In the captivating world of movies, certain soundtracks weave a spell you can’t stop replaying. These best soundtracks from movies, inseparable from their films, stir deep emotions that stay long after the credits roll. From soaring orchestral notes to catchy themes, these melodies are the heartbeats of our favorite stories. Join us on a journey through handpicked cinematic scores that deserve endless loops. Each tune is a time machine, whisking us to tearful goodbyes, exhilarating victories, and thrilling escapes. Let’s celebrate these musical gems that rekindle the movie’s magic with every harmonious play.
Best Soundtracks From Movies
What Are The Best Soundtracks From Movies?
Here is a list of the top 50 soundtracks that you’ll keep humming even years after watching the movie.
List Of Best Soundtracks From Movies
1. Turning Red
When Ludwig Göransson was given the task of writing the soundtrack for Pixar’s Turning Red, he had a few things to keep in mind. This included the supernatural plot’s central element, the movie’s Toronto setting, the protagonist’s age, and Chinese ancestry. It’s impressive but not surprising that the Swedish composer was able to harmonize all these components to create a series of works that are cool, lively, and unsettling.
2. The Batman
Batman is a movie that does everything right: the retro-futuristic Bat mobile, the gothic Wayne Manor, the strong chemistry between Selina and Bruce, and the creepy and cryptic soundtrack that closely resembles what we believe the comics would sound like if they had a play button. Michael Giacchino, the American composer best known for his work on Pixar, Marvel, Star Trek, and Jurassic World films, is responsible for creating music for this movie.
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3. Purple Rain
Prince sings the words “Baby, I’m a star” at the conclusion of Purple Rain, which, given all you’ve just watched, reads like the greatest understatement ever uttered. A degree of sheer artistry and vision rarely captured is displayed in Prince’s 1984 film and its accompanying album. Every song on Purple Rain is mind-blowing, and a genuine gift for the film, from the introduction of “Let’s Go Crazy” to the overflowing passion of “The Beautiful Ones” to the catharsis of the title track.
4. Moulin Rouge
The significance of this music to Baz Luhrmann’s over-the-top singing extravaganza cannot be overstated. Every collegiate Cappella group adopted this strategy for the following ten years, yet the songs still stand out as truly remarkable covers, mixes, and reimaginings. Additionally, “Lady Marmalade” will always be regarded as the greatest female artist collaboration ever.
5. Super Fly
Super Fly’s storyline continues to advance even after small-time drug dealer Fat Freddie is killed. Nobody expresses sorrow for him or asks why he disappeared, and his beloved wife never reappears. A more realistic attitude is that the Super Fly script is a stupid jumble. The generous perspective is that the budget was little and all death is a pointless tragedy. Thankfully, Curtis Mayfield gives Freddie the send-off he merits in “Freddie’s Dead.” Mayfield transforms Freddie’s passing into a moving meditation on the suffering that fuels the drug trade—the exploitation, the loss, and the anguish.
Next Best Soundtracks From Movies
6. The Lion King
It doesn’t matter that you still don’t know the exact spelling of those phrases or what they even mean; The Lion King is the reason you and/or your child developed a love of music. Language and countries are not barriers to The Lion King soundtrack. The song is so very catchy that it doesn’t matter that Simba is effectively singing “I just can’t wait to be king” in “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” And “Hakuna Matata” actually became a word in the English language, one that you could hear someone utter out loud and you’d nod and say, “True.” It demonstrates the creative talent of Elton John and his band.
7. Goodfellas
Martin Scorsese contrasts the hyper-masculine brutality of his film’s protagonists with a feminine innocence by using a tonne of music from 1960s girl groups like the Crystals, the Shangri-Las, the Ronettes, and Darlene Love in Goodfellas. We could go on and on about the incredible musical score for the helicopter scene near the film’s conclusion, where frantic cuts between Harry Nilsson, Mick Jagger, and George Harrison mimic Henry Hill’s drug-fueled mania. Or about the masterful needle drop of Sid Vicious’ cover of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” in the credits, which serves as the ideal musical accompaniment to Henry’s concluding monologue about how the good old days are long gone.
8. TrainspottingÂ
The results of its drug-related themes were echoed in Trainspotting and its soundtrack. A momentary high followed by self-destructive outcomes. A terrible wave of Britflicks with actors like Guy Ritchie and Vinnie Jones was inspired by Danny Boyle’s cheeky junkies, and the soundtrack’s then-inspiring collision of indie and dance music led to a subsequent wave of emotion that still dominates some aspects of British society. A dive down the worst toilet in the world is transformed into a transcendental reverie by Brian Eno’s “Deep Blue Day,” while Renton’s sprinting feet pound Iggy Pop’s 19-year-old “Lust for Life” back to life.
Best Soundtracks From Movies
9. Top Gun
There’s a reason why everyone knows the lyrics to this song, even if it may occasionally be overbearing. The movie’s theme song is actually called “Danger Zone,” and you hear it a lot in the movie. Additionally, “Take My Breath Away” is a great song to belt out loudly while singing along. We can only hope that the sequel measures up to it (because “Danger Zone” and Miles Teller’s performance of “Great Balls of Fire” are already confirmed). There is also a Lady Gaga song!
10. The Harder They Come
The soundtrack includes songs by some of reggae’s most prominent musicians, including Desmond Dekker, the Melodians, and Toots & the Maytals. Ivan Martin, a poor rural child with aspirations of celebrity, is depicted in the title song, which Cliff wrote just for the movie and which captures the beauty, suffering, and defiance of his character.
