The 50 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time

Could movies exist without music? No doubt. These are the best movie soundtracks of all time that make watching movies that much more awesome.

Best Soundtracks
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Best Soundtracks

There's nothing quite like a great movie soundtrack. Watching a good movie is exciting enough, but when a certain scene is punctuated by a particularly poignant song—or even just an old favorite—it makes the experience all the more special. In fact, lots of movies are well-known and loved because of their soundtracks, like 2011's Drive, which is virtually synonymous with Kavinsky's "Nightcall," or 2016's Moonlight, which features everyone from Aretha Franklin to Jidenna

The right music can enhance the emotions in a movie scene, from the romantic to the terrifying. And if the wrong song is paired with the wrong scene—well, all bets are off. 'Tis the season for Oscar-bait releases, meaning great flicks (and predictably great soundtracks) are coming to theaters near you. But before you hit up the half-price matinee (or the late-night premiere), let's look back at some of the best movie soundtracks of all time. These are the classics that set the stage for the next generation of amazing movies and their soundtrack counterparts. 

So, let's celebrate the superior sounds of cinema with The Best Movie Soundtracks of All Time. Before anyone screams out, "Yo, where da fuck is da Godfather ova heah?!" we're talking strictly songs, no scores (that's another list!). So what takes the prize? Keep reading to find out.

Belly

Belly Soundtrack

Soul in the Hole

Soul in the Hole

Batman

Batman

Black Panther

black panther soundtrack

Garden State

Garden State

Streets Is Watching

Streets Is Watching

High Fidelity

High Fidelity

Rushmore

Rushmore

Easy Rider

Easy Rider

Shaft

Shaft

Mo' Better Blues

Mo Better Blues

Wild Style

Wild Style

Juice

Juice

New Jersey Drive

New Jersey Drive

Crooklyn

Crooklyn

Menace II Society

Menace II Society

The Show

The Show

The Virgin Suicides

The Virgin Suicides

Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction

Trainspotting

Trainspotting

Dead Presidents

Dead Presidents

Above The Rim

Above The Rim

The Harder They Come

the harder they come

Super Fly

8 Mile

8 mile

Purple Rain

purple rain

Space Jam

Space Jam 2

Romeo + Juliet

Romeo + Juliet

Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy

Drive

Drive

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Royal Tenenbaums

Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump

Almost Famous

Almost Famous Soundtrack

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette Soundtrack

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey Soundtrack

The Bodyguard

The Bodyguard

Waiting to Exhale

Waiting to Exhale

Lost In Translation

Lost In Translation

The Last Days of Disco

The Last Days Of Disco

The Graduate

The Graduate

Moonlight

Moonlight

Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights Soundtrack

Goodfellas

Goodfellas

Nutty Professor

The Nutty Professor

Rush Hour

Rush Hour

Love & Basketball

Love & Basketball

He Got Game

He Got Game

Boomerang

Boomerang

Toy Story I & II

toy story

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