Tuesdays with Tom: Top 10 Movie Soundtracks of All Time
We all know that movies can entertain, thrill and move us. But more often than not, a movie is only as good as the music that exists within it. An iconic needle drop can make or break a scene or even an entire movie. Some movie soundtracks end up eclipsing the film itself. I recently was watching a movie that fit this bill well. It made me wonder what are truly the best movie soundtracks of all time? So here we are. I’ve carefully considered this question and I’ve made a top-10 list for your judgment and enjoyment. Before I get to the list, here’s a few rules I made for myself.
No Musical Movies
I know this is a controversial choice, but there is a separate art between writing numbers for a musical film and selecting songs to be featured strategically. So there will be no Grease, A Star is Born, 8 Mile, The Rocky Horror Picture Show or a million other ones I’m not mentioning.
No Scores
Sorry Hans Zimmer and John Williams, but we’re not counting those either. Definitive scores can also be essential to a film, just ask Lord of the Rings, Inception, Interstellar, Star Wars and another group of millions of other classic scores in films. Not being considered for this list.
Must Appear in the Movie
I’ve learned in doing this that there are some movie soundtracks that are just random collections of songs that don’t even appear in the film. That doesn’t seem right to me. So the soundtracks selected here had to have a majority of the track list appear in the actual movie.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Black Panther, Boogie Nights, Good Will Hunting, The Departed, Kill Bill Vol 1. & 2
10. Friday
Standout Tracks: “Friday”, “Keep Their Heads Ringin’”, “Friday Night”
I had to include a rap album on the list and this seemed like the best of the bunch. Friday is a quintessential representation of hip hop in the 1990s. Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Scarface, Cypress Hill, 2 Live Crew and The Isley Brothers were certainly big names at the time and the songs perfectly fit the film. It’s missing a few heavy hitters from the era, but I think it’s better that way. Friday is a day-in-the-life movie and it feels fitting that it wasn’t overwhelmed by massive stars (yet). I challenge you to not bop your head back and forth while listening to “Keep Their Heads Ringin’”.
9. Pulp Fiction
Standout Tracks: “Misirlou”, “Jungle Boogie”, “Son of a Preacher Man”
Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 classic changed many things about movies. But I’d argue that its biggest contribution was the now-iconic Tarantino-style of perfecting the song drop in a pivotal scene. And usually a very violent one at that. He basically made Dick Dale become the go-to reference for surf rock. The entire movie is an eclectic mash-up of different eras of American pop culture and the soundtrack personified that even more clearly. It’s difficult to envision the movie without these songs and it still defines Tarantino’s style of filmmaking today. Plus, it revitalized John Travolta’s dancing career in movies that so many people grew up on.
8. American Pie 2
Standout Tracks: “Fat Lip”, “Be Like That”, “Hit or Miss”
This movie is a painful re-watch in 2020. But it inspired this piece and the gross-out comedy franchise that defined teen sex in pop culture is still great for one thing. It’s a pop punk assault of classics. Blink 182, Green Day, Sum 41, Alien Ant Farm, The Offspring, Third Eye Blind, New Found Glory, Weezer are just a few of the artists featured in this sequel alone. Let’s not forget one-hit wonders like Lit, American Hi-Fi and a slew of other bands who were topical and famous at the time of the franchise’s peak. I’ll admit that this is definitely one for me and probably not many others. But if you love pop punk, there’s not a movie that features more of it with higher quality. It’s certainly aged better than most of the jokes or the absurd plot.
7. Almost Famous
Standout Tracks: “Tiny Dancer”, “Simple Man”, “America”
You can just envision Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character describing this as “all about the music, man.” Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film is really about rock in the 1970s, from the perspective of a teenager who’s obsessed with the genre at the perfect age. I was tempted to call out “Fever Dog” as a standout track, but technically Stillwater wasn’t a real band. It is reminiscent of “Mississippi Queen”, a track that would have felt right at home on this soundtrack but wasn’t included. Of course the most memorable scene from the movie is when the characters slowly burst out into a group rendition of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”. It’s rare that a song is prominently acknowledged by characters in a movie, but it’s so sentimental and silly that it actually works. A quality movie with a quality batch of songs.
