Movie soundtracks can help make or break a film. Throughout the years, many of the best movie soundtracks have come to light in well-known film titles. Can you imagine watching movies like Pulp Fiction or Gladiator without their soundtracks?
Film scores are now just as important as the movies they feature in, and this has led to a vast number of composers being highly sought after. Think of Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Ennio Morricone. All of them, and more, are masters in the film score scene.
It’s not always original music that films seek out, though. Sometimes, pre-existing music is inserted into a film’s soundtrack to help bring it to life.
So, what are the movies with the best soundtracks? Come with us as we count down the 15 greatest movie soundtracks.
The 15 Greatest Movie Soundtracks
15. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
Without a doubt, all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies feature stunning soundtracks. The second film in the franchise, released in 2006, was the first to include music by Hans Zimmer.
No electric guitars were used in the score, with Zimmer noting that the orchestra was put through a guitar amp and piped back into the room. Heavily contrasting with the score for the previous film, Dead Man’s Chest incorporates bombastic anthems and thundering choruses, as befits a movie about pirates.
Try listening to “The Kraken” from the soundtrack of this movie and you’ll see what we mean.
Zimmer would return for the next two films in the series, At World’s End and On Stranger Tides.
14. Jurassic Park (1993)
The success of Jurassic Park, which was released in 1993, came in part due to its amazing soundtrack. Composer John Williams had worked with director Steven Spielberg before, scoring Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which was also a commercial success. He spoke of needing to create pieces of music that would allow the viewers to experience “awe” and “fascination”.
The Jurassic Park score uses a large orchestra, often incorporating a variety of percussion, two harps, baritone horns and a choir. Williams also included synthesizers in much of the soundtrack. The “Theme from Jurassic Park” is one of its most recognisable pieces.
13. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Could you watch the epic historical romance film Gone with the Wind without its soundtrack? Our guess is probably not.
It was producer David O. Selznick who chose Max Steiner to compose the score, and he crafted one of the most classic movie soundtracks. He spent 12 weeks working on it, marking the most prolonged period he had ever spent writing one. It was also the longest soundtrack he had ever wrote at 2 hours and 36 minutes.
The grandeur of the score immediately conjures up imagery of the old South, whether for good or bad. Selznick insisted that pre-existing music was also used, with tunes like “Dixie” and “The Bonnie Blue Flag” appearing within.
12. Chariots of Fire (1981)
Hugh Hudson directed the 1981 historical sports drama film Chariots of Fire, which is known for its fantastic soundtrack. It won Best Original Score at the Academy Awards for the electronic theme song crafted by Greek composer Vangelis.
The film bases itself on a true story surrounding two British athletes at the 1924 Olympics. Despite being a period piece, the soundtrack uses a contemporary electronic sound from the 1980s. This marked a departure from earlier period films, which always used sweeping orchestral instrumentals.
The title theme of Chariots of Fire not only became one of the best soundtracks but has gone on to be used in many other movies and TV shows, elevating their slow-motion segments.
11. Schindler’s List (1993)
Steven Spielberg films are likely to appear often on this list, with Schindler’s List being another of his most famous releases. The film follows Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved over 1,000 Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during the Second World War.
With this being the theme of the movie, John Williams was once again employed by Spielberg to compose the score. Williams was amazed by the movie and even felt it would be too challenging for him to work on. In the end, he accepted the position, creating a soundtrack with Itzhak Perlman on violin.
“Theme from Schindler’s List” is one of the most recognised contemporary film scores. The soundtrack won the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
10. Star Wars (1977)
When your soundtrack is listed by the American Film Institute as the world’s most recognisable, you know it’s something fantastic, right?
That’s precisely the case with the John Williams score from Star Wars. The main title theme from the movie lets you know exactly what you’re about to watch.
It may surprise you then, that George Lucas originally planned to use pre-existing music in the film. It was Williams who convinced him that an original score would be much better, so Lucas tasked him with its creation. What resulted from that was one of the world’s greatest movie soundtracks.
Once the album was released, its main title peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
9. Flashdance (1983)
The story of Flashdance is an inspiring one, focusing on welder and exotic dancer Alex Owens, who is portrayed by Jennifer Beals. She has dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. Yet it is the nightclub performances by Alex and her co-workers, which provide most of the opportunity to present the songs of its soundtrack.
Music supervisor, Phil Ramone chose tracks he believed were the best fit for different movie scenes. Additional tracks were composed and submitted by Giorgio Moroder. It was he who contributed “Flashdance…What a Feeling”, sung by Irene Cara, which went on to spend six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
With the release of the film, the soundtrack sold out within days. It has since gone on to sell over 20 million copies.
8. The Bodyguard (1992)
The Bodyguard is, without a doubt, the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time. It also stands as the 15th best-selling album of any genre across the United States. And if you listen to it, you’ll realise why.
