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January 27th, 2010
02:04 PM ET
Most influential movie soundtracks selectedIt's hard to think of certain movies without their soundtracks. "Saturday Night Fever's" John Travolta pounding the pavement to "Stayin' Alive." Janet Leigh getting slashed in the shower to those terrifying strings in "Psycho." Dustin Hoffman looking blank as Simon & Garfunkel plays in "The Graduate." As a way of celebrating the music that makes the movies, Turner Classic Movies (like CNN, a division of Time Warner) has put together a list of the 15 most influential movie soundtracks. Along with "Saturday Night Fever," "Psycho" and "The Graduate," the list includes: - Max Steiner's score for "King Kong"; Film fans will be quick to say, "But what about ... ?" Where's Steiner's sweeping score for "Gone With the Wind"? What about Hermann's music for "North by Northwest"? No "Jaws," or "The Natural," or something by Danny Elfman? But when you're narrowing a list down to 15, you have to make some exceptions. "Our list celebrates the most memorable and groundbreaking soundtracks, the ones which took the art of film music to new levels and made the most lasting impact on the world of movies," TCM's Robert Osbourne said in a press release about the list. From that perspective, it's hard to argue. Herrmann's two listed works established the model (which, by now, is cliche) for science fiction and horror movies, respectively. "Goldfinger" wasn't the first appearance of Monty Norman's James Bond theme, but used it creatively - and also inspired dozens of copycats. And Williams' grand work for "Star Wars" has become part of the landscape for swashbuckling blockbusters. What are some of your favorite scores and soundtracks?
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Wow, do you commenter folks REALLY not understand the concept of "influential?" I'm stunned that so many of you can't understand. Purple Rain? WHAT???? How many scores did that influence? Um, ZERO SCORES, that's how many. Gladiator? How many scores did that influence? ZERO (well, except for influencing Horner's own subsequent scores). The Bodyguard? You know the question and you know the answer: ZERO.
Were those good scores? Sure (don't remember the score to The Bodyguard though, just that one song). But none of them changed the course of film scoring the way the 15 mentioned in the article did.
Now, there HAVE been a few good scores mentioned that *could* have and maybe *should* have been on the list– Jaws and The Magnificent Seven, for example. But thinking about it more, I'm not so sure. Portions of their melodies became part of pop culture, definitely, but I'm not so sure they changed the course of scoring. At the very least, they didn't change it as much as the 15 mentioned in the article; probably more like "somewhat altered" rather than "changed."
They had some pretty good picks but how about a few more. So for the folks that are going to read my section, I was born in 1972. But how do I know about these pieces of music? Thank my parents!
Here we go:
Henry Mancini:
Pink Panther
A Shot in the Dark
Baby Elephant Walk: Hatari
Theme to Peter Gunn
James Bond 007 Theme
John Williams:
Star Wars Theme
Indiana Jones Theme
Jurassic Park Theme
Harry Potter Theme
Jaws Theme
Rodgers and Hammerstein:
Sound of Music
The Great Escape
Waylon Jennings:
Lucille
Smokey and the Bandit
Lonesome, Honry and Mean
Johnny Cash:
Folsom Prison Blues
I've Been Everywhere, (Flight of the Phoenix)
Daddy Sang Bass
Simple Minds:
Don't You Forget About Me: The Breakfast Club
Greg Kihn:
The Break-Up Song
Jeopardy
Star Trek Themes:
Nemisis Theme
First Contact Theme
Next Generation Theme
Deep Space 9 Theme
Voyager Theme
Other Film Tunes:
Silverado
Good, Bad and the Ugly
For a Few Dollars More
Fist Full of Dollars
Fiddler on the Roof
Wing Commander Theme
Starship Troopers Theme
Back to the Future Theme
Gladiator Theme
The Patriot, (Mel GIbson)
Apollo 13 Theme
The Beatles:
Yellow Submarine
Strawberry Fields
Sgt. Pepper
C.W McCall:
Convoy
The Silverton
Luis and Clark
Creedence Clearwater Revival:
Bad Moon
Proud Mary
Lodi
Green River
Norman Greenbaum:
Spirit In The Sky
I could keep going but I think CNN might just consider it a Play List! HA HA HA!
What about Hans Zimmer????
What about Cinema Paradiso? Truffaut's Day for Night? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...
THE BODYGAURD!!!!! Hello!? One of the largest selling soundtracks of all time! Really???!!!
Two of the most hauntingly beautiful soundtracks/scores would be from....
"Somewhere In Time"
"Dying Young"
These are two I play often, and help me cope with riding off into the sunset!
Where's "Breakfast at Tiffany's"? Not just "Moon River," but whole score really makes that movie.
Quadrophenia
I have loced the sound of music since i was a child. The lion king music I was married while it was playing
"GREASE" is the word!
Almost forgot to mention Reality Bites!
Oh come on! No Grease? Sound of Music? Deer Hunter? Dazed and Confused? Reservoir Dogs? Top Gun? Pulp fiction? I agree with Saturday Night Fever though. Urban Cowboy was good too. City of Angels....Serendipity....
And i totally agree on Judgment Night, I bought that on tape and wore that thing out!
It may not be as popular as many of the other mentioned here, but one of the soundtracks that I always loved the best was the theme to "633 Squadron" by the great Ron Goodwin...
