Of course, any song included on a movie’s track list has to be good—but you can’t just toss any tune into the mix simply because it’s super-catchy. The best movie soundtracks of all time also curate amazing songs that pair perfectly with a film’s tone, themes, setting, time period and plot. Whether the songs are original or handpicked from previous artist releases, music in a film can act as a commentary on the dialogue, as foreshadowing of the plot or even as a plot device in itself. At their best, soundtracks burn into your memory so that you forever link a song with a very specific cinematic moment in time. The following 50 soundtracks all nailed the art and science that goes into making an incredible, unforgettable soundtrack. Some picks may be obvious, while others may surprise you… until you go back and re-watch and re-listen.
The Best Movie Soundtracks of All Time
1. Purple Rain
Did you expect anything else to top this list? Princechanged the music game forever with Purple Rain, which was also the first album on which his band at the time, The Revolution, is credited. Boasting hits including “When Doves Cry,” “I Would Die 4 U,” “Let’s Go Crazy” (which has one of the best intros of all time) and the title track, Purple Rain won an Oscar and three Grammys. (It was also nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year.)
2. The Bodyguard
Though other artists are featured on The Bodyguard soundtrack, make no mistake: The album is 100 percent Whitney Houston’s show. Her covers of “I’m Every Woman” and “I Will Always Love You” are pure pop canon, with original writer and performer Dolly Partongushing of the latter, “I could not believe how she did that. I mean, how beautiful it was that my little song had turned into that, so that was a major, major thing.” The power ballads “Run to You” and “I Have Nothing,” plus the sassy, danceable “Queen of the Night” blend together for a beautiful, moving and immortal work.
3. Dirty Dancing
You’ll indeed have “the time of your life” listening to this soundtrack—especially if you’re a Dirty Dancingdiehard who knows where every song is used in the movie. Dirty Dancing’s 1960s pop classics were as crucial to the film’s success as the chemistry between Jennifer Greyand Patrick Swayze, which goes to show why the soundtrack sold a then-unheard-of 11 million copies and was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for four months straight. Michael Lloyd, the music supervisor on the film, said he approached numerous artists to sing “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”—including Lionel Richie and Donna Summer, as well as “Bette Davis Eyes” singer Kim Carnes and Daryl Hall—before using Bill Medley (of the Righteous Brothers) and Jennifer Warnes, “The movie was being made by a new company that no one had heard of and the stars weren’t big stars, so I couldn’t get anybody to sing on it,” Lloyd recalled to Rolling Stone. “I went through all these people, and they said n. I didn’t blame them—it was hard to imagine that this would have been something special.”
4. The Blues Brothers
Aretha Franklin’s “Think” was already a classic long before Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s The Blues Brothershit cineplexes in 1980, but admit it: Whenever you hear the song now, you picture the “Queen of Soul” singing and dancing in a diner. With additional songs from fellow musical royalty—think Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, James Brown, Chaka Khan and Cab Calloway—this musical comedy’s soundtrack is a keeper unto itself.
5. Footloose
Kenny Logginsis a national treasure who will make you dance—even if, as in this Kevin Bacon-starring, coming-of-age classic, you may go to jail for it! Selling more than 9 million copies globally, the Footloosesoundtrack also featured pop classics like “Let’s Hear It For the Boy” by Deniece Williams, “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler and “Almost Paradise” from Mike Renoand Ann Wilson. The title track was nominated for Best Original Song at the 1985 Oscars and Golden Globes.
6. The Graduate
The Graduatekept its soundtrack simple, but perfect: Aside from Simon & Garfunkel’s iconic contributions, the instrumental tracks from Dave Grusin tell a story that needs no words. Garfunkel has said that “Mrs. Robinson” literally could have been about anyone, recalling in Paul Simon: A Life, “Paul had been working on what is now ‘Mrs. Robinson’, but there was no name in it and we’d just fill in with any three-syllable name. And because of the character in the picture we just began using the name ‘Mrs. Robinson’ to fit…and one day we were sitting around with Mike [Nichols] talking about ideas for another song. And I said ‘What about Mrs. Robinson?’ Mike shot to his feet: ‘You have a song called ‘Mrs. Robinson’ and you haven’t even shown it to me?’ So we explained the working title and sang it for him. And then Mike froze it for the picture as ‘Mrs. Robinson.’”
