Movies and rock music have always combined well.
Think Robert De Niro, in Mean Streets as Johnny Boy, entering a New York bar with a girl on both arms with The Stones’ Jumping Jack Flash blasting out of the jukebox. Think Michael Madsen dancing to Stealer’s Wheel ‘Stuck In The Middle’ while wielding a straight-edged razor.
Here are 21 rock soundtracks that are also great albums with or without a movie connection.
Greatest rock soundtracks ranked
21. Tommy (1975)
The soundtrack to Ken Russell’s 1975 movie adaptation of The Who’s curious rock opera is a star-studded affair. While the original album of six year’s previous was just The Who bashing away, this time musical heavyweights such as Eric Clapton, Tina Turner and Elton John (as the Pinball Wizard) had got involved.
Just like the movie, the soundtrack album was a spirited and patchy affair that wasn’t without its moments. A group of session musicians including Nicky Hopkins and Caleb Quaye were also on hand, as was Ronnie Wood, Mick Ralphs and Kenney Jones. Oscar-winner Jack Nicholson also takes his turn at singing.
Scene stealer: Elton John – ‘Pinball Wizard’
20. 24 Hour Party People (2002)
Director Michael Winterbottom channelled the creative chaos within Manchester’s indie rock community to produce a movie every bit as ramshackle and hedonistic as the musicians themselves. The film’s narrative follows the career of TV presenter and label boss Tony Wilson (played by a pitch perfect Steve Coogan), and spans 70s punk rock through to the Madchester scene of the late 80s.
The soundtrack album as you may have imagined is stacked with artists from Factory Records, including Joy Division, New Order, The Durutti Column and Happy Mondays. Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, The Clash and A Guy Called Gerald also appear.
Scene stealer: Joy Division – ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’
19. Rushmore (1998)
Wes Anderson’s second movie is a gloriously daft comedy that centres in on the extra curricular activities of a struggling student (played by Jason Schwartzman) at the reputable Rushmore academy in Houston. The movie set the heightened tone for future Anderson movies. The film script was co-written by Owen Wilson.
The soundtrack leans heavily on songs from the British Invasion of the mid-60s, featuring tracks from The Kinks, The Who, and The Creation. The film ends with ‘Ooh La La’ by The Faces. Regular Anderson collaborator Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo contributes some incidental music for the original score.
Scene stealer: The Creation – ‘Making Time’
18. Singles (1992)
Written and directed by former Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe, ‘Singles’ is a romcom set in Seattle that revolves in and around the Rain City’s once ubiquitous Grunge scene.
Matt Dillon, one of the romantic leads, is a member of upcoming band Citizen Dick, while his other band mates are played by Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, all of Pearl Jam. Citizen Dick’s best song is titled ‘Touch Me I’m Dick’, and bares a deliberate resemblance to a certain Mudhoney song.
The Singles soundtrack album is full of gems, with Pearl Jam appearing alongside Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Mother Love Bone and Screaming Trees. There are also a couple of exceptionally good Paul Westerberg tracks, his first solo output after his split from The Replacements.
Scene stealer: Pearl Jam – ‘Breath’
17. Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979)
The barely syllabic Ramones are not the most obvious choice as movie stars, but the four of them do a passable job of playing themselves in this flimsy musical comedy. Rumour has it power poppers Cheap Trick were first choice for the role, before scheduling conflicts nixed their involvement.
While the Oscar nominations were not forthcoming for all involved in the movie, the soundtrack turned out to be a winner. Curiously, The Ramones only contribute two tracks, despite performing many more in the movie, but the appearance of Devo, Todd Rundgren, Eddie & The Rods and Nick Lowe (with the evergreen ‘So It Goes’) rescues the day.
Somewhat against brand, Brian Eno also contributes with ‘Energy Fools The Magician’ from 1977’s Before And After Science.
Scene stealer: The Ramones – ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll High School’
16. Lost In Translation (2003)
Sophia Coppola’s comedy drama matches Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray as a pair of disillusioned strangers suffering real-time trauma in an otherworldly Tokyo. The couple come to each other’s mutual aid, helping each other to prepare for whatever comes next.
The accompanying soundtrack predominantly features the woozy indie rock subgenres of dream pop and shoegaze, which cleverly evokes the movie’s reflective, disorientated mood. King shoegazer Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine contributed much of the music, as well as tracks by Air, Squarepusher and Death In Vegas.
The movie memorably concludes to the backdrop of The Jesus And Mary Chain’s ‘Just Like Honey.’
Scene stealer: The Jesus And Mary Chain’s – ‘Just Like Honey’
15. Repo Man (1984)
Harry Dean Stanton and a young Emilio Estevez star in director Alex Cox’s 1984 dark comedy. The movie is set in LA and features a stolen Chevrolet Malibu that just might be linked to a bunch of extraterrestrials.
The above excellent soundtrack album is a neatly curated snapshot of the LA hardcore punk of the early 80s. It features anybody who was anybody on the scene including the Circle Jerks, Black Flag, the Plugz, and Suicidal Tendencies.
The title track was written by Iggy Pop, and performed by the man himself with assistance from Steve Jones, Clem Burke and Nigel Harrison.
Scene stealer: Black Flag – ‘TV Party’
14. Pretty In Pink (1986)
Director John Hughes’ Pretty In Pink is one of the quintessential brat pack movies of the 1980s. Actress lead Molly Ringwald is said to have introduced Hughes to The Psychedelic Furs’ titular track, which provided him with the inspiration to write the screenplay.
The soundtrack taps into new wave music and a number of prominent British artists are feature, including The Smiths, New Order, OMD, Echo & The Bunnymen and, naturally enough, The Psychedelic Furs. The album contributed greatly to breaking these bands in the US. Vinyl collectors should look out for a pink vinyl edition released in 2013.
Scene stealer: Psychedelic Furs – ‘Pretty In Pink’
13. Dazed and Confused (1993)
Naming your movie after a song by a band who are notoriously reluctant to license their music (see number 3) is asking for trouble, and so it proved for Richard Linklater. Rumour has it that director Linklater had gained Jimmy Page’s permission to blast Led Zeppelin’s ‘Rock’n’roll’ over the opening credits, but was vetoed by Robert Plant.
Released in 1993, Dazed and Confused is an updated American