Also the Victory at Sea soundtrack was a true classic...
it makes absolutely no sense that jaws is not on here
I hate to see John Williams' name up here for "Star Wars." That soundtrack was lifted in large part from Gustave Holst's "The Planets." Check out the "Jupiter" theme and see if you don't recognize it. The man is only capable of plagiarizing other composers, and also himself (didn't anyone recognize the "Princess Leia" theme – stolen from another composer in the first place – in the first "Harry Potter" movie? Among other themes that I recognized.....
No Superman who doesn't know that score?
Not in the top 15, or even top 25, but..."Harold & Maude". Also the soundtrack from "The Vikings"
Any list like this generates controversy. It is wrong to say that this list is THE... "the most memorable and groundbreaking soundtracks". Really? Offer a suggested list. Let the individual listener deside what is the most memorable for himself or herself for we are as unique as
I think a great soundtrack was the Grease Soundtrack. My daughter was 4 at the time and loved it. We still do.
you forgot the best on the list.
Where's John Murphy's soundtracks, the best out there?
I can't believe so few people mentioned FORREST GUMP!! One of the most well put together soundtracks of all time. It overwhelmingly captured each decade the movie traveled through with some of the best songs of all time!
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I figured John William's score for Star Wars would be somewhere on this list, because it, taken as a whole, is wonderful from beginning to end, evoking the various recognizable scenes of an iconic movie. It's the one that put Williams on the map, so to speak. Everything he's done since has a characteristic John WIlliams sound, from the NBC Nightly News theme, L.A. Olympic Fanfare, to ET, Raiders, and Superman – which is not to say they're not good. Actually, you could argue that his Close Encounters theme is part of the dialogue. I agree that Gone With the Wind, Laurence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, Chariots of Fire and Rocky are also worthy of mention, though I think they are known mostly for their memorable main themes. I do wish Ennio Morricone's haunting score for The Mission could have made the list, just a personal fave.
Purple Rain?
The Bodyguard?
If you want influential how about a little Disney movie called Fantasia (not the AI winner)
[ "Goldfinger" wasn't the first appearance of Monty Norman's James Bond theme, but used it creatively - and also inspired dozens of copycats]
That is an interesting statement considering that GOLDFINGER is the film that, out of all 22 007 motion pictures, uses the 'James Bond Theme' the least (only for the gunbarrel and never repeated after that).
Still, it is nice to see a John Barry James Bond score included in the list.
The James Bond theme to me is the most recognized soundtrack . Case in point when Connery step back into the role in "Never Say Never Again" I kept thinking somethings missing than it hit me the theme. Also I'll agree about "Purple Rain" great but you know what's missing "The Magnificent 7" now there's a classic. Does "Jesus Christ Superstar "count, great music. Webber never top it.
What about Purple Rain by Prince... the music was the movie.
Rocky really needs to be on that list...
Its hard to mix scores with soundtracks. Some movies use other people's songs brilliantly. Some movies use original compositions beautifully. I don't think you can make a list mixing the two types.
A movie like Forrest Gump (or other timeline and/or period pieces) use not only the sound of the song to bring out emotion but use the words of the song to bring out emotion. Scores or original compositions use sound to tell you the emotion that the director wants you to feel.
I just don't think its fair to compare a soundtrack like Forrest Gump which has a group of songs far more influential songs in life in general to an original composition that really only relates to that specific movie.
ROCKY – once you hear it EVERYONE knows what movie – also, on a lesser note Tubular Bells – The Exorcist theme
GLADIATOR!
No soundtrack with only one song (especially a vocal) can be listed as a "great" score. The music must be an integral part of the entire film. Halloween, To Kill a Mockingbird, Titanic, Glory, Gattaca, and Somewhere in Time must be added to this list.
I can remember the soundtrack from "ET" being rather influential. The song "Flying" was played on the radio for weeks. I do not recall many other soundtrack scores that can lay claim to that.
What about Last of the Mohicans or the music of Gettysburg?
How about Ben Hur, Laura and Chicago
Morricone? The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly?
I'm surprised that Deliverance hasn't been mentioned. Dueling Banjos has become a part of the American psyche. The Hustler also had some of the most atmospheric music I've ever heard in a movie. The movie wouldn't have been half as good without that soundtrack.
What about the best selling soundtrack of all time. THE BODYGAURD
Yea Yea The movie was crap but the soundtrack rocked
Spinal Tap – this soundtrack is the only one worthy of turning up to 11.
Rocky Horror should be included somewhere.
HOw about "Local Hero" by Mark Knopfle?
The soundtrack to the movie "Singles" really brought early '90's grunge music to a mainstream audience.
What about FORREST GUMP????
I love seeing everyone's own important soundtrack. They are all worthy choices and for good reasons. I remember the original "Planet of the Apes". The music carried you through this strange new world governed by apes.
I agree with the Star Wars soundtrack pick – it's definitely a fantastic score. Anything by John Williams is amazing, but I'm slightly disappointed that they didn't pick the Lord of the Rings soundtrack by Howard Shore – the full trilogy, I mean. That's definitely (in my opinion) one of the best ones out there.
I would say "El Cid" and "Ben Hur" by Miklos Rosza, epic, sweeping soundtracks.
How come there is no JAWS soundtrack??
what about the soundtrack of "Lawrence in Arabia." That is marvelous and well known.
2 words....Purple Rain....good job Paul for bringing this to light
what about war of the worlds!
Thought of a couple more after scanning through some of the choices others have made.
Definitely the soundtrack to 'Purple Rain'
Another amazing song that wasn't a commercial hit is Annie Lennox
'Love Song For A Vampire' – from 'Bramstokers Dracula'
There is so many great songs that came from movies.
