20 movies worth watching just for the soundtrack

All the best songs the Bee Gees ever wrote are included on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. “How Deep Is Your Love,” “More Than a Woman,” “Stayin’ Alive,” and “Night Fever” were all written specifically for the movie. And the songs weren’t even written until the movie had finished filming. The most iconic movie soundtrack of all time. 

Phil Collins could’ve had a career only writing movie soundtracks, and he more than proved that with the songs he wrote for Tarzan. Don’t let the fact that it’s an animated Disney movie deter you from watching it. The tunes go so hard.  

Saltburn has a bizarre premise and more than a couple of scenes that are downright disturbing to watch, but the soundtrack more than makes up for it. “Time to Pretend,” “Perfect (Exceeder),” and “Murder On The Dancefloor” are among the top picks. 

While you won’t hear the original artists singing them, the songs on Moulin Rouge! are classic and epic. Baz Luhrmann and company got the rights to some of the most famous songs in pop music history, and they used them perfectly. 

If you’re a fan of early ‘00s rap, you’ll love 8 Mile for multiple reasons. At the top of the list is the soundtrack. You’ll hear plenty of gems, including the iconic Oscar-winning hit “Lose Yourself.”

You don’t need to have seen the film to know what iconic Prince song is on the Purple Rain soundtrack. But “Purple Rain” wasn’t the only hit. “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy” were on it, too. Legendary stuff from the legendary artist. 

Listening to Whitney Houston is always worthwhile, even if you have to watch a movie to do so. The Bodyguard soundtrack includes iconic hits like Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You,” as well as her stunning rendition of “I Have Nothing.” 

There have been many musicals in film history, but none have transcended the genre like Grease. The hit film has a solid track list with such well-known songs that some people don’t even realize they’re from Grease, like “Hopelessly Devoted To You” and “You’re The One That I Want.”

Dazed and Confused captured what it was like to be a teenager in the ‘70s, and the soundtrack reflects that. Seriously, the soundtrack is comparable to a Now That’s What I Call Music album. “School’s Out” is, of course, on the tracklist thanks to the iconic scene in the film. 

Even if the rest of the soundtrack sucked, (500) Days of Summer would be worth watching just for the “You Make My Dreams Come True” scene. But thankfully, that’s not the case. The rest of the soundtrack is also fantastic. 

Forrest Gump is far more well known for its quotes (“My mama always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’”), but its soundtrack is worth of praise, too. “Hound Dog,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “Go Your Own Way” are all on the tracklist. 

Some say that Space Jam has the best soundtrack of all time. That’s certainly up for debate, but those people have “Space Jam” and “I Believe I Can Fly” on their side. 

Clueless has a fantastic soundtrack. Even if “Kids in America” were the only good song on the track list (it isn’t), it would still be epic because that song is that good. It’s inextricably linked with Clueless at this point, but that’s definitely not anything to be ashamed of. 

People have mixed feelings about Marie Antoinette, but no one ever says anything bad about the soundtrack. It’s one of those rare movie soundtracks you’d want to listen to on its own, especially in part to “I Want Candy.”

It’s a movie about a band. Of course, it has a great soundtrack. “America” and “Something in the Air” are perfect soundtrack songs. And the “Tiny Dancer” scene? Absolutely iconic. Almost Famous will always be famous. 

Listening to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, like watching Pulp Fiction, is an experience all unto itself. The track list includes “Let’s Stay Together” and “Son of a Preacher Man,” both of which can be found in famous scenes in the film. 

The Breakfast Club is full of ‘80s gems that perfectly match the tone of the film. All are, of course, overshadowed by “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” but for good reason. That song and that scene transcend film history. 

Of course, the Black Panther soundtrack is good. It was curated by Kendrick Lamar. Not every major artist today deserves to have their hand in selecting songs for a soundtrack, but Lamar was perfect for the job, as evidenced by his choices. 

Straight Outta Compton is a biopic about one of the greatest and most influential rap groups of all time. There’s no way it could’ve had a bad soundtrack. The album is essentially an N.W.A greatest hits compilation. 

You can’t talk about movie soundtracks without mentioning The Sound of Music. If you don’t want to watch the film, you can just listen to the soundtrack, and you’ll still get the gist of the story. It’s a blueprint in more ways than one.