The Best 100 Soundtracks of All Time
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We’re still in the stage of my best-of lists where we’re having a bit of fun. To try and get back to the cinematic side of things after my best music videos list, we needed to have a bit of a proper bridge. Introducing the top one hundred soundtracks of all time! This way, things stay musical, but we’re slowly focusing on the films they are associated with. Keep in mind that I will have a list of the greatest cinematic scores next month, so that list will feature even more filmic music releases. So, that begs the question: what’s the difference between a soundtrack and a score? This is where things get a little confusing, so bear with me.
Technically, a film’s score can be considered a soundtrack to the film when it has been released as an album. However, for the purposes of these lists, I’m going to narrow things down. An original score is full of music (commonly orchestrated, instrumental passages) created just for a motion picture. A soundtrack can be a combination of these tracks, original lyrical songs, and older songs, resulting in a compilation of songs set to be the heart and soul of the moving images that are laid out on top. So the following selections will focus more on these kinds of compilations. Some will be part-score. Whatever scores I feature on my upcoming list that happen to have a few original or popular songs won’t be featured here as well, and vice versa; in order for a film’s musical accompaniment to wind up on both lists, it has to have at least two separate, identifiable releases.
Furthermore, the quality of the films these soundtracks are attached to doesn’t matter either. The film can be completely terrible, but as long as the music itself is great, then it doesn’t matter. We’re not grading or ranking the films here. Therefore, great films with not good soundtracks won’t wind up here. How can a good film not have a good soundtrack? There are a few variables. Was the music good in the feature? Yes. If it’s not also good outside of the film (with how well the songs work together on album, or the orchestrating of the track list), then that won’t do well here. The albums themselves have to be good in order to do well here. In fact, some of the best soundtracks here are completely emancipated from their motion picture counterparts because of how well they stand on their own two feet. So, let’s get to it. Here are the best one hundred soundtracks of all time.
100. Boomarang
A slice of the new jack swing movement of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, with some smooth R&B to boot. The Boomerang soundtrack is of its time, but with such a well curated track list and in a 2021 that yearns for nostalgia, that’s great news.
99. Dazed and Confused
Before the internet, the songs of the ‘70s were deemed a part of the “oldies” crowd, and you could mainly hear these gems on such stations. Then came Dazed and Confused, which brought so many classics back into popular rotation in the walkman era.
98. Spring Breakers
Out of context, the Spring Breakers soundtrack is a damn fine collection of dubstep, hip hop, and Cliff Martinez cuts. In the film, the juxtapositions make for some damn fine aesthetic experiences. Whatever the case, here is some party music with a lot of extra goodness going on.
97. Jackie Brown
Quentin Tarantino wanted to make his blaxploitation homage, and it needed the killer music to boot. That’s what we get with this Jackie Brown soundtrack, full of gems like “Street Life”, “Inside My Love”, and “Midnight Confessions”. No context is necessary, but seeing how Tarantino sews these songs together in his cinematic jukebox is worthwhile.
96. Cocktail
You can blame Cocktail for the power of guilty pleasure songs like The Beach Boys’ “Kokomo”, but the soundtrack’s a series of cheesy tunes that can whisk you away to a place of shamelessness. Somehow, even with this level of corniness, the soundtrack has outlived the film it’s attached to (at least to some capacity).
95. Belly
Def Jam went all out on the Belly soundtrack, which is over an hour long and full of hardcore hip hop and R&B hits of its time. Despite its aim at current works, Belly’s soundtrack still packs a wallop today; it only made sense that a Nas and DMX film’s accompanying music was just as tenacious.
94. Fiddler on the Roof
Follow the stories of Tevye in Norman Jewison’s rendition of Fiddler on the Roof with these show tunes, including some cuts that didn’t make the iconic musical. One of the last musicals of its kind (before the ‘70s tried to destroy them), Fiddler on the Roof’s lively soundtrack definitely wraps up an era.
93. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
So many other satirists would have squandered their opportunity to release joke versions of what Broadway melodies should sound like. Well, the joke’s on us: Trey Parker and Matt Stone legitimately love show tunes (especially Parker), and these songs — from “Uncle Fucker” to “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” — are actually great; lest we forget Satan getting his Disney princess solo.
92. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
After watching Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I wanted to speed around on the freeway with the best hits of the ‘60s. This soundtrack allows me to do just that, especially with the included retro advertisements that complete the experience. Time to put this compilation on and not look back.
91. River’s Edge
At the end of the ‘80s, there was a soundtrack that capitalized on all of the best thrash metal that wasn’t named Metallica (but was almost solely named Slayer, to be fair). Toss in some other genre goodness like that amazing Burning Spear cut, and what you have is the soundtrack to the self-professed “most controversial film of the year” in River’s Edge.