Going back a bit further. Lulu's 'To Sir With Love' from the movie of the same name is another good one.
The Lord Of The Rings 'Return Of The King' – Into The West- by Annie Lennox
The Soundtrack to the movie 'Pretty In Pink' had a pretty solid group
of songs as well.
The Pink Panther.
Number 1 soundtrack of all time---Easy Rider. I have the CD and still listen to it all the time. A masterpiece of great music.
I loved the score for the original Star Wars. I loved it even more when it was playing behind Errol Flynn in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" so c'mon. Everything WIlliams does is derivative, or even copied, so the original music has to have been MORE influential doesn't it?
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me by Angelo Badalamenti
I'm a big fan of John Williams (Schindler's LIst, E.T. Home Alone, I like soundtrack of The Terminal).
I also like Zbigniew Preisner (The Secret Garden),
Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Pearl Harbor),
Alan Silvestri (Forrest Gump Polar Express)
Life is beautiful movie also has nice soundtrack. etc...
I would add Jerome Moross's sweeping score for William Wyler's "The Big Country"—it made a forgettable movie an unforgettable one. Its influence, I believe, is the way Moross's music dramatically underlines the drama (such as it is) with sensitivity as well as vigor. Also highly memorable is Georges Delerue's haunting and evocative score for François Truffaut's "Jules et Jim," part of which Noah Baumbach used to underscore failed relationships in "Mr. Jealousy."
What about FAME/THE BODY GUARD?
Love everyone's suggestions!!! So much passion. That's what all of these scores/soundtracks have had the power to do!!!! One of my personal favorites that I didn't see (and I read all 169 comments) is Almost Famous. Maybe not as influential, but the music was certainly one of the main characters in the film.
Where is Maurice Jarre's epic soundtracks for Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and so many others?
To Kill a Mockingbird
Night of the Hunter
Boogie Nights
Streets of Fire
Eddie and the Cruisers
The soundtracks from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Awsome !
I want to know who makes these decisions. Who are these 'experts' and what are there qualifications?
What about Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard for Gladiator and Hans Zimmer for Crimson Tide? John Williams for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a score that pushed the boundaries of orchestral sound whilst amazingly using no synthesizers.
The solemness and darkness of "Schindler's List" had a haunting and disturbing, yet beautiful soundtrack. Every time I hear it, albeit rarely, it brings the memory of the movie back and still elicits tears of sorrow.
How about Trainspotting? Singles?
I'm sure a lot of the scores people are mentioning would be on the list of top 50 or top 100 scores, but give it a break. We are talking about the top 15. Out of 100s of thousands upon 100s of thousands of films that have been made over the last century from around the world. 15 scores.
Star Wars was a much more influential score than anything else Williams has composed. It may not be everyones favorite score, but it made the biggest impact of anything he composed for film. Many of the scores listed are great scores, but they may not have made as big an impact on film scoring as those listed. The list isn't about the most popular or most beautiful scores – it's about influence on the art of motion picturing scoring.
For those who say that the list refers to Scores, not soundtracks... Well, soundtrack was the term that was typically applied to scores until fairly recently. Those collection of pop songs that get released on CD were referred to as "songs from the motion picture...", and (until about 10-15 years ago) if anyone talked about a films soundtrack, you knew they meant the score. However, this list also includes soundtracks made up of popular songs (like the Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack to The Graduate.
What about The Body Guard??
Ben Hur, Miklos Rozsa is at the top!!!!
Yes- The Big Chill had such a great soundtrack! I loved the movie for the music just as much as the story! Also, for my money- The Prince of Egypt... utterly stunning soundtrack!
Moon Struck without a doubt. One of the best from the late 80's.
Also, don't forget,Love Actually."
Lists like this are purposefully made to create chatter and controversy amongst fans of music. It doesn't matter who makes the list or who claims to be an expert, there will always be someone to say "But what about THIS?".
Every time a list like this gets published, the so-called experts are usually idiots with blinders on about all genres of music and always seem to forget about -clear- examples of what would easily be redeemed as influental, popular or for lack of better word, good.
I am so shocked that JAWS was not on the list!!! The soundtrack itself shared the screen with the shark and made the film a classic that will never be duplicated!!!!! Hello recount!!!!!!
Where is the #1 all-time selling soundtrack in the U.S. AND worldwide, "The Bodyguard", which also contained the alltime #1 single, "I Will Always Love You"? It also had 3 songs in the top 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, which were "I Will Always Love You," "I Have Nothing," and "I'm Every Woman." It also won Grammys for Album and Record of the Year, won 8 American Music Awards, and 12 Billboard Music Awards. How could such a dominant and influential album not be on this list?
Basil Poledouris's work on "Conan the Barbarian" was absolutely great.
Everyone has missed the most influential soundtrack of all time – The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson which made the talkies a requirement. None of the other film scores can match the impact of this film.
What about Good Morning Vietnam or Forrest Gump? Both of those movies had a great collection of songs
How about Cliff Martinez' "Solaris" soundtrack, or the soundtrack from "The English Patient," or "The Hours" or better yet, " Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain?"
All of those have incredible atmosphere and theme driven by their soundtrack.
Anyone ever heard of Randy Newman? Check out the haunting sweetness of his soundtrack to "Avalon".
Hans Zimmers' theme for Backdraft was great!
The Big Chill!
I enjoy the Pirates of the Caribbean 1,2,and 3 soundtracks and my favorite Last of the Mohicans.
How about the soundtrack from last year's Slumdog Millionaire,
"Jai Ho" and without a doubt Prince's classic , Purple Rain.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (MAURICE JARRE).