7. Waiting to Exhale
Another Whitney Houston-driven classic, the Waiting to Exhalesoundtrack was nominated for 10 Grammys, including Album of the Year, and features the smash “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” which won the Best R&B Song Grammy in 1997. “Exhale” isn’t the only great song on the album, which was written and produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds: Houston’s “Why Does It Hurt So Bad,” as well as Mary J. Blige’s “Not Gon’ Cry” and Brandy’s “Sittin’ Up In My Room” have remained relevant more than two decades after its release. The Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, to date, has sold 12 million copies.
8. The Crow
The darkness and tragedy of The Crow’s plot is captured perfectly by the movie’s triple-platinum soundtrack. With songs like “Big Empty” by the Stone Temple Pilotsand Rage Against the Machine’s “Darkness of Greed,” plus several classic punk covers by Panteraand The Rollins Band, the soundtrack also serves as an amazing time capsule for ’90s rock in all its subgenre splendor. It also features songs by The Cureand Joy Division (via a cover by Nine Inch Nails) that feature strongly in the Marvel source material on which the Brandon Leecult classic was based, while closing track “It Can’t Rain All the Time” drives home the movie’s key recurring theme.
9. The Lion King
Elton Johnteamed up with Tim Ricefor the soundtrack to The Lion King, and their timeless songs transcend everything the light touches. While the tracks that get the most attention include the beautiful pop ballads “Circle of Life” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” plus ditties like “Hakuna Matata” and “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” we also need to stop paying dust to Jeremy Irons’ “Be Prepared.” He made Scar great!
10. Help!
The Beatles’ Help! wasn’t quite as strong of a film as A Hard Day’s Night, but the album A Hard Day’s Night didn’t have “Yesterday.” We think it balances out.
11. Saturday Night Fever
The soundtrack to Saturday Night Feveris on par with John Travoltain terms of its importance to the film’s success. The Bee Gees’ contributions to the collection (“Stayin’ Alive,” “More Than a Woman,” “Night Fever” and more!) defined not just the movie, but an entire era, while other disco staples from the film (“Disco Inferno” by The Trammpsand “If I Can’t Have You” by Yvonne Elliman) shouldn’t be overlooked. The album sold a whopping 16 million copies and became the only disco album to ever win an Album of the Year Grammy.
12. Philadelphia
Bruce Springsteenmay be a New Jersey icon, but “Streets of Philadelphia” made him big in Hollywood, earning him a Best Original Song Oscar and four Grammys for Song of the Year, Best Rock Vocal Performance (Solo), Best Rock Song and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. While The Boss ate up most of the acclaim for the Philadelphia soundtrack, the rest of the album is an eclectic and beautiful collection of songs in relation to the film’s heavy themes of homophobia and the AIDS crisis: Nowhere else would Sade, the Spin Doctors and Maria Callasall be featured in the same body of work.
13. Glitter
Mariah Carey’s soundtrack to her 2001 film of the same name was plagued with bad luck. For starters, it was released on September 11, 2001. Meanwhile, many behind the scenes, including Carey herself, have claimed that her ex-husband, Tommy Mottola, deliberately sabotaged the album and its lead single, “Loverboy.” As a result, few people heard what should have been quite a few more hits, including “If We” (featuring Ja Rule, which you can hear below) and a cover of “Didn’t Mean to Turn You On.” But don’t worry: Carey’s fans ultimately achieved justice for Glitter, in 2018, when their “#JusticeforGlitter” hashtag propelled the soundtrack to #1 on iTunes in numerous countries worldwide.
14. Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1
Without spoiling anything for you (even though, in fairness, it’s been a while since the movie came out), Guardians of the Galaxyrelies heavily on its soundtrack, Peter Quill’s Awesome Mix Vol. 1, to tell its story. The assortment of ’70s classics doesn’t just make for fun moments in the film, it also makes for a killer dance party (or a dance off!) anywhere else.
15. 8 Mile
Eminem’s 8 Mile contains some of the most iconic rhymes of the rapper’s career (who could forget the “mom’s spaghetti” line from “Lose Yourself?”), plus classics like “Wanksta” from his pal 50 Cent, “R.A.K.I.M.” by Rakimand “U Wanna Be Me” by Nas, to name a few. Em also showcased the talents of his co-star Taryn Manning’s band Boomkat with “Wasting My Time.”