90. Reality Bites
The ‘90s was a strange time where a new millennium was coming, the future was both awaited and feared, and youngsters were disengaged with their surroundings. Reality Bites’ mixture of rock music (and even star Ethan Hawke's own track) provides that sense of belonging for numerous generations; I identify with the inclusion of Dinosaur Jr. the most, and I'm sure you'll find your own tune(s) that make you feel the same way.
89. Reservoir Dogs
Right away, we all could tell that Quentin Tarantino was a soundtrack fiend. His debut Reservoir Dogs boasts the kind of eclecticism that his influence-blending possesses, and all of the now-iconic tracks are here. The tracks make much more sense in context, and perhaps the soundtrack best matches its original source rather than stands well on its own, but it certainly takes you back to the classic scenes (especially since the soundtrack dissonance has changed their tune forever).
88. The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music has some of the most sugary songs ever. It renders the film a little too sweet for some. However, as a collection of songs, here is an instant picker-upper, with so many memorable lyrics and melodies. If anything, I think this soundtrack on its own has aged better than the film it is attached to. Here’s to feeling good all of the time.
87. Flashdance
At the height of his game, producer Giorgio Moroder pieced together a then-look-into-the-future (and now an ‘80s time capsule). His Flashdance compilation of electronic jams is capped with the title track performed by Irene Cara: a synth ballad that explodes into disco-esque euphoria.
86. Romeo + Juliet
Baz Luhrmann pictures are usually aesthetic over narrative, but that places emphasis on the soundtracks that he utilizes. The best end result is that of Romeo + Juliet, which feature some of the best cuts of ‘90s rock, including the soon-to-be-elusive Radiohead. With additions of Garbage, and The Cardigans’ “Loverfool”, this is a blast-from-the-past that matches the era so nicely.
85. La La Land
Not every musical fan loves this throwback to the Stanley Donen era, but I think La La Land is a sublime tribute, and its soundtrack makes it feel just the same. The basic-yet-endearing original songs here are fantastic for newcomers of cinematic musicals, but also heartfelt enough to speak to anyone that’s struggled in their search of a dream.
84. Meet Me in St. Louis
‘40s musicals were when the genre was really figuring its capabilities out (and the ability to sell songs on records also helps strengthen these tracks, as to appeal outside of these films). One of the finer examples of this turning point is the tracklist for Meet Me in St. Louis: a parade of the fantastic songs from the picture, mostly led by Judy Garland in her prime.
83. Half Nelson
When indie music was all of the rage in the mid 2000’s, there needed to be a film that fully utilized the feelings of bleak warmth that some of these songs conveyed (more on that mentality throughout this list). One such example is Half Nelson’s heavy implementation of Broken Social Scene; the other artists also get a chance to shine in this rather heavy affair.
82. Until the End of the World
Wim Wenders’ road movie epic Until the End of the World does lose grasp of its own bearings, but its accompanying soundtrack is so confident in its array of ‘80s and early ‘90s greats; you’re looking at U2, Talking Heads, Can, Neneh Cherry, Depeche Mode, and other genre explorers all in a seventy minute runtime. This is a palette of sonic colours that feels endless to explore.
81. The Bodyguard
The entirety of The Bodyguard’s album is good, and frankly better than the film itself. However, while it’s imbalanced to do so, I have to highlight the strengths of having Whitney Houston belt out every single song, particularly the first few songs. Besides, we got one of the greatest covers of all time, when Houston turned a Dolly Parton ballad into one of the strongest vocal performances ever. There were barely any film awards to be found, but a Grammy for Album of the Year doesn’t seem too strange.
80. Funny Face
We didn’t get a chance to hear Audrey Hepburn sing in My Fair Lady (she was famously dubbed by Marni Nixon), but she gets her turn to shine here on the Funny Face soundtrack (with Fred Astaire, no less!). These George Gershwin hemmed cuts are gorgeous, and they all lead to the moving finale “’s Wonderful”.
79. Kill Bill (Both Volumes)
The tag team of Quentin Tarantino and Wu-Tang alum RZA — with Lawrence Bender and Robert Rodriguez additionally — across these two soundtracks make for a sea of pop culture elasticity: a cutthroat DJ set that crosses decades and genres and accompanies one’s final hours (or bloodthirsty vengeance) just right.
