Watching cinema is one of my favorite hobbies, and why I consider it the highest form of art is the fact that the combination of music combined with film creates an emotional effect I can find nowhere else in the world, no matter how hard I try. Ever since I was a child, film scores and soundtracks have had a deep influence in my life, and my entire upbringing was filled with legendary, great pieces of movie music from all over the world. One of the first soundtracks I heard was The Jazz Singer by Neil Diamond, and though the soundtrack is not considered a masterpiece by any means, it was to me as a kid back in the early 1980s. I remember sitting on the white carpet in my parents’ living room next to a small stack of vinyl records and an old turntable and wooden speakers and recall listening to these diverse songs, some being ethnic songs and some being disco tunes. As I grew older, some relatives of mine made me some mix tapes and included some songs from various soundtracks. I fell in love with Star Trek and all of the movies made back in the 1980s, and half of the reason was because of the iconic music from composers Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner. I remember buying cassettes when I was a pre-teen and making dubs onto my own mix tapes of the Star Trek soundtracks. I did the same thing with the Back to the Future scores as well as The Karate Kid and a few of the Rocky films. I discovered compilation soundtracks in the 1990s with Quentin Tarantino, Michael Mann, and P.T. Anderson films and a whole new world of music presented itself to me. I particularly was fond of Wim Wenders’ soundtracks with his taste in singer-songwriters and European artists, and for a time was collecting any soundtrack with U2 on it. In the 21st century, I fell in love with Sofia Coppola soundtracks, as well as music found in Wes Anderson movies. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross became my favorite new film composers in addition to Hans Zimmer, Jonny Greenwood, and Daniel Lopatin.
Assembling an all-inclusive, “definitive” list of the top 100 most influential soundtracks is no easy task, as there are just a multitude of soundtracks to choose from. So instead of putting together a list of the “greatest soundtracks”, I’ve composed a list that is very personal to me. It took me several months to finalize this list as I listened to/previewed hundreds of soundtracks online and on my computer. Most if not all of these films I’ve seen and loved, and I wouldn’t include a soundtrack if the film itself didn’t resonate with me in the first place. In terms of movie scores, I regard a precious few of these to be nearly holy and sacred to me (ie. The Godfather, Star Wars, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Field of Dreams, Gladiator, The Thin Red Line, etc.). I could only hope that some of you discovering these soundtracks for the very first time will not only enjoy listening to them, but find the music to be life-changing as well. I’ve organized the soundtracks chronologically by year and decade. Instead of starting with more recent decades, I decided to start from as early as soundtracks were being created, in the 1930s. Though some decades contain more soundtracks than others, it is only because the soundtracks I picked happened to be released in those specific decades. I also set a 5 soundtrack maximum limit for one single artist (so I could include soundtracks from artists that weren’t as popular). Only one film composer maxed out at 5 soundtracks and that is the great John Williams. Below this, I’ve included “10 Honorable Mentions” as well as a separate list of “Notables” that didn’t make the cut. I added Spotify playlists for all 100 of these soundtracks too. If you wish to explore my most influential albums, I invite you to also check these lists out starting with the decade of the 1970s. Thank you for reading.
