The 50 greatest film scores

The most famous score to ever grace a sci-fi movie (or any movie, really), John Williams' composition was selected for a Grammy and expanded on his previous scores with Spielberg. Jaws, E.T., and Close Encounters were solid, but this was lightyears ahead of them all.

Chinatown is an extremely perverse movie, so it's fitting that the score should sound like a midnight affair. The music is somehow romantic and dangerous, and the trumpet always seems to guide Nicholson to the wrong neck of the woods.

When you think about movie scores, The Godfather is one of the first ones that come to mind. Nino Rotta's theme is one of the most famous pieces of music...ever. And the waltz is every bit as rich as your grandma's pasta: dense, lush, and more Italian than all the mobsters in Sicily. 

Who can forget the sight of Capri, white caps floating in the distance, as George Delure's score wafts in like a breeze of despair? I can't. It's one of the most memorable moments I've had at a movie theater. Jean-Luc Godard's drama about a marriage lost at sea is one of the most gutting things you can experience in life, and 50 percent of that is because of Delure's score. 

Annihilation is set in an alien bubble, so of course, there was going to be alien music. That being said, no one could have predicted just how alien Geoff Barrow's score was going to be. The music mutates along with the characters, and the finale uses a horn in a way that makes you rethink everything that's come before it. 

Imagine your favorite childhood memory. Now, multiply that by ten, and you'll get something like Amarcord. Federico Fellini's reminisce is one of those movies that makes you feel like a kid again; the same can be said for Nina Rota's score. 

Music plays a big part in Sergio Leone's films. In the case of Once Upon a Time in the West, the soundtrack introduces us to a Wild West on the verge of extinction. There's a sense of loss in Ennio Morricone's score but an even greater sense of wonder. 

Morricone has created more than 500 scores, including works for some of the greatest Westerns of all time. But none can compete with what he did here. Deborah's Theme is so grand, it makes folding laundry feel like a Super Bowl. The main theme is every bit as vivid as the production design. 

Satyajit Ray's breakout is unique for many reasons. But the score might be most unique of all — a plucky piece from Woodstock favorite Ravi Shanker, who wrote the song in less than 10 hours because of his tight schedule. 

Play it again, Sam! It's hard to think of a more re-listenable album than this one. I could listen to "Paris" every day of my life, and it would never get old. I might need to invest in some anti-depressants. 

OK, so this one's a cheat code: of course, the score will be good when you hire Miles Davis to conduct it. He brings his spacey orchestration to a 1950s noir, and the result is predictably fantastic. 

Here's the moment when Akira Kurosawa truly arrived, forever to live in the hearts of cinephiles with this three-hour epic. It's one of the greatest movies ever made, thanks in large part to the triumphant theme from Fumio Hayasaka. You can't listen to it without pumping your fists in glory.  

We've got one more Steiner for you. This time, he takes the themes of 1861 and cranks them up to 11, which is fitting for the film. No movie on this list goes bigger than Gone With the Wind. 

If the films of Federico Fellini are likened to one glamorous, 24-hour party, then here's the vodka-drenched soundtrack: a carnival of dances, laughs, babes, beaches, and trumpets. Grab a chair and a martini, and enjoy the show. 

Jaws is one of the most iconic films of all time, and the score is a big reason why. As we follow the goings-on of Amity, the music builds with two notes that get louder and louder and Louder and LOUDER. John Williams was asked to do his best Bernard Herman impression, which usually ends in disaster for composers — but not for Williams. 

Do we talk about "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" or "March of the Munchkins"? What about "The Yellow Brick Road"? We could spend all day discussing the songs in The Wizard of Oz, but you've probably heard them all already.  

The soundtrack for this movie includes Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach, and yet, it's the original score from Gheorghe Zamfir that lingers in the mind like mist over a mountain. The flute is more exotic than any wild animal in Australia, while the organ trickles through the refrain like sunlight through a canopy of trees. It's pure atmosphere, just like the images of this movie. 

You know what kind of cache Alfred Hitchcock had in the '50s? He got Bernard Herman, at the height of his powers, to score all his films — even though Hollywood offered him more money. He would not turn down the chance to score Carey Grant ducking under an airplane. 

Just face it: your stereo system isn't good enough for this song. You can crank up your earbuds, the nob on your radio, or the lever on your vinyl, but you'll always want to play it louder. Only in a theater does this seat-rattling, eye-popping, Beethoven-riffing masterpiece get the treatment it deserves. And even then...

No, not that song from Deep Blue Something. We're talking about the sultry, romantic, and deeply moving score from Henry Mancini that sparkles like diamonds in the moonlight. He's the only one who could have pulled it off, just as Hepburn is the only one who could have pulled off the titular role.

The scene starts with SUVs waiting in line at the border, the cartel eyeing a squad of FBI agents across the way. Suddenly, "The Beast" kicks in. By the time the shooting starts, we're already on the edge of our seats, those pulse-pounding crescendos sending beads of sweat running down our palms. Johann Johannsson has us right where he wants us, and he doesn't let up. 

For a story about a prisoner-of-war camp, Nagisa Oshima's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence has a surprisingly soft touch, mainly due to his composer's gentle, light-as-air concerto. 

When Orson Welles runs through the alleys and gutters of Vienna in The Third Man, he's accompanied by Anton Karas' score. The piece became a pop cultural touchstone, covered by everyone from The Band to The Beatles. 