16. Super Fly
Super Fly’s soundtrack was propelled by its title track (stylized as one word, “Superfly”) as well as “Freddie’s Dead,” each of which went platinum—no surprise, considering both were written, produced and performed by soul legend Curtis Mayfield. The album’s sensual melodies and instrumentals underscore lyrics that sympathize with those who struggled with addiction and were victims of the drug trade—also no surprise, considering the movie’s about a cocaine kingpin (Ron O’Neal) who longs to retire.
17. The Lion King: The Gift
Beyoncé overachieved with The Lion King: The Gift. To curate the album for the 2019 live-action reboot, she worked with a slew of African artists and producers—as well as her own family on “Brown Skin Girl,” which features her oldest child with Jay-Z, daughter Blue Ivy Carter. That track’s Grammy win for Best Music Video in March 2021 also contributed to Beyoncé becoming the most award-winning singer in Grammy history.
18. Clueless
It’s a shame that people remember Cluelessmore for the fashion than the music, because the iconic 1995 film had an amazing soundtrack. Featuring a diverse collection of artists from the Beastie Boys and Coolioto Radiohead, Supergrass and the Counting Crows, the most memorable song may actually be Jill Sobule’s criminally underrated “Supermodel,” which was both of the moment and timeless in its cheeky cultural criticism.
19. Repo Man
As a film, Repo Manis either a mess or a masterpiece, depending on who you ask. What isn’t up for debate is the brilliance of its soundtrack, which essentially serves as a time capsule of the 1980s Los Angeles punk rock scene with a title track from Iggy Popand songs from Black Flag and Suicidal Tendencies, among others.
20. Black Panther
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler chose Kendrick Lamarto curate the groundbreaking Marvel film’s soundtrack. Lamar contributed lyrics to every single song on the Black Panthersoundtrack, while other A-list artists on the project include SZA, Travis Scott, The Weeknd and James Blake. Sounwave, a producer on the project, explained of the process, “There were a variety of reasons why each artist was picked. From Kendrick, Top Dawg [Entertainment] and I already being fans of the artist to finding the right person to match the emotion we were looking for, and also a lot of studying different kinds of music. We were listening to a massive South African playlist for months… and that was an important part, because we wanted to go inside their world to get an organic sound, sonically and emotionally.”
21. Frozen
Nope, we still can’t let “Let It Go” go. We especially love Demi Lovato’s version.
22. Marie Antoinette
Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinettesoundtrack covers quite a bit of ground sonically, ranging from the childish to the heartbreaking. The album magnificently combines modern hitmakers The Strokes, classic goth pop rockers Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure, plus bubblegum delights like “I Want Candy,” to bring the aesthetically beautiful yet tragic story of France’s doomed queen to (an all-too-brief) life.
23. Do the Right Thing
Boasting three versions of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thingsoundtrack evokes the film’s summer vibes as much as its potent, compelling themes: The power of love and hate (Radio Raheem’s “left hand, right hand” speech), the horrors of bigotry and racial injustice and the importance of finding common ground.
24. A Star Is Born
Lady Gagaand Bradley Cooper’s chemistry in A Star Is Bornis simmering, and the soundtrack doesn’t disappoint, either. Even the less-than-stellar tracks (there aren’t many) are deliberate (think of how “Hair Body Face” was meant to not be Ally’s best work). “Always Remember Us This Way” and “I’ll Never Love Again” are some of the most heart-wrenching ballads of the decade, let alone the movie, and, of course, “Shallow” earned a rightful spot in the pop canon.
25. American Graffiti
American Graffiti’s soundtrack, titled 41 Original Hits from the Soundtrack of American Graffiti, went triple platinum in the U.S. The compilation of doo-wop, Motown and early rock hits from the 1950s and ’60s is timeless, with eminently listenable tracks from such iconic artists as Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, Fats Domino, Chuck Berryand The Platters; humming along is inevitable.
26. High Fidelity
A must for any record store nerd and/or music snob, High Fidelityboasts a stellar array of classics and deep cuts by the likes of Stevie Wonder, the Kinks, Velvet Underground and more. The soundtrack will inspire you to make a mix of your own, but no guarantees that it’ll win over the partner you’ve been neglecting!
