Special: 20 Best Movie Soundtracks

In honor of today’s review of Superfly, I thought I’d put together a list of, in my opinion, the Top 20 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of all time. Now, this is different then my favorite soundtracks, I assure you. I tred to be as objective as possible with these. Disagree with my choices? Leave a comment, or message me, whatever works for you. I’m down for arguing my choices.

20. Boogie Nights

P.T. Anderson’s 1997 film about the rise and fall of Dirk Diggler, a John Holmes-esque 70’s porn star, is also a time capsule of the grandiose magic of the 70’s shifting into the saccharine horror that was the 80’s. The album features such 70’s feel-good, boogie-down treats as “Best Of My Love” by The Emotions (used in the famous 11-minute take from the beginning of the film), “Livin’ Thing” by The Electric Light Orchestra, and “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead, as well as “Sister Christian” from Night Ranger (from the great coke scene featuring that phenomenal Alfred Molina), and the touching “God Only Knows by The Beach Boys, as well as many other great 70’s dance tunes. Michael Penn and Patrick Warren’s eerie theme “The Big Top” finishes off this album, on the track listing, but the true gem of this album is afterward. A hidden track rests at the end of this soundtrack, and if you’re a fan of the film, trust me, it’s well worth the wait.

19. Lola Rennt

1999’s mind-bending German masterpiece, Lola Rennt (English title: Run, Lola Run) has fantastic visuals, a philosophical and trippy premise, and let’s not forget, a gorgeous lead actress. But it’s the soundtrack of this film that always stuck with me. German dance hall techno with a purpose. One can’t help but bounce to tracks like “Believe” Franka Potente or any of the instrumental tracks by Tykwer, Klimek and Heil. The industrial sexuality of “Somebody Has To Pay” Susie Van Der Meer is about as “mellow” as this high-octane album gets, and “Wish (Komm Zu Mir)” is so awesome, you don’t even mind that half of it is in German. Overall, the soundtrack to Lola Rennt is Kraftwerk on crack, and for that alone, I give it the highest thumbs-up I can. Definitely check out this forgotten Germa gem, but the film and soundtrack.

18. Across The Universe

From the opening track that we all remember from the trailer, Jim Sturgess lamenting “Is there anybody going to listen to my story, all about the girl who came to stay?”, I think everyone knew they were in for something special. Movies whose soundtracks feature Beatles covers tend to range from the mediocre (I Am Sam) to the horrendous (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band). So when I heard about Julie Taymor attempting to make a film whose soundtrack was all Beatles covers, the image of George Burns and The BeeGees could not be purged from my mind. But the trailer for the film gave me and everyone else hope, and a musical hard-on. The film did not disappoint. This soundtrack is comprised of some of the best Beatles covers ever laid down on record, from the moving gospel-rendition of “Let It Be”, to the surreal Bono take on “I Am The Walrus”, to the gorgeous performance of “If I Fell”, the track that most truly discovers the heart in the song it tackles. Sure, the songs suffer without their cinematic accompaniment, but the soundtrack manages to still be awesome as a tribute album without it. Across The Universe is a revelation in how to cover songs, and should be a lesson to all those daring to do it in the future.

17. (500) Days Of Summer

This year, the awards season sinfully ignored tis brilliant Gen-Y Annie Hall for…plotless blue cat-monkeys and a Hallmark flick about football. But enough about that. Let’s focus on the positive. Like the best compilation soundtrack since Garden State, featuring the lilting, tragic vocals of Regina Spektor, the perky “Mushaboom” by Feist, some terrific Smith tracks (bringing the band to a whole new generation), and lest we forget the lovely She & Him, featuring one of the film’s two stars, Zooey Deschannel. Of course, for those who’ve seen the film, the staple track is Hall & Oates, and I’ll explain no more for those who haven’t seen it yet. Suffice to say, the soundtrack on this film is beautiful, unique, eclectic in the best way possible, and I suspect it will be for the younger generation what a certain Zach Braff helmed soundtrack is to most of us.