78. Top Gun
Easily one of cinema’s cheesiest soundtracks ever, Top Gun’s musical accompaniment is as ‘80s as anything can ever be. That doesn't make it bad. There’s a certain level of earnest triumph in these tracks, ranging from Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” to Steve Stevens’ guitar fury on the film’s anthem. Topping it all off is Berlin’s collaboration with Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock with “Take My Breath Away”: one of cinema’s most dazzling original songs.
77. Cabaret
While Bob Fosse was ushering in the conventional musical for a new age (almost like these films were prepared for the New Wave of Hollywood), his soundtracks followed suit. As uniformly Broadway as Cabaret’s soundtrack is, it’s also extremely idiosyncratic, as it picks up on the curated vibe of the film perfectly, whilst the passionate singing by one Liza Minnelli will stay with you forever.
76. Gummo
To match Harmony Korine’s abrasive hate letter to unforgiving societies that neglect its people in need, Gummo's soundtrack is one of cinema’s most chaotic, packed with authentic black metal (Bathory and Bethlehem), as well as other extreme metal and noise acts. This was counterculture music for a new age, when psychedelic rock just couldn’t cut it the same way.
75. Beauty and the Beast
A tale as old as time. Beauty and the Beast's soundtrack carries some of Alan Menken's finest work for Disney, with timeless orchestrations set to Howard Ashman’s unforgettable lyrics. During the height of the studio’s renaissance, it's hard to feel like most subsequent Disney (or other animated) films tried to possess the same kind of prestige that this soundtrack had; all but one failed (to be visited later on in this list).
74. Velvet Goldmine
Glam rock galore! Todd Haynes’ throwback to the glitziest jams of the ’70s is perfectly matched with the jams of New York Dolls and glam-era Brian Eno (fresh off the tails of his brief stint with Roxy Music), but there are some modern throwbacks by Placebo and Pulp to really modernize this whole cinematic tribute to a different musical time.
73. A Star is Born (2018)
We have so many wonderful iterations of the same story in filmic form, but that goes the same way musically. The best film version is Judy Garland's, but musically I'm picking Gaga and Cooper, whose rawer takes and more impressionable lyrical stories already set the film up to be one fine adaptation amongst adaptations.
72. The Royal Tenenbaums
Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh’s eclectic take on score composition meets its match on the soundtrack for The Royal Tenenbaums. You’ll find classics from The Ramones, Elliott Smith, and Nico, as well as lesser known gems from The Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan; they sit nicely next to Mothersbaugh’s peculiar series of themes.
71. Marie Antoinette
Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette was initially lambasted for its emphasis on revisionist modernity set to historical reality. With this reassessment of the film in recent years comes the realization that its soundtrack was always adored. For an hour and a half, you’ve got some of Coppola’s favourite songs (by Aphex Twin, The Strokes, and even Virgin Suicides alum Air), and her curation couldn’t have been better.
70. Easy Rider
For such a staple of counterculture cinema, the soundtrack to Easy Rider almost feels like a series of sympathetic anthems for the misunderstood (thus far warmer). Full of some of the most iconic rock artists of the time, Easy Rider’s soundtrack carries its own electric pulse that will hype up any situation when played.
69. The Matrix
Released right when illegal downloading was on the rise, The Matrix’s soundtrack is such a mish-mash of rock, industrial, and electronic staples, and its longevity only grew stronger the more it was seeded and leeched. Without being overly woke about the film’s philosophies, these songs either carry a punch or alert you to a flawed political system (although not much has changed there).
68. Magnolia
Right when adult alternative was separating its prime acts from the cringe worthy imitators, there was Aimee Mann to accompany Magnolia nearly singlehandedly. Compared to the film’s runtime of over three hours, Mann’s album (with a couple of additions by Supertramp and others) is just fifty minutes of soft rock bliss.
67. 8 Mile
While 8 Mile loosely told Marshall Mathers’ upbringing, the film’s soundtrack shared Eminem’s world at that point (including his Oscar winning “Lose Yourself”). A mixture of hip hop artists at the top of their game — right at the crux of controversial rap’s reign of the early 2000’s — and a Macy Gray cut for a quick breather, 8 Mile’s soundtrack is unstoppable.
66. Mary Poppins
Part of the appeal of Mary Poppins is just how strange the picture is: it spoke to children, but also stunned adults with the kind of magic their pedantic lives had been missing. Its soundtrack is no different, with all of the classic songs that are bound to turn any listener into an eager kid discovering the wonders of the world for the first time (shoutouts to the always-relevant parental tool “A Spoonful of Sugar” and the ear worm “Supercalifragilisticexpaladocious”).