GONE WITH THE WIND (MAX STEINER).
THESE ARE MASTERPIECES, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!
(there are a lot more left out – but these two are sooo beautiful). .
Always been partial to Fiddler on the Roof.....definately a top 50 in my book. Kudo's to the Forbidden Planet nom also.
The Judgement Night Soundtrack for a more Contemporary vote. Really the 1s t Mash-up of Rap and Rock-( I know about Aerosmith & RUN DMC) Can you say Cypress Hill & Sonic Youth, Cypress Hill & Pearl Jam, House of Pain with Helmet, Onyz W/ Biohazzard, Living Colour and Run DMC, Faith No More and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. This was so far ahead of its time. It is the Predecessor to the Whole Rap/Rock movement and catalyst for future groups like Rage Against the Machine, Deftones, Limp Bizkit(unfortunately), KORN etc. It was Responsible for a NEW GENRE of music. How could it be left off any list. It spawned a new Generation to appreciate music outside of of the Usual Realms they were listening too.
These are not Soundtracks as the misleading headline states. They are film musical scores.
#1 selling soundtrack of the past decade....NOT included. Yeah, right - good list. O Brother, Where Art Thou brains?
How about the score to the original Superman movie from the 70's, and the Godfather?
Gotta throw a shout out for "The Harder They Come", which expanded reggae music outside of Jamaica to our country.
What about Paul Westerburg's 2 songs on the 'singles' soundtrack?
I remember being 15 hearing those 2 songs, finding out about The Replacements, bought "let it be" and then every Replacements album after that knowing my life would never be the same because I had heard the greatest band of all time. Its still true to this day.
WHAT? No Rocky, no ONCE??? Seriously now.
I have to agree with many above re: Purple Rain, Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar, (especially) The Blues Brothers, and I only saw Heavy Metal listed once, but I have one I DIDN'T see to add in, the movie sucked but the sound track is great: Twister.
I think the list is perfect. These are the soundtracks that FIRST made their marks on the industry and changed it. It doesn't mean you can hum the tunes. In fact, it doesn't matter whether any of us like them at all. This is about the MOVIE MAKERS and what influences THEM , not us (at least in terms of the soundtracks for their movies).
Garden State. Simple and beautiful and worth the mention.
Thomas Newman- American Beauty (or his similar Shawshank Redemption); often copied. Beautiful.
Note that this isn't the "best" ... or "most memorable" ... or favorite... the word is INFLUENTIAL – what soundtracks influenced the way we saw music in a movie. You only need one Williams composition ... the big fanfare of the blockbuster. Any of the musical soundtracks listed above – Grease, Rocky Horror, etc – did not influence or impact a change. Any soundtrack that has a re-hash of older tunes – Gump, Dirty dancing, and honestly, American Graffiti – really didn;t change how we saw movie music. I will say, when I saw the word influential and was thinking the idea of soundtrack as a medium for popular music, the one soundtrack I am surprised was missing was Purple Rain. My only guess was that its inclusion – as a soundtrack as popular album – was already covered with "Fever".
Easy Rider, people, come on!! I believe it was the FIRST film to feature a soundtrack comprised of contemporary songs by all different pop/rock artists. It is the model for every "rock music" soundtrack that followed.
The Mission. The Big Chill. Dances with Wolves. Out of Africa. These were life-changing soundtracks!
What about Forrest Gump or Dirty Dancing. Everyone thinks of that movie when they hear "I've Had the Time of My Life" and "Hungry Eyes".
In fact, in the 80's, some of the soundtracks were more memorable than the movies.
Okay, Blade Runner, Witness and Doctor Zhvigo need to be added. I suggest they go to top 100 soundtracks.
Garden State
"The Girl Can't Help It" – The most influential rock 'n roll soundtrack of all time. It's a vitual who's who of rock in the 50s. Even the Beatles admitted they were heavily influenced by it. Don't know how any Music historian could leave that off.
i would have to vote for the soundtrack from "forrest gump". a slice of america as encompassing as the movie itself.
A collection of singles like American Grafitti is neither a soundtrack nor a score. Same goes for A Hard Day's Night and Saturday Night Fever.
I cant believe that super fly is not on this list...it out grossed the movie
I think the soundtrack from the movie "FM" should have been listed.
No PURPLE RAIN?
Okay – lots of great soundtracks were left off the list. Some good ones were included – but you absolutely cannot have a top 15 list without including one of the best ever – "Dances with Wolves"...my other favorites would be "Titanic", "Back to the Future", "Sound of Music", "West Side Story", "The English Patient" and "Last of the Mohicans"...
Seems one could divide this up into three categories: musicals (e.g., Sound of Music, West Side Story); compilation soundtracks (e.g., American Graffiti) and soundtracks that were conceived specifically to support the picture. If once excludes musicals (and one should – as it's a whole different ballgame), this is a pretty decent list, but for the exclusion of the zither score from The Third Man.
The "Singles" soundtrack was a very important soundtrack to my growing up.
I am surprised the #1 soundtrack in the world did not make the list, "The Bodyguard" from 1992.
"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" where art thou?
What? No SOUND OF MUSIC!?
The Godfather – come on!
OH, come on, no Henry Mancini, shame on you!
Out of Africa, Pans Labyrinth, Vertigo, Charlottes Web ( original animated version-esp theme-so haunting and sad. Re: Charlottes death.) And Xanadu, just kidding.
Anyone ever heard of The Lion King?