16. Hustle & Flow

Featuring the second rap song ever to win Best Original song at the Oscars, the Hustle & Flow soundtrack is a fantastic collection of unknown (at least to me) artists. From the opening jam “I’m A King” to “Pussy Niggas” (which actually uses gunfire as percussion), Hustle & Flow manages to make a rap music film soundtrack that succeeds not only as great mix of hip-hop gems, but that work well within the context of the film. The title track, by Djayz, could have come off being the most memorable from the soundtrack, since it’s composition is one of my favorites in rap music in general, but it’s impossible to ignore the soundtrack’s true highlight, the award winning Three 6 Mafia track “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp”. Encapsulating the film’s theme (a street pimp trying to make it in the rap industry), the track features an infectiously catchy hook, some sick lyrical licks, and a beat that makes to turn the bass up to the top. Who can forget Three 6 Mafia’s insane performance on Oscar night? No one. And who can deny that Hustle & Flow is one of the best rap soundtracks? No one who isn’t a complete dumb ass.

15. Manhattan

Perhaps I’m biased, being that this is my #2 favorite film, and I’m a profuse Woody Allen fan, but you can’t deny what a great collection this soundtrack is. From the beginning of Manhattan, Issaac (Woody’s character) says he always sees Manhattan “in black and white, set to the music of George Gershwin”. and so begins a montage of Manhattan set to Gershwin’s masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue. The soundtrack consists entirely of instrumental Gershwin tunes, all performed by the New York Philharmonic. These are the best performances of these songs you’ll ever get on recording if you want my opinion (and if you don’t want my opinion, I wouldn’t suggest reading a web page entirely devoted to said opinions), and the music works in the film so well it becomes an integral character, at times, accentuating every moment perfectly. This is a terrific collection of the works of Gershwin, and even if I’d never seen the film, I’d certainly still listen to this record on a weekly basis. Highly worth looking into, even is you’re not nebbish-y enough to like Woody’s work.

14. Shaft

A grossly ignored soundtrack album on Rolling Stone’s list, Issaac Hayes award winning soundtrack to Shaft is the origin of rap music, and undoubtedly one of the best film soundtracks of all time. Here, instead of giving another long paragraph of praise, just watch, and try and tell em this isn’t one of the greatest soundtracks ever recorded.



13. Magnolia

Not since Elliott Smith in ‘98 was anyone so robbed of a Best Original Song Oscar. Aimee Mann’s soundtrack to P.T. Anderson’s 1999 Magnolia is one of the film’s best features, and it introduced the world to one of the best singer-songwriter music talents out there today. From the cover of “One” to the rocking “momentum”, Mann’s range is in full display on this album. The tear-jerking “Wise Up”, seen during the group sing-along scene, seems the hopeless parallel to the album’s highlight, the gorgeous plea of “Save Me”, the Oscar nominated track that should have been Mann’s victory song. The soundtrack also features two songs by Supertramp, “Dreams” by Gabrielle (a favorite of Quiz Kid Donnie Smith), and “Magnolia” Jon Brion’s score for the film. Though, this truly is Mann’s shining album, and god damn does she shine. I cannot recommend this record highly enough, in this ranks in the top 3 of my favorite film soundtracks of all time. However, I’m trying to be objective here, so let’s move on.

12. Top Gun

Let me make this clear: On a personal level, I dislike this movie and it’s soundtrack. 80’s anthems like Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” and Berlin’s Oscar winner “Take My Breath Away” just ain’t my dig, man. However, for those whose dig it is, you can’t do better than this. This movie was as much about the music as it was about the planes, and you can’t find a better example of 80’s movie soundtrack than what you’re listening to right here. One cannot deny the significance of a soundtrack like Top Gun (no matter how much one tries. And believe me, one has tried. Very hard), and I’m sure many now in the air force have these songs in part to blame…I mean, thank.

11. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

This Grammy winning soundtrack is a revelation. I massive seller, hugely popular soundtrack that features no hip, trendy songs, but instead revived interest in…bluegrass? Yes, the Coen Brother’s retelling of The Odyssey features great tracks like Harry McClintock’s “Big Rock Candy Mountain”, Alison Krauss siren song “Didn’t Leave Nobody But The Baby”, and of course the virtual theme song of the film “Man Of Constant Sorrow” by The Soggy Bottom Boys. The film is a hilarious, quirky, twisted take on Homer but the soundtrack is pure American folk and bluegrass mastery. The idea that the Coen brothers could produce a massively popular soundtrack made entirely of bluegrass tunes is unbelievable, but after one listen, the only unbelievable thing is that it didn’t make Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest albums.

10. That Thing You Do!

That Thing You Do! Is for 60’s pop music what O Brother, Where Art Thou is to Dustbowl folk. The soundtrack is the most important part of this film, the story of the one-hit wonder band appropriately name The Wonders (or The Oneders), and the songwriters (including producer and actor Tom Hanks, who penned “Lovin’ You Lots and Lots”) do the job tenfold, crafting a brilliant soundscape of the pre-psychedelic world of 60’s music. Everyone looks back on the 60’s now and thinks Woodstock, but this, from all reports, is really what the radios sounded like. And even more screwed out of an oscar than either Aimee Mann or Elliott Smith was the title track for this film, that is undoubtedly one of the best pop songs ever composed. This album is a more perfect time-capsule of “classic” pop-rock music from the 50’s and 60’s than most of the albums meant to be said time capsules on Rolling Stone’s 500 list, and none of the songs were even written back then. Great soundtrack, great film, and a truly brilliant title song.

9. Superfly

See my review of the album coming up next, #69.

8. Once

This, right here, is my favorite film soundtrack of all time, and it brought me so much joy when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova accepted the Oscar for Falling Slowly in 2008. Hansard is one of my heroes, and I own this soundtrack in every form, including a record autographed by the two. So it pains me to put this only as number 8, but again, I’m trying to be objective. Even so, this is one of the greatest original soundtracks ever recorded, to one of the best films of the 00 decade, and it introduced Glen and Marketa to a wide audience. The film is a musical, and all the songs work in a believable fashion. From the opening powerhouse of Hansard’s “Say It To Me Now” (the man has one of the best yells in music) to the somber, tragic ballad of Marketa’s “The Hill”, the soundtrack to Once is a gorgeous collection of pain and suffering in the most beautiful of moments. Painful songs like “Leave”, “Lies”, “All The Way Down” and “When Your Mind’s Made Up” are rivaled by rare upbeat tunes like “Fallen From The Sky” and the playful “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy” (it makes sense if you watch the film). Though it’s undeniable that the highlight of this soundtrack is the beautiful love song “Falling Slowly”. This is one of those songs every songwriter wishes they were good enough to write, and the scene in which it’s sung in the film is one of the most incredible and beautiful things I’ve seen thus far in my life. The soundtrack to this film is incredible, and the film itself is a grossly ignored masterpiece of simplicity. I cannot beg enough for every person who reads it to seek these piece out. Hansard and Irglova are geniuses of our time, and I mean that without hyperbole. Put on “Falling Slowly”, and I defy you to argue with me.

7. 8 Mile

Every decade has an artist who encapsulates the generation, and pens a song that will forever belong to that time. Like the 90’s had Nirvana and “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, we who came of age in the 00’s will always have Eminem, and his anthemic film theme “Lose Yourself”. The first rap song to ever win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the triumphant track will always be remembered as a classic, and the film’s soundtrack is, in my opinion, the best rap soundtrack ever produced. Featuring 50 Cent, Nas, Rakim, Gang Starr, Xzibit and Jay-Z, this soundtrack is a who’s who of ‘00 hip-hop. Eminem’s “8 Mile” could have easily been the highlight of the album, but as is the case with most great film soundtracks, all the great tracks are over-shadowed by a true classic. In this case, no matter what great tracks got laid down (“Wanksta” by 50 Cent, “Battle” Gang Starr) “Lose Yourself” will always come out on top. Who can’t recite the chorus from memory, or remember that chilling piano intro. The image burned into our minds of Eminem warming up for the rap battle accompanied by that intro (from the music video, not the film) is a modern day Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull as he bounces in slo-mo around the ring. The lyrics, telling the story of the film, display Em’s poetic sensibility, and the track served is the official welcome part of rap into the mainstream, even more than Will Smith’s Grammy. This soundtrack proved two things to the world: 1) Rap was here to stay and 2) Eminem is one of the kings of the game.