65. Inside Llewyn Davis
To detail the unfortunate journeys of the singer songwriter Llewyn Davis, the soundtrack to this Coen brothers dramedy had to carry his story as well as iconic folk albums did. Based on the musician Dave Van Ronk, Llewyn Davis and his accompanying soundtrack (produced by T Bone Burnett) carry historical and emotional baggage fit for the best traveling songsters.
64. Lost Highway
Before Trent Reznor began to write scores (more on that when my list of original scores comes out next month), his first major cinematic venture was producing David Lynch’s Lost Highway soundtrack. Mixing Angelo Badalamenti’s original compositions with his own selections (Rammstein, David Bowie, and even his own group Nine Inch Nail’s “The Perfect Drug”), Reznor presented an uncomfortable state of industrial rock and the orchestrations of the subconscious.
63. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
I’d argue that a major reason why The Rocky Horror Picture Show has such a crowd is because of its idiosyncratic soundtrack (is it any coincidence that most fanatics of this picture love musicals and theatre in general?). With songs as bonkers as the picture itself, Rocky Horror will be stuck in your head for days long enough to have you shouting “Dammit, Janet!”.
62. All That Jazz
Chronicling how director Bob Fosse foresaw his own possible downfalls in life, All That Jazz is certainly more dismal than its name leads you to believe. Nonetheless, here is a soundtrack fit to follow each and every step of his saga — both in reality and in dreams. With some Ralph Burns orchestrations in between, All That Jazz is a soundtrack of existential dread that can sadly apply to all of us (especially with the instrumentals where we can supply our own lyrical thoughts).
61. Juno
Remember when Juno was at the height of quirky indie cinema, and both its aesthetic style and soundtrack were either your thing or the antithesis of anything you ever liked? Let’s go back to those simpler times, especially since Juno’s warm and interesting soundtrack — full of indie and retro rock standards — holds up really well; it’s certainly nice to feel nostalgic about Juno and its music.
60. My Fair Lady
Show tunes about the development of voice and speech? Sign me up! My Fair Lady's soundtrack is pretty much what you’d expect from the earlier theatre version, and luckily that’s because the cinematic version didn’t try to fix what wasn’t broken (outside of Marni Nixon singing when Julie Andrews couldn’t and when they wouldn’t let Audrey Hepburn).
59. Garden State
People were knocking on Zach Braff and his indie obsession that came through Garden State and its soundtrack, but it's quite the lineup: artists of yesteryear like Nick Drake and Simon & Garfunkel were up against contemporary lyrical masterminds like Frou Frou and Iron & Wine. Not only has the Garden State soundtrack aged well, but it's clearly a major turning point of pop culture that’s even more difficult to ignore sixteen years after its release.
58. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Throughout McCabe & Mrs. Miller, there are the gorgeous songs of Leonard Cohen. There aren’t many, and the soundtrack itself is incredibly short (three songs total), but the songs will remain with you for life (so that they can detail your story as much as they do both McCabe and Mrs. Miller).
57. Stealing Beauty
On one hand, the Stealing Beauty soundtrack represents the best of contemporary genre music of its time: prime Liz Phair, Portishead, and Mazzy Star. Then, there are the wise selections of classics by Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and Stevie Wonder's “Superstition” (before the latter was played to death).
56. Hair
Hippy rebels needed to have a series of anthems, and they got them with the music of Hair. Whether on stage, on screen, or on record, these songs represent the teens and young adults that insist that society doesn't understand them (and yet fifty minutes worth of music can identify with them with great detail). There was a time where growing one's follicles out was the ultimate betrayal and sign of individuality, and Hair captured it all.
55. Black Panther
Black Panther was trying to do everything differently from other Marvel pictures, so this Kendrick Lamar curated soundtrack went as hard as it could. Starting off with the rapper’s own solo track, and then his impeccable duet with SZA “All the Stars”, Black Panther became a compilation of everything hip hop at the time could muster: Vince Staples, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q are only the beginning.
54. Time Square
At the turn of the decade, the Time Square soundtrack was full of new wave staples like XTC and Roxy Music, as well as badass female rockers like Suzi Quatro and Patti Smith. This blend of rock tracks ushered in a new era of music by letting us know that the raw energy of the ‘70s punk and rock movements wasn't going anywhere.
53. Black Caesar
If you ask James Brown to supply the music for your film, you can only expect your flick to develop a massive pulse. His funk tracks become the motor for Black Caesar which carry quite a wallop on their own; even with the visions of others in the heart of his tracks, Brown was fully aware as to what it took to get crowds (and the pictures) moving.
52. Boogie Nights
Flash back to the seventies adult industry scene, and the blistering music that went along with it! Like all Paul Thomas Anderson films, Boogie Nights is a time capsule that fully commits to its objective, and this stunning soundtrack of ‘70s cuts of all genres is no exception.