There are more impressive scores on our list, but none were more important to their respective films. Without Alessandro Cicognini's theme, you wouldn't cry when Bruno walks into a crowd of strangers. You might tear up but wouldn't run to your kitchen for more tissues. 

From the moment those violin strings kick in, Hitchcock's Psycho took horror to a new level. When the strings sync up to the stabs, it's like being assaulted by a thousand cuts: knife cuts, editing cuts, violin cuts. Everything cuts to the bone. 

James Bond scores are as up-and-down as "heat check" basketball players: they can either be really on or really off. Depends on the night you catch 'em. This one's on fire from start to finish. A swirl of horns, hooks, and Moogs will leave you shaken and stirred.

RZA has spent his entire career mixing samurai references into his raps, so why not have him conduct the score for a samurai movie? It's a match made in heaven.

Lawrence of Arabia was a massive production and made Peter O'Toole a massive star. In a lot of ways, the score was even more popular. Thanks to Maurice Jarre's "Overture," the soundtrack would go on to be heard by more people than those who saw the film. 

Have you ever tried to throw ten things into a blender? It usually doesn't work. Unless you happen to be Isaac Hayes, who throws jazz, funk, soul, rock, and punk into a blender, and out comes a smoothie. 

I'm not sure if anyone has seen Battle of Algiers. It made less than $1 million and can only be found on The Criterion Channel. What I do know is that this neo-realist epic is one of the greatest war movies ever made, with one of the greatest scores ever recorded: an explosion of horns, drums, and snare drums that lands like a punch to the gut. 

John Carpenter didn't just invent the slasher. He also created one of its most iconic scores. No Halloween is complete without a listen. 

From 1938 comes this colorful adventure with everyone's favorite thief, Robin Hood. The score runs the gamut from bright and loud to bright and louder, and the overture fits the vibe of what director Michael Curtiz was looking for. Plus, it has the first-ever "chase music." 

Before Blade Runner, science-fiction scores were either really drab or really vibrant. Vangelis found a middle ground with this spooky, pitch-black-yet-neon-bright soundscape. "Tears in the Rain" juggles ten different emotions at once, while "Love Theme" could either be a romantic gesture or a tragic reminder of who our hero really is. 

I mean, how could we not include Singin' in the Rain? From its splashy title song to its rosy curtain call, this is MGM at its finest. 

Matching the scope of Werner Herzog's epic was no small task, yet the band Popol Vuh somehow managed to pull it off. Every jungle and mountain, and cloud of smoke is met with an equally thick vapor of sound, synth, and Georgian chant. Who knew music could be so atmospheric?  

Effortlessly evoking the downfall of a French mobster, Peter Greenway's score is like having someone drop a 50-pound dumbbell on your soul. It weighs heavy on the heart, but it's also a must-listen for opera fans. 

Speaking of must-listen, if you haven't already heard Goblin's score for Suspiria, what are you waiting for? If you have, listen again! It's the musical equivalent of a lullaby on acid.

Does this one even need an intro? Everyone knows the theme from its first trumpet, announcing itself the same way Clint Eastwood announces himself in town: in style. No one has been able to outdraw Morricone since. 

Of the many elements of this '60s comedy, few pack the punch of Henry Mancini's score. Set to a saxophone beat, the music is so catchy that it'll make you dance in your chair. 

Like Henry Mancini, Jonny Greenwood has a way of getting under your skin. Only, he does things differently. If The Pink Panther causes your muscles to loosen to a beat, There Will Be Blood causes them to cramp into a ball. 

It wouldn't be a list of the best scores without Hans Zimmer, now would it? "Jisas Yu Holem Hand Blong Mi" is the composer's best work, a dose of optimism we could all use in this time of war, protest, and inflation. 

A sad groove of synths and organs accompany the astronauts in space, lost without a moral compass. It's the perfect reflection of what it means to float through life without answers. 

There's a good chance you haven't seen this film about a Russian prince, but Sergei Prokofiev makes sure those who have remembered it. It makes all other scores sound small. 

The Toy Story soundtrack has a few tunes written for the film. Of course, none of them hold a candle to "You've Got a Friend in Me." This is Randy Newman's most famous song, and we've had it in our heads since 1995. 

Look, Ceddo is a bad movie. It goes off the rails more than Thomas the Train. That being said, the composer brings his A-game with some funky tunes. 

Never underestimate the power of Studio Ghibli: As the sisters in this film start to lose it, in comes the most beautiful song you've ever heard. Suddenly, this place seems magical, an escape from the troubles of everyday life. That's the power of music — and the power of Ghibli. 

This Jane Campion romance should have probably done better at the box office, considering its content. However, The Piano won three Oscars and was nominated for seven. Plus, the score would go on to be one of the most listened-to scores in movie history. 

A swirl of pastel colors, bright faces, crystal eyes, and elastic thighs, The Young Girls of Rochefort is the ultimate musical experience. Micheal Legrand's score makes Damien Chazelle sound like Drake, and the cinematography makes Rochefort look like heaven.  

We end with the obvious one: Rocky. Sylvester Stallone. The training montage. The soundtrack of a million gym-goers around the globe, Bill Conti's score is what all scores should aspire to be: a piece of music that works in the scene and on the radio.