1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s
| Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg, & Herbert Stothart The Wizard of Oz 1939 | |
| Bernard Herrmann Citizen Kane 1941 | |
| Leonard Bernstein On the Waterfront 1954 | |
| Elmer Bernstein The Ten Commandments 1956 | |
| Bernard Herrmann Vertigo 1958 | |
| Bernard Herrmann Psycho 1960 | |
| Ernest Gold Exodus 1961 | |
| Henry Mancini The Pink Panther 1963 | |
| Ennio Morricone The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1966 | |
| Electric Flag The Trip 1967 | |
| Various Artists 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 | |
| Jerry Goldsmith Planet of the Apes 1968 | |
| Various Artists Easy Rider 1969 |
1970s
| Leslie Bricusse Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory 1971 | |
| Nino Rota The Godfather 1972 | |
| Wendy Carlos A Clockwork Orange 1972 | |
| Various Artists American Graffiti 1973 | |
| Jerry Goldsmith Chinatown 1974 | |
| Various Artists Barry Lyndon 1975 | |
| Bernard Herrmann Taxi Driver 1976 | |
| John Williams Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope 1977 | |
| Giorgio Moroder Midnight Express 1978 | |
| John Williams Superman: The Movie 1978 | |
| Jerry Goldsmith Star Trek: The Motion Picture 1979 |
1980s
| Neil Diamond The Jazz Singer 1980 | |
| Various Artists The Shining 1980 | |
| John Carpenter Escape from New York 1981 | |
| John Williams Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 | |
| Tangerine Dream Thief 1981 | |
| Vangelis Chariots of Fire 1981 | |
| Ennio Morricone The Thing 1982 | |
| James Horner Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982 | |
| Vangelis Blade Runner 1982 | |
| Philip Glass Koyaanisqatsi 1983 | |
| Prince Purple Rain 1984 | |
| Various Artists Risky Business 1984 | |
| Toto Dune 1984 | |
| Alan Silvestri Back to the Future 1985 | |
| Ry Cooder Paris, Texas 1985 | |
| Various Artists Rocky IV 1985 | |
| Bill Conti The Karate Kid II 1986 (2011) | |
| Ennio Morricone The Mission 1986 | |
| Various Artists Pretty in Pink 1986 | |
| Various Artists Manhunter 1986 | |
| Alan Silvestri Back to the Future, Part II 1989 | |
| James Horner Field of Dreams 1989 | |
| Peter Gabriel Passion (Music for The Last Temptation of Christ) 1989 |
1990s
| John Barry Dances With Wolves 1990 | |
| Various Artists Until the End of the World 1991 | |
| Jerry Goldsmith Medicine Man 1992 | |
| Trevor Jones & Randy Edelman The Last of the Mohicans 1992 | |
| Vangelis 1492: Conquest of Paradise 1992 | |
| Various Artists Singles 1992 | |
| Various Artists Reservoir Dogs 1992 | |
| John Williams Jurassic Park 1993 | |
| John Williams Schindler’s List 1993 | |
| Michael Nyman The Piano 1993 | |
| Various Artists Pulp Fiction 1994 | |
| Various Artists Natural Born Killers 1994 | |
| James Horner Braveheart 1995 | |
| Various Artists Heat 1995 | |
| Various Artists Strange Days 1995 | |
| Neil Young Dead Man 1996 | |
| Various Artists Trainspotting 1996 | |
| James Horner Titanic 1997 | |
| Various Artists Boogie Nights 1997 | |
| Various Artists Velvet Goldmine 1998 | |
| Aimee Mann Magnolia 1999 | |
| Hans Zimmer The Thin Red Line 1999 |
| Air The Virgin Suicides 2000 | |
| Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard Gladiator 2000 | |
| Various Artists O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000 | |
| Angelo Badalamenti Mulholland Drive 2001 | |
| Cliff Martinez Solaris 2002 | |
| Various Artists 24 Hour Party People 2002 | |
| Various Artists Lost in Translation 2003 | |
| Various Artists The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou 2004 | |
| Michael Andrews Donnie Darko 2005 | |
| Various Artists Marie Antoinette 2006 | |
| Eddie Vedder Into the Wild 2007 | |
| Jonny Greenwood There Will Be Blood 2007 | |
| John Murphy Sunshine 2008 | |
| A.R. Rahman Slumdog Millionaire 2008 | |
| Clint Mansell Moon 2009 | |
| Various Artists The Limits of Control 2009 |
2010s
| Daft Punk Tron: Legacy 2010 | |
| Hans Zimmer Inception 2010 | |
| Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross The Social Network 2010 | |
| Cliff Martinez Drive 2011 | |
| Howard Shore & Metric Cosmopolis 2012 | |
| Steven Price Gravity 2013 | |
| Hans Zimmer Interstellar 2014 | |
| Jonny Greenwood Inherent Vice 2014 | |
| Mica Levi Under the Skin 2014 | |
| Sinoia Caves Beyond the Black Rainbow 2014 | |
| Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto The Revenant 2015 | |
| Jóhann Jóhannsson Arrival 2016 | |
| Oneohtrix Point Never Good Time 2017 | |
| Jonny Greenwood Phantom Thread 2018 | |
| Daniel Lopatin Uncut Gems 2019 |
10 Honorable Mentions
| Lalo Schifrin Bullitt 1968 | |