Soulful Best Soundtracks From Movies
11. Dazed And Confused
In Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, Pink, Dawson, and Slater drive about town as the soundtrack replicates the music they would be listening to on the radio. The film is set in the 1970s, and the soundtrack includes loud, jovial songs from the time. Examples include Foghat’s “Slow Ride,” which finishes off the film as it travels into the dawn of summer, and Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” which wonderfully captures that euphoric last day of school vibe. Even though the soundtrack doesn’t include some of the most well-known songs from the film, such as Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane,” which plays as Woodward wheels into The Emporium, and Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion,” which opens the movie.
12. Psycho By Bernard Herrman
The soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann, a significant Hitchcock collaborator whose work includes Vertigo and North by Northwest, and whose career spans Citizen Kane to Taxi Driver, is not the easiest to listen to. However, Herrmann’s most avant-garde composition is still Psycho, which introduced the distinctive screaming strings motif that has come to be regarded as the sound of horror on a global scale.Â
13. Jaws
It’s rumored that Steven Spielberg wanted something understated for Jaws, maybe a piano melody. He was convinced to modify his mind, and one of the most instantly recognizable motifs of all is the famed “chomping” of the bottom strings.Â
14. Pather Panchali
The amazing sitar play by Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, and Imrat Khan sets the tone for the soundtrack of this movie. Music that will remind you of your roots.Â
15. The Bodyguard
It is clear from the movie that Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner are in love with one another. The fact that Ms. Houston can sing her ass off is also beyond dispute. It’s understandable why The Bodyguard’s soundtrack is an all-time best-seller. It is supported by a genius foundation. Hits with strong emotional undertones like “I Will Always Love You” and “I Have Nothing” are abundant on the tracklist. Also noteworthy is Whitney’s groovy “I’m Every Woman” Chaka Khan Version, which C+C Music Factory created.Â
16. The Robin Hood Adventures
Erich Wolfgang Korngold, the most esteemed of Hollywood composers, was at his finest in the swashbuckling Errol Flynn films. Even though Korngold, an Austrian, was the son of a renowned music critic, the vibrant music he introduced to Hollywood was everything but somber. The Flynn movies were treated by Korngold like light operas without songs.
Musical & The Best Soundtracks From Movies
17. Saturday Night Fever
The movie Saturday Night Fever wouldn’t be regarded as an American classic without its music. One of the best-selling albums of all time is the creation of producer Robert Stigwood, who spent six months at the top of the Billboard chart. (Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard is the only soundtrack that has sold more copies.) The Bee Gees provided three tracks, “Stayin’ Alive,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” and “Night Fever,” all of which reached the top spot. The Bee Gees song “If I Can’t Have You,” performed by Yvonne Elliman, also peaked at number one. The music cues from the film have been parodied so much that it is now impossible to do it in an original way.
18. Clueless
The Clueless soundtrack serves as a gentle reminder that just because you’re young, beautiful, rich, and rolling with the homies in Southern California doesn’t mean life isn’t also difficult. It does this by treating the song “Kids in America” in a raucous album-opening manner and by ending the album with the sassy “Supermodel” kicker. The Clueless soundtrack is full of angsty covers and performances by then-up-and-comers like Luscious Jackson, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Radiohead, and is overseen by music supervisor GOAT Karyn Rachtman, whose earlier works include Reality Bites, Pulp Fiction, and Romeo + Juliet.
19. Lost In Translation
A good example of contrast is the Lost in Translation soundtrack by Sofia Coppola. The synth-pop sounds give Bob and Charlotte’s “Is this it?” rich image and enormous significance. It’s the Scarlett Johansson-starring music video for a certain musical genre.
20. Alexander Nevsky
When revered filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein and similarly renowned composer Sergei Prokofiev both returned to Russia in 1932, Stalin’s cultural commissars weren’t exactly happy to see the two rebellious sons of the Soviet Union. But ultimately, the authorities gave them permission to collaborate on this epic history chronicle of the Russian folk hero Nevsky. The end result was epic filmmaking on the biggest possible scale, as well as a rare instance of a director and composer collaborating before the picture has been trimmed.
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21. Velvet Goldmine
One of our best surviving pop culture historians, Velvet Goldmine genuinely matches the creative genius of David Bowie. Though the character is based on Bowie the completed soundtrack has songs by glam rock bands.Â
22. 2001
The music of Gyorgy Ligeti is what makes 2001 most memorable. When we listen to “Lux Aeterna,” it is unlike anything we had ever heard before. There were, therefore, some points of reference, specifically obscure German abstract soundscapes, when it came time to record the score for Danny Boyle’s newest space-themed movie, Sunshine.
23. American Beauty
This performance spawned thousands of copies. The repeated riffs and glassy vibraphones give off a sense of detachment that is ideal for Kevin Spacey’s role in the movie. Only the most basic chord progressions are utilized. The tonal palette is made up of a highly distinctive “soft” piano sound, muted strings, ambiguously ethnic percussion, as well as various guitar and plucked string sounds.
24. Hustle & Flow
Triple Six won an Oscar as a result of this soundtrack. Really, there is nothing else to say. We might discuss how Hustle & Flow’s soundtrack features some of the few respectable rap performances by actors (courtesy of Terrence Howard). Or we could talk about the assortment of features on the song from Juvenile, T.I., Trina, and 8Ball & MJG, one of which even peaked in the Billboard Top 100.
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