The Godfather, Magnificent Seven, Pink Panther.
But please, leave Grease off the list.
Blade Runner
Ben Hur
Bridge on the River Kwai
The Great Escape
John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)
The Right Stuff
Jesus Christ Superstar (original cast – not really a movie soundtrack)
i would have liked to see
Jaws
Pulp Fiction
Godfather
Slumdog millionaire
.. on that list.
The Easy Rider soundtrack
No Purple Rain? No Oh' Brother? Maybe even Grease? A soundtrack should be music written specifically for scenes relevant to a movie. That's why I would not add Top Gun, etc...MOST, not all, of songs on it were to sell the album. However, no Purple Rain? Geez Oh' Brother even won the Grammy for album of the year. What idiots picked this list??? Where's Chariots of Fire?????
Seriously, I STILL see The Blues Brothers silhouette painted at bus stops, in bathrooms -30 years later! -and in Hawaii. Talk about influence. In my deprived youth, No One intrduced me to Calloway, Hooker, but this film made me die hard fans.
I think the scores for both "Gladiator" & "The Dark Knight" are pretty awesome.
The "Purple Rain" soundtrack is great too!
Big Chill.
Oh, come on. How can you not honor Elmer Bernstein's oft-repeated, often imitated, groundbreaking score for the The Magnificent Seven? Among all Westerns, only the theme song from High Noon and the Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western scores even come close to the status of Bernstein's classic. Even commercials have used it and you can get it as a ringtone. How many others on the list can say that?
Peter Gabriel's brilliant music for Last Temptation of Christ?
The Commitments?
What, no Pink Floyd The Wall? That is the reason that movie was so popular and that soundtrack is still popular with the youth today.
Uh Hello, "The Blues Brothers"
Rocky is not on the list? Are you kidding me?
CHARIOTS OF FIRE!!! Can't believe it was left off.
If "influential" is the key word, one worthy of consideration or at least a listen is Franz Waxman's terrific score for the 1954 PRINCE VALIANT starring Robert Wagner as the Viking Prince, Janet Leigh as his love interest, and James Mason as the Black Knight. I read somewhere it may have had an influence on Star Wars and other film themes.
goodfellas. shaft.
Making lists like this is tough. To me 'soundtrack' implies a collection of songs/music that may or may not have been written for the movie. Think "Saturday Night Fever" or "Flashdance". But the bulk of titles on this list I think are more appropriately referred to as 'scores' – which is almost always a collection of music that was written specifically for the scene in which it was used in the film. And as they have different definitions, I think they are unsuited to cross-pollination on the same list.
Also, while many of the scores/soundtracks listed in the comments are of high quality, I think it's important to differentiate 'good' from 'influential'. That's why, for example, "Star Wars" is on the list and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is not.
No Jerry Goldsmith?
I love John Williams work but all of his "blockbuster" scrores: Star Wars, ET, Jaws, Raiders...are pretty much interchangeable.
If you want something different from the man, try "The Reivers" from the Steve mcQueen film.
GREASE is the word, is the word, ......
Max is right.
Titanic, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the works of Danny Elfman are all quite good. Additionally I like Michael Nyman's work (his Gattaca score is wonderful), as well as James Horner's better themes.
But those scores/composers didn't CHANGE film. Which is why nothing after Star Wars hits the list; movies have been self-referential and derivative for decades.
Singles
THE GODFATHER
I second the mention of Urban Cowboy. If I remember correctly, it help kick country music back into the mainstream and spurred (no pun intended) big growth in that particular genre. I also second the posts of soundtrack versus film score...big difference.
I was glad to see that PAUL put down PURPLE RAIN. The Godfather- there is nothing more powerful with strings that says the story by the compositions.
Folks, calm down. This isn't a list of "my favorite scores/soundtracks," it's a list of most influential scores/soundtracks; game changers. For example, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the greatest scores ever, but I don't think you can deny that Star Wars was more influential. Raiders wouldn't have been possible without Star Wars (in many many ways).
The same goes for folks who are upset about The Big Chill, Breakfast Club, and other pop song-based soundtracks. American Grafitti did it before them and IT was the one that got filmmakers interested in the idea. It was hugely influential.
how about
"elevator to the gallows"-miles davis
"mission" of course by ennio morricone
"pat garret and billy the kid"-bob dylan
"blade runner"-vangelis
and soundtrack for "in the mood for love"
I was just reading these and thought this has become a pretty amussing descussion. As a composer myself, I recognized there are some great great composers out there that deserve recognition, but this has turned into "what my favorite music is" because a lot of these are, as someone stated before me, soundtrack as opposed to Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Lets keep it to OMPS, as that is what the article is related to.
FORREST GUMP??
SOUNDTRACK – not THEME MUSIC not SCORE. SOUNDTRACK!
That means all the music that appears in the movie.
Also "Our list celebrates the most memorable and groundbreaking soundtracks, the ones which took the art of film music to new levels and made the most lasting impact on the world of movies." Have you listened to the rest of the Exorcist soundtrack? It's boring as all get out.
Top Gun, Breakfast Club, Blues Brothers, [insert any decent musical] – all great soundtracks, none of them groundbreaking. Purple Rain is the only one mentioned above that I do think is worthy of being on the list.
But nothing on the list since 1978? Really?
What about Pulp Fiction?
The music from the Lord of the Rings trilogy was a nearly-perfect blending of sound and visuals (it's difficult to visualize the movie without the music). This was most fully realized with "Fellowship of the Ring."
