There seems to be a string of notable songs by Megadeth that were released after (and in the case of Go to Hell, about a year before) Countdown to Extinction for movie soundtracks and things of that nature. The songs that come to mind are Go to Hell for Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Angry Again for Last Action Hero, 99 Ways to Die from the Beavis and Butthead Experience compilation, and Breakpoint from the Super Mario Bros. Movie.
My question is, where did these tracks come from? Were they leftover songs from the sessions for Countdown to Extinction (or possibly Rust in Peace, in Go to Hell’s case)? Or were they songs that the band made specifically for these projects?
I think Angry Again and 99 Ways to Die in particular could have been real standouts as album tracks, so if they just didn’t make the cut for Countdown to Extinction or the early development for Youthanasia, I’d be really surprised. On the other hand, I also know that in the 80s and 90s, it was a big deal to get your song on a movie soundtrack because of the exposure and massive sales some of the soundtracks for bigger properties had. So was the push to have these songs in movies and soundtracks a calculated decision by the band and/or their management?