6. Goodfellas
Standout Tracks: “Then He Kissed Me”, “Layla (Piano Exit)”, “Rags to Riches”
You think this is funny? Funny how? Like a clown?! It’s no joking matter that Goodfellas is one of the best movies ever made and the soundtrack is a big reason why. Martin Scorsese has always been a master of picking songs and I was tempted to include another one of his movies on this list. He doesn’t just settle for any version either. He is very specific and finds an obscure live performance (such as Van Morrison’s concert cover of Pink Floyd in The Departed) if he feels it’s right for the scene. He basically invented his own genre of soundtracking in movies. The scene where Ray Liotta takes Lorraine Bracco through the kitchen up to the front of the Copacabana to “Then He Kissed Me” might be the best directed moment of Scorsese’s career. Don’t be a wiseguy. Let this one wash over you.
5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Standout Tracks: “Mr. Blue Sky”, “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”, “Father and Son”
Another instance where the soundtrack is probably better than the movie. Guardians is well known for its high profile music drops and in my opinion, the songs they chose for the sequel are even better than the original. But it’s ranked lower on the list because it was a repeat gimmick. You could also lump in the “Rubberband Man” drop in Avengers: Infinity War on this list as these characters enter that movie for the first time. Star Lord might be a few decades behind on pop culture, but he’s got great taste for the era he lives in in his own mind. It doesn’t hurt that “Mr. Blue Sky” is a song I wake up to every single morning (it’s my alarm). So I was extremely delighted when it appeared in the film’s opening credits. This one is full of incredible jams.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy
Standout Tracks: “Come and Get Your Love”, “Hooked On a Feeling”, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love”
I vividly remember where I was when I saw Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time. I was at a movie theater in Hodgkins with my good pal Ned, when Chris Pratt emerged dancing to the song “Come and Get Your Love”. I knew this was going to be a blast right away. This is a rare movie where the soundtrack is not only acknowledged by the characters, but it’s integral to the story of the hero. Star Lord’s “Awesome Mix” is his lone attachment to his childhood and he desperately clings to it physically and emotionally. Inevitably, the sequel repeating the tactic wasn’t going to feel as fresh as the original. So for that, I have to rank it higher than No. 2, despite my acknowledgment that the songs on the second one are a tad better. This is a franchise where the music is the soul of the movie.
3. Purple Rain
Standout Tracks: “Purple Rain”, “Let’s Go Crazy”, “When Doves Cry”
You might think this is cheating, but hear me out. When Prince wrote Purple Rain, he intended to make a movie version of “The Kid” and essentially his own life story in addition to the actual album. They came out at the same time in 1984 but I don’t really consider this a musical movie because at the end of the day, it’s a song first, an album second and a movie third. Prince would go on to make many more movies that were thinly veiled vanity vehicles about his own life and career. So debate that all of you want, but there’s no argument that this soundtrack is in the Hall of Fame. It features three of the biggest and most important songs of Prince’s career, which is saying a lot for the late musical legend. The title track is his masterpiece. Did you know that he originally envisioned “Purple Rain” as a country ballad? That would have been wild. Any soundtrack that has this many epic tracks has to be considered for this discussion. So don’t be mad. I just want to see you laughing in the purple rain.