| Strawberry Alarm Clock Beyond the Valley of the Dolls 1970 | |
| Goblin Suspiria 1977 | |
| Popol Vuh Nosferatu: The Vampyre 1978 | |
| Stewart Copeland Rumble Fish 1983 | |
| Cliff Eidelman Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country 1991 | |
| Thomas Newman The Shawshank Redemption 1994 | |
| Rolfe Kent Sideways 2004 | |
| M83 Oblivion 2013 | |
| Max Richter Ad Astra 2019 |
Notables
(Or Albums That Didn’t Make the List)
| Alan Silvestri – Back to the Future, Part III (1990) |
| Anastasia – Before the Rain (1994) |
| Angelo Badalamenti – Blue Velvet (1986) |
| Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) |
| Anton Karas – The Third Man (1949) |
| Arcade Fire – Her (2013) |
| Basil Poledouris – Conan the Barbarian (1982) |
| Basil Poledouris – The Hunt for Red October (1990) |
| Bee Gees – Saturday Night Fever (1977) |
| Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow – Annihilation (2018) |
| Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow – Ex Machina (2015) |
| Bernard Herrmann – The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) |
| Bernard Herrmann – Vertigo (1958) |
| Bill Conti – Rocky (1977) |
| Bill Conti – The Right Stuff (1983) |
| Bill Lee – She’s Gotta Have It (1986) |
| Bob Dylan – Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) |
| Bobby Krlic – Midsommar (2019) |
| Brad Fiedel – Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) |
| Bruce Broughton – Tombstone (1993) |
| Carmine Coppola – Apocalypse Now (1979) |
| Carter Burwell – Fargo (1996) |
| Cliff Martinez – The Neon Demon (2016) |
| Clint Mansell – Requiem for a Dream (2000) |
| Curtis Mayfield – Super Fly (1972) |
| Damon Albarn & Michael Nyman – Ravenous (1999) |
| Dan Romer & Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) |
| Danny Elfman – Batman (1989) |
| Dennis McCarthy – Star Trek: Generations (1994) |
| Dimitri Tiomkin – High Noon (1952) |
| Disasterpeace – It Follows (2015) |
| Electric Light Orchestra & Olivia Newton-John – Xanadu (1980) |
| Elia Cmiral – Ronin (1998) |
| Elmer Bernstein – The Great Escape (1963) |
| Elmer Bernstein – The Magnificent Seven (1960) |
| Ennio Morricone – A Fistful of Dollars (1967) |
| Ennio Morricone – Casualties of War (1989) |
| Ennio Morricone – Once Upon a Time in America (1984) |
| Ennio Morricone – The Hateful Eight (2015) |
| Eric Weissberg – Dueling Banjos: Deliverance (1973) |
| Gary Carpenter, Paul Giovanni, & Magnet – The Wicker Man (1973) |
| Georges Delerue – Black Robe (1991) |
| Giorgio Moroder – American Gigolo (1980) |
| Graeme Revell – The Crow (1994) |
| Hans Zimmer – Crimson Tide (1995) |
| Hans Zimmer – Dunkirk (2017) |
| Hans Zimmer – Rain Man (1988) |
| Hans Zimmer – The Da Vinci Code (2006) |
| Hans Zimmer – The Last Samurai (2003) |
| Henry Mancini – Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) |
| Howard Shore – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) |
| Isaac Hayes – Shaft (1971) |
| Jack Nitzsche – Performance (1970) |
| James Horner – Apollo 13 (1995) |
| James Horner – Legends of the Fall (1994) |
| James Horner – Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) |
| James Horner – The Perfect Storm (2000) |
| James Horner – Willow (1988) |
| James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer – The Dark Knight (2008) |
| Jerry Goldsmith – Alien (1979) |
| Jerry Goldsmith – Basic Instinct (1992) |
| Jerry Goldsmith – Gremlins (1984) |
| Jerry Goldsmith – Legend (1985) |
| Jerry Goldsmith – Logan’s Run (1976) |
| Jerry Goldsmith – Masada (1981) |
| Jerry Goldsmith – Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) |
| Jerry Goldsmith – Star Trek: First Contact (1996) |
| Jerry Goldsmith – Total Recall (1990) |
| Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come (1972) |
| Jóhann Jóhannsson – The Theory of Everything (2014) |
| John Barry – Born Free (1966) |
| John Barry – From Russia with Love (1964) |
| John Barry – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) |
| John Barry – Out of Africa (1985) |
| John Barry – Somewhere in Time (1980) |
| John Barry – The Black Hole (1979) |
| John Carpenter – Halloween (1978) |
| John Corigliano – The Red Violin (1999) |
| John Williams – Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) |
| John Williams – E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) |
| John Williams – Fiddler on the Roof (1971) |
| John Williams – Jaws (1975) |
| John Williams – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) |
| John Williams – Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) |
| John Williams – Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) |
