It goes without saying that soundtracks can either make or break your movie, and choosing the right one is an art of its own. Of course, scores, movie music specifically composed and arranged for a particular film, are very important too, but one might argue that since it is written from scratch for your movie, you have more creative power over it. On the other hand, selecting music for movies among the songs that have existed before can prove to be very challenging, as you have to make sure it matches the vibe of your film, makes sense for the scene, and its lyrics don’t clash with whatever message you are trying to convey.
Though usually movie soundtracks are comprised of well-known songs, this is not an obligatory condition at all. Some songs that went unnoticed at the time of release become hits only after they appeared in a soundtrack, thanks to the way the director highlighted their potential. It also happens that a song long forgotten gets a second life — and wave of popularity — after being used in a film. So if you find yourself humming the songs from a movie you recently watched, the director probably did a good job with the soundtrack.
For this article we have collected some of the best movie soundtracks of all time. But if you don’t agree with this ranking, you can actually vote for your favorite soundtrack on the list and make it climb all the way to the top. And of course, don’t forget to let us know which movie has the best soundtrack in your opinion.
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#1 Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Saturday Night Fever was certified 16x Platinum in the US, won 6 Grammies (one as recently as 2004), and stayed on the Billboard charts for 120 consecutive weeks, which is over two years. No wonder it basically became a genre of its own. It includes a whole array of hits by Bee Gees but also other timeless tracks like KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Boogie Shoes” and Yvonne Elliman’s “If I Can’t Have You”. No wonder many consider it to be the best soundtrack of all time.
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30points
#2 The Graduate (1967)
The Graduate tells the story of a young man who, having recently graduated from college, suddenly realizes what kind of hopeless future lies ahead of him. The soft voices of Simon and Garfunkel that follow him throughout the movie only make his despair and uneasiness more acute. One track that stands out the most is “The Sound of Silence” that feels like it was specifically written for this film about the uncertainty of adulthood.
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26points
#3 Trainspotting (1996)
The soundtrack for Trainspotting could serve as a textbook example of ‘90s britpop and rock. With Blur, Pulp, and Elastica on the track list, you know you are getting some real quality stuff. A brilliant mixture of post-punk and electronic, with expert additions from Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, this soundtrack creates a perfect background for the uncomfortably close experience this film is about to give you.
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25points
#4 American Graffiti (1973)
How many songs do you think you can fit in one soundtrack for a film? Ten? Fifteen? Well, when making American Graffiti, George Lucas decided that it was 41. Think of any popular artist from the ‘60s era, and there is a good chance they will be on the soundtrack. This coming-of-age film knows well how to use music to tell the story of a group of teenagers and explore the early rock’n’roll culture in America.
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22points
#5 Dazed And Confused (1993)
With the story set in the ‘70s, it only makes sense that the soundtrack of Dazed and Confused would be full of era-appropriate rock compositions from artists who already were all the rage back then or were just beginning to look for their place in modern music. The filmmakers went one step further and made music part of the story that interacts with the viewer not only as the background score but also through headphones and radios, enhancing the narrative.
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20points
#6 Super Fly (1972)
When composing the soundtrack for Super Fly, Curtis Mayfield made sure he didn’t gloss over anything. Same as the movie that tells the story of an African American drug dealer who tries to quit the underworld, Curtis explores the double standards of society through his music. Next to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On that was released one year prior, this soundtrack is considered to be one of the pioneering soul concept albums.
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20points
#7 The Bodyguard (1992)
Even though there are several other performers on the soundtrack of The Bodyguard (including Kenny G and Joe Cocker), the one you remember the most is definitely Whitney Houston. Not only did she play the main female lead in the movie, but also performed most of the songs herself. From “I’m Every Woman” to “Queen of the Night” to the iconic “I Will Always Love You”, this soundtrack reminds you why it was certified 18x Platinum and immortalizes Houston’s voice.
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19points
#8 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
When you make a movie as epic as 2001: A Space Odyssey, you simply have to enhance it with an equally epic soundtrack. And what fits the bill better than some of the greatest examples of classical music. From Strauss to Ligeti to Khachaturian, the majesty smoothly transitioning into lightness and back into grandeur will leave you in awe of the universe around us and the way time flows through everything in it.
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17points
#9 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Director John Hughes refused to create an official soundtrack for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. While being perfectly happy with how the tracks worked on screen to tell the story of his protagonist, Hughes was more than sure that not a single person would want to listen to them as a continuous album because of how mismatched they were. It took the fans of this iconic teen comedy 30 years to get an officially released soundtrack.
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14points
#10 The Harder They Come (1972)
The soundtrack of The Harder They Come is credited — and rightfully so — for making reggae the music of the world. However, the objective it was tasked with was much deeper and more complex. It presented the Jamaican culture in all its glory, but also showed the inner power of reggae, channeled the passion and rage of the people, and elevated the film’s statement for everyone to see.
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14points
#11 Above The Rim (1994)
Tupac Shakur was at the height of his career when Above the Rim came out. With rap steadily becoming the new cool, the soundtrack to the film made so much sense. Combined with the raw emotion of the story about basketball, struggle, and glory, the soundtrack played a big part in the storytelling.
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13points
#12 Singles (1992)
Cameron Crowe is well-known for creating soundtracks that elevated the storytelling but could also work as the greatest mixtape you can imagine. Singles was no exception to this rule. A romantic comedy set in Seattle, it drew substantially on the emerging grunge scene and is in many ways considered to be one of the driving forces behind its subsequent success. With artists like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden on the track list, it’s no wonder it remains one of the most iconic soundtracks to date.
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12points
#13 Shaft (1971)
Shaft did a lot of things right. Not only was it one of the first blaxploitation films, but also definitely one of the greatest and most successful ones in its genre. In 2000 it was selected to be preserved in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” A huge part in this was played by its exceptional soundtrack. Written by Isaac Hayes specifically for the film and mostly consisting of instrumental compositions, it reached #1 on the Billboard charts and won several awards, including Grammy and Oscars.
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12points
#16 Romeo + Juliet (1997)
What do Radiohead, Garbage, Des’ree, and The Cardigans have in common? Taken at face value, nothing. But then you listen to the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack, and even though you may still not understand how Baz Luhrmann managed to make this combination work, somehow they do feel like they belonged together all this time. It comes as no wonder that the soundtrack went on to occupy top 5 positions in many national charts.
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10points
#18 Rushmore (1997)
When you hear Wes Anderson’s name, your first association is a very distinct visual style that can’t be mistaken for someone else. It turns out, he can also compile an outstanding audio accompaniment. Initially, he intended to have the entire soundtrack of Rushmore comprised of The Kinks songs, as he found the British Invasion sound to fit the blazer-wearing character of Max Fischer to the T. However, the more he listened to various artists in the genre, the more diversified the soundtrack became.
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8points