The following are a few all time greats:
Korngold: Sea Hawk, Captain Blood
Max Steiner: Gone with the Wind
Maurice Jarre: Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago
John Barry: Out of Africa, Dances with Wolves, Born Free, Midnight Cowboy, Somewhere in Time
Elmer Bernstein: The Magnificent Seven
Vangelis: Chariots of Fire
Kamen: Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
Morricone: Fistful of Dollars, Once upon a Time in the West, The Mission, La Califfa, Sacco and Vanzetti, Untouchables
John Williams: E.T., Jaws, Close Encounters, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire Strikes Back, Schindler's List
Great additions to a list too small. Also worthy of consideration is the music from "The Godfather." Would love to see a list of the top 100 movie quotes.
People are forgetting this is a list of influential soundtracks, not favorite or popular soundtracks. Goodfellas' soundtrack has inspired no one. Ditto Lord of the Rings or Brother Where Art Thou. By comparison, even the more ardent rock and roll history revisionists cannot dispute that Blackboard Jungle sparked the explosion of rock and roll, the impact of which is heard every time you turn on a radio or start up the iPod. The only one I'd say was missing here would be Jaws because in my opinion Williams did Star Wars and Superman and all the others because of the impact of his work on Jaws. I might also suggest Max Steiner's score from Casablanca. Obviously this list doesn't focus on musicals (A Hard Day's Night is listed as much for Martin's score as for the Beatles), so there's no real point in suggesting, say, Singin' in the Rain or the original Broadway Melody from 1929.
No Lalo Shifrin? No John Carpenter? No Henry Mancini? "Everybody's Talking" from Midnight Cowboy? Pulp Fiction soundtrack?
What about the entire original score for Lawrence of Arabia (Maurice Jarre)? It's as grandiose as the movie. Classic.
What about Superfly? It is the only soundtrack to ever out-gross its movie. Other notables missing are Pulp Fiction and O'Brother Where Art Thou.
What about The Bodyguard and Purple Rain.....I mean how could
you even do a list of the most influential soundtracks, and leave
these two wonderful choices off the list. Who made these choices
anyway?!
When is the last time these guys watched a movie? 1981?
Some great additions in the comments – but what about 8-Mile?
Where's Animal House? The Blues Brothers? The Breakfast Club? Purple Rain?
one other that was a good idea and forgotten so often – Metropolis the Giorgio Moroder version
Chinatown. Anatomy of a Murder. Vertigo. Out of Africa.
No Goodfellas? Thatis the preeminent movie soundtrack!!!
Howard Shore for the LoTR Trilogy
I completely agree with the folks who want O Brother Where Art Thou. Phenomenal score.
Being a Blondie fan, I have to vote for "American Gigalo." "Call Me" was the #1 song of 1980, and Giorgio Moroder was a huge producer during that era. Plus, that movie made Richard Gere a household name.
The Exorcist – hands down – Tubular Bells still gives me the creeps.
JAWS is not on the list!! OMG!! And where is "The Bridge on the River Kwai???
Grease defined its era, Sparkle, Aretha Franklin Rocks, and Love Jones.
How about any Quentin Tarantino movie soundtrack? Has everyone forgotten about Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill (Vol. 1 and 2) and now Inglorious Bastards?????? I can't hear the song "Stuck in the Middle with You" without picturing Michael Madsen dancing in the warehouse right before cutting off the policeman's ear in Reservoir Dogs. Or the driving beat of Lucy Liu's henchman walking to meet their demise against Uma Thurman in Kill Bill (Vol. 1). He has got to be one of the most prolific in recent years with putting together unbelievable soundtracks.
Who can forget Kenny Loggins??? Caddyshack....Top Gun.....Footloose.
What about Dirty Dancing??? Breakfast Club??????
Several good soundtracks listed in the comments. I'd like to add:
Heavy Metal (Various Artists)
Passion: The Last Temptation of Christ (Peter Gabriel)
The Blues Brothers (Various Artists)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Film cast)
The James Bond Collection (a collection of all the theme songs)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (John Williams)
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (John Williams)
Jaws (John Williams)
Harry Potter (John Williams)
F.M. (Various Artists)
Themes (Vangelis – a collection of his film music)
Come on now, what happend to JAWS score? Its iconic! And the soundtrack for Garden State wasa amazing too, although not written for the movie.
Big Chill
Pulp Fiction
O Brother Where Art Thou?
My favorite Altman film "Nashville" has great country music (of which I'm not a fan) that fits perfectly with the stories, some written by the actors.
Yellow Submarine and or Help! and or Magical Mystery Tour
Dare I mention "Tommy?"
The Magnificent Seven has a killer Western score!
Wait- is this the most inspirational SOUNDTRACK list, or most inspirational FILM SCORE? Two very different main stream definitions there. You say "soundtrack", I think songs with vocals. So, with that said, If we're doing Film Scores- Halloween does need to be included. Just playing some of those scores in broad daylight can creep you out. If we're doing Soundtracks- The Bodyguard should be included. Very odd list, very unusual ranking, very much CNN like- just odd lately.
field of dreams, any musical such as singing in the rain, Close Encounters, this really does tell you that music plays such a big part in the the movie goers experience. Look at how many great movies are listed.
No Superman?? Really??
Jurassic Park (the first one)
How about Top Gun?????????
I think the list isn't bad... Though it IS missing quite a few. I think if TCM was trying to pick movies that had soundtracks that really MADE the movie, they should have included the following:
- Top Gun (didn't it win for best score?)
- Breakfast Club (end song..c'mon!)