| Jon Brion – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) |
| Jonny Greenwood – The Master (2012) |
| Jonny Greenwood – You Were Never Really Here (2018) |
| Jozef Van Wissem & SQÜRL – Only Lovers Left Alive (2014) |
| Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, & Justin Paul – La La Land (2016) |
| Leonard Rosenman – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) |
| Lisa Gerrard – The Insider (1999) |
| Marc Shaiman – City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly’s Gold (1994) |
| Mark Knopfler – Local Hero (1983) |
| Mark Knopfler – Wag the Dog (1998) |
| Maurice Jarre – Doctor Zhivago (1965) |
| Maurice Jarre – Lawrence of Arabia (1962) |
| Max Steiner – Gone with the Wind (1939) |
| Michael Kamen – Die Hard (1988) |
| Michael Kamen – Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (1991) |
| Miklós Rózsa – Ben-Hur (1959) |
| Miklós Rózsa – King of Kings (1961) |
| Nicholas Britell – Moonlight (2016) |
| Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) |
| Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – The Proposition (2005) |
| Philip Glass – Jane (2017) |
| Philip Glass – Kundun (1997) |
| Pino Donaggio – Dressed to Kill (1980) |
| Popol Vuh – Aguirre (1975) |
| Queen – Flash Gordon (1980) |
| Randy Newman – The Natural (1984) |
| Randy Newman – Toy Story (1995) |
| Ryuichi Sakamoto – Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) |
| Simon & Garfunkel – The Graduate (1968) |
| Spinal Tap – This is Spinal Tap (1984) |
| Stuart Staples – Music for Claire Denis’ High Life (2018) |
| Tan Dun & Yo-Yo Ma – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001) |
| Terence Blanchard – 25th Hour (2003) |
| The Band – The Last Waltz (1978) |
| The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night (1964) |
| The Beatles – Help! (1965) |
| The Blues Brothers – The Blues Brothers (1980) |
| The Free Association – Code 46: Music from the Film (2003) |
| The Monkees – Head (1968) |
| The Who – Quadrophenia (1979) |
| Thomas Newman – American Beauty (2000) |
| Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, & Reinhold Heil – Cloud Atlas (2012) |
| Tom Waits – Night on Earth (1992) |
| Trevor Jones – Excalibur (1981) |
| Trevor Jones – Merlin (1998) |
| Vangelis – The Bounty (1984) |
| Various Artists – (Music From) Do The Right Thing (1989) |
| Various Artists – Ali (2001) |
| Various Artists – Basquiat (1996) |
| Various Artists – Clueless (1995) |
| Various Artists – Death Proof (2007) |
| Various Artists – Eyes Wide Shut (1999) |
| Various Artists – Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) |
| Various Artists – Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) |
| Various Artists – Flashdance (1983) |
| Various Artists – Forrest Gump (1994) |
| Various Artists – Frances Ha (2013) |
| Various Artists – Ghostbusters (1984) |
| Various Artists – Good Morning Vietnam (1987) |
| Various Artists – Good Will Hunting (1997) |
| Various Artists – Goodfellas (1990) |
| Various Artists – Grease (1978) |
| Various Artists – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) |
| Various Artists – High Fidelity (2000) |
| Various Artists – In the Name of the Father (1994) |
| Various Artists – Inglourious Basterds (2009) |
| Various Artists – Jackie Brown (1997) |
| Various Artists – Kids (1995) |
| Various Artists – Lost Highway (1997) |
| Various Artists – Married to the Mob (1988) |
| Various Artists – Midnight Cowboy (1969) |
| Various Artists – Music from Vanilla Sky (2001) |
| Various Artists – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008) |
| Various Artists – Palermo Shooting (2008) |
| Various Artists – Permanent Record (1988) |
| Various Artists – Philadelphia (1993) |
| Various Artists – Rushmore (1999) |
| Various Artists – Singin’ in the Rain (1952) |
| Various Artists – The American Dreamer (1971) |
| Various Artists – The Breakfast Club (1985) |
| Various Artists – The Darjeeling Limited (2007) |
| Various Artists – The Karate Kid (1984) |
| Various Artists – The Lost Boys (1987) |
| Various Artists – The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) |
| Various Artists – The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) |
| Various Artists – The Warriors (1979) |
| Various Artists – The World’s End (2013) |
| Various Artists – Times Square (1980) |
| Various Artists – Wayne’s World (1992) |
| Various Artists – Zabriskie Point (1970) |
| Whitney Houston – The Bodyguard (1992) |
| Wojciech Kilar – Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) |
| Yann Tiersen – Amélie (2001) |
Was about to say, “Where’s Lost Highway?”
