What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
Asked by
jonsblond (
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)
September 26th, 2009
For me: The Thing directed by John Carpenter would not have been as scary without the soundtrack that it had.
any Carpenter movie for that matter
Please describe why the soundtrack appealed to you.
Do you think a soundtrack can make or break a movie?
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57 Answers
I would be hard-pressed to pick just one. I can, however, definitively say my favorite soundtrack composer is Giorgio Moroder.
Some of great scores:
Cat People
Metropolis
The Never Ending Story
Together in Electric Dreams
Midnight Express
The score from Suspiria, by Goblin, is amazing.
Soundtrack for The Point, by Nilsson, is also amazing.
The Graduate
My favorite movie soundtrack is from the Nightmare Before Christmas
Favorite song: This is Halloween
I don’t think that the movie would be good without it. It would be like watching Gumby, just with skeletons.
@shego ”...like watching Gumby, just with skeletons,” Haha! Lurve! :)
Oh, too many. But it really depends on my mood.
The soundtracks from:
Edward Scissorhands. I think it’s transcendent and beautiful.
Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain both directed by Darren Aronofsky. Both incredibly powerful films with their power deriving from their soundtracks.
The Hours is pretty
Benny and Joon for “500 Miles”
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is just a lot of fun.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch the music made the movie.
And I don’t think I even need to list The Nightmare Before Christmas and Chicago.
@shego I love that movie!
My favorite soundtrack is that Twilight Soundtrack, I’m not talking about the movie, or discusing how bad and or stupid you guys thought it was. But, that soundtrack had some good artists.
Sleepless In Seattle
Singles
City Of Angels
Pulp Fiction
There’s so many… but Reservoir Dogs floats near the top for me. Just try to listen to “Little Green Bag” by George Baker Selection without feeling like a badass. Steven Wright is great in the excerpts between the tracks as well.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is the best ever.
Also Coraline was great, even though it was a score which is something I don’t usually get that excited about.
And Beetlejuice. And Amelie.
Loved Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill soundtracks.
Great movie music composers: John Barry, Ennio Morricone and Ron Goodwin.
Barry and Morricone get many props, while Goodwin I don’t believe gets as much so here are some movies he’s scored: 633 Squadron, Battle of Britain and Where Eagles Dare.
Danny Elfman is definitely my favorite film/rock-and-roll composer (for Nightmare, Sleepy Hollow, Meet the Robinsons, Men in Black, Batman…), but I also like Harry Gregson-Williams (both Narnia soundtracks were amazing) and Hans Zimmer (Pirates, mostly.)
My favorite soundtrack ever is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. I wore out my CD from playing it too much! :D
Iain Ballamy’s Mirrormask soundtrack is also really cool and fun, even if it isn’t traditional “soundtrack” music (huge orchestra).
I will admit to owning and listening to sountrack and orchestral music more than other kinds of music, because I am a music nerd.
How could I forget the truly awesome soundtrack from the movie Ravenous?
...a collaboration by Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman, influenced by Appalachian folk music. Did I mention it’s creepy as fuuuuck? More
A Knights Tale had a GREAT sound track!! The only movie I ever left where I said, “I’ve got to go out and buy the CD of that sound track.
@peedub Thank you. I haven’t seen it but I really want to see it now after listening to that. :)
I’m still listening to it…creepy! Just what I like.
@jonsblond To be honest, it was poorly advertised and looked stupid. No one I know [that loves it now] saw it when it was in the theater. My friend had to twist my arm to get me to watch it on DVD. I don’t know how many times I have seen it since. You will dig it, I guarantee.
Harold and Maude
Some of the best of Cat Stevens.
I wonder if anyone else has the image of him sauntering up the hillside playing the banjo whenever that phone commercial with Whoopi Goldberg and others comes on TV
“if you want to be free, be free…
for there’s a million things you can be, you know that there are”
On the one hand, it’s a shame that it’s been turned into a commercial. But on the other it’s just nice to be reminded of such an enduring and endearing classic.
I realize I’m kind of dating myself with that reference, but if you’ve never seen the film you definitely should.
Go rent Harold and Maude. I have yet to meet anyone who didn’t like it. The majority of the soundtrack is Cat Stevens.
(for the purists out there, I am aware of his name change, but he’ll always be Cat Stevens to me)
@Buttonstc I concur. That soundtrack reminds me of the Graduate’s. I don’t know if it’s the sound or that fact that both are singer-songwriter compositions created for a film. Result in common: I cannot extricate either artist from the respective film or visa versa.
The first minute and a half of Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave scored by Julian Nott is absolutely brillant. Homage to John Barry’s work on Bond and countless thrillers.
Many scenes in The Incredibles were also evocative of John Barry.
@Buttonstc ; Harold and Maude was one of the weirdest creepiest movies I have ever seen. It still disturbs me. Once (was it about 30 years ago?) was quite enough.
@peedub
That is so funny. I also thought of editing my answer to include The Graduate as well.
These are just two iconic soundtracks from singer/songwriters of a remarkable caliber of musicianship and not just one hit wonders. Maybe that’s the commonality also.
They are similar in quality, versatility, and skill to the Beatles.
