The 50 Best Movie Soundtracks You Must Listen

There are a lot of important elements in a film, which makes it worth watching, but one of the most integral parts of it is the music or background score. Imagine watching “The Shining” and the reverberations of the haunted, fast Piano aren’t there as Jack Nicholson is chasing his wife.

Now that wouldn’t give you the eerie feeling which you should get. Music completes the movie, aesthetically. Sometimes the music is louder than the actions, and that’s what makes a film more enjoyable and easier to comprehend. Here are the best movie soundtracks you can groove, cry, run around, or ‘act-like-you’re-in-a-movie’ too!

1. Pulp Fiction

• Director: Quentin Tarantino
• Cast: Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Wilis
• IMDb Ratings: 8.9/10
• Streaming Platform: Hulu, DIRECTV

Quentin Tarantino left no stone unturned for this cult classic. The music of this movie is probably the coolest soundtrack of all time. The 90s vibe mixed with the 70s rock music results in a lot of grooving, even if you’re abusing drugs. “Misirlou” by Dick Dale is the banging, opening track of the film, which is actually a Folk Tune and a very epic one at that. If Pulp Fiction had to be any track, it would be this one.

Tarantino used Surf music intensely in this movie, from “Bustin’ Surfboards” by The Tornadoes to “You Can Never Tell” by Chuck Berry. He changed the faces of some songs, too, by attaching them with some barbarous scene like “Comanche” by The Revels. The film brought a lot of old gems and made them live once again, like “Jungle Boogie” by Cool & The gang or Urge Overkill’s “Girl; you’ll be a woman soon.” All in all, there was this fun and unhinged mood in this soundtrack, which just seems to fit right in with the movie.

2. Dazed and Confused

• Director: Richard Linklater
• Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Adam Goldberg, Parker Posey
• IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
• Streaming Platform: Youtube

High school movies hit the jackpot when this movie was made. The acting, the script, and the cast were all incredible but what stood out was its soundtrack. The opening credits did pull out the big guns; “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith. Most of these songs are played in the car when the characters were driving and chasing around.

Rock was a big thing in this movie, like Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” and Black Oak Arkansas’s “Jim Dandy.” Alice Cooper’s songs have a made a big cameo too, one during “School’s out” and another one during No more Mr. Nice guy.” The movie might not have been a crowd-puller or had played Led Zepplin’s “Dazed and Confused,” but it’s the soundtrack is a sure hit.

3. Purple Rain

• Director: Albert Magnoli
• Cast: Prince, Apollonia Kotero
• IMDb Ratings: 6.6/10
• Streaming Platform: Coming on Netflix in February

This peculiar little legend had an artistic way of getting into people’s hearts. “Purple Rain” is one of his biggest musical numbers by him and his band, The Revolution, and so is the movie which stars him, despite the chauvinistic approach in the story and sad acting by the actors. “When Doves Cry” by Prince and The Revolution was a statement in it’s all weird self.

With electric guitar and jangling drums, this track found its way to the top. Prince was a bold man; he never shied away from anything, especially in his songs; for some, “Darling Nikki” would’ve been too sexual, but he made sure to add some soul with that Rock song and get everyone to step it up. This soundtrack is legendary, to say the least, and it has to be danced on at least once in your life!

4. Boogie Nights

• Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
• Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham
• IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

Boogie nights had very appropriate songs for the time the movie was set in. Anderson didn’t take any risk with the music, but he knew what he had to do; his master move was “Sister’s Christian” by Night Rangers, played during a very stressful scene in the movie, which added a lot more thrill to it.

As the name sounds, the soundtrack is also like those flashy college parties of the 90s where there are different cliques and illegal activities, the song by Eric Burdon and War’s tiki-bar-tastic, “Spill the Wine” makes the high school party scenario along with “Machine Gun” by The Commodores was the perfect party song. Karyn Rachtman, who supervised the 70s surf rock arrangement of Pulp Fiction, adds her supervision here, in boogie nights, and turns it into a proper disco with a rock soundtrack. The soundtrack is accurate and really embodies the movie.