2. Dazed and Confused
Standout Tracks: “Slow Ride”, “Sweet Emotion”, “Stranglehold”
There’s something about the structure of a story that takes place in one day that lends well for incredible music. Especially one that’s focused on the 1970s and even more specifically one that centers on the last day of school in a small Texas town. Your largest music influences happen during your middle school and high school days and it’s easy to see how a generation of kids growing up in the 1970s became hooked on rock. Ironically, the Led Zeppelin song “Dazed and Confused” isn’t featured in the film or the soundtrack. But it’s just about the only canonical rock track that isn’t. It almost seems like Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” was written for the movie. “Slow Ride” doubles as the unifying theme of the film and there are dozens of other needle drops that seem perfectly in place with the times. These songs might get older, but my enjoyment of them stays the same age. Alright, alright, alright?
1. Remember the Titans
Standout Tracks: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “Spirit in the Sky”, “Up Around the Bend”
While this movie didn’t end racism, it ends my debate about the all-time best movie soundtrack. Denzel Washington’s inspiring sports flick is memorable for many, many reasons. As a football fan, it brings me back to the dog days of hot summer football practices, the camaraderie of being with your teammates and the community of a high school football extended family. But perhaps even more than the story, the songs tie together the film in a splendid and beautiful way. Perhaps the takeaway is that music in the late 1960s and early 1970s was just so incredible that decades later, you can still fondly enjoy them. But I’ll never forget when the boys are singing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” on the bus ride home after camp, or the locker room renditions of The Temptations. We remember the Titans, but we’ll never ever forget the songs that drove them to the Promised Land.
Tom’s Thoughts of the Week
To all of the wonderful mothers who read this newsletter, I’d like to wish you a belated Happy Mother’s Day. That includes my own mother, who is a lovely woman. Hope you all enjoyed the day and I appreciate all of you.
In the seventh episode of The Last Dance, ESPN finally explored the tragic death of Michael Jordan’s father and his first retirement from the Bulls in 1993. The two biggest conspiracy theories surrounding that situation were addressed. The first being that David Stern supposedly suspended Michael Jordan and disguised it as a retirement as punishment for his gambling debts. That one never added up to me. Why would the NBA commissioner want his most popular and important player to leave the sport in the middle of his prime? That would be ludicrous. The second one is that James Jordan was murdered as retribution to Jordan’s gambling debts. After watching last night’s episode, you’d have to be a diabolical cynic to believe that tale. As crazy as it is, Michael Jordan decided to quit due to some unique life factors and his extremely close relationship with his father put him over the edge. Hopefully we can put those two conspiracies to rest now.
I think you could make a case that if Jordan hadn’t retired in 1993, the Bulls might not have won another set of three NBA titles. Think about it. Jordan left partially because he was exhausted in 1993. The Bulls did well enough without him, but by 1995 they were a shell of themselves competitively. They needed a break. Even with a lesser version of Jordan, they nearly beat the Orlando Magic in the 1995 playoffs. But it was the sting of losing to the Magic, led by former Bull Horace Grant, that drove Jordan to completely re-dedicate himself to being a basketball player. It directly led to the 1995-96 Bulls having what is arguably the greatest individual season in NBA history. Does any of that happen if an exhausted Jordan continues playing throughout the 1990s? It’s hard to say. He seems to have no regrets about pursuing baseball. I don’t see too many Bulls fans complaining nowadays.
On a brighter note, Jordan’s stint as a minor league baseball player is still as shocking of a spectacle now as it was back in 1994. Imagine the world’s most famous athlete playing baseball in rural Alabama for months at a time. That must have been such a scene. It seems like most people believed that he could have made the MLB if he’d continued to play baseball. But he got the itch to play basketball again (thankfully) and rejoined the Bulls in March 1995 with the infamous “I’m back” fax. Two words that convey so much. Who’s back? Back from what? Oh, right. We all know. Within a week he’s scoring 55 points in a game despite an 18-month absence from professional basketball. That’s why he’s the greatest of all time.