6. The Harder They Come

Review to come. It was supposed to be up on May 4th. Paying catch up, folks. #119.

5. Almost Famous

Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece, a veiled autobiography, would have been half the film it was were it not for the great collection of songs sprinkled without. From Zooey Descanter’s (yeah, she was in this) goodbye set to “America” by Simon & Garfunkel, to the bus-wide sing-along of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”, the songs work as well in the film as they do on their own. Tracks like “I’ve Seen All good People: Your Move” by Yes, “Something In The Air” by Thunderclap Newman, and “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd are all classics in their own right. Crowe just crafted a soundtrack to say “Remember how awesome it was when music didn’t suck?” And, yes, it was awesome. Thank you, Cameron Crowe.

4. Garden State

Undeniably one of the best, most popular, and most influential film soundtracks of all time, Zach Braff’s first (and best) film is a modern classic, a tale of disillusionment and confusion whose soundtrack went on to win a Grammy, and the hearts of thousands of lost, confused “indie”, “hipster” high school kids. I’ve listened to this album so many times, I could list the tracks by memory, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. It introduced us to The Shins, Iron & Wine, and Zero 7, and reminded us of greats like Simon & Garfunkel, Colin Hay, and Nick Drake. Braff’s portrait of dissatisfaction in disassociation works so well it feels as if the songs were written for the film. Every great soundtrack since has been called “the next Garden State soundtrack”, so if that doesn’t prove it’s merits, god knows what will. A true classic, as significant to our generation (if not necessarily every single person in it) as any other album of the past 10 years.

3. Star Wars: The Original Soundtrack Anthology

It is undeniable that John Williams’ Star Wars theme is the finest orchestral piece of the past 50 years. Classical music is not dead, my friends. Rather it finds itself in films like Nolan’s Batman trilogy, or in the best example possible, in John Williams’ oeuvre. The theme to Star Wars, as those yellow words roll into space, is one of the most copied, most beloved moments in cinema, and Williams’ scores are inseparable from any great moment in Lucas’ epic trilogy. It’s amazing, however, how well these tracks stand alone, as great orchestral compositions. Sure, one cannot help but think of the Millennium Falcon or Darth Vader when hearing these tracks, but it’s amazing that even without the Jedi, the blasters, or any visuals at all, Williams’ masterful score stands out as genius. I would go so far as to say that the opening overture is as grand, as gorgeous, and s brilliant a composition as any of the great master composers produced. Were John Williams alive in Mozart’s day, Salieri would have been double pissed. If you do not own this anthology of Williams score, it’s without a doubt worth the purchase. This right here is some of the greatest music composed this century.

2. The Graduate

Now, I may take some criticism for being biased (The Graduate is my favorite film) but it cannot be denied that The Graduate is the granddaddy of all film soundtracks. Nichols’ choice to score the film, not with orchestral or mood music, but instead with the songs of popular folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, turned out to be a revolutionary idea, sparking millions of copycats to this day. Every song works so intricately in the film, from the opening sequence cut to “The Sound Of Silence”, to the haunting “Scarborough Fair” sequence, and of course, the famous track “Mrs. Robinson”, written for the film, but not actually completed on time, so never included in it’s full form. I assure you, any film soundtrack you adore, and almost any of the soundtracks from 4-20, owe their life to this soundtrack. Aside from being some of the greatest music of the 60’s, it’s influence and significance alone should earn it’s place at #2. It could have been number 1, but the top slot is undeniable.

1. Saturday Night Fever

The highest selling soundtrack of all time is also the greatest, and THE album of the 70’s. My review of this album is still to come (#131), but let me just say that it is almost undeniable that this album IS what a movie soundtrack should be. Go check your parents record collection. 90% of you will find this there.