27. Dazed and Confused
Alice Cooper, The Runaways, Kiss: Behold, the ultimate soundtrack not just to Dazed and Confused, but to a summer simmering with the promise of rebellion (or just a lot of long drives to parking lots with the windows cranked down and the music cranked up). The opening track is one to never skip—though Rick Derringermay not have the name recognition of his peers on the album, “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” is a classic earworm.
28. Shaft
Was 1971’s Shaft a fun movie? Yes, of course! Co you specifically remember anything about it? Exactly. Isaac Hayes’ progressive soul soundtrack made Shaft an instant classic.
29. Singles
Grunge and rock fans love the Singles soundtrack. The 1992 film featured tracks from Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains, Chris Cornelland Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Jimi Hendrix and Paul Westerberg of The Replacements, making it perfectly of its moment and also a timeless re-listen. The album was certified double platinum and was crucial to ushering Seattle’s grunge music scene into the mainstream.
30. Magnolia
Aimee Mannis featured prominently on the Magnolia soundtrack because the movie was largely based on her music. Director Paul Thomas Andersontold The Guardian, “Magnolia came out of Aimee Mann’s songs, which I was listening to at the time I was starting to write. I had her two solo albums and a lot of her demos, because she’s a friend, and I think the tone she gets is really beautiful. So I thought about using them as a basis, or as inspiration for the film.” Supertramp, Gabrielle,Jon Brion and Harry Nilsson(whose song"One" is covered by Mann here) also make appearances.
31. William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Julietsoundtrack was a smash, for good reason: The pure pop perfection of The Cardigans’ “Lovefool,” the grunge of Garbage, Des’ree’s romantic “Kissing You,” plus contributions from Radioheadand Everclear make the 1996 album one of the best of its generation. It went triple platinum stateside and was even more popular in Australia, where it was certified five-times platinum.
32. The Big Chill
Motown, doo-wop and classic rock are served up nostalgia style in 1983’s The Big Chill soundtrack. All the tracks have one thing in common: From “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night to “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye to Aretha Franklin’s girl-power anthem “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman,” every song is absolutely infectious.
33. Goodfellas
Goodfellasshowcases a slew of classic songs from Italian-American singers that collectively tell the story of Henry Hill’s ascent within the Lucchese crime family from a daydreaming kid (set to Tony Bennett’s “Rags to Riches”) to a somewhat deceptive husband (his wedding is set to The Harptones’ “Life Is But a Dream”) to a career criminal to a snitch on the run.
34. Judgment Night
Most people forgot about the actual film Judgment Night, but its soundtrack became an instant classic thanks to its rap-rock pairings, including Slayer with Ice-T, Pearl Jamand Cypress Hill, Living Colour and Run-D.M.C. and Mudhoney with Sir Mix-A-Lot.
35. Top Gun
A perfect time capsule of the late ’80s, theTop Gunsoundtrack has “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin and “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins. This needs no further explanation.
36. Empire Records
Empire Recordsdidn’t do stellar box office numbers, but it went on to become a cult hit, and its soundtrack is filled to the brim with ’90s rock favorites. The Gin Blossoms’ “‘Til I Hear It From You” kicks it off and served as the lead single, while other featured artists include Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Cranberriesand Better Than Ezra.
37. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflowerboasts a soundtrack spanning several decades worth of sing-along hits like “Come On Eileen” and, famously, David Bowie’s “Heroes,” which plays a key role in the film’s sweet high school plot.
38. The Greatest Showman
From start to finish, The Greatest Showman’s music more than makes the movie, from the title track to the power ballad “Never Enough” to Keala Settle’s soaring “This Is Me.” The film’s Re-Imagined soundtrack also features moving covers, including a great “This Is Me” rendition by Kesha, “A Million Dreams” by Pink(with her daughter, Willow Sage Hart) and “Never Enough” by Kelly Clarkson.
39. Belly
Belly was a standard action B-movie, but the soundtrack was hip-hop gold. Its star, DMX, blew listeners away on “Grand Finale,” and D’Angelo shed his sensual side to showcase his harder edges on “Devil’s Pie.” The album is rounded out with tracks from everyone from X’s co-star Nas to Jay-Z, Rakim, Beanie Sigel and Wu-Tang Clan, making it a must-have for anyone who loves powerful rhymes.
40. I’m Not There
How much Bob Dylancan you handle? Man of the rock icon’s critics love his songwriting but not his voice, and if you’re one of those people, you’ll appreciate the soundtrack to I’m Not There. The album is full of Dylan covers from the likes of Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Willie Nelsonand more.
