Prince's 'Kiss,' and more great songs from bad movies

Purple was definitely Prince's color. The music icon scored a massive hit in 1984 with the movie "Purple Rain," which raked in $70 million worldwide at the box office and spawned a massive soundtrack that has sold more than 25 million copies since.

Cherry, however, was a horse of a different color. His 1986 film follow-up, "Under the Cherry Moon,"  grossed only a little over $10 million and racked up five Razzie Awards, including worst picture and worst actor for Prince. But it did have one bright spot — it featured the No. 1 hit "Kiss," from Prince's "Parade" album released earlier that year.

To mark the 40th anniversary of when "Cherry" was the pits, let's look at some other great songs that were heard in some of the worst movies ever made.

'The Happening' (1967)

Just before her star-making role in "Bonnie and Clyde," Faye Dunaway was plunked into "The Happening," a turkey about some cool kids who kidnap a businessman (Anthony Quinn) for kicks and $200,000. The ones who really made out like bandits were Diana Ross and The Supremes, who sang the hip theme song, one of 12 No. 1 singles for Motown's premier girl group.

'(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls' (1967)

Based on Jacqueline Susann's bestselling novel about sex, showbiz, sex, drugs and sex, this king-size cinematic Butterball is on pretty much everyone's list of the worst movies of all time. Its sole virtue was the theme song written by André and Dory Previn, which was a No. 2 hit for Dionne Warwick.

'Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going to?) (1975)

The performances and outrageous costumes were over the top in this less-than-supreme outing for Ross as a top fashion model with dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Critics loathed it, but the film was a hit, thanks in no small part to the theme song, another No. 1 smash for Ross.

'Magic' (1980)

Audiences were hopelessly devoted to Olivia Newton-John after her U.S. movie debut in "Grease" (1978), but her follow-up, 1980's "Xanadu," about a Greek goddess who comes to Earth, was a major misfire. While Newton-John failed to cast a spell on moviegoers with her acting, she was mesmerizing on "Magic," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. The soundtrack, which also featured songs by Electric Light Orchestra, went double platinum.

'St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)' (1985)

"St. Elmo's Fire" was an ice-cold "Big Chill" wannabe starring nearly all of the young actors dubbed the "Brat Pack" as Georgetown University graduates trying to make it in the real world. David Denby of The New Yorker wrote that "nobody over the moral age of 15" would like it. John Parr's red-hot song for the movie, however, spent two weeks at No. 1. In 2012, Parr rerecorded the tune as "Tim Tebow's Fire" with new lyrics in tribute to the Denver Broncos quarterback.

'Kiss From a Rose' (1995)

Val Kilmer played the Caped Crusader in "Batman Forever," the third installment in the film franchise that New York Times critic Janet Maslin called "the empty calorie equivalent of a Happy Meal." Audiences had to wait two hours to get to the pièce de résistance, Seal's haunting ballad that was played over the end credits.  

'Love Me Like You Do' (2015)

Critics went heavy on the whip with their reviews of the 2015 S&M "romance" "Fifty Shades of Grey." (USA Today wrote: "The dialogue is laughable, the pacing is sluggish and the performances are one-note.") And that was one of the better reviews. But there were no lashes for Ellie Goulding's No. 3 ballad, which seemed like it belonged to a whole other movie — that is, a good one.