How Many Of These Do You Agree With?
The music chosen to accompany a movie has a lot of power. It has the potential to elevate the film to legendary status, making it forever memorable. Whether it's a carefully curated list of already recorded songs or brand new originals created specially for the film, both the song and scene can be immortalized when it's done right. Many movie soundtracks are so good, they stand on their own as a stellar album, but they'll forever be remembered in association with the film they were featured in. Here are 20 of the most iconic movie soundtracks ever created.
1. Pulp Fiction
From surf rock classics like "Miserlou" to funk anthems like "Jungle Boogie," Quentin Tarantino's most beloved film soars to new levels thanks to its soundtrack. Putting the film aside, the collection of songs stands alone as a great album.
Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash
2. The Graduate
While Simon & Garfunkel were already well established in the folk music scene, their compositions for The Graduate soundtrack made their popularity soar. Some of their most-renowned songs including their number one hit "Mrs. Robinson" originated on that soundtrack.
3. Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever marks the transition of disco from a fringe movement to the mainstream. The film immortalized The Bee Gees songs "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever", "How Deep Is Your Love", and "More Than a Woman" as well as a number of other disco anthems.
4. Drive
This neo noir became a cult classic largely thanks to its soundtrack which can only be described as synthwave perfection. Cliff Martinez is the mastermind behind the soundtrack which also features Desire's "Under Your Spell," Chromatics' "Tick of the Clock," and College's "A Real Hero."
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Whether or not you've sat through Stanley Kubrick's two-and-a-half-hour epic, you've definitely heard the dramatic opening song "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss. The song, with its ascending trumpets, followed by thundering drums, was meant to evoke the sunrise over the horizon, so it's only appropriate that it plays during the opening "Dawn of Man" sequence.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on Wikimedia
6. Dirty Dancing
The Dirty Dancing movie soundtrack is full of bangs from the 60s to the 80s. However, the song most associated with the film is undoubtedly "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes which plays during the iconic final dance scene where Patrick Swayze lifts Jennifer Grey above his head.
Van Den Oever Architekten on Wikimedia
7. Jaws
That ominous orchestral theme when the shark is poised to attack is referenced so much in society that some people may not even be aware of what movie it comes from. Regardless, the context of "something is coming for you" is clear and there couldn't be a more perfect song.
8. The Lion King
A powerhouse of talent came together to create the killer soundtrack for the beloved Disney film The Lion King with Elton John and Hans Zimmer composing and Tim Rice on lyrics. The movie gave birth to instant classics "Circle of Life," "Hakuna Matata," and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."
9. Purple Rain
The prolifically unparalleled Prince was the first artist ever to have the top movie, album, and single at the same time thanks to his semi-autobiographical movie Purple Rain. "When Doves Cry," "Baby I'm A Star," and "Purple Rain" are just some of the Prince hits that were featured in the film.
10. Grease
We couldn't make a list about iconic movie soundtracks without talking about Grease. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John starred opposite each other in this 70s classic about some 1950s teenagers that fall in love. Where would our karaoke sessions be without the likes of "Grease Lightning" and "You're The One That I Want?"
11. Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy can be credited with introducing a whole gernation of youngsters to some of the best classic rock and oldies the 20th century had to offer. David Bowie, Raspberries, and The Runaways are just some of the legends featured on the soundtrack.
12. Titanic
The sob-worthy moments in James Camerons's classic Titanic were made that much more impactful by the carefully composed and performed pieces of music. Perhaps the song most closely associated with the film is Celin Dion's swelling romantic anthem "My Heart Will Go On" which accompanies the film's final montage and closing credits.
13. Harry Potter
Every Harry Potter film's opening title sequence is accompanied by the same instantly-recognizable song, "Hedwig's Theme" by John Williams. Williams was responsible for the first three films' scores, composing many of the beloved classic tunes we most closely associate with the franchise.
14. Frozen
The 32-song Frozen soundtrack was full of catchy and memorable tunes but none made such a big splash as "Let It Go." The track even won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
15. Star Wars
A science fiction film as epic as Star Wars needed a dramatic soundtrack to match. John Williams didn't disappoint with his iconic compositions including the ominous "The Imperial March" and the classic main theme song which is among the most recognizable theme songs in movie history.
16. Trainspotting
Director Danny Boyle needed a soundtrack as gritty and punk-rock as the film itself. The carefully-curated collection of songs not only fit the bill, but ended up being one the most beloved soundtracks ever made, featuring Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life," David Bowie's "Golden Years," and Joy Division's "Atmosphere" to name a few.
17. The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard is a 1992 film about a former Secret Service agent hired to protect a pop singer played by Whitney Houston. The most memorable part of the film is arguably the larger-than-life soundtrack which features banger after banger by Whitney Houston, and even some Joe Cocker thrown in there as the cherry on top.
18. Dazed and Confused
No movie soundtrack captures an era quite like the Dazed and Confused one. As any movie about a group teenage misfits in Austin, Texas should, the movie features some of the most iconic stoner rock anthems ever created including "Low Rider" by War, "Tush" by ZZ Top, and "Slow Ride" by Foghat.
19. Raiders of the Lost Ark
John Williams is at is again. His work on the Indiana Jones soundtrack stands as one of the greatest and most memorable movie soundtracks of all time, right up there with Star Wars and Harry Potter.
20. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Do stand-offs even happen without the main theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly playing at least internally in everyone's mind? Ennio Morricone was responsible for composing the song that would become synonymous with the Western genre.