51. Nashville
For a dramedy epic that takes place entirely within the country music scene of the titular stomping grounds, Nashville’s soundtrack had to be accurate to the melodies that would generate such a sensation. With Keith Carradine, Karen Black, Richard Baskin, and Ronee Blakely on board, that’s exactly what you get: folk and country tunes with all of the heart in the world.
50. This is Spinal Tap
For a satirical film, the This is Spinal Tap soundtrack was no joke (outside of the Smell the Glove cover art, which may now be mistaken for Donda from here on out). Toss the purposefully hokey lyrics aside, and you have an album that legitimately rocks out, carried by a group of comedians that can really play.
49. Juice
The Golden Age of Hip Hop was now all but done, and a new era of heavy hitters were on their way. The Tupac-led film Juice’s soundtrack feels like this necessary bridge, featuring veterans like Rakim and Too Short, as well as then-newcomers Cypress Hill and Naughty by Nature. Now, Juice’s soundtrack is retro rap at your service.
48. Tommy
Picture this: Tommy is a soundtrack to the film Tommy, which is an adaptation of the album Tommy by The Who (The Who also did the soundtrack, alongside friends like Elton John and Eric Clapton). It’s a bit of a headache to think about, but perhaps there was something profoundly cinematic in Pete Townshend’s masterwork after all.
47. Pretty in Pink
There are ‘80s soundtracks, and then there's something like Pretty in Pink's, which just knew which songs were absolutely called for. The title track (sort of) by The Psychedelic Furs is exactly what I mean. Toss in some New Order, Suzanne Vega, and one of The Smiths’ great ballads, and you have a short-yet-sweet ‘80s observation of teenage love and rebellion.
46. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song
A great soundtrack for a film as phenomonally named as Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song was called for, and the random band selected to make it did a good enough job to, well, become Earth, Wind & Fire. Utter that name and you're destined to have the liveliest music possible for Melvin Van Peebles' cult classic.
45. Let It Be
The Beatles had their final film: a recording of the swan song album’s gestation (although Abbey Road was technically recorded after and released before Let It Be). On film, these songs are at their barest, allowing you to see into the minds of one of popular music’s strongest groups. On record, Let It Be is notoriously polished, but this was their big send off (and I personally love the Phil Spector sound here).
44. The Lion King
Of all of the Disney soundtracks, The Lion King reigns supreme. Its side-A (Elton John and Tim Rice songs performed by other musicians) and side-B (Hans Zimmer’s score, and Elton John re-performing earlier songs himself) makes for a pleasant revisitation of the film, whilst giving you a series of options (all choices wind up being the right ones here).
43. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA was tasked with making both an original score and a soundtrack for Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. He excelled at both (more on the former on next month’s score list). Concerning his dynamic soundtrack, RZA goes all in with Wu-Tang alumni, other then-contemporary hip hop slayers, and the words of wisdom of Forest Whitaker to carry out the legendary producer’s signature mysticism.
42. The Sting
Suddenly, ragtime piano was alive again during the New Hollywood era, and it’s all thanks to the revival of Scott Joplin’s melodies in The Sting. When separated from the many acts of deception from the film, The Sting’s soundtrack is a straight up enjoyable take on the kinds of compositions that most simply wouldn’t hear anymore.
41. Rushmore
It would be far from the last time they would work together, but something about Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh and Wes Anderson just seems like a match made in heaven. Unlike future releases, Mothersbaugh takes the majority of the slack here, but some occasional uses of songs by John Lennon, Cat Stevens and The Who are always welcome.
40. Woodstock
Anyone could tell you this soundtrack was going to be good, given the subject matter. What’s nice is that the Woodstock soundtrack feels like an item from the festival’s gift shop, after you’ve enjoyed the groundbreaking documentary picture. The music here is just as strong of a time capsule for the many that had no chance in hell of attending this historical event.
39. High Fidelity
A film about music obsession must have a killer set of songs to back it up, and High Fidelity makes its case with the ultimate collector’s playlist. The same soundtrack has Stereolab, Bob Dylan, The Beta Band, and Stevie Wonder? Say what you want about tonal consistency; this is purely quality selection, here.
38. Selmasongs (Dancer in the Dark)
Dancer in the Dark’s premise is simple: a mother who is slowly going blind works towards an expensive procedure to help her son, who is destined the same fate. She loves musicals, and the industrial and city sounds around her become her soundtrack. Björk’s fantastic sounds on Selmasongs are as inventive as you’d imagine, and her use of unconventional noises to make broadway show tunes could only be achieved by her.