- Beverly Hills Cop (Axel F was brilliant for it's time)
- Pink Panther (a classic for mystery/detective movies)
- Pulp Fiction (just odd songs that totally fit)
- Reservoir Dogs (same as Pulp)
- O Brother Where Art Thou? (perfect for the setting)
- Jaws (pure classic – simple and completely effective)
Just my opinion.
I personally think the Dances with wolves soundtrak was great.
How about the movie Birdy. Peter Gabriel. Also The Wall. Pink Floyd. Eric Clapton on movie Rush.
What about Purple Rain? Grease? Come on!
What about Purple Rain? Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band? Come on CNN, who did your research?
I really wonder who comes up with these lists. I mean, really. To not include themes for Grease, Chariots of Fire, The Great Escape or even The Magnificent Seven? To list Goldfinger and not much more recognizable themes for Jaws, Simpsons, or the Peanuts dance tune? Wow.
A very decent list. I get only picking 1 John Williams score but I would have chosen Jaws rather than Star Wars – it created ALL the emotional response from that movie. And thrilled to see Prokofiev's score from Alexander Nevsky there. I don't think people realize how groundbreaking it was for a composer of his status to do a film score and how many themes from it are still used today. Also Man with the Golden Arm is amazing in its representational character themes. Some others I think I would have had a hard time not including? Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 score, Hugo Friedhofer's Best Years of Our Lives 1946 score, the film score selection from Flashdance, and Richard Roger's film score from the documentary Victory at Sea. And I frankly don't remember the Max Steiner score from King Kong - I would have picked Gone WIth the Wind or A Summer Place for a representational Steiner soundtrack.
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER!!!!!!
What about Lord of the Rings? Any or all of the Trilogy.
The real problem with this list is the attempt to shoehorn film scores in the same category as what are essentially compilation soundtracks. I understand that the two frequently accomplish the same end and sometimes serve the same purpose in complementing a film, but they are truly apples and oranges.
the pink panther theme (mancini)
I think the soundtrack for "Betty Blue" by Gabriel Yared was amazing!
The Superfly soundtrack was GREAT and influential.
It influnced hustlers and drug dealers.
It REALLY was a good soundtrack....really !
curtis mayfield – superfly
What about the Magnificent 7 or the Great Escape or for n that matter What about the Famous Pink Panther theme .
Andrew. Those movies didn't even have noteworthy soundtracks. You must be joking. I agree with the list except for Vertigo's score by Bernard Herrmann should be on there. There are books written just about that score.
What about Taxi Driver? and if you like hip hop the 8 mile soundtrack is amazing, Eminem won an oscar for that soundtrack.
Two most haunting scores of all time are Morricone's for The Mission
and Williams's for Empire of the Sun.
And not nearly enough mention here for the score to Dr. Zhivago.
How about Dr. Zhivago? Or West Side Story? There really have been too many American musicals and non-musical movies with great soundtracks to narrow the list down to 15. Someone is always going to come up with another movie name that makes you smack yourself in the forehead and say, "Of course! How could I have forgotten that!"
Pulp Fiction
Forest Gump
Clockwork Orange
Danny Elfman in General
I think Jaws should have made the list for just the reason that bs listed. The theme is one of the most widely recognized themes out there. Even for people who haven't seen the movie, if you make that sound as they get ready to swim at the beach, they will hesitate and look out at the water, presumably looking for sharks.
Surprised that Henry Mancini isn't mentioned in either the list or comments thus far. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Two for the Road, Pink Panther among others.
Maybe not the most significant, but to me, the soundtrack to ONCE really moved me and got me interested in a lot of music I'd never heard before. Love Glen and Marketa's music.
How about the Big Chill and Blues Brothers?
Ok, how about Erich Wofgang Korngold (Robin Hood), Leonard Bernstein (On The Waterfront), O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Zamfir and his Pan pipes in Picnic at Hanging Rock.
The Breakfast Club!
Requiem for a Dream anyone?
I like this list. I'm sure we all have favorites we'd like to add (I loved Elfman's score for "Sleepy Hollow"), but I can't find fault with any of the choices. They all work so seamlessly as a part of the storytelling process, it's hard to imagine the films any other way.
I do think the list intentionally omits musicals (e.g., "West Side Story").
In terms of soundtracks that are compilations of well chosen music choices as back drop for a movie – Pulp Fiction.
who thinks this crap? really?
whoops, didnt see that saturday night fever was listed above.....
the first 2 i thought of was star wars and then braveheart, which is conspicuously missing in my eyes.
how about the last of the mohicans? and DEFINITELY saturday night fever.
Who can hear the "JAWS" theme and not think about the water and not going in. DA DA, DA DA, DA DA DA DA DADA...
How can you leave out the original Jurassic Park; Hans Zimmer's Backdraft, Crimson Tide, The Untouchables?>
2 Newman/Redford Classics....The Sting and Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. The Score/Soundtrack was so well integrated into both of these films.
Where is 'Out of Africa'? Beautiful score...
Soundtrack: 'Manhattan' (George Gershwin). Great example of marriage between music and film, one enhancing the other.
Score: 'Taxi Driver' (Hermann)
I'd also include 'The Exorcist'
No Pulp Fiction?
I have to agree that someone brought up the point of the use of the word "influential." I like the 15 chosen, but I don't think they're the most influential of all time. To not include one pop soundtrack from the 80's is ridiculous. The 80's defined the movie soundtrack. "Pretty In Pink" had one of the best movie soundtracks ever. You've all mentioned some great ones like Grease, Westside Story, Halloween, Dr. Zhivago, and even Beverly Hills Cop! How about Fasttimes at Ridgemont High or Valley Girl? Even Dazed and Confused. Too many to list, but I think their top 15 cannot be considered the most influential.
