Dorothy, and the scene remains one of the most iconic in film history.

6

What a Feeling!

Image: Juli Kosolapova

Written by Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey, and Irene Cara for the 1983 film Flashdance , "What a Feeling!" is one of the most defining songs of the decade. It’s fair to say the film includes other great tracks, like Michael Sembello's "Maniac" and Laura Branigan's "Imagination."

Yet, the main theme, played during the iconic audition scene, became a worldwide bestseller. It spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

7

Stayin' Alive

Image: NEOSiAM 2024+

The Bee Gees contributed several songs to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, but without a doubt, the most famous is "Stayin' Alive." This 1977 hit tune, along with John Travolta's iconic dance moves, defined the disco era .

"Stayin' Alive" became one of the British group's most popular songs, earning widespread recognition , including a Grammy Award and a spot on several "greatest songs of all time" rankings.

8

GoldenEye

Image: Quang Viet Nguyen

As its name suggests, this song, performed by the great Tina Turner , was written for the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye . It was composed by Irish musicians Bono and The Edge from U2 with Turner in mind.

Depeche Mode were originally asked to compose the film’s main theme but were too busy at the time. "GoldenEye" reached number two on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 when it was released as a single and, along with "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney and "You Only Live Twice" by Nancy Sinatra, is considered one of the best 007 theme songs !

9

It Must Have Been Love

Image: Malin Kettil, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The soundtrack of Pretty Woman , one of the best romantic comedies of all time, features several great songs—including Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman."

However, this time, we’d like to highlight "It Must Have Been Love," a bittersweet tune by Roxette . Originally released in 1987, the song was reintroduced when Touchstone Pictures wanted to feature a track by the Swedish pop duo in the 1990 film. Thanks to this re-release, it became a smash hit in the U.S. and around the world.

10

Eye of the Tiger

Image: Dolo Iglesias

Originally, Sylvester Stallone wanted to use Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" as the theme song for Rocky III . When permission was denied, he turned to the American rock band Survivor to write an original song.

Since then, "Eye of the Tiger" has achieved massive success and will forever be associated with Rocky Balboa . It remains one of the most frequently used songs at sporting events and is undoubtedly one of the greatest movie songs of all time.

11

My Heart Will Go On

Image: Courtesy of NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island (NOAA/IFE/URI)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Performed by Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On" is one of the most listened-to and best-selling songs of all time. Originally composed by James Horner as a motif for the Titanic soundtrack , it was later developed into the film’s official theme song.

This catchy tune, which won multiple Grammy Awards, is the perfect complement to Jack and Rose's tragic love story.

12

As Time Goes By

Image: Geert Pieters

Of course, we couldn't leave out of this list one of the most emblematic songs in film history: "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca . Play it again, Sam, and let us relive Ilsa Lund and Rick Blaine's unforgettable love story.

Originally composed by Herman Hupfeld for the 1931 Broadway musical Everybody's Welcome , the song achieved international fame thanks to one of Casablanca 's most memorable scenes. It became the foundation of the film’s soundtrack and was ranked No. 2 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list.