37. Help!
Help! the film was a major turning point in the history of music videos (as well as another couple of particular Beatles’ releases, soon to be discussed), but Help! the album definitely feels like the one soundtrack of theirs that really was meant to sound like, well, a soundtrack to a mainstream picture (this is excluding their weirder soundtrack Magical Mystery Tour). The poppy, explorative nature of these songs feel like they were catered to a film first, and not the other way around.
36. Mo’ Better Blues
While Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues film doesn’t hold up quite as well, the jazz album accompaniment is exactly what the ‘90s needed when the genre was well on its way to being phased out. The Branford Marsalis Quartet and trumpeter Terence Blanchard team up for this sensational output that brings the New York jazz scene to life.
35. Goodfellas
The gangster classic’s time capsule soundtrack is full of retro rock and R&B gems, ranging from Aretha Franklin to The Shangri-Las to Cream. Goodfellas is a time travel luxury of a film, and this soundtrack holds up just the same way. Martin Scorsese sure knows what songs to use both in and out of a motion picture.
34. The Big Chill
Stuck in the ‘60s, The Big Chill boasts one hell of a retrospective album, featuring Motown classics by Marvin Gaye and The Temptations, as well as some rock standards by Procol Harum and Three Dog Night. If you didn’t know any better, this best-of compilation of the ‘60s wouldn’t even need a film to be as fabulous as it is on its own merits.
33. Call Me by Your Name
Call Me by Your Name’s soundtrack has a triptych-amalgamation vibe going on. It’s part classical accompaniment, part collection of popular tracks, and part podium for songwriter Sufjan Stevens to work some lyrical magic. Together, we have a young lover’s internal thoughts clashing with the world around him, and the prestige of his academic domicile colliding with the flutters of his heartbeat.
32. West Side Story
To fully sell the idea that a Romeo and Juliet adaptation involving street gangs could be driven by Broadway sensibilities, there had to be a soundtrack that wasn't too corny, and also not too bland. Leonard Bernstein’s magic knew no boundaries, as his unforgettable orchestrations (along with Stephen Sondheim’s descriptive lyrics) set the perfect backdrop for such a juxtapositional premise.
31. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
John Cameron Mitchell’s brainchild Hedwig and the Angry Inch is one of the great passion projects of the early 2000’s, and this superstar soundtrack is a testament to that. Full of glam rock influence, as well as vulnerable ballads, Hedwig’s entire life is described by powerhouse song after powerhouse song.
30. Do the Right Thing
There are a number of different pulses vibing on the Do the Right Thing soundtrack, but the obvious mainstay is Public Enemy’s titanic “Fight the Power”. Otherwise, the rest of this compilation holds up incredibly well, with strong songs from reggae group Steel Pulse and funk group E.U..
29. 24 Hour Party People
To best represent the music of Manchester, you don’t have to dig too deep (Joy Division, The Clash, and New Order are right there). However, the 24 Hour Party People does a good job granting us with a few deep cuts from 808 State, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays; the legacy of Factory Records is still strong.
28. A Clockwork Orange
Not only did Stanley Kubrick have an affinity for classical music, but so did character Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange. Wendy Carlos’ powerful soundtrack — full of classics from Beethoven, Rossini and other composer greats — follows the film’s more prestigious side, whilst cuts like “Singin’ in the Rain” feel far more innocent here than their contrastive usage in the motion picture.
27. He Got Game
For He Got Game, Spike Lee went all out with his soundtrack after a series of strong previous compilations. Instead of having just one Public Enemy song, he got them to release an entire album (which was frankly one of their last finer efforts). He Got Game has aged well as a film, but it was always musically dynamite.
26. Repo Man
Nothing says “dystopia” like a killer soundtrack featuring The Plugz, Suicidal Tendencies, and Iggy Pop. Repo Man is a rock and roll picture for the ages, and its anarchistic, furious album solidifies its legacy quite well.
25. Parade (Under the Cherry Moon)
Under the Cherry Moon is frankly not a good film whatsoever, but thankfully its associated album, Parade, was released during Prince's prime (hence it's just as good as anything else he was making this era). Every song here is lively, bombastic, and sublime, but the lead single “Kiss” has a strong enough legacy that no Razzie nominated film could tarnish its reputation.
24. Waiting to Exhale
One of the strongest portfolios of the new wave of R&B came in the form of Waiting to Exhale’s soundtrack (it’s also a Whitney Houston-featuring compilation that’s actually better than The Bodyguard’s, and it deserves its dues). Babyface gathered around all of the best talents on this magnificent album, including new songs from then-contemporary stars Mary J. Blige, TLC, Brandy, and Toni Braxton (with other veterans like Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan for good measure).