Anything by John Williams, John Barry, or Hans Zimmer. I see the Johns were picked, but I really think Hans should have a place in there too. How many copies of "The Da Vinci Code" sold for just Track 13, "Chevaliers de Sangreal?" And what would "The Lion King" be without the haunting cry at the beginning of "Circle of Life?"
Wow what about Gerry Goldsmith's Medicine Man score or how about Williams score to Kingdom of Heaven it is amazing and so overlooked.
I think I would choose "The Magnificent Seven" over "The Man with the Golden Arm" as an Elmer Bernstein example. One of the best BIG scores ever!
Mixing scores and soundtracks is always a bad idea.
There should be separate lists for each.
My personal fave score: Michael Nyman's score for The Piano.
pride and prejudice sound trac, the red violin sount trac
Somewhere over the rainbow
let us not forget the score from poltergiest or jaws or jurassic park. those were great in their own right.
How can Grease be left off the list given it was the #1 selling soundtrack for decades all we ever heard for years? Wonderful work by Franki Avalon and others.
The most glaring omission is anything by Hans Zimmer, the most influential film composer for the last 20 years!!
Also, while ALEXANDER NEVSKY is clearly a landmark score, it isn't particularly influential.
The soundtrack to The Crow was big to a specific demographic.
"Requiem For A Dream" should earn a mention. Portions of it's soundtrack are used in countless trailers as are parts from the score for "Aliens." If that's not memorable and influential then I don't know what is.
...And one could add the score from "Sunshine" to that list as well.
There was no "score" for American Graffiti, just a bunch of retread oldies.
If you look at this list, you have to wonder if only a couple of films were made between 1900 and 1950.
Clear omissions include Korngold, Waxman, Leonard Bernstein, Rozsa and Tiomkin.
"American Graffiti" but not "West Side Story?" Please....
Where is the Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack???? It gave life to artists not formely known to fans and sold very well...Twilight and New Moon recently followed this same suit.
What, no Grease? or The Sound of Music?
Although, the list indicates "influential" soundtracks, shouldn't we include Beverly Hills Cop and Back to the Future?
And another VERY influential soundtrack, Urban Cowboy...
the third man theme
dr zhivago.
hey, if 15 is so hard, why not do 25 or 50?
The Omen
Good catch, Tim, I forgot about Exorcist. It should have won the Oscar like Chariots did. I think it lost to The Stiing.
No Rocky? You've got to be kidding me!
or even A Clockwork Orange would be worthy
What about Dazed and Confused?
Not to mention the chilling theremin through the entire length of Forbidden Planet!
Oh, but the best is Maurice Jarre's score for LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. Terrific music that evokes the sweep of the Arabian peninsula's deserts and the Bedouin who live there. Wonderful!
Where is Danny Elfman? Seriously, his work is some of the most recognizable (Simpsons theme, anyone?) out there because like Hermann and Morricone, he has such a unique style. I definitely think that his Batman theme deserves a place here. That was the first major film to get away from the cartoon campy-ness of the West/Ward series and take it back to its Dark Knight roots. And you get a sense of that straight away in the film, why? Because of Elfman's score over the opening titles.
and i'm done.
I'm sorry, but the 3 most influential movie score of all time isn't even listed. 3. The Sound of Music, 2. The Wizard of Oz, 1. Rocky Horror Picture Show
Pat = Fail on Chariots. The correct answer is Exorcist, with Michael Oldfield's Tubular Bells.
Prince – Purple Rain?
Glad to see that there are two Herrmann scores on this list–and I agree that "Psycho" set the trend for horror scores and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" for science fiction. But really, what about the score for "Vertigo"?! The music itself carries about 20 minutes of the film while Scotty is trailing Madeline, and Scene D'Amour is arguable the finest, most poignant piece of music ever written for a single film scene.
Kudos to picking Barry's "Goldfinger" soundtrack!
#16 George Gershwin An American in Paris
All good picks but soundtrack from the Big Chill could rate as one also have to agree with most of the other picks from the other comments
um, andrew, a little over-invested are we? i think it's a good list. however, it probably should be broken down into two... original scores and soundtracks. a score is not a soundtrack.
what about 'that thing you do?' the soundtrack was a character in the movie. i agree too that halloween was great. that music is synonymous with horror, as was the music in jaws! and close encounters! john williams should probably have his own list.
a new addition to any such list would have to be the music from 'crazy heart.' it's just damn good, and the movie is essentially all about it.
Chariots of Fire...really the first successful electronic score with a main theme that is unforgettable..
What about the soundtrack to Animal House, it brought us "Shout"
I wouldn't take away from this list, but if one could be added, I'd like it to be Leonard Bernstein's music from On the Waterfront. Incredible score.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack brought traditional American folk music to a new (younger) audience.
One film soundtrack that was forgotten on the list was the Leonard Bernstein score for ON THE WATERFRONT. Classic film, classic score.
These are fantastic picks, but I have to say the original "Halloween" was nothing without the soundtrack. So simple, yet so terrifying. Less was definitely more here.
I really wonder who makes these lists. No Raiders of the Lost Ark = no credibility for this list period. In terms of soundtrack sales, no "City of Angels"? In terms of emotion, no "Titanic"? Can you please publish the names, occupations, or at least number of "experts" involved in such things? Sad.