5. Pretty In Pink

• Director: Howard Deutch
• Cast: Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy,
• IMDb ratings: 6.8/10
• Streaming Platform: DIRECTV

The 1980s had some darling rom coms with memorable music, and one of them is Pretty in Pink. If there’s any retro-themed party going on right now, the music and the style from this movie would be a perfect inspiration. The punk songs which were used were already pretty famous among teens at that time, considering The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please Let me Get What I Want” celebrated the heartbreak faced by a teenager in love.

High school students love pop, “If You Leave” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark was the opening pop track, then comes “Shellshock” by New order’s who had two instrumental tracks, but they weren’t added. There was pop or classic rock song for every scene, whether the geek getting the girl or the girl being nervous around her crush. Pretty In Pink has one of the best soundtracks of all time.

6. Guardians Of The Galaxy

• Director: James Gunn
• Cast: Christ Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Streaming Platform: Disney+Hotstar

The Soundtrack was well connected with the movie and the fictitious characters. There was Jackson 5, David Bowie, The Raspberries, “Go All The Way,” and “Hooked On a Feeling” by Blue Swede. The music’s timing might seem odd since they are out in the galaxy, but it was well crafted. Gunn made all these old fashioned tunes timeless.

7. Kill Bill

• Director: Quentin Tarantino
• Cast: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Vivica A. Fox
• IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
• Streaming Platform: Disney+, AppleTV

Kill Bill is a wickedly, violent movie with stylish music. Tarantino makes his movies in a way so you can enjoy the crime and drama in them. The opening track, “Bang Bang, My Baby Shot me down” by Nancy Sinatra, is a heavy hitter for the movie and already sets a reputation for the following songs. Tarantino likes to be unpredictable, like playing “Twisted Nerve” by Bernard Herrmann, a melodious track during a dangerous scene.

The addition of “Crane/White Lightning” by RZA and Charles Bernstein during the war scene and “Green Hornet” by Ali Hirt during Uma Thurman’s informant chasing scenes seem to go very well with the premise. The soundtrack is deadly and can make you feel just how the characters were feeling.

8. Clueless

• Director: Amy Heckerling
• Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Britanny Murphy
• IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
• Streaming Platform: Youtube

The joy to be a kid in the 90s when Clueless had come out was a sure thing. The movie was quirky, funny, romantic, and had a lot of fashion. The music gives you a true sense of high school life. “Kids of America” by The Muffs (cover) is played when all the popular kids are dressed up and posing, giving us an insight into their lives.

Cher and Dionne were goals, so they obviously deserved their own track, which was No Doubt’s, “Just a girl,” as they truly are just girls. Although Cher insulted Radiohead’s music in the movie, her romantic life’s background score was their songs. It might sound like a messy soundtrack, but for the movie, it was perfect as it seemed very put together.

9. Judgement Night

• Director: Stephen Hopkins
• Cast: Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven, Stephen Dorff
• IMDb Ratings: 6.7/10
• Streaming Platform: Google Play, DIRECTV

Judgment Night’s soundtrack was the biggest clash in the 90s between rap and hard rock or heavy metal. No one had expected a full-blown verse screeching going on. “Fallin” by Teenage Fanclub and De la Soul and Helmet and House of Pain’s “Just Another victim” were the two songs to relieve yourself from anger, angst, and emotions.

Cypress Hill’s collab with Pearl Jam resulted in “Real Thing,” which was a pure punch in the face. The whole soundtrack brought hip hop and rock in one platform, which was so new at that time, and the outcome was hardcore.

10. High Fidelity

• Director: Stephen Frears
• Cast: John Cusack, IbenHjejle, Jack Black, Todd Louiso, Lisa Bonet.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
• Streaming Platform: Youtube, Google Play

The movie was released during a time when iPods weren’t there, vinyl was endangered, and people were stacking up Mp3 and cassettes. “You’re Gonna Miss Me” by The 13th Floor Elevators’ might not have done too well as a single, but it was selected as the opening song. For an almost loved ballad, which was a rock jam, written by Arthur Lee, “Always See Your Face” by Love managed to remit the emotions the character was going through.

