Not all movies have sound. Silent films were very famous in the 20th century and didn’t have a soundtrack accompanying story, only sound effects and some music. However, over the years soundtracks have become one of the great aspects of movies and even became a category in the main awards of the cinema’s history.
Even if sometimes we don’t realize, soundtrack makes the viewer dive deeper into the story. Music can bring thousands of feelings at the same time, being a strategy to improve the emotions of the film. That’s why we’ve listed 10 movies with the best soundtracks you’ll want to hear non-stop!
10 Greatest Movies Soundtracks
1. Baby Driver
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The film starring Ansel Elgort tells the story of Baby, a boy who listens to music all the time to silence the buzzing that has been disturbing his ears since a childhood accident. An excellent driver, he’s the official escape pilot of the robber Doc, but he’s tired of the criminal job.
As the protagonist passes the entire film with headphones, a soundtrack was based on what Baby listens during the story. The songs are linked totally to the scenes, from melody to lyrics, making everything connected. The playlist of the character, which is the soundtrack, features Danger Mouse, Run The Jewels, Big Boi, The Beach Boys, Queen, among others. Wanna listen? Check out here.
2. Suicide Squad
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Even though Suicide Squad was victim of a series of expectations and many critics, there is no complains about the soundtrack. With songs made especially for the movie, the album mixes rock, indie pop and hip hop with a sinister atmosphere.
The artists scaled to produce the soundtrack are currently part of the worldwide music scenario, like Imagine Dragons, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Logic, Ty Dolla Sign, Skrillex and Twenty One Pilots, responsible for the hit “Heathens”. In the United States, the soundtrack debuted on the Billboard 200 and it was also the best-selling album of the week, selling 128,000 copies in the first week. Check it out.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
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Nowadays, one of the most well-known movies for its soundtrack for sure is the Guardians of the Galaxy. With pop hits from the 70’s, the selection of songs comes from the walkman that the protagonist, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), carries with him during the story, which belonged to his mother and contained her favorite songs from when she was young.
The most remarkable song in the film is “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede, which appears since the first trailer. In addition to that, the soundtrack features hits from David Bowie, The Jackson 5, The Runaways, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Rupert Holmes, Redbone, Elvin Bishop, Blue Swede and Norman Greenbaum, among others. “Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1” debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with 109,000 units sold in the debut week and was considered the second soundtrack with more sales of the year 2014. Also in the sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy the soundtrack is amazing! Listen to it here.
4. 500 Days with Summer
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The soundtrack of the film (500) Days With Summer works almost like a character, because of its important role in the movie. In the same way that it’s possible to remember a whole relationship lived in several stages through the songs that were heard in happy or sad times, the soundtrack of this film is like a special playlist that represents all the moments of a novel.
Eclectic, somewhat nostalgic and romantic, it brings together pop and rock classics, among them The Smiths, essential to the scene when Tom is in the elevator with his iPod, listening to “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”. Then, Summer hears it, comments that she loves the band and sings a part of the song leaving the young man surprised. Another band that is part of the soundtrack is She & Him, which includes the protagonist, Zooey Deschanel, singing the classic “Please, Please, Please let me get what I want”, by Smiths as well. Listen here.
5. Pulp Fiction
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The director Quentin Tarantino is known for selecting great lost songs in popular imagery and using them in his films. This was no different in Pulp Fiction, one of the greatest classics of the 90s. The soundtrack is one of the facts that contributed to the success of the film.
Remarkable scenes of the movie would never have the same effect if they weren’t accompanied by their songs: the opening scene with Dick Dale’s surfing version recorded in 1962 by Misirlou; the dance of Vicent See (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) at the sound of “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry; and the scene that precedes Mia Wallace’s tragicomic overdose when she gets carried away by the lyrics and the rhythm of Neil Diamond’s classic “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” re-recorded by the band Urge Orverkill, which became a hit snapshot.
But, a curious fact: the CD released at that time with the soundtrack of the movie contains nine songs, four tracks of dialogue fragments followed by one song and three tracks containing only dialogues, while six songs that appeared in the film were not included in the track . But here you can listen to all the hits that marked this classic and remember the memorable scenes.