Mostly good, but no Basic Instinct. 🐼
How did I forget that Jerry Goldsmith score! Thanks (it made it onto my Notables list).
Extensive list and of course personal so I won’t go into this should be higher, etc. I did notice or maybe I missed him, but the lack of Danny Elfman. Did you just not care for the movies he composed the score? Or distilling all of the movie output to 100 there are going to be some forgotten heroes.
Which gives an idea for another list. Soundtracks you liked in spite of the movie where you disliked or even hated the film, but view the soundtrack as excellent
Thanks Greg! I never actually liked Danny Elfman’s soundtracks and yes, I didn’t really care much for Tim Burton’s films either (which is incredibly stunning!). However, I did mean to include his 1989 score for “Batman” and have done so now (via my Notables list). I appreciate your inquiry into the lack of Mr. Elfman.
In terms of limiting my list to 100, it was very difficult. I often thought of expanding it to 200 soundtracks, but it would have been overkill (and my collage would have been too packed in with soundtrack covers). No doubt, nearly every soundtrack on my Notables list could be added to my main list to form a massive list of hundreds of soundtracks.
Also, I like your last idea of “good music, bad movie”! A perfect example on my top 100 list is Jerry Goldsmith’s score to “Medicine Man”. The film was downright horrible, but the music was incredible! What good soundtrack would you pick that is associated with a bad film?
An amazing feat, Jonathan. Didn’t know you were into film soundtracks. Dead Man is good & so is Koyaanisqatsi. I also liked Holy Motors (2012), including the song ‘Who Were We,’ sung by Kylie Minogue. And I see that the Bee Gees only made the Notables list for Saturday Night Fever. Per your criteria, I’d have to agree with you: great movie, and surely an ‘influential’ soundtrack — but I don’t much care for the Bee Gees’ music or any disco. Onward!
Hi Mike, well what a wonderfully thoughtful comment. Thank you for your appreciation and time spent checking out my favorite list of soundtracks! I will check out “Holy Motors” sometime soon. As for the Bee Gees, you know, I included that one on my Notables list only for the fact that I read so many top lists that included that soundtrack, so I was like “okay, hey this must be essential just like Super Fly or Purple Rain, so I’ll add it”.
Hello Jonathan, that’s truly an epic list of soundtracks! It has been quite interesting to check out and get to know which films and accompanying soundtracks resonate with you. As always, I’m more familiar with films and music from the earlier decades like the 1930s to 60s. However, I also appreciate some of the 1990s soundtracks you’ve mentioned, particularly The Last of the Mohicans, Dance with Wolves, Conquest of Paradise but also Jurassic Park and Titanic! From the 2010s, I quite like Interstellar and Gravity. These are probably the last movies I’ve watched in the cinema. Oh I can’t believe this is already so many years ago. All in all, you’ve done a great job with your list! Perhaps, the only one I would like to add is the Seven Years in Tibet soundtrack by John Williams.
Greetings Sirinya! Thanks for your thoughts on my list and choices! I also love those 1990s soundtracks you’ve mentioned, and there is no doubt those are very moving pieces of music to very moving pictures (pun intended), so I’m glad to have included those on my list. Also very awesome you’re into soundtracks for science fiction films. I absolutely love sci-fi as you know, and so many of these great films were fortunate enough to have equally great soundtracks. Yes, I totally loved “Seven Years in Tibet” also, and I forgot about that soundtrack! Thanks for informing me. Also, have you heard Philip Glass’s soundtrack to Kundun? Here’s a link: https://www.allmusic.com/album/kundun-music-from-the-original-soundtrack-mw0000596346
Hi Jonathan, yes I remember watching the movie Kundun. The soundtrack is great too. In this context, Little Buddha from 1997 also comes to my mind, a movie I’d loved a lot at that time. I also quite enjoy Ryuichi Sakamoto’s soundtrack to this movie.