There have been instances where I have encountered one of their much lesser known songs, without knowing who wrote or performed it. I have found myself humming it for days, unable to get it out of my head. So I get compelled to look it up and, ok and behold…
Two of those are: from Nip/Tuck on TV. Paul Simon singing “Thats All I Know”
And “Mull of Kintyre” by Paul McCartney. It was a hit in Europe but unheard of in the US but caught my attention first time I heard it.
Sorry I can’t do links from my phone but they can be found on YouTube if interested.
I have 3:
The mattix theme : clubbed to death
Journey of the sorcerer : theme to hitchikers guide to the galaxy
The saw theme (though I haven’t watched the movies)
Lurve for the graduate, that was my first reaction when I read the question. Simon&Garfunkel’s music set the perfect atmosphere for the movie. Kudos for the director (Mike Nichols) to make the entire soundtrack with two weird folk guys no-one ever heard of before.
Another director that always seems that creates the perfect atmosphere is Wes Anderson. I especially loved the ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ where one of the characters in the movie (played by Seu Jorge) sings David Bowie songs translated into Portugese.
I forgot, the theme from the abyss
Another vote for Giorgio Moroder! (The fact I had a ‘cheese night’, watching Flashdance last night may have something to do with this…)
The Last of the Mohicans. Freaking epic. Love it.
Rocky Horror Picture Show.
I have to say, soundtracks with relevant songs are much more meangful to me than soundtracks with orchestrated music.
In that category, I would put:
The Graduate
A Walk on the Moon
Almost Famous
and probably others I can’t remember right now.
Soundtrack: Garden State, Until The End of The World, Donny Darko.
Score: I’m a big fan of Angelo
Bedalamente (sp?). He did the score for Twin Peaks and used
to work with David Lynch a lot. His music is dreamy and
creepy at the same time.
@filmfann Oh yes to both of those. “O Brother” (someone else mentioned it above) is wonderful.
Eddie and the Cruisers
La Bamba
Immortal Beloved
Good Will Hunting
The Big Chill
@SuperMouse Lurve for “The Big Chill.” I knew there were many I wasn’t thinking of!
Everyone has listed amazing ones already. I definitely have to agree with:
-Pulpfiction
-Almost Famous
-The Big Chill
-Singles
New ones to add:
-Dazed and Confused
-Beauty and the Beast
-Walk the Line
-Forrest Gump
-Animal House
-Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Why they appeal to me they are amazing!
I think if a amazing movie has a soundtrack that is mediocre or even bad it can over come it. Even thought it would have made it that much better. I also think if just an average movie has a great soundtrack it can make me like the movie a lot more than I would have. Ex. Zack and Miri make a Porno Average movie but the scences with “Hold Me Up” by Live and “Hey” Pixies made me actually really enjoy the movie.
Deathproof and Pi are the first two that come to mind. They both introduced me to some great music. All the soundtracks for David Lynch movies are amazing, Especially Lost Highway .
I love More by Pink Floyd. Apparently it was Made for a movie with the same name, but I’ve never seen it.
Lalo Schifrin, did a number of soundtracks. Including “Bullitt”, where the exhaust note of the Mustang should have won an award.
The ‘I am Sam’ soundtrack—all Beatles songs sung by contemporary artists. I love Aimee Mann’s “Two of Us”
Danny Elfman’s music for Peewee’s Big Adventure AND Edward Scissorhands is so good. I love everything he does. Especially the music for Peewee though. I have it all on my ipod, i listen to it probably more than anything else.
I’m fond of every movie featured in Dumb and Dumber as well, probably only because when I hear it I think of the movie and am immediately jolly.
Last of the Mohicans.
be still my heart!
Favourites that spring to mind are though I’m sure I’ll forget some:
La Vie En Rose (the rest of my list is in no particular order but this movie’s soundtrack is definately my favourite of them all)
Titanic
Rocky Horror Picture Act
Sister Act (both)
The Phantom of the Opera (although the original West End cast recording is far better)
Priscilla Queen of The Desert
Also, there are a whole load of Disney movies that I adore the soundtracks of: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, The Little Mermaid and Tarzan to name a few of my favourites
I liked Across the Universe a lot. I hadn’t heard the Beetles’ music before then.
@Facade Hadn’t heard the Beatles’ music before then? Echoing another question, now I feel old!
Garden State
Hi Fidelity
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Blues Brothers
Singles
A soundtrack can enhance a movie. But I’ve seen a good movie with a bad soundtrack and a great soundtrack to a bad movie. So, I don’t think it always makes or breaks a movie at all.
Others I forgot to mention are Fiddler on the Roof and Yentl.
Too many to list, I love soundtracks.
@J0E You can’t give me one? Doesn’t have to be your favorite. :)
I listened to the Dark Knight soundtrack for a long time when it came out. Recently it’s been Back to the Future.
@J0E Yes! Alan Silvestri is a genius. Huey Lewis is not. Still love “Back in Time”, though.
Technically not a movie, but it’s the only soundtrack I listened to on a regular basis. Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for Bear McGreary!
Harold & Maude. Of course!
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HELP…the Beatles
Six Feet Under
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