A brownie point to this movie to get Bruce Springsteen to play a nice melody on the guitar while giving some advice to Rob Gordon. The best song out of the 15 tracks was “Oh! Sweet Nuthin” by The Velvet Underground.

11. Black Panther

• Director: Ryan Coogler
• Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira
• IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
• Streaming Platform: Disney + Hotstar

This new universe in the Marvel world radiated power and glory. The movie, to say the least, is art, and so is the Oscar-winning music. Kendrick Lamar has played a huge role in this magnificent soundtrack, with five tracks on his name and a lot of styles and talented rapping by him. There is “Pray for me” by The Weeknd and Kendrick

Lamar, which is one of the finest ones in the album but to beat that, there’s Travis Scott and Lamar’s “Big Shot,” which has a flute led background, giving it a proper Wakanda feel. The hip-hop masterpiece which outshines all the tracks is “Parademic!” by SOB X RBE and Kendrick Lamar, with a haunting start of words in the song building up to some punching rap verses, the song hypes you up. T’Challa and his confidantes are proud to hail from Wakanda, who have such regal background scores.

12. American Graffiti

• Director: George Lucas
• Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Harrison Ford, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams
• IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
• Streaming Platform: Hulu

The best part about this teenage movie was the soundtrack. The movie was timed in the early 60s, and there were quite a few rock bangers. “Johnny B. Goode,” “That’ll Be the Day,” “Rock Around the Clock,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” are all big hits from their time, and “Little Darlin” by the Diamonds is a song with bubbly energy and the kind you want to dance to.

Wolfman Jack also made an appearance in American Graffiti 1973, doing what he does best, being a radio jockey. The tracks were originally sold in Vinyl, but the tracks were converted to singles and sold in CDs when the time came to change.

13. Singles

• Director: Cameron Crowe
• Cast: Bridget Fonda, Matt Dillon, Campbell Scott
• IMDb Ratings: 6.7/10
• Streaming Platform: Disney+

The 90s have seen enough rom coms about preppy kids. Singles is charming, funny, and all punk, musically, as well as the 20 teenagers in the film. Cameron Crowe took it upon himself to make Seattle shine by taking their local artists for his movie’s soundtrack. There was Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Jimi Hendrix, and the best track in the lot is “Dyslexic Heart” by Paul Westerberg. The songs are catchy and something very special.

14. Midnight Cowboy

• Director: John Schlesinger
• Cast: Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Brenda Vaccaro
• IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime, Video, iTunes, Google Play

One of the best movies of all time, along with a beautiful, Grammy-winning soundtrack. The use of melody, grace, and harmonica has been done in many points of the film to signify the emotions present in the film. “Everybody’s Talkin” by Harry Nilsson is the cover of a country band tune and is a euphonious addition to the movie.

Elephant’s Memory got a good break in this film by having 2 of their tracks being featured; “Old Man Willow,” which has a very trippy vibe to it, and “Jungle Jim At The Zoo,” which seemed to go really well in the sequence. The melancholic harmonica sound of “The Midnight Cowboy’s Theme” is what starts the waterworks as it’s alone, moving sound.

15. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

• Director:
• Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet
• IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

A unique film, one of its kind, which shows that no matter how true love is, it won’t be easy for anyone. The soundtrack is equally heart wrenching and makes everyone feel things, and that’s the real power of music. Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd. Rafi’s “Wada naTode” makes a soft cameo in the background during a light conversation between the two lovers. Korgi’s “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometimes” is a meaningful song that should be heard clearly. “I wonder” and “Sometimes” by The Willowz have two different moods to them. The soundtrack is well connected to the movie.

16. Marie Antoinette

• Director: Sofia Coppola
• Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman
• IMDb Ratings: 6.4/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

Marie Antoinette was about the 14-year-old Marie and her rebellious shenanigans, but Sofia Coppola added her own touch to this story, which might seem a bit raunchy to some, but the soundtrack was especially enjoyable. There was Adam and The Ants, New Order, Bow Wow Wow; all of these songs give this political story a dashing touch of power. “Aphrodisiac” and “I Want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow seem like materialistic songs, but the story is about a teenager, and the idea sticks to that.