Yes, and you’d probably like Sakamoto’s score for “The Last Emperor” as well 😉 : https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-last-emperor-mw0000194522
A very impressive list indeed! I’m happy to know that I’m not the only Wim Wenders fan to roam the earth and was even more delighted that you specifically chose Paris Texas. Thank you for these carefully curated treasures! There are too many amazing movies to re-mention in this comment and too many that I must watch again. I’m feeling very nostalgic. Thank you!
Hello Hyla! Yes, Wim Wenders soundtracks, especially “Paris, Texas”, have a special place in my soundtrack heart (“Wings of Desire” is quite good as well). On my list I included “Until the End of the World” as well as “The Million Dollar Hotel” and “Palermo Shooting” (on my Notables list). Wim Wenders is a curious adventurer who often makes forgettable films but the genius of him is his robust soundtracks chock-full of prominent artists and bands. Another soundtrack I recall is “The End of Violence” (I actually own that one on CD too). Here is a great article if you want to check out some of the backstory behind the UTEOTW soundtrack: https://musicaficionado.blog/2017/12/11/the-soundtrack-to-wim-wenders-until-the-end-of-the-world/ 🙂
Wow. What can I say… ? Perhaps the greatest of your lists so far… A well-rounded, complex, complete collection that not only illuminates what has been inspiring to you, but reflects the great themes and musical numbers that have crept beyond your own psyche into ours as well..
As one person said, “I’m not gonna say ‘this should go here’ or ‘this should be higher, b/c it’s a personal list…” although I heartily agree and concur w/ that statement — being an opinionated Sicilian, I have NO problem telling you what/which SHOULD’VE been included and higher placed… LOL 😉 (no, really — i get that this is YOUR list & so I really only do that in jest — as a way of communicating the ones that’ve influenced ME and how I view certain things culturally and musically… ).
For me to start listing the ones that have been most influential — or those film composers (not necessarily including the mix/compilation soundtracks, b/c they are sort of a separate beast, even though I applaud their inclusion here..) that’ve had the most impact — is to try and pick the greatest book authors of all time, or the greatest painters.. It is TOO DIFFICULT a task.
So instead: I will share w/ you a few (& by no means am I going to include 100!!) of the soundtracks that have really impacted & influenced me..
I remember listening to many of these while watching the movie, most often w/ my family (my dad especially), hearing them as introductions (who can forget those first tentative bars of music from “Star Wars” as the words starting scrolling up the screen, or the crescendo of the symphony when the action was at it’s most dramatic?!
I’d been influenced by movie scores/soundtracks in these subtle and myriad ways w/out it even really registering at first…. Thinking back on it now, I can’t even count the ways that the MUSIC was integral in moving my emotions to where they should rightfully progress to – either being thrilled, shocked, frightful, sad, laughing, or simply just watching on screen some human experience I had no personal idea about — & literally learning what it was like to be in these different situations and moments in life…
Action movies, drama, comedy, romance, thriller, science-fictional & fantastical — it didn’t really matter what the genre was if the soundtrack was so powerful that it became it’s own entity – it’s own function (perhaps one might even say ‘character’) of a movie.. And let’s face it… there were many, many of these moments that became burned on our brains: follow the yellow brick road, the triumphant ‘yo Adrian’ ending of Rocky, the first flight of Superman & Lois Lane, the players walking out of the Field of Dreams, Indy dodging the giant, rolling boulder, etc. et al.
For me, one of the early one’s that I shortly after procured the album to — & then started listening to INCESSANTLY (several times a week w/ my headphones on — thankfully, so my parents didn’t confiscate it & perhaps my whole stereo too for hearing it too much themselves…) was Ennio Morricone’s great (perhaps, top 5 ALL-TIME GREATEST) soundtrack to “The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly” … Man, I couldn’t get ENOUGH of this.. it has all of the complexity and the complete range and emotion of ANY classical symphony I’ve ever heard… Listening to the songs in the order that he created them, having it FLOW and wash over me, time and time again, being able to start to memorize and anticipate the next passage of music, the next notes, whistling along with the whistlers (I STILL love and whistle every day, as anyone who knows me can attest to), this was some kind of rite of passage into our cultural heritage of film and music. It was a kind of education that school wasn’t teaching me. Not only did I discover these soundtracks more and more often then, paying attention to them in films, trying to determine how something fit in particularly well w/ a film, but how adept the composer was with matching it up with the action, the tragedy, the chase, the laughs..
