When putting together a list of the Top 100 Movie Soundtracks of All Time we set out some rules. Firstly, albums that were purely a film’s orchestral score were out (sorry John Williams, Ennio Morricone, et al.). The soundtracks had to feature songs used in the film (a few score tracks added in as well was fine). In general, musicals were out, especially those based on Broadway stage shows (although at least two musicals snuck on the list). The albums didn’t just have to include songs written especially for the film; plenty of great soundtracks consist of mainly pre-existing songs curated by a music supervisor and director. Soundtracks featuring the songs of just one artist (looking at you Prince, Badly Drawn Boy, Curtis Mayfield, Air, Madonna, Queen, and Björk) were fine, but concert films and traditional biopics were out. It didn’t necessarily matter if the film was forgettable, as long as the soundtrack was memorable.
Looking at our eventual selections, as decided via a comprehensive vote with many of our writers submitting ballots, it’s clear that certain filmmakers have a real knack for this soundtrack thing. You’ll find represented multiple films each by Quentin Tarantino, John Hughes, Cameron Crowe, Edgar Wright, Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Paul Thomas Anderson, The Coen brothers, Martin Scorsese, Amy Heckerling, and Gregg Araki.
The best soundtracks work as complete listening experiences whether or not you’ve seen the film. However, there is often no escaping flashes of your favorite scenes when putting on the soundtrack to a movie you adore. Some songs are forever tied to cinematic moments. Wayne and Garth jamming out in their car to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in. Ewan McGregor’s Mark Renton floating while high on drugs in “the worst toilet in Scotland” while Brian Eno’s serene “Deep Blue Day” plays, near the beginning of . Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) skateboarding through Hill Valley, late for school, as Huey Lewis and the News’ “Power of Love” plays, at the start of . Christian Slater’s teenaged pirate radio DJ Happy Harry Hard-on opening every show with Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” (even though it’s Concrete Blonde’s cover of the song that’s on the official soundtrack). Indie record store owner Rob Gordon (John Cusack) declaring in , “I will nowby The Beta Band,” before putting on the band’s song “Dry the Rain” and doing just that. All these songs and moments are forever collected on wax and below are the soundtracks we consider the best.
