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The Best Movie Soundtracks

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The Best Movie Soundtracks

A great movie soundtrack can create drama and suspense, help tell a story, or simply make you want to crank up the speakers. Here is a look at just a few of the best (and a few of the worst) movie soundtracks of all time.

Contents at a Glance

Hit Songs From the Top-Selling Soundtrac...
Broadway Musicals Made Movie Hits
Music From Movies About Music
Don't Quit Your Day Job
My Picks
Readers' Picks

The Best-Selling Soundtracks of All Time

The best sellers as measured by the Recording Industry Association of America's Gold and Platinum Awards program.

Hit Songs From the Top-Selling Soundtracks

Broadway Musicals Made Movie Hits

Moulin Rouge: From music stars Christina Aguilera and David Bowie to movie stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge soundtrack is fantastic fun.
Rent: With most of the original Broadway cast also performing in the movie, some fans believe the movie soundtrack is even better than the original.
The Phantom of the Opera: Another successful Broadway-musical movie, the soundtrack from The Phantom of the Opera includes the ballad "Learn to Be Lonely," written for the movie and sung by Minnie Driver.
Chicago: Chicago is one of the better soundtracks from a movie remake of a Broadway musical. Features songs performed by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Taye Diggs, and Queen Latifah.
West Side Story: Leonard Bernstein's musical update of Romeo and Juliet with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Music From Movies About Music

Almost Famous: "Fever Dog," the lone track from Stillwater, the fictional band at the center of this story, fits right in with the classic rock hits from the 1970s that make up the rest of this soundtrack.
That Thing You Do!: Music from the story of the rise and fall of the fictional 60's pop-rock band The Wonders.
The Sound of Music: The 40th anniversary edition of this classic has 27 tracks and includes all of the music from the movie.
The Jazz Singer: This soundtrack was the first record I ever bought with my own money, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
Dreamgirls: Features performances by Beyonce' Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy.
High School Musical: This made-for-TV movie was a surprise hit for Disney, and the soundtrack is a bestseller among kids and teens.

Top New Soundtracks from Amazon

Here's a sampling of popular soundtracks recently released on Amazon.

Don't Quit Your Day Job

We get it! You're versatile, multi-talented, a STAR! By all means, make music for movies. But please don't make any more movies.

Glitter - Mariah Carey: It doesn't get any worse than this.
8 Mile - Eminem: Some people say Eminem is a genius. Some people even say it without laughing.
Crossroads - Britney Spears: Remember when this movie was Brit's worst offense?
From Justin to Kelly: OK, I cheated on this one. This movie musical was so bad, they didn't even release a soundtrack. It's a movie musical, with no soundtrack. But you can right this wrong. Follow the link and sign the online petition to have a soundtrack released. They have over 900 signatures!

My Picks

These movie soundtracks are my personal favorites.

Pulp Fiction: This soundtrack is great for the snippets of dialog from John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson as much as for the eclectic mix of songs.
Good Will Hunting: With six tracks from Elliott Smith and an unusual assortment of songs from Al Green, Luscious Jackson, and Gerry Rafferty, among others, the Good Will Hunting soundtrack is my all-time favorite.
Singles: Like the movie, this CD is a snapshot of the early 1990's Seattle music scene, with Pearl Jam (whose members also played the fictional band, Citizen Dick, in the movie), Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, and Soundgarden.
I Am Sam: The soundtrack from I Am Sam consists entirely of Beatles covers by a wide range of contemporary artists, including Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright, Eddie Vedder, Ben Folds, The Black Crowes, and Paul Westerberg.