Side one features songs recorded by singer Whitney Houston, who had one of the starring roles in The Bodyguard alongside Kevin Costner. Side two incorporates works from various other artists.
The soundtrack became the first album verified by the Nilsen SoundScan to sell over 1 million copies within a single week. Much of its success was down to the number one single release by Houston, “I Will Always Love You”, a reworking of a Dolly Parton track.
7. Cruel Intentions (1999)
While Cruel Intentions was initially a smaller-budget independent film, it was picked up by Columbia Pictures and widely released in March 1999. The performances of its three main stars – Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Philippe and Reese Witherspoon – received widespread praise.
Its soundtrack contributed to its popularity, with the lead track for the film being The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony”.
Composer John Ottman initially created an entire musical score for Cruel Intentions, but this was rejected. Producers wanted a more pop/rock-oriented soundtrack to appeal to the teenage demographic it was aiming it at. Thus, a soundtrack featuring Placebo, Skunk Anansie, Blur and others was used instead.
6. Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg’s famous thriller movie Jaws wouldn’t be the same without the accompanying soundtrack from frequent collaborator John Williams. His composition of the soundtrack earned him an Academy Award and went on to be ranked as the sixth-greatest movie soundtrack by the American Film Institute.
The main shark theme went on to become a classic piece of suspense music, nearly making it onto the list of the 10 best horror movie soundtracks. Williams described this as a piece of music that grinds away at you, “just as a shark would do”. He borrowed his own technique from Jaws and utilised it in Jurassic Park many years later.
Spielberg himself stated that without Williams’s score, Jaws would only have been half as successful as it was.
5. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Michael Mann directed The Last of the Mohicans and co-wrote its screenplay with Christopher Crowe. They brought Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman in to compose music for the soundtrack.
Originally, Mann requested that Jones provided an electronic score for the film. Yet late in production, a decision was made for an orchestral score instead. Jones had to hurriedly re-fashion the score for orchestra in a limited timeframe. Edelman came in to score a few minor scenes which Jones had no time left to do.
What came from it was one of the most iconic movie soundtracks, featuring the main theme “Promentory” and Clannad’s “I Will Find You”. The latter features lyrics in English, Mohican and Cherokee.
4. The Mission (1986)
The experiences of a Jesuit missionary operating in 18th-century South America serve as the basis for the film The Mission by Roland Joffé. The movie stars Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons and has often been cited as one of the greatest religious films of all time.
It also offers one of the best movie soundtracks of all time, created by Italian composer Ennio Morricone. A liturgical piece opens the soundtrack, becoming the “Spanish” theme and then quickly moves into the “Guaraní” theme. The latter of those is written in a native style, utilising several indigenous instruments.
Native drumming, liturgical chorales and Spanish-influenced guitars come together to capture the varying cultures explored within The Mission.
3. 1917 (2019)
Sam Mendes created the film 1917 taking partial inspiration from stories told to him by his paternal grandfather. Those stories surrounded his service during World War I, and Mendes turned to composer Thomas Newman for its soundtrack. Having frequently collaborated on film soundtracks before, the duo discussed musical ideas beforehand.
Newman understood the tense journey of the film and knew this had to come through in its musical score. Songs like “The Night Window” and “The Rapids” bring that feeling of terror in war to life for the listener.
While Newman considered the film as his most challenging for scoring, he utilised snare drums and instruments associated with war to bring home the reality of what many experienced in WWI.
2. Baby Driver (2017)
Written and directed by Edgar Wright, this 2017 action film utilises songs from a variety of artists. Wright worked alongside musical director Steven Price to select songs from various decades. This includes music from artists like Blur, The Beach Boys, Queen, Simon & Garfunkel, and others.
The film takes its name from a Simon & Garfunkel song, which features on their Bridge Over Troubled Water album. This plays out during the end credits of Baby Driver.
There are also three original tracks included – a cover of “Easy” by Sky Ferreira, “Chase Me” by Danger Mouse and “Was He Slow?” by Kid Koala. The soundtrack won the Empire Award for Best Soundtrack at the 23rd Empire Awards.
1. The Lord of the Rings (2000-04)
It’s difficult to select a single The Lord of the Rings film, because they all feature exceptionally stunning music from Howard Shore. Visiting the movie set in 1999, he composed a version of the Shire theme and Frodo’s theme before director Peter Jackson even began shooting.
Shore did the same again in 2000, watching the assembly cuts of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King. He opted to include many leitmotifs in the music, which represent various characters, cultures and places. This had occurred in films before, with Star Wars being a prime example. Yet those within The Lord of the Rings far surpassed such movies.
The music has been voted the best movie soundtrack of all time six years in the running.