41. Friday
Ice Cube’s comedy classic Friday is a hip-hop staple, going double platinum thanks to the title track, as well as the single “Keep Their Heads Ringin’.” Aside from the film’s star and writer, the album also features Ice Cube’s N.W.A.partner Dr. Dre, 2 Live Crewand Rick James, among others.
42. The Big Lebowski
Classic rock and soul reign on The Big Lebowski soundtrack, which features Elvis Costello, Nina Simone, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bob Dylan. However, the best things about The Big Lebowski soundtrack, at least if you were to ask The Dude? No Eagles songs, save for a Gipsy Kings cover of “Hotel California.”
43. Heavy Metal
The soundtrack to Heavy Metal is, surprisingly, not limited to metal, though Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cultare featured. There are also songs from Sammy Hagar, Stevie Nicks and Don Felder, to name a few. The soundtrack faced several difficulties in getting produced and released: The LP was released in 1981, but legal issues prevented the album from being released on CD formats for another 14 years.
44. Pulp Fiction
Perhaps more than any other album on this list, the Pulp Fiction soundtrack—which features interludes of dialogue from the film in between songs—really tells the movie’s story. Director Quentin Tarantinoalso opted for surf music to accompany the otherwise-classic-rock-and-soul-heavy assortment, noting, “it just seems like rock ’n’ roll Ennio Morricone music, rock ’n’ roll spaghetti Western music.” The soundtrack reinvigorated the surf rock genre, which saw a resurgence of use in everything from other films to mainstream advertising. Plus, who can hear Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell” without breaking into JohnTravolta and Uma Thurman’s dance moves? Nobody, that’s who!
45. The Last Days of Disco
The Last Days of Disco soundtrack is basically the greatest hits album of the era (sans queen Gloria Gaynor, but nothing’s perfect). With Chic’s “Good Times,” Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out,” Andrea True’s “More More More” and Alicia Bridges’ “I Love the Nightlife,” this isn’t just the soundtrack to a 1998 movie set in the early ’80s ; it’s a soundtrack to getting ready to go out and do the hustle with your friends today, and it will inspire you to do just that (especially when it closes out with the super-sweet “Love Train”).
46. Trainspotting
Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Primal Scream, New Order and Blur are among the artists featured on the Trainspottingsoundtrack, to haunting effect: Reed’s “Perfect Day,” long rumored to be about the Velvet Underground frontman’s own battle with heroin addiction (though he denied it), plays as Ewan McGregor’s Mark suffers from a near-fatal overdose.
47. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The 18-track O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack brought new mainstream attention to the styles of Great Depression-era folk and country music. The songs were mostly modern recordings that were actually recorded before the movie was filmed because the music was so integral to the overall work. The album won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002, and two tracks won awards of their own: “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow” won the Grammy for Best Country Collaboration With Vocal, while the Best Male Country Vocal Performance trophy went to bluegrass legend RalphStanley for his cover of “O, Death.”
48. Rock ’n’ Roll High School
The Ramonesdidn’t just provide the soundtrack to Rock ’n’ Roll High School, they also appeared in the film, which centers around a group of teens desperate to get to one of the punk rock icons’ concerts. The soundtrack also featured songs from Brian Eno, Devo, Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry and Brownsville Station, among others, giving the listener a true education on just how much variety there could be in rock n’ roll.
49. Flashdance
You’d have to be, well, a maniac to not love the Flashdancesoundtrack. With “Maniac” from Michael Sembello, “What a Feeling” from Irene Caraand songs from Donna Summer, Laura Branigan and Kim Carnes, Flashdance was simultaneously very much of its moment and also timeless. The soundtrack was nominated for nine Grammys, with Cara taking home Best Pop Vocal Performance, as well as a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Song.
50. Tarzan
While Disney’s Tarzanwasn’t one of its best-animated features, Phil Collinsgave 130% on the soundtrack, crafting lyrics that literally told the story of the orphan who was raised by apes. “You’ll Be In My Heart” is the most popular song from the Tarzan soundtrack, but “Two Worlds” and “Son of Man” go an even longer way in telling the tale. There’s a reason why Collins’ name trends on Twitter every few months: People are reminded of just what a stellar job he did here. Next, heat up your playlist with the 80 best summer songs of all time!