23. Singles
There are two albums — to me — that wrapped up the grunge years nicely (until post grunge completely defiled it): Nirvana’s In Utero, and the soundtrack to Singles. Featuring the best of the Seattle grunge scene (Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney), as well as some previous artists that helped grunge get to its place (Jimi Hendrix, Paul Westerberg of The Replacements) and occasional offshoots (The Smashing Pumpkins), Singles is a stunning array of the genre's evolution before it went to its worst phases.
22. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
For a minute there, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and its Album of the Year Grammy winning soundtrack brought a beyond-neglected genre of yesteryear (bluegrass) back into the limelight, with everyone (even those who wouldn’t dare touch country) listening to banjos and fiddles. The writing is so tight here that this soundtrack remains one of the great musical anomalies of the new millennium: even listeners who don't care for these genres dig this.
21. Dead Presidents
We’re going to get into some soul and funk soundtracks that often get their dues, but Dead Presidents’ compilation has to be one of those titles. You’ve got Isaac Hayes, James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, and everyone else (and the kitchen sink) on this soundtrack, and this curation of said artists allows each musician to shine and the album’s flow to carry a wallop.
20. American Graffiti
The American Graffiti soundtrack is nearly as long as the feature film, mainly because so many of these ‘60s and ‘50s songs play in passing diegetically. With that said, here is an hour and a half of retro cuts that are specifically designed to make you feel like you're at the turning point of your teen years and your adulthood; and only two of forty one songs break the three minute mark (and just barely). Here’s hit-after-hit to either make you young again, or send you to a different era for a while.
19. Above the Rim
Welcome to Death Row. At the height of Dr. Dre’s solo dominance on hip hop post N.W.A., he was tasked with representing the record label with the Above the Rim soundtrack. He was relentless with eighty minutes of G-funk, gangster rap, and R&B hits that best covered the west coast music scene of the early ‘90s.
18. Blue Velvet
Angelo Badalamenti's hypnotic score writing (more on that on my scores list, out next month) went very nicely with the handful of classic songs from Ketty Lester and Bill Doggett on the Blue Velvet soundtrack (lest we forget how nightmarish “In Dreams” by Roy Orbison sounds now). Both worlds collide on then-newcomer Julee Cruise’s grand finale “Mysteries of Love”, where Badalamenti's composition raises her angelic voice to the surreal heavens above.
17. The Crow
Before mall goth became a trend and a meme (actually way before), there was the soundtrack to The Crow, which blended actual gothic music (The Cure, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult) with rock and metal noise (Pantera, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Nine Inch Nails), blurring these genres for baggy-panted teens for good. A few of these tracks are cover songs or re-recordings sent up straight from hell, specifically for this film’s dismal mood.
16. Shaft
Who can take a blaxploitation flick and provide a soundtrack that's too slick? My brain wants to finish this thought with “Shaft!”, but the answer is Isaac Hayes, whose soundtrack to Goron Parks’ classic is a double album soul masterpiece. If anything, this would end up being one of Hayes’ strongest albums in general.
15. Singin’ in the Rain
Oh, what a glorious feeling. I’m happy again. There are musical numbers, and then there's the gathering of songs that wound up in Singin’ in the Rain: the most infectiously positive film perhaps ever. These reworked tracks (outside of one or two originals) are fit for a joyful time, and the reminder that this, too, shall pass.
14. Drive
The neo-disco wave of the 2010's was way too short, but Drive was there right when it was about to boom. With a selection of electro jams from Kavinsky, College, Chromatics and more, as well as Cliff Martinez’s hypnotic score, Drive is the soundtrack album to blast while you’re doing some nighttime highway cruising, and you can't convince me otherwise.
13. Magical Mystery Tour
I brought up how The Beatles’ Help! was the one soundtrack where the music felt like it was meant to fit the film, and not vice versa. Well, Magical Mystery Tour is one blob of experimental-pop insanity, where both the film and its album kind of exist together at the same time. Even if you've never seen the film and can’t reflect on the bizarre imagery there whilst listening, you're bound to conjure up some sort of crazy hallucinations listening to the Fab Four at their most psychedelic.
12. Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola got lost in Tokyo listening to My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless; this is where she came up with the basis of the aesthetics for Lost in Translation. She had to complete this realization by hiring the reclusive Kevin Shields (of said band) to curate the music for her feature. With a couple of original songs and a sea of shoegaze, noise pop, and electronic anthems (plus My Bloody Valentine’s “Sometimes” just because), Shields rose to the occasion with this hazy, beautiful daydream.