Last note on this show. Some people think that you should never meet your heroes because inevitably you’ll find out they’re flawed like everyone else. The biggest takeaway I’ve gathered from this series is that Michael Jordan might have been superhuman on the court, but he’s as human as anyone else in this world. He was petty, spiteful and driven by a maniacal need to succeed and dominate others. He made up lies to motivate himself and intentionally provoked his teammates into fighting him. At the same time, he was a jovial friend, generous with his time and sentimental about his family. The last scene of the eighth episode shows him sobbing by himself in the Bulls training room after their fourth NBA championship. He seemed to be amazing at pushing others to become their best basketball selves and as a sacrifice, he buried his feelings deep down until he reached the ultimate goal. Then it just poured out of him all at once. In other words, Michael Jordan was a complicated, contradictory human being. So in a way, we’re all like Mike after all.
Speaking of Bulls nostalgia, last Thursday was the five-year anniversary of one of my favorite Derrick Rose moments that’s also intertwined with one of my favorite life moments. On May 8th, 2015, a group of my friends were supposed to go to the White Sox game on a Friday evening against the Cincinnati Reds. We went to the stadium and it began to rain fairly heavily. We waited it out for a few hours underneath The Patio, a restaurant and bar underneath the right field bleachers. Eventually the game was cancelled, but the whole time we were watching the Bulls play LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It was Game 3. We raced home on the Metra to catch the fourth quarter at a bar in Brookfield called Grand Tavern. We made it right on time and joined some other friends there. For some reason this bar had a special on Mai Tais, a drink that’s basically orange juice and several different types of alcohol combined. Well, long story short, the Bulls are tied 96-96 when Derrick Rose hits an improbable off-the-glass three pointer to win the game. Our group dogpiled one another in celebration and we drank Mai Tais the rest of the night. It was an incredible night. Since then, Derrick Rose is now a Detroit Piston (on his fourth team in five years) with a garish neck tattoo, I’ve never had a Mai Thai again, that bar doesn’t exist anymore, one of those friends lives in an apartment above that former bar and that entire sequence of events couldn’t take place right now because everything is closed and no sports are playing. But that day will always stick out in my mind forever.
In case you weren’t scared enough these days, allow me to introduce you to something called the murder hornet. These Asian giant hornets are known for their “aggression and excruciating sting” and are terrorizing the state of Washington right now. They’re about two inches long and if you think that’s small, take a look at a ruler and get back to me. It’s unclear how the species migrated from Japan to Washington, but they can in fact kill you if stung multiple times. But here’s the twist: they’re delicious! The hornets are considered a delicacy in Asia and it’s a lucrative haul if you can capture a nest of them. I can’t fathom why they’d be worth risking your life, but if you can bet your life’s earnings I will never sign up for this career or be going anywhere near a bee species that’s actually deadly. I’m fearful enough of non-deadly bees. 2020 is great!
The Steelers GM Kevin Colbert made a strange comment last week when discussing the team’s back-up quarterback situation. Cam Newton is a free agent and reportedly he is willing to take a back-up role with a team. But Colbert seems to think the Steelers are fine, stating that he thought Mason Rudolph had “developed into a nice backup”. Uhh, let’s fact check that statement. Rudolph appeared in 10 games for the Steelers last year, posting an average of 176.5 yards a game, 13 total touchdowns and 9 interceptions. His average yards per game were the second worst in football. His QB rating, 82.0, was the fourth worst in football (even worse than Mitch Trubisky). His most notable moment came in a game against the Browns when he threw four picks and got struck in the head by the helmet of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett on national television. A few weeks later, he was formally benched for the team’s fourth string quarterback because, as his head coach literally said, he hadn’t “killed us” like Rudolph had. Of the 57 quarterbacks who started a game in 2019, he was ranked 48th. By almost any measure, Mason Rudolph was objectively one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks last year. But I guess if that’s how you define a “nice back-up” then Mr. Colbert and I have a different idea of what that term means. I’d rather have a former NFL MVP and No. 1 overall pick with nine years of quality starting experience behind the 38-year-old Roethlisberger over that. But that’s just me!