Composers starting making themselves known by their consistency (John Williams is a very obvious example here, right?), by their ability to stand out w/ regard to just how amazingly their soundtrack fit the movie & thus became iconic, or even that they were bringing a new approach – a new sound to a genre. Sometimes it was a BAND who was trying their hand at a film score, with such amazing results that that effort became one of the most favorite things of theirs to me…
Yes, there are so so many. Such great ones — it’s a monumental thing to try and quantify, but here you’ve done an amazing job. I was pleasantly surprised (although perhaps I shouldn’t have been) that we share a love in our teenage years of Neil Diamond’s “Jazz Singer” (the last scene, where he’s on stage and the movie and music BOTH stop ‘TODAY…….” powerful stuff!)…
As with the musical lists, it was a pleasure to see how and what and why some of these influenced you, that a particular composer was favored over another (that’s that consistency again perhaps, or that they were such talents their genius was rightly recognized, and/or one of the great director’s felt no need to look elsewhere for a capable composer…?).
Of COURSE, we can agree to disagree, as to which might be slightly higher, might be that much better than that one or this…. Again, that’s kind of the FUN part of these lists, isn’t it? & in the end, we don’t need to take these things too seriously…..
So, thanks! for all of your hard work.. It’s been a real pleasure going through these, living these film scores & very particular scenes attached/attributed to them…. 🙂 So many great names here — & (yes, as you said as well…) there are so many more that we haven’t been turned onto yet — but that await discovery (both films AND scores for that matter..)
Your 2010’s were SPOT ON – although I can’t say regarding ‘Uncut Gems’ b/c I haven’t seen it yet.
Some of my all-times that’ve influenced me (in no particular order, but perhaps somewhat chronologically — since these first ones listed are the most indelibly stamped on my psyche):
The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly (Morricone)
Flash Gordon (Queen)
Willy Wonka (Bricusse)
Conan the Barbarian (Basil Poledouris)
Superman, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., Jaws (& other John Williams)
Jazz Singer
Tommy: A Rock Opera (WHO)
Excalibur
Pink Panther
Vangelis (Chariots of Fire)
My Fair Lady
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Caddyshack
Blues Brothers
Batman (Danny Elfman)
Star Trek
Lost In Translation
Amelie
Triplets of Belleville
Hans Zimmer stuff (Interstellar in particular)
Ex Machina
Johnny Greenwood
…and on…. and on…. and on……
<3
Marc, I am honored by your amazing words. I simply cannot tell you how appreciative I am for your shared passion and love for many soundtracks that I love with all my heart. I cannot top what you wrote regarding your quote: “It didn’t really matter what the genre was if the soundtrack was so powerful that it became it’s own entity – it’s own function (perhaps one might even say ‘character’) of a movie.”
As we both love cinema and music, the combination of both is absolutely wondrous. You’ve included some fabulous scores and soundtracks that I would include with my entire list too (though I already have as you can see – nearly with everything you mentioned). The amazing thing with soundtracks is, when you remove the music from the visuals, you can relive the images that are burned into your brain, like you said as well.
Some of the most amazing soundtracks are ones that stand alone on their own as classic pieces of music. I have been listening to Philip Glass’s “Kundun” these last few days and though I saw the film 20 years ago, I never realized just how beautiful this music is. I am often reminded of his “Koyaanisqatsi” soundtrack as well, but now I have a newfound appreciation of his music more than ever! I am often moved by soaring scores that seem to lift my soul into the heavens beyond this planet and I know when music is ethereal when it can achieve this effect on me.
Out of my 100 soundtracks that I listed, I could easily have added another 200 to the list (as you saw from the “Notables” list). It’s mighty hard indeed trying to tackle something like this, because there is just so much great music out there made by humanity. I also used to listen to music as a kid with headphones on, on cassettes rather than vinyl records as you might have done some years before me. I’ll never forget the thrill of hearing some of these soundtracks for the first time, and as you played the Morricone scores, I was playing the Goldsmith, Horner, and Silvestri scores for some of the most beloved science fiction films of all time.
Music was and still is an escape for me, from the reality at hand, and is a conduit into another world, a higher world, where melody and harmony coexist like air and water. You have great taste in music like myself, and I am in your debt for sharing past and future music with me over the years (whether live in concert, or on the car cd player). Thank you, my good man. 🙂