How many times have you whistled or simply had the Pink Panther’s melody stuck in your head? What about the “Carol of the Bells” from the movie Home Alone? Have you ever got goosebumps hearing the main theme for The Godfather? All these tunes are well-known and often associated with the entire epoch. That happens because of the masterful combination of the audio and video in the movie, because of the emotions associated with it.
Professionals wrote and performed the soundtracks for many films that achieved worldwide acclaim. For example, Hans Zimmer is an author of soundtracks to numerous award-winning movies: Rain Man, Gladiator, Sherlock Holmes, etc. Thomas Newman has written hundreds of soundtracks, many of which became hits (like the ones used in the movies The Rapture, Phenomenon, Scent of a Woman). Adelle and Celine Dion became world stars after the soundtracks they performed appeared on screens.
Here’s the list of 10 soundtracks to movies of the 20th and 21st centuries (not ranked).
Titanic
The song “My Heart will Go On” has been the anthem of all romantic encounters since 1997. That year the movie Titanic was released, and the song soon soared to the top of the world music charts. It won multiple awards, including Grammy and Oscar, and became the best-selling song in 1998. The song, written by composer James Horner and the author Will Jennings, became a calling card of its performer—Celine Dion.
Flashdance
The song “Flashdance… What a Feeling” had been brought to the public even before the movie appeared on screens in 1983. The song instantly went viral and reached the top of numerous charts after the movie’s release. Its success prompted the Casablanca Records studio to release it as a single. The composition received the Grammy award, the Golden Globe, and many other awards. Its authors are Giorgio Moroder (music) and Irene Cara (lyrics and singing).
Dirty Dancing
The song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” performed by Bill Medley in a duet with Jennifer Warnes is a theme song for the Dirty Dancing movie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Both the movie and the soundtrack became extremely popular and received multiple prizes, including the ones for top sellings. The song was certified as a Platinum composition 11 times by the RIAA. It also got the Oscar, the Golden Globe, and the Grammy awards.
Blade Runner
Created by Vangelis in 1982, the soundtrack “Blade Runner: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” has immediately become a landmark in electronic music development. It is mixed out of several different tracks and features several versions. The composition features “Love’s Theme” performed by the saxophonist Dick Morrissey, and fragments of songs performed by Demis Roussos. The synthesizer sound in the composition is notable for its variations, and it has boosted the interest in this instrument all over the world.
Guardians of the Galaxy
“Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol.1 is a whole album featuring the songs used in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. Those songs were recorded on a tape owned by the main character, Peter Quill, in the movie scenario. The composition debuted at number one on the famous Billboard 200 chart as soon as it was released. In less than three years, about 2 million LPs were sold in the United States, and the album received RIAA Platinum certification.
Waiting to Exhale
A team of star performers worked on “Waiting to Exhale” for a movie with the same name. It was nominated for several music awards and received the Grammy prize in the “The Best R&B Song” category. Except for one song, all of the tracks on this album are written and produced by the well-known songwriter and producer Babyface, and prominent singers like Whitney Houston and Tony Braxton took part in the production.
Bodyguard
The song “I Will Always Love You” is firmly associated with the movie Bodyguard. However, it was written long before the movie appeared. The original composition was first performed in 1973 by the country singer Dolly Parton. In 1982, the song became a soundtrack for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Though it was highly popular already, the global praise was granted after Whitney Houston performed her version of this song in the romantic thriller Bodyguard.
Twilight
The song “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” is performed by the band “Iron and Wine” and is probably the most popular one in the soundtrack album for the movie Twilight. It was released in 2008, and over 160,000 copies were sold within a week. The “Twilight” soundtrack was also named the bestseller soundtrack for a theatrical movie and was nominated for the Grammy in 2010. A year before, it was proclaimed the Favorite Soundtrack at the 2009 American Music Award ceremony.
Frozen
The song “Let It Go” has gained popularity as the soundtrack for the animated movie Frozen. This composition performed by Idina Menzel quickly achieved worldwide acclaim and hit the bestseller charts. “Let It Go” has become an iconic song and has won multiple prestigious awards including the Grammy award. It got three RIAA Platinum album awards and topped its chart, which is unusual for an animation.
Skyfall
The spacious and powerful vocal by the singer Adele and the nocturnal theme made a perfect match for the 23rd James Bond movie. The lead single “Skyfall” was written by Adele herself in collaboration with Paul Epworth. Thomas Newman composed the majority of the film’s other themes and songs. The album was a huge success, with simply the “Skyfall” single selling over 7 million copies in its first year.