25 Incredible Movie Soundtracks That Will Have You Singing Along
25. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
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What better way to stay connected to fond memories is there than music? It’s exactly why Peter Quill, aka the Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy, made sure that his Awesome Mix Vol. 1 cassette was always near. The tape features classics from the ‘70s and ‘80s like Blue Swede’s “Hooked On A Feeling” and The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb.”
24. Straight Outta Compton (2015)
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Just like the N.W.A biopic, its soundtrack tracks the history of the hip-hop group from its earliest recordings to its post-breakup solo work. Mixed in with N.W.A. staples like “Dopeman (remix),” and “F*ck tha Police,” we get solo cuts like Ice Cube’s “No Vaseline” and Eazy E’s “We Want Eazy.” The Straight Outta Compton album also includes some of the funk and R&B legends (George Clinton and Roy Ayers) who helped inspire Dr. Dre’s laid-back West Coast sound.
23. Boogie Nights (1997)
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At its heart, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights is a smart-ass cinematic prank. The film weaved great songs from the disco and soft-rock Seventies and the MTV early Eighties into a mixtape that flowed seamlessly. Anderson fills his movie with catchy cheese like Melanie’s “Brand New Key,” and Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian” because what better way is there to score a film about guilty pleasures?
22. Easy Rider (1969)
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Easy Rider was one of the films that launched the New Hollywood revolution, in which young filmmakers rejected the studio system and sought to make movies that reflected the tumult of the times. Dennis Hopper selected songs for the film based on stuff he was hearing on the radio in 1968. He came up with a groundbreaking album that included biker-rock from Steppenwolf, country-rock from the Byrds and a Jimi Hendrix freak-power anthem.
21. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (2003-2004)
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By the time Quentin Tarantino made his fourth and fifth films, fans pretty much knew what to expect from his soundtracks — a couple of half-forgotten pop hits, some classic R&B, and a few obscure garage-rockers. Tarantino is a self-proclaimed vinyl nerd. The two Kill Bill soundtracks were designed to show that Tarantino could tell stories torn from the heart of pulp fiction, not just the margins.
20.The Big Chill (1983)
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The Big Chill is at its heart a movie about disappointment and nostalgia, and the often blurry line between the two. Its soundtrack, too, is all baby-boomer throwbacks to the rock and Motown hits of the late ’60s and early ’70s. The Big Chill was responsible for what would become one of the biggest Hollywood cliches of the ’80s and ’90s — the scene of joyful middle-aged folks bopping around their house to a well-loved pop oldie.
19. Dazed and Confused (1993)
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It’s no surprise that a film about teenagers in the ‘70s would boast a great soundtrack. Even if your own awkward adolescence didn’t include cruising around a still-weird Austin in the mid-’70s, the film’s soundtrack lets you ride shotgun in a Chevy Chevelle with the 8-track deck on full blast. Forgoing classic rock fodder — meaning no appearance of Zeppelin’s own “Dazed and Confused” — director Richard Linklater instead highlights the era’s greatest hits, to thrilling results.
18. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
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A Hard Day’s Night is one of the fastest-selling albums of all-time and one of the strongest cases for bands to star in their own movie. Richard Lester’s slapstick comedy never names the quartet by their name, but it does capture the Beatlemania. The Fab Four keep getting into mischief in this classic get-the-band-to-the-gig flick, all sound tracked by Lennon and McCartney jams like “I Should Have Known Better” and “All My Loving.”
17. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
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Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann loves the big emotions of old Hollywood movies and Top 40 music; so throughout his career he’s been unafraid to score scenes with catchy tunes. Romeo + Juliet started the teen Shakespeare adaptation swell and made stars of DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Luhrmann intensified the drama by having his star-crossed lovers smooch and swoon to songs like the Cardigans’ “Lovefool” and Des’ree’s “Kissing You.”
16. Pretty in Pink (1986)
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In the ’80s, John Hughes hit upon the perfect formula for teen-movie gold: Tell familiar stories about popularity and romance, but set it to amazing music. Pretty in Pink captures the 80s era with its new wave sensibility and music that matches Molly Ringwald’s signature style — a mash-up of vintage and modern with a dash of punk. The Psychedelic Furs sing the title hit and the soundtrack also features tracks by Echo & the Bunnymen, New Order, and The Smiths.
15. Help! (1965)
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Rolling Stone considers the soundtrack to this Beatles comedy to be the greatest movie soundtrack of all-time. Some of the band’s best songs were released on this soundtrack at the height of Beatlemania. The soundtrack included “Ticket to Ride,” “You’re Going to Lose that Girl,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” and of course, the upbeat number one hit “Help!”
14. Lost in Translation (2003)
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While Lost in Translation features upbeat moments like Peaches’ “F*ck the Pain Away” and Phoenix’s “Too Young,” the film is remembered for the swirling sounds of My Bloody Valentine and Air. Despite these atmospheric tracks, the signature music for this lonely love story comes from the haunted guitars of Irishman Kevin Shields. Director Sofia Coppola has the incredible ability to capture the film’s aching undertones through music perfectly.
13. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
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Singin’ in the Rain is best known for Gene Kelly’s splash-filled dance scene to the title song, which, according to legend, Kelly filmed in one take while fighting a 103-degree fever. While that scene is the most memorable, the film also includes a number of songs that are too often overlooked like “Make ‘Em Laugh“ and “All I Do Is Dream of You.” But the title song of the film is so good, it’s forgivable if you’ve forgotten about the rest.
12. American Graffiti (1973)
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Before his whole life became all about Star Wars, George Lucas was known around Hollywood as a nerdy cinephile with experimental inclinations. Because of his rep, expectations were low for what turned out to be Lucas’s breakthrough film. Set in small-town California in 1962, Graffiti capitalized on nostalgia for the not-too-distant past, with early-’60s rock songs from Bill Haley and the Comets, the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, and many, many others.
11. The Bodyguard (1992)
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At 12 songs, The Bodyguard is the most commercially successful movie soundtrack ever recorded. But make no mistake, it’s a success because of Whitney Houston and no one else. Houston’s peerless recording of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” spent 14 consecutive weeks as Billboard’s No. 1 song, but the album overall is an excellent collection of early-’90s adult-contemporary pop.
10. Rushmore (1999)
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For Wes Anderson, whose formative teenage years coincided with the dawn of MTV, sound and vision are inextricably linked. At a glance, the Rushmore soundtrack seems commonplace, with tracks by classic rock heavies John Lennon and The Kinks, but the song selections are unexpected and deeply felt. The hero’s dramatically self-conscious persona is reflected in the film’s music — a set of ’60s British Invasion deep cuts that make the whole picture feel displaced from time.
9. Trainspotting (1996)
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A film about Scottish heroin addicts shouldn’t feel as full of life as Trainspotting does. Music was so important to this druggie classic that two soundtracks were released for the film. Danny Boyle’s film and the soundtrack both kick off with Iggy Pop’s exultant ode to decadence, “Lust for Life,” and what follows is a mix of tracks that range from druggy glam to post-punk disco.
8. Shaft (1971)
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Before Isaac Hayes was tapped to write, produce, and perform the soundtrack to the gritty detective picture Shaft, he was already known as one of R&B’s great innovators. Shaft ended up being a revolutionary film, finding such a large African-American audience. “Theme from Shaft” went on to win the 1972 Oscar for Best Original Song and Hayes’ album won multiple Grammy’s.
7. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
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Every now and then, The Cohen Brothers make a movie that reaches a wider audience. O Brother, Where Art Thou? was so popular that it was widely acclaimed as not only one of the year’s best albums but one of the finest sound tracks in years. Producer T-Bone Burnett outfitted a Nashville studio with old-fashioned recording technology, and used it to capture a perfect blend of bluegrass, blues, and country stars in perfect form.
6. Pulp Fiction (1994)
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Here is a quintessential ’90s film in which a ’70s disco icon dances the twist in a ’50s-themed burger joint. I mean let’s be honest, no one can draw out the absurdity and sexuality of a pop song like Quentin Tarantino. And “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” will never again be heard without an image of Uma Thurman singing along, snorting heroin and dropping dead.
5. The Harder They Come (1972)
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Director Perry Henzell’s cult classic The Harder They Come isn’t necessarily a tour de force of storytelling, but it will forever be an important film for what it did for Jamaica and the country’s greatest cultural export — reggae. The soundtrack helped define the music globally. Starring Jamaican music legend Jimmy Cliff, the film introduced international audiences to the lives and music of the people of the island nation.
4. Purple Rain (1984)
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In 1983, with two big pop hits to his name—“1999” and “Little Red Corvette”—Prince decided he had to star in a movie from a major studio, with his name above the title. What really can be said about a film with “The Beautiful Ones,” “When Doves Cry,” and “Purple Rain” in it? If the surrounding 90 minutes had just been Prince dry-cleaning his scarves, the film would still be a masterpiece by default.
3. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
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Few soundtracks have defined a genre — this one did, and more. Released in ’77 (starring John Travolta), just as disco reached its populist brilliance, it matched proven club hits with a clutch of Bee Gees songs intended for their own forthcoming album. From “Stayin’ Alive” and “More Than a Woman” to KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Boogie Shoes,” the peaks on this double album can still turn any wedding dance floor into a joyous time.
2. The Graduate (1967)
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The Graduate used music that appealed both to kids and their parents, shifting easily between traditional orchestral swing and the winsome folk-rock of Simon & Garfunkel. They signal time aimlessly passing (“April Come She Will”), accompany Ben Braddock’s growing infatuation with Elaine Robinson, and cue his utter desperation (“Mrs. Robinson”) when he learns she’s marrying someone else. The phenomenal sales for the soundtrack convinced the studios to start prowling Sunset Strip, looking for the long-haired musicians to stick a microphone in front of.
1. Super Fly (1972)
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In 1971, Marvin Gaye famously questioned the state of his community, and the following year, Curtis Mayfield gave him the answer with Super Fly. Onscreen, Mayfield’s songs comment on the action, capturing both the cool of a drug dealer’s life, and the real human cost of the products he sells. On record, Super Fly is an almost overwhelming listening experience, with lush strings and vibrant percussion defining funk at its most sophisticated.