17. Reality Bites

• Director: Ben Stiller
• Cast: Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke
• IMDb Ratings: 6.6/10
• Streaming Platform: Youtube

The big 90s introduction to alt-rock happens in this movie. Although it’s not a big classic movie or a famous love story, the music is quite notable. This hip hop track, “Give a Man A Fish” by Arrested Development, won Grammys and great reviews from music critics. Sepultura’s “Arise” is the title metal track of the movie, which was a highly intense headbanging song. Salt-N-Pepa’s “Let’s Talk About Sex” was and still is a big hit among teens and is a jam to this day. The soundtrack of Reality Bites is pure fun and joy.

18. A Star Is Born

• Director: Bradley Cooper
• Cast: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga
• IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

A starry soundtrack was definitely born in this movie, along with the great sizzling between Gaga and Cooper. “Shallow” is the pop song with beautiful range by Lady Gaga and the soft, husky voice of the first-timer, Bradley Cooper. The songs are pop, alternative, soft rock, country, and blues, considering it has Grammy winner Lady Gaga as the lead. There’s a beautiful cover of “La Vie En Rose”, the French melody by Lady Gaga. Bradley Cooper has sung quite a few songs along with the Gaga or solo.

19. The Graduate

• Director: Mike Nichols
• Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime, Video, iTunes, Google Play

Mike Nichols found the soul of his movie in the soundtrack because of Simon and Garfunkel. “Mrs. Robinson” is the most famous one in this comedy-drama, it tells you a story and is the one background which goes on for a long time. “Sound of Silence” has a lonely guitar strumming in the start with a calm nature in the song with one of it’s most relatable lines for every generation, “Hello, Darkness, my old friend.” The Graduate is not a typical musical, but Nichols makes sure that the scene doesn’t seem too empty.

20. Call Me By Your Name

• Director: Luca Guadagnino
• Cast: TimotheeChalamet, Armie Hammer
• IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video

This coming of age story about young love and forbidden romance touched so many hearts and made so many eyes weep. The songs are aesthetically pleasing because they have so much heart in them. The synth wave genre mixed with pop is used a lot in the songs, like in “Mystery of Love,” “Visions of Gideon,” “Love My Way” by The Psychedelic Furs. The whole soundtrack seems like a letter of emotions to a close and loved one.

21. Saturday Night Fever

• Director: John Badham
• Cast: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney
• IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

Bee Gees something out of the ordinary here. 70s disco was probably married to Bee Gees with the way they used Pop-Disco in their soundtrack for this musical. “Staying Alive” is this macho song that will make you wear flared jeans, slick your hair back and dance around. “More than a woman” has the constant tempo of disco and a techno undertone, which is very peaceful. If you want to dance to a sad song, “If I Can’t Have You” is the perfect one; just ignore the lyrics, only vibe to the light wave disco song. Saturday Night Fever has all the songs for every emotion, that too, in the disco!

22. Wild Style

• Director: Charlie Ahearn
• Cast: Lady Pink, Fab 5 Freddy
• IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

The soundtrack is a Hip Hop masterpiece. The movie didn’t work too well, but the soundtrack has all the good stuff. Kenny Dope really helped with his supervision for all the tracks. The 4 minutes long “MC Battle” had managed to influence a lot of upcoming, young rappers in America. “Basketball Throwdown” is a rap battle between two groups that goes off like fire. There’s a lot of freestyling rapping, otherwise too, along with some Rap-Disco and Punk. It is funky, groovy, and definitely will hype you up.

23. Good Fellas

• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Cast: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
• IMDb Ratings: 8.7/10
• Streaming Platform: Google Play, YouTube, Amazon, and iTunes

Martin Scorsese knows his sounds and film. He is a genius. That being said, GoodFellas’ soundtrack is all popular rock tunes. It has at least 2 tracks out of 12 by the all-time classic Rolling Stones which are, “Monkey Man” and “Gimme Shelter.” The sequence of the songs manages to captivate the audience to the story and the reality of what he’s trying to show. Tony Bennett’s “Rags To Riches” and Sinatra’s cover, “My Way” was like oil on the engine in this film. The movie, in every aspect, was a masterpiece.