11. Trainspotting
Danny Boyle set out to bring us to the dingiest streets of the United Kingdom in Trainspotting, but the film's soundtrack is ten thousand times more alive than it had every right to be. With banger after banger (Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Light” straight to Underworld's “Born Slippy .NUXX”), Trainspotting created its own heartbeat of electrifying music, with the occasional bittersweet ballad (“Perfect Day”) to bring our highs down to a booming low.
10. Raging Bull
To revisit the past, Martin Scorsese decided how the Raging Bull soundtrack would go by compiling his collection of older records, scrutinizing what sounds would best fit each time period of the motion picture. Led by Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana — to begin the opera of a fallen athlete — Raging Bull is fixated on detailing the highs and lows of Jake LaMotta.
9. The Graduate
Simon & Garfunkel provided the soundtrack of existentialist young adults everywhere with their songs for The Graduate (to this day, we welcome darkness, our old friend). Composer Dave Grusin was a part of the project as well, supplying our even lonelier thoughts with breathing room to allow our minds to continue to wander.
8. Pulp Fiction
Of all of the Quentin Tarantino soundtracks, Pulp Fiction's is undeniably the strongest example. Never before or since has a soundtrack mimicked the darting of a jukebox selection, radio channel surfing, or one's memory bank of ear worms, quite like this iconic compilation. The fiery dialogue is one slice of pop culture. These resurrections of older songs in whole new ways is its own legacy.
7. A Hard Day’s Night
One of the first innovations that would lead into the art of the music video, the A Hard Day’s Night film focused on breaking the barricade between sound and vision. Ultimately, here were The Beatles at their absolute best of their boy band days with the direct, catchy hits that both accentuate a feature film perfectly and compliment your own lives just as nicely.
6. Phantom of the Paradise
Of all of the cult film soundtracks (and I mean the soundtracks to cult films, not the soundtracks that became cult hits themselves), the Paul Williams led album for Phantom of the Paradise may be the best. As hilarious as it is genuinely infectious, these batch of songs commentate on the toxicity of capitalist musicianship whilst luring you into the same trap it’s warning you from. It’s delightfully contradictory.
5. Saturday Night Fever
Disco was bound to die eventually, given its polarizing nature and limited palette for its time. However, with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the genre was destined to go out in style. The Bee Gees are only a part of the story, even though their mega hits surf the radio waves the most of these songs. The occasional incorporations of classical music or score structure (infused with disco click tracks and funk, of course) create the true cinematic sound that reminds you that, yes, this was attached to a film (but the soundtrack here matters so much more).
4. Superfly
I can’t think of many people that have seen Superfly the film, but I cannot tell you all of the people that have blasted Curtis Mayfield’s iconic soundtrack to the very same picture. One of the great soul albums of the ‘70s, this soundtrack has made a name for itself just on the merits of Mayfield’s career-best work. Sometimes, a soundtrack can almost be too good.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
The soundtrack for all science fiction soundtracks. Stanley Kubrick’s selection of classical numbers for 2001: A Space Odyssey was so spot on, that it has suffered imitations, parodies (good and horrific), and references for over fifty years. These orchestrations best matched what was on screen during 2001, but they’ve become synonymous with the achievements of human technology ever since.
2. The Harder They Fall
Sure, reggae may have been steered off the track by pop culture, frat boys, and other deterrences (there is a lot of fantastic reggae out there, and it’s worth checking out), but it wasn’t always at the forefront of music like it appears it would have been. Jimmy Cliff’s original work and compilations of the greatest reggae tracks (by anyone who wasn’t a Wailer) for The Harder They Fall introduced entire nations to the works of Desmond Dekker, the Maytals, and other genre giants. Reggae’s reception would never be the same again.
1. Purple Rain
Come on. What else would be here? Purple Rain — flat out — is one of the best albums of all time. Period. That almost automatically makes it the greatest soundtrack, considering that most people that love the album probably don’t even associate it with the Prince film even remotely. With so many legendary cuts here like the titular ballad, the bass-less pop sensation “When Doves Cry”, the Tipper-Gore-infuriating “Darling Nikki” (which ended up being the chain reaction that eventually resulted in the parental advisory stickers on albums) and other music-changing staples, the album is at least the most impactful soundtrack ever. However, how does it sound? Perfect. It sounds perfect. It was the start of Prince’s time with The Revolution (to be credited, at least), and his foray from R&B and funkier tunes into become a straight up rockstar. Without a single dull note, Purple Rain is one of contemporary music’s most brilliant releases, and it subsequently is cinema’s finest soundtrack.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.