Top 10 Best Movie Soundtracks with ZERO Skips

Ryan Coogler, the director of this mammoth Marvel blockbuster, knew that his movie needed something more than the standard soundtrack. Teaming with Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar, “Black Panther”s soundtrack became a companion piece to the movie’s themes, with a mix of songs heard in the film and songs that were just inspired by it. With songs written and curated by Lamar alongside original compositions by composer Ludwig Göransson, the soundtrack features appearances by artists like SZA, Anderson Paak, and The Weeknd. It’s not just a collection of songs. It’s an experience all its own.

This Eddie Murphy action comedy is a classic, but it’s also one of the few movies whose instrumental title song became a chart-topping hit. Even if you don’t know the synthesizer-heavy title song “Axel F,” you’ve definitely heard it. But “Beverly Hills Cop” is also notable for the star power on its soundtrack. It gave us the Pointer Sisters’ camptastic “Neutron Dance” music video. Patti LaBelle was in a career slump when she recorded her now-classic “New Attitude” for the movie, and now it’s one of her biggest hits. This time capsule of a soundtrack is total synth rock overload with its feet firmly planted in the year 1984.

Curtis Mayfield, formerly of the vocal group The Impressions, wrote and recorded the soundtrack to “Super Fly” as a dissonant comment on the movie it comes from. While the blaxploitation classic features morally ambiguous characters, Mayfield’s lyrics describe the desperation and tragic circumstances that surround the drug trade. The magic of the soundtrack is that he does this while still making music you want to dance along to. The funky soul album is widely regarded as a masterpiece, achieving even higher status than the film itself, and making Mayfield a go-to for future soundtracks.

Some movie soundtracks evoke the time the movie was made. “Forrest Gump’s” expansive soundtrack evokes the time in which it’s set. With over thirty tracks, the soundtrack features the best of popular music. On its own, the album plays like a nostalgic playlist, beginning with the relatively innocent rock and roll of the 1950s, to the protest songs of the 60s, to the soulful sounds and soft rock bass lines of the 70s. Like the movie in which it’s set, the soundtrack becomes a scrapbook of American culture in the 20th Century. And who could forget that great title theme by Alan Silvestri?

In her first feature film role, Whitney Houston wowed audiences with her talent, but it’s her stirring performances on “The Bodyguard”s record-breaking soundtrack that catapulted the movie to instant classic status. If her iconic take on Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” weren’t enough, the album also features tracks like “I Have Nothing,” “Run to You,” “Queen of the Night” and several R&B tracks from artists like Aaron Neville, Kenny G, and the Clivillés and Cole-led group, The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. Come for the Whitney, stay for the groovy B-sides. But let’s not pretend. Whitney is the reason for the season.

This crowd-pleaser starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey is as known for its soundtrack as it is its timeless love story. Filled to the brim with 60s R&B and modern pop songs written for the movie, the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack is a sexy companion piece to the movie. It even features a song by star Swayze himself. Amazingly, the original soundtrack release only had less than half of the songs featured in the movie. A 20th anniversary reissue released in 2007 included all the songs left off the first release. Bursting with energy and toe-tapping verve, it’s a must-listen for any movie fan.

Featuring original tracks by singer-songwriter Elton John, lyricist Tim Rice, and a score by legendary composer Hans Zimmer, “The Lion King” is basically the soundtrack of the American Millennial’s childhood. Although much of the music was later used in a Broadway musical and in many sequels and remakes, nothing beats the original soundtrack. From those opening lyrics in Zulu to the heartbreaking instrumental tracks, the soundtrack album is pure 90s nostalgia. Rounding out the album are the pop versions of songs Elton John wrote, sung by the man himself. Disney soundtracks all have a timeless quality, but few stand up to repeat listens like this one.

Few filmmakers are as known for the music they choose as Quentin Tarantino. In 1992’s “Reservoir Dogs,” he made even the most mundane 70s pop tunes sinister. But his love of retro funk and R&B informed so much of “Pulp Fiction,” from the way it was shot and edited to the way its characters interact with the music, that it’s hard to imagine the movie would have been as successful without it. Like many of the best soundtracks, the music of “Pulp Fiction” feels like a really knowledgeable, kind of weird friend picking out songs you absolutely have to listen to. And they were right.

Although the movie and its music have been parodied within an inch of their lives, it’s impossible to overstate the grip “Saturday Night Fever” had on American culture during the late Seventies. To many, “Stayin’ Alive” is the epitome of disco, for better or worse, but the other tracks either written or recorded by the Bee Gees, including “How Deep Is Your Love” and “If I Can’t Have You,” are more tender and less hokey than one might assume some fifty years later. Featured songs by Kool & the Gang, KC and the Sunshine Band, and The Trammps are among the most popular from the disco era. If anything, the soundtrack is a reminder that disco was about more than bell bottoms and sequins.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Footloose” (1984)
The Oscar-Nominated Title Song Is Just One of Many Great Tracks from This ‘80s Time Capsule

“Top Gun” (1986)
“Take My Breath Away,” “Danger Zone,” the “Top Gun Anthem”... Need We Say More?

“Shrek” (2001)
Because Nothing Says “Kids’ Movie” Like Joan Jett, Leonard Cohen, & Smash Mouth

“The Lost Boys” (1987)
Featuring Headbanging Vampires, Oiled-Up Sax Players, & Rock ‘n’ Roll

“Dazed and Confused” (1993)
A Soundtrack Dedicated to Teenage Burnouts of the 1970s

Prince’s music really is the sound of the 80s. His soundtrack to Tim Burton’s “Batman” would be enough to get him on this list. But it’s his Oscar-and-Grammy-Award winning magnum opus, “Purple Rain,” that nabs our top spot. Half concert film, half star vehicle, “Purple Rain” allows Prince and his band, The Revolution, to showcase all of their talents. As lead actor, singer, and composer of the nine-track soundtrack, the Purple One crafted a score so powerful and instantly iconic that almost every song would be at home on one of his greatest hits albums. The title song alone is a sweeping rock ballad of mythic proportions surely to linger in the audience’s ears forever. And forever is a mighty long time.