24. Pitch Perfect

• Director: Elizabeth Banks, Trish Sie
• Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow
• IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

This movie came out quite recently, but Acapella was a new thing, still. Pitch Perfect came with A cappella of songs from every genre and any period like, “Don’t You Forget About Me” from Breakfast Club mashed with “Party In The USA” by Miley Cyrus and a bunch of other songs. Anna Kendrick gives her audition for the Barden Bellas by making beats from a cup and singing “Cups When I’m Gone,” and that goes viral.

“Titanium,” an acoustic cover of this electronic piece by Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow, made the song live once again. There is so much music in this trilogy and so much variation, which just keeps getting awesome. It’s truly a musical delight. Pitch Perfect is the time capsule.

25. Bohemian Rhapsody

• Director: Bryan Singer
• Cast: Rami Malek, Ben Hardy, Gwilym Lee, Joseph Mazzello
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

This was a magical tribute to the epic, Freddie Mercury. The man with suave moves, the one who could captivate the audience with just “AY-OH!” no matter if it’s the live aid or a pub. The film is basically the entire Queen essential album on shuffle but with a backstory to feel them. “Bohemian Rhapsody” did become the 6 minutes orchestral musical which kids would sing on top of their lungs, “Don’t Stop Me Now” is the perfect song to pump yourself up to.

“We Will Rock You” is a legacy that will live on for the longest time, every generation has been singing it, and that will continue because of the power drive it has. “The Love Of My Life” gives you the emotion of swaying with your loved one or looking at the sky. Queen’s music and Mercury’s style lives on.

26. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

• Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
• Cast: George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson
• IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime, Netflix, Microsoft Store

Country, Blues, and gospel songs are always a good idea. This movie could easily be deemed as a folk musical, produced by T Bone Burnett, who kept the authenticity of sounds from that era. “Big Rock Candy Mountain” by Harry McClintock is the only ancient track that wasn’t recorded. The Soggy Bottom Boys, a band which shone brightly in the playlist with their chirpy, country music like “I am A Man Of Constant Sorrow” and “In The Jailhouse Now.” Bluegrass music has never been a centerpiece of anything so beautiful before.

27. Garden State

• Director: Zach Braff
• Cast: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm
• IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
• Streaming Platform: Youtube

This soundtrack will feel like your own little playlist in your collection. Indie Rock found a huge audience because of this movie. The Shins, “New Slang,” as suggested by Sam to Andrew in the movie, is a song you won’t regret. There’s Coldplay who were as famous as they are now, Simon & Garfunkel in “The Only Little Boy Living In New York.” One of the favorite tracks of fans would be “Such Great Heights” by Iron & Wine. It is pure, fragile, and sure you can give your heart to. Zach Braff made this incredible tape just for the indie rock fans.

28. Mo’ Better Blues

• Director: Spike Lee
• Cast: Spike Lee, Denzel Washington
• IMDb Ratings: 6.6/10
• Streaming Platform: Microsoft Store

America didn’t always have metal, pop, and rock. There was Jazz before all that. Spike Lee dedicated this movie to that art. Cynda Willaims gives a soft rendition of “Harlem Blues.” There are beautiful and divine sets of Saxophone, which gives you a lot of 70s Dark Pub nights vibes. “Jazz Thing” is a hip hop jazz classic that turned out to be an idea for many youngsters.

29. Space Jam

 

• Director: Joe Pytka
• Cast: Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley
• IMDb Ratings: 6.4/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

The movie might have been for kids, but the soundtrack was for everyone. To this day, “I believe I can fly” by R. Kelly is the sound for many vines and videos. The starting of the new wave, “Come on N’ Ride It (The Train)” by Quad City’s Dj, was a big production in this area. There were a lot of rappers in this arrangement, from Coolio, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, B Real, and Method Man. The basketball soundtrack has never been better.

