With the recent success of Top Gun: Maverick and the recent trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder sporting a riff of “Sweet Child o’ Mine”, it seems movie soundtracks could be making a comeback. A good soundtrack can set the tone for a movie, and from time to time, a soundtrack is so iconic that it becomes one of that film’s most memorable features.
Ranker has compiled a list of films which have the greatest soundtracks of all time. Many of these songs in the soundtrack add to the scene, whether it be emphasizing a character relationship or theme. For example, Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” at the end of The Graduate shows the uncertainty of the characters’ future.
Note: Ranker lists are live and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Streaming on Netflix
Director Robert Zemeckis directs Tom Hanks in the 1994 best picture winner. Forrest Gump tells the life story of an autistic but extremely caring man as he experiences major events from the 20th century.
What makes this soundtrack tie in with the movie so beautifully is that these songs add to their respective scenes. For example, “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson is just one of several road-trip-themed songs that play when Forrest is making his cross-country run. When Forrest is dancing with the love of his life, Jenny, Lynard Skynard’s “Sweet Home Alabama” plays to emphasize the togetherness they both feel when reunited in their home state.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Stream on Disney+
The MCU took a big swing in taking a lesser known Marvel property and making a big budget movie on it. James Gunn’s film about a misfit group of rogues that must team up to stop a warlord bent on destruction proved to be a huge success.
Guardians of the Galaxy was the first MCU film to take advantage of it’s soundtrack. Many notable songs include “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye. Gunn found a clever way to incorporate these songs into the film by making them part of Star-Lord’s mix tape, a cassette given to him by his late mother, which he listens to on a vintage Sony Walkman throughout the film.
Walk the Line (2005)
Stream on Amazon Prime Video
Oscar-winning Joaquin Phoenix stars in a biopic directed by James Mangold. The film portrays the ups and downs in the personal life of country music legend Johnny Cash.
Of course being a biopic of a famous singer, Walk the Line‘s soundtrack consists of songs written and performed by Johnny Cash. It’s impressive that the actors actually perform their character’s respective songs. Joaquin Phoenix sings such Cash songs as “I Walk the Line” and the more famous “Ring of Fire”. Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her role, not just for her portrayal of June Carter but also singing songs such as “Wildwood Flower”.
Footloose (1984)
Stream on Paramount+
The original film features Kevin Bacon as a rebellious young teen who moves to a small town where dancing and rock music is illegal. It’s up to Bacon’s character to convince the town’s reverend to overturn the ban in time for the senior prom.
The Footloose soundtrack was wildly successful. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with 10 weeks at the top spot. The soundtrack contains songs co-written by songwriter Dean Pitchford and performed by artists like Sammy Hagar. The film’s most well known song “Footloose”, performed by Kenny Loggins, spent 3 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100. The song was even nominated for an Academy Award.
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Stream on HBO Max
In the film that made John Travolta a star, Saturday Night Fever focuses on a young Italian-American man from Brooklyn who is king of the disco dance floor. He dances to escape his life outside of the disco.
Since the film has a focus on the disco world, it only makes sense that the soundtrack would as well. It features various disco themed songs like “Boogie Shoes” from KC and the Sunshine Band and “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps. Perhaps the film’s most well known song is “Stayin’ Alive”, performed by the Bee Gees, who performed a majority of the songs on the soundtrack. The song was so popular that it is listed at No. 9 on AFI’s Top 100 Songs.
Back to the Future (1985)
Stream on Peacock
In Back to the Future, Marty is sent back in time 30 years with the help of a DMC DeLorean time machine and he must make sure that his parents fall in love.
The songs add to the plot and themes of the film. “Heaven Is One Step Away” by Eric Clapton plays on the radio when Marty returns to 1985, a perfect choice to sum up his journey. In one scene, Marty sings “Johnny B. Goode” and the fictitious cousin of Chuck Berry, Marvin, calls Chuck and tells him to listen to the song. The scene takes place in 1955, and the song was written in 1958, hinting that Marty was responsible for it being written.
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Stream on Amazon Prime Video
At a summer camp in New York’s Catskills Mountains, Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey) falls in love with dance instructor Johnny (Patrick Swayze), whose upbringing is much different than her own.
Many of the songs featured in Dirty Dancing add to Baby and Johnny’s relationship stages. For example, “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen plays when Baby is learning to dance with Johnny. “Love Is Strange” by Mickey & Silvia plays when they practice in the dance studio. Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me” is heard when Baby tells Johnny how she feels. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” plays as Baby leaves Johnny’s room in the morning.
Top Gun (1986)
Stream on Paramount+
In the late Tony Scott’s Top Gun, Maverick (Tom Cruise) is an impulsive pilot who finds out that he must prove his worth not only his flying instructor, but also to himself.
Written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock and performed by new wave band Berlin, the theme song “Take My Breath Away” won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for best original song in 1986. Kenny Loggins performed “Danger Zone” and “Playing With the Boys”, which was played over the famous volleyball scene.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Stream on Amazon Prime Video
A dramedy written and directed by John Hughes, The Breakfast Club centers around five high school students in detention. Each one portrays a different stereotype (athlete, scholar, etc.), but they soon realize they are more than just those stereotypes.
The use of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds in the movie put the band on the map, and it plays during both the opening and closing credits. This song fits nicely with the characters’ arcs. Even though each character is different, they realize that they had an impact on each other and they will never forget the Saturday they spent in detention together.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Stream on Amazon Prime Video
Quentin Tarantino cleverly intertwines the redemption stories of various characters which are filled with violent, sometimes funny situations.
Dick Dale’s rock guitar solo “Misirlou” opens Pulp Fiction, setting up the exciting chaos that ensues. The different mix of genres makes the film even better in that they match with the different mix of storylines. The songs, like the storylines, mesh together nicely even though it seems like they shouldn’t. One of the most symbolic songs in the film is “You Can Never Tell” by Chuck Berry, which is played during the dance scene at the diner. The soundtrack has sold 6.7 million copies around the world.