6. The Great Gatsby
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The movie based on the novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and released in 2013 is set in the 1920s, but make no mistake: the soundtrack is made with the great musicians of the 21st century. The Great Gatsby had the executive production of the soundtrack signed by Jay-Z, who invited renowned musicians such as Florence and the Machine, The xx, Jack White, Gotye and Lana Del Rey.
The soundtrack features fourteen songs, including new material and cover versions performed by various artists. Among some surprises there is Jack White singing U2 and Beyoncé making a cover of Amy Winehouse in “Back to Black”. It contains a mix of genres including hip hop, jazz and alternative music. Luhrmann specifically selected these music styles to better immerse the audience in the story of The Great Gatsby with an old setting but with current songs.
The album received a mixed feedback, with the selection of songs and singers dividing critics. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and appeared on several national record charts. The album has received three gold certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America. The album spawned three singles: “Young and Beautiful”, “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)”, and “Bang Bang”. Check it out.
7. Almost Famous
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This is a film that portrays the life of a 14-year-old teenager who loves music and accompanies the band Stillwater’s touring life. It’s expected that a movie about music has an excellent soundtrack, and Almost Famous doesn’t disappoint. The mix of famous artists with some original songs written by the director himself and his wife at the time, Nancy Wilson, the lead singer of the band Heart, during their honeymoon, is what makes the experience of watching the movie more special.
With classic rock songs such as America by Simon & Garfunkel and Sparks by The Who, one of the highlights of the film is the cast version of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer. It’s noticeable that all the songs were well planned to fit in some situation of the story, from the lyric to the melody when the scene needed to pass more emotion to the spectator.
The original songs, performed by the group Stillwater in the plot, fulfilled the expectations of the public. In Fever Dog, the song played in the first show performed by the band, it has a clear inspiration from Led Zeppelin. And that’s why the film won the Best Compilation of Soundtrack for Visual for British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2001. You can listen to it in this link.
8. Forrest Gump
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Another film considered one of the greatest classics is Forrest Gump, which portrays a story through the passage of time. And the soundtrack only contributes to the success of the story. There’re 57 songs that in the development of the history mix strongly to the moments lived by Forrest. One such moment happens to the sound of “Sweet Home Alabama” when Forrest returns to Alabama, to his sweet Alabama home. According to producer Alan Silvestri, one of those responsible for the trail, “we wanted to have a very identifiable material periods of time without interfering with what was happening cinematographically”
The soundtrack was responsible for reaching second place on Billboard in the year of its release. “Forrest Gump is about time, a journey of a simple man in difficult times,” director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Eric Roth said in a statement to the press. “And the heart of the story is the music, the music that lives with us, which is always there to remind us of the people and events of our time.” Listen to it.
9. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
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The film tells the story of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller), who is in charge of the photo development department of Life magazine. He’s a shy man, leading a simple life, until the day when the negative of the photo for the magazine cover disappears and causes Walter to leave his comfort zone to face the unknown on the other side of the world and embark on a adventure. The soundtrack manages to accompany the character’s journey and give an even greater credibility to the film. With David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” the lyrics perfectly exemplify Walter’s feeling on his journey through the unknown: a lonely man seeking his own liberation.
The soundtrack brings a mix of genres, but what prevails is folk, with Monsters and Men and Arcade Fire. The songs bring this air of adventure and the melody combines with the context of the story. But the highlight is José Gonzalez, an indie / folk singer from Sweden with Argentine parents. Of the 10 songs that compose the album, 5 are of his own, some solo and others of the band Junip, that he’s part with the musician Tobias Winterkorn. Check it out.
10. Into The Wild
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The soundtrack to the film Into The Wild can be considered the most special of this list. Directed by Sean Penn, the film tells the story of Christopher McCandless who, instead of embarking on a profitable and prestigious career, chooses to give his savings to charity and depart on a trip to Alaska. The soundtrack was by Eddie Vedder, who made this his first solo album.
The songs were recorded at Studio X in Seattle, where Vedder worked with producer Adam Kasper. After seeing an excerpt from the film, the Pearl Jam frontman began working on the songs. And the exchange of excerpts from music and snippets of films between Vedder and Penn, made the narrative of the story blend with the narratives of the songs. No wonder, the result is impressive, listen here.