30. Waiting To Exhale

• Director: Forest Whitaker
• Cast: Angela Bassett, Whitney Houston, Loretta Devine
• IMDb Ratings: 5.9/10
• Streaming Platform: Youtube

Put on a mask, grab on to your favorite blanket and dim the lights; that’s the way to listen to this melodious, noteworthy soundtrack. One of the biggest icons the music world has seen, Whitney Houston’s “Exhale,” paired with some soft drums, was such an elegant track. Babyface was the one to compose this R&B gem and got the soundtrack 11 Grammy nominations.

Aretha Franklin’s Heartbreaking song, “It Hurts Like Hell” is the perfect song to purge on ice cream and cry to, “Not Gon’ Cry” by Mary J Blige is the song to get out of this heartbreaking misery and get back on track and then there’s Brandy’s, “Sitting up In My Room,” a perfect song to be in love land. Women’s run soundtrack was powerful, poise, and perfect.

31. Dirty Dancing

• Director: Emile Ardolino
• Cast: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey
• IMDb Ratings: 7/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

Swayze’s energy and sensuous dancing made Dirty Dancing the little minx among all the Romance Dramas. “She’s Like The Wind” by Patrick Swayze is the perfect song to dedicate to your significant other; with his smooth voice and light drum beats and the guitar strumming, what a bliss. The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” will make you miss the time you were out with your friends, dancing around, in the 80s.

With the intense bass and deep voice, the songs are perfect. “Time Of My Life” could be your go-to song for anything, to ballroom dance, graduate to, or just dance alone in your room because of the belting voices and the classic drums. It is just a lively soundtrack that anyone from any era would enjoy.

32. Mamma Mia

• Director: Phyllida Lloyd
• Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep
• IMDb Ratings: 6.4/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

This movie was made so everyone could relive or live ABBA because they did rule the music world once, and honestly, the reason is crystal clear. “Dancing Queen,” every teenager’s go-to dance song, which could be her life background score too, and “Money, Money, Money” giving us the reality of the money-minded world we live in but with its strange keyboard sound which changes to synth-wave, “VoulezVous” a pop classic and lastly “Mamma Mia,” this needs no description, it is a full-on ride. There are a lot of songs by ABBA that will make you fall in love, cry, miss someone, or just dance around in the streets of Greece, and that’s what makes it so precious.

33. La La Land

• Director: Damien Chazelle
• Cast: Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, John Legend
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

The movie had a very good plot, and so were the features. The music was a mix of a lot of genres, but the most significant one was Jazz, which is a big deal in today’s musical preference. “City of Stars” by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling was a soft ballad, a tribute to their city or each other, with just their raw voices and piano.

“Another Day Of Sun” and “Someone in The Crowd” was two fun tracks that definitely were full of energy and sunshine. John Legend’s “Start A Fire” is a Jazz solitaire; piano, saxophone, and Legend’s husky voice made magic. The soundtrack is a treasure.

34. Joker

• Director: Todd Philips
• Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro
• IMDb Ratings: 8.5/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

Joker was the kind of movie which would take time to process. The background score, while processing, would be playing in your mind for sure because it is full of weight. “Defeated Clown,” an instrumental track as most of the soundtrack is, has an ominous start and ending with a loud cello playing to keep your mind involved.

“That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra might seem like a song that is more like a “Sigh,” but Joker used it in a dreading way and gave it a whole new twist. “Smile” by Jimmy Durante is a sad song that teaches you to stay strong, and the addition of this song to Joker only makes it sadder because of the turn of events in the movie. The soundtrack was sinister yet gloomy; there were some bits of rock & roll that seemed dark.

35. A Hard Day’s Night

• Director: Richard Lester
• Cast: John Lennon, Wilfrid Brambell
• IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

The Beatles had reached the peak of their career during this time. This soundtrack screams Pop because of them. “And I Love Her” and “Things We said Today” are tracks that were so real and promising by words and laced with emotions. The soundtrack really helped The Beatles with growing. their audience a bit more. “Tell me why,” “You Can’t Do That,” and “Hard Day’s Night” are works which Lennon should be extremely proud of.

It was pure pop with a lot of intensity and required no Punk or metal for that. A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack is the kind of music any teen would listen to and can be called one of the best movie soundtracks in the pop world.

36. The Harder They Come

• Director: Perry Henzell
• Cast: Jimmy Cliff, Carl Bradshaw, Janet Bartley
• IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

Reggae. The soul of this movie’s soundtrack. The songs are from some legendary reggae artists like Desmond Dekker, The Melodians, Jimmy Cliff, who is the star of the soundtrack. “Shanty Town,” by the name, shows the challenges and difficulties the lead faces. The opening track of the harder they come is full of liveliness and congo’ beats. The music gives you the perfect Jamaican vibe and gives reggae a new face.

37. Easy Rider

• Director: Dennis Hopper
• Cast: Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Phil Spector
• IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix, Disney Plus

The movie was and is for the youth. The soundtrack was a mix of Pop and rock, very typical in 1969, but it was spectacular. Steppenwolf’s “Born to be wild” and “The Pusher” changed the scenes for the teens and the movie. The Electric Prunes, Jimi Hendrix, The Byrds all contributed to this epic and heroic soundtrack and made it one of the most heard soundtracks of all time.

38. Grease

• Director: Randal Kleiser
• Cast: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing
• IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

The musical was ‘Grease Lightning.’ “You’re The One That I Want,” sung by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, is the song which you would love to act in; the style, the fashion, and the dance are just winsome. “Summer Nights,” tells you a story of two teens’ version of their summer love. “Greased Lightnin'” is the 80s song that would make you feel like the main character in someone else’s story as well. The soundtrack is the whole story itself.

39. The Sound of Music

• Director: Robert Wise
• Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Streaming Platform: Disney+Hotstar

For any person who is binging on musicals, this one has to be there. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote the wonderful classics, which to date are sung, covered, and loved. “Do Re Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” “So Long (Farewell)”; The songs might seem a lot like Disney songs because it is free, quirky, happy, and great to sing along. A theatrical performance by all the actors in the movie made the sound of the musical even more special.

40. Inside Llewyn Davis

• Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
• Cast: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake
• IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime. Microsoft Store

Having Justin Timberlake star in a movie and not have him sing any song is blasphemy. The soundtrack is wonderful. There’s the use of the banjo in “The Roving Gambler” and a mournful tone in “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me” These two tracks give the time of the early ear, but there are two songs which seem too close to pop, “Five Hundred Miles” and “The Last Thing On My Mind” by Justin Timberlake and The Sands, respectively. The music stays true to the movie.

41. Spring Breakers

• Director: Harmony Korine
• Cast: Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, James Franco
• IMDb Ratings: 5.3/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime. YouTube, Google Play

The musical arrangement is quite EDM based because that’s what the new age listens to. Skrillex gets out his machine and blasts a lot of electronic music as half of the scenes show the girls partying or doing drugs. Gomez and Hudgens cover “..One More Time” by Britney Spears, which is obviously iconic. The movie’s soundtrack can be played in clubs or parties but not for peaceful crying.

42. The Shining

• Director: Stanley Kubrick
• Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
• IMDb Ratings: 8.4/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

The music used for this horror mystery is precise in every form and manner. “The Awakening of Jacob” by Krzysztof Penderecki is played after the blackout scene, which explains the tense atmosphere in the cabin. There are Beethoven, Purcell, and Rossini to give the ballroom effect in a movie to spread more fear. The arrangement of the music was complete genius as it managed to spread a haunting feeling in every scene and made the whole movie a lot shinier.

43. Rocketman

• Director: Dexter Fletcher
• Cast: Taron Egerton, Bryce Howard, Richard Madden
• IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
• Streaming Platform: Disney+Hotstar

Everyone knows Elton John; this movie is about how he became “Elton John.” The tracks in the movie were all performed by the actor-singer and remastered to perfection. “Border Song” one of Elton’s biggest hits along with “Rock and Roll Madonna,” which is a cheery rock song and, of course, one of the most incredibly composed songs, “Your Song,” which is an absolutely real song with a true story. The final track sung by John and Taron is the closing song, “I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” which is the cherry on top of this whole beautiful dessert of a fantasy.

44. Donnie Darko

• Director: Richard Kelly
• Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

This movie soundtrack was an ode to all the teenagers going through something in their own minds. “Head Over Heels” by Tears For Fears is a song for the kids causing trouble at school or who just like some trouble. “Carpathian Ridge” is the kind of song you listen to in the dark if you have the guts to or you don’t because it is just piano and fear looming. Echo and The Bunnymen have the final song on the list, “The Killing Moon,” which seems like the best conclusion to listen to this sci-fi drama.

45. Begin Again

• Director: John Carney
• Cast: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld
• IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
• Streaming Platform: Netflix

The music in this movie can feel like a lost treasure that you have found, miraculously. It feels personal and intimate. “Lost Stars,” with Adam Levine’s beautiful voice and guitar along with some really thoughtful lyrics, is easily one of the best songs on the soundtrack. “Like A Fool” and “A Step You Can’t Take Back” sung by Knightley are angry songs about love. Overall, the music is well defined, and you can understand what mood is there.

46. Almost Famous

• Director: Cameron Crowe
• Cast: Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Zooey Deschanel
• IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video

The soundtrack for 2000s kids will seem like a time capsule since it has Led Zepplin, The Seeds, David Bowie. The rock quotient is kicking it in this movie. Crowe made his storytelling in a much better fashion by incorporating music that fits. “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John and “America” by Simon & Garfunkel are the introductory chapters of the story. From then, it’s all 90s famous pop or rock legends. The soundtrack of Almost Famous is Almost Perfect.

47. Yesterday

• Director: Danny Boyle
• Cast: Lily James, Himesh Patel, Ed Sheeran
• IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
• Streaming Platform: Youtube

The story didn’t attract too much attention, but the soundtrack definitely made a lot of The Beatles fan happy as the movie was just their songs.”Let It Be,” “Strawberry,” “Summer Song,” “Hey Jude,” which were all sung by Himesh Patel, were instant hits purely because of the fact that whatever has any essence of The Beatles, it has to be a super hit. They have the Midas touch.

48. Come September

• Director: Robert Mulligan
• Cast: Gina Lollobrigida, Rock Hudson, Sandra Lee
• IMDb Ratings: 7/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

Another classic movie soundtrack. The theme track took a lot of instruments to make what is one of the best theme tracks known, from mandolins, guitars, bongos and made the brilliant creation. “Multiplication Is The Name” by Bobby Darin is an upbeat gem, which can uplift anyone’s spirit with that heavy voice and trumpets.

49. 8 Miles

• Director: Curtis Hanson
• Cast: Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer
• IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

This movie has THE Slim Shady, the one to spit out verses faster than anyone can say, “Orange.” “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, which got him an Oscar, made a big appearance in this motion picture. Eminem took in 50 cents, which gave out “Places to go” and “Wanksta” which were absolutely insane. The whole soundtrack is a delight for rap fans.

50. Footloose

In the event that a music film is just as notorious as its title track, it follows that Footloose is a paragon. Kenny’s “King of the Movie Soundtrack” Loggins’ eponymous Golden Globe-winning track enchanted ages of crowds in the extraordinary opening minutes of the film, making way for banger after banger, six of which hit the Billboard top 40.

The synth-driven tracks, strikingly Deniece Williams’ “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” and Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero,” the indisputably ’80s reverb-y drum tones on Shalamar’s Prince-soundalike track “Dancing in the Sheets” and the gooey Mike Reno and Ann Wilson power song “Almost Paradise” together structure a period case of rock-pop that will make you believe you’re wearing parachute pants. Everyone cut footloose!!

50 movies with some great soundtrack, which will get you through any time. The lyrics, the creation, the beat, each of the soundtracks is known to be good in that. Throw a party or dome self-care, and these songs will definitely come in handy. Just pick wisely.