Good Movie Soundtracks

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 5:45 pm

Good movie soundtracks add to the enjoyment of a film, but their magic doesn’t stop when you’ve left the theater. You can also enjoy them in the car, on your computer, or even in the shower. Of course, it’s sometimes hard to know which are good movie soundtracks and which ones should be avoided at all costs. To make things easier on you, I’ve taken the liberty of compiling this list of 10 good movie soundtracks which should provide hours of musical bliss. There are others out there, to be sure, but this collection should get you started in style. If you can think of any that I’ve left out, feel free to complain about it in our comments section (this list is about songs, not scores, by the way).

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Saturday Night Fever – Selling over 15 million copies, the soundtrack to the John Travolta hit is considered one of the all-time best, and it even helped to revive disco and get a lot of hairy-chested guys laid. If you’re a fan of the Bee Gees (and who isn’t?), get this in your collection at once.
Notable songs include: “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees
“How Deep is Your Love” by the Bee Gees
“Night Fever” by the Bee Gees
“More Than a Woman” by the Bee Gees
“If I Can’t Have You” by Yvonne Elliman
“A Fifth of Beethoven” by Walter Murphy
“Jive Talkin” by the Bee Gees
“You Should Be Dancing” by the Bee Gees
“Boogie Shoes” by KC and the Sunshine Band
“Disco Inferno” by The Trammps

The Sound of Music – Julie Andrews hit it big in this film about a nun-in-training who becomes a governess for seven children in Austria. Adjusted for inflation, The Sound of Music made over a billion dollars, and the soundtrack was a large part of this. I remember learning several of these when I was a little kid in school, long before I was even aware that the film existed.
Notable songs include: “Maria” by Evadne Baker, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, and Marni Nixon
“Sixteen Going on Seventeen” by Charmian Carr and Dan Truhitte
“My Favorite Things” by Julie Andrews
“Do-Re-Mi” by Julie Andrews, Charmian Carr, Heather Menzies, Nicholas Hammond, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, Kym Karath, and Debbie Turner
“Edelweiss” by Charmian Carr and Bill Lee
“Climb Ev’ry Mountain” by Peggy Wood

The Crow – A moody mixture of alternative, goth, and industrial rock from the supernatural revenge flick starring the late Brandon Lee.
Notable songs include: “Burn” by The Cure
“Big Empty” by Stone Temple Pilots
“Dead Souls” by Nine Inch Nails
“Darkness” by Rage Against the Machine
“Color Me Once” by The Violent Femmes
“Slip Slide Melting” by For Love Not Lisa
“It Can’t Rain All the Time” by Jane Siberry

Pulp Fiction – Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece includes a mish-mash of soul, pop, country, rock, and surf music. If you’re under 18, this may not be your cup of tea.
Notable songs include: “Jungle Boogie” by Kool & the Gang
“Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green
“Lonesome Town” by Rick Nelson
“Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield
“Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” by Urge Overkill
“Flowers on the Wall” by The Statler Brothers

A Hard Day’s Night – Is it really any surprise that a film starring The Beatles would be among our list of good movie soundtracks?
Notable songs include: “”Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles
“I Should Have Known Better” by The Beatles
“I’ll Cry Instead” by The Beatles
“Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles
“And I Love Her” by The Beatles
Oh, hell. The whole thing’s notable. Buy it.

Dirty Dancing – Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey danced their way into our hearts, and a number of former music stars saw a resurgence in popularity thanks to the soundtrack. Even Swayze got in on the act, recording a single which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Makes a great gift for those over 50.
Notable songs include: “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
“Be My Baby” by The Ronettes
“She’s Like The Wind” by Patrick Swayze
“Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen
“Love Is Strange” by Mickey & Sylvia

Purple Rain – Prince wasn’t much of an actor, but he sure could sing his little butt off. A monster hit for the Purple One, its success allowed him to show up at awards ceremonies and act like a complete freak.
Notable songs include: “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince
“Darling Nikki” by Prince
“When Doves Cry” by Prince
“I Would Die 4 U” by Prince
“Baby I’m a Star” by Prince
“Purple Rain” by Prince

Reservoir Dogs – Another entry from a Quentin Tarantino film, this soundtrack is filled with mellow hits from the ‘70s. In between songs, comic Steven Wright serves as the worst disc jockey to ever hit the airwaves.
Notable songs include: “Little Green Bag” by George Baker Selection
“Hooked On A Feeling” by Blue Swede
“I Gotcha” by Joe Tex
“Stuck In The Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel
“Coconut” by Harry Nilsson

Blues Brothers – John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd team up to save an orphanage and prove that white guys can sing the blues. Along the way, they get help from legends such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown.
Notable songs include: “Shake a Tail Feather” by Ray Charles and “Joliet” Jake Blues
“Old Landmark” by James Brown
“Think” by Aretha Franklin
“Rawhide” by The Blues Brothers
“Sweet Home Chicago” by The Blues Brothers
“Minnie the Moocher” by Cab Calloway

Pink Floyd The Wall – The double album came out three years before the movie, but it still qualifies as a damn good movie soundtrack. As main character Pink tries to tear down the wall inside his head, we’re treated to some of the best rock ever produced, courtesy of Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and company.
Notable songs include: “Another Brick in the Wall Part 1” by Pink Floyd
“Mother” by Pink Floyd
“Goodbye Blue Sky” by Pink Floyd
“Young Lust” by Pink Floyd
“Hey You” by Pink Floyd
“Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd
“Run Like Hell” by Pink Floyd
“Waiting for the Worms” by Pink Floyd

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I hope you enjoyed this list of good movie soundtracks. For more cinematic recommendations, check out these fine articles:

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 5:45 pm and is filed under Good Movies, Thoughts on Film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Good Movie Soundtracks”

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October 21, 2009

Tarun

can you please mail me a list of song which give a soothing effect
songs like
“an angle”-declan galbriath
“love is blind”-ramzi ft.
etc

August 25, 2010

pink floyd machine

Pink Floyd is my favourite! Thank you.

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