Top 20 Best Movie Soundtracks of the Decade So Far

On top of its nods to the nostalgic synth-heavy music cues of the original, the soundtrack of “Top Gun: Maverick” is a great bridge between the jams of the 1980s and those of today. While it’s shorter on found music than it is on score, Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone,” and actor Miles Teller’s rendition of “Great Balls of Fire” make for a nostalgic and entertaining listening experience. Plus, “Hold My Hand,” the original ballad by Gaga, is a worthy successor to the ‘80s arena rock anthems featured in the first movie.

Pixar’s 2022 coming-of-age allegory “Turning Red” was like turning back time for millennials who lived through the boy band craze of the late 90s and early 2000s. Composed by siblings Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, the fictional 4*TOWN’s songs about tweenage puppy love have all the upbeat smoothness of *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys in their prime. The soundtrack release includes all three original songs as well as instrumental versions, and the most amazing thing about them is how much they sound like they could have been lifted right out of the year 2002. It’s no wonder Mei and her friends are losing their minds over these guys. You had to be there.

The soundtrack of Jordan Peele’s sci-fi horror flick relies predominantly on Michael Abels’ atmospheric musical score and the sound effects of its extraterrestrial villain to build tension. However, that just makes any choices to include preexisting songs all the more important. From classic hits like Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By” to a French language deep cut from the renowned Jodie Foster, it’s an eclectic and completely unexpected collection. The most effective and memorable number, though, has to be the eerie, downtempo reworking of the classic “Sunglasses at Night,” by Corey Hart. Slowing the song down to a crawl makes its catchy beat feel threatening and the distorted synthesizer does wonders to fill us with unbridled dread.

Fitting for its title and themes, this score from the acclaimed 2022 movie includes a mish-mash of experimental sounds, vocal tracks, and even a take on Debussy’s famous “Clair de Lune.” With guest artists like Mitski, Randy Newman, and André 3000 joining composers Son Lux, the musical roster is as distinctive and innovative as the movie it belongs to. Is it a true soundtrack? Background music? A whole experience? Why not everything… all at once? After all, this is a movie that pushes forth the message that things shouldn’t always be boxed away in neat packages.

When your movie focuses on an award winning composer-conductor whose entire life is centered around music, the soundtrack had better deliver. Luckily, the one accompanying “Tár” offers even more than that. Award winning Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir was tasked with writing original songs for the movie as well as producing them. Along with her original score, the classical ballads, and the tunes characters listen to in the film, the “Tár” soundtrack also includes audio from the album’s actual recording sessions. Guðnadóttir and director Todd Field wanted it to reflect "the psychological and emotional aspects” and the entire process of what it is to create music.

This biopic may have been set in the 1970s, but its companion music was headlined by some of today’s luminaries of rap & hip-hop. “Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album” is not so much a standard soundtrack as it is a complementary album all its own. Its original songs pay tribute to Fred Hampton and the ideas that inspired the Black Panther Party. Celebrities like Jay-Z, A$AP Rocky, and Nas join lesser-known, but supremely talented artists to provide a whole roster of incisive lyrics and earworm beats. Here’s a collection that’s definitely worth more than one listen.

This Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams’ musical comedy was a bright spot in the early days of the pandemic. Paying tribute to the campy, over-the-top Eurovision Song Contest, the movie is full of tunes that would be more than welcome at the real event. Nothing is a mean-spirited parody, either. They’re actually really good. These original numbers are composed with the same eye-for-pop-chart catchiness that makes real Eurovision songs successful. Even the playfully filthy “Ja Ja Ding Dong” sounds like a real drunk anthem. Ferrell appears alongside Demi Lovato and some of Eurovision’s heaviest hitters of past and present, but it’s McAdams’ vocal stand-in, Molly Sandén, who is the true star.

To reboot Disney’s supreme villainess as the fashionable, Dalmatian-hating girlboss of 1970s London, this soundtrack of curated period rock, punk, and funk classics has to do a lot of the heavy lifting. Outstanding tracks by groups like Blondie, Supertramp, and the Clash place young Cruella in a post-punk environment of designer fashion and rampant criminal activity. After the movie was released, some critics actually thought it relied too much on its expansive acquisition of needle drops. However, when you think of “Cruella”s soundtrack as a playlist, it really is just banger after banger of the finest and funkiest tunes the ‘60s and ‘70s had to offer.

This stylish and color-soaked psychological horror takes its musical inspirations from the period. The setting is Swinging London during the counterculture movement of the ‘60s. When our protagonist is time-traveled back to the decade, it’s the music that looms large over our senses. The soundtrack suitably sets the '60s scene. Director Edgar Wright compiled tracks recorded just before the emergence of psychedelic rock, highlighting the blue-eyed soul of Dusty Springfield, the Merseybeat sounds of the Kinks, and even tracks by the film’s star, Anya Taylor-Joy.

The most expensive Indian film ever made, 2022’s “RRR” had the artists and the budget to craft an incredible and widely-acclaimed original score for its soundtrack. Seven original songs appear over the epic action movie’s three-hour runtime. Most popular is the single “Naatu Naatu” and its accompanying dance scene. Since its release, “Naatu Naatu” has racked up awards and millions of YouTube views. Really, though, every song deserves praise. Not only are they full of feeling and spirit, but in the context of the movie, they tie together the story’s profound themes of friendship and unity.

Seeing as this one was adapted from the Tony Award-winning Broadway show, there was no doubt it would have a killer soundtrack. It also helps that the original writer and composer of the stage play, the acclaimed Lin-Manuel Miranda, also worked on the music for this film version. As is only expected, the lively musical numbers are stirring and funny in equal measure. With rap and salsa influences that reflect the vibrant culture of the neighborhood and its residents, these are meaningfully impressive works. Although the score saw some cuts in its transferral to the big screen, it’s undeniable that the album is still filled with wall-to-wall magic.

There’s no denying that “Promising Young Woman” is a rough watch. This Carey Mulligan-led revenge drama has powerful performances and disturbing subject matter, but it’s all supported by a variety of anthemic pop songs by women. Including two original tracks by singer-songwriter Cyn and existing pop songs by Paris Hilton, Charli XCX, and Sky Ferreira, the arrangement was widely praised and was even shortlisted for Grammy consideration. Perhaps the movie’s most talked-about needle drop, however, was the downtempo strings cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” which takes the upbeat pop hit and turns it into an eerie revenge anthem.

For Harley Quinn’s first outing as the leader of her own squad of superheroines, the theme is all about female empowerment. As the DC Universe femme fatale shoots, kicks, and punches her way through Gotham City’s cops and criminals, she’s backed by the musical talents of superstars like Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, and Halsey. Mixing hip hop and rap with hard-driving punk rock, the “Birds of Prey” soundtrack moves from genre to genre but always feels like it’s unified by the controlled chaos of the movie it comes from. That’s fitting, because Harley Quinn is nothing if not chaotic.

This biopic anchored by Austin Butler’s uncanny performance as the “the King” would have been great had they stuck to Elvis’ hits alone. But, it’s the extra care and star-studded production of the 36-track album that makes this film stand apart. Director Baz Luhrmann carefully constructed the sound of the movie to reflect to modern audiences just how radical this music may have sounded when it was first released. Featuring many original cuts by the King himself, a new track by Eminem and Ceelo Green, as well as covers by Kacey Musgraves, Stevie Nicks, and Italian rock band Måneskin to name a few, the massive assemblage is a must-listen for any Elvis fan.

This sequel had a lot to live up to, both in terms of the movie and the music. While the original “Black Panther” soundtrack is largely regarded as a new classic, the sequel has a very different sound. Composer Ludwig Göransson took inspiration from Mayan culture for both the score and its companion album. It was truly an international undertaking, with studio time split between America, Mexico, and Nigeria. The result is a moody, energetic, and inspiring collection. “Wakanda Forever” also includes not one but two tracks by pop icon Rihanna. Her lead single, “Lift Me Up,” was written as a tribute to original Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away in 2020.

Some artists go on tour when they release an album. David Byrne took his 2018 “American Utopia” album to Broadway, and a show was crafted that featured elaborate staging and choreography to complement his eclectic catalog. In 2020, Spike Lee’s documentary of the event brought the show and its music to audiences all over. The show sees the former Talking Heads frontman performing songs with an overarching message of connection and togetherness. That might make it sound hokey, but it’s such a joy to listen to. With its thunderous group numbers, exhilarating beats, and profound lyrics about the human condition, the soundtrack was a much-needed salve in the early days of the COVID pandemic.

It takes guts to remake what is considered by some to be the best movie musical of all time. Even if you do a good job, there’s always going to be comparison. Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” not only clears that hurdle, some say it might have even bested the original, and the reimagined symphony is a huge part of that success. Carried by great orchestrations of the Leonard Bernstein music and the voices of uber-talented singer-actors Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, and Rita Moreno, among so many others, this sweeping soundtrack is everything a musical lover could want.

While Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross provided the score to Disney-Pixar’s “Soul,” it was Jon Batiste who created the original jazz compositions heard throughout the movie. “Soul” is the story of a jazz musician navigating the afterlife, so it needed a believable pool of melodies to punctuate the story. Batiste’s contributions are bursting with life and the exciting pulse of classic jazz. The album, “Music from and Inspired by Soul” was so well-received that it even scored three Grammy nominations: Best Improvised Jazz Solo, Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, the latter of which it won.

Questlove’s documentary film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival spotlighted long-unseen footage from a legendary event. This series of concerts, often referred to as Black Woodstock, featured crisp and remastered live performances from some of the biggest African-American musicians of the ‘60s in their prime. Legends like Nina Simone, B.B. King, Gladys Knight & the Pips, as well as Sly and the Family Stone are just some of the brilliant and timeless artists included. Although the album was released many months after the movie due to rights issues, it charted in both the US and the UK upon its January 2022 release.

This Lin-Manuel Miranda piece has topped charts all over the world. It even hit the number one spot on the US Billboard 200 for seven weeks, making it one of only five soundtracks to do so. Although the composer looked to the film’s setting of Colombia for inspiration in crafting the music of “Encanto,” its themes of family and trauma clearly resonated with audiences the world over. As far as genre, though, the songs run the gamut. Its most popular tracks are undoubtedly the widely-beloved “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” and the surprisingly heartbreaking oldest sister anthem, “Surface Pressure.” The soundtrack may be too new to call a Disney best but, if its popularity so far is any indication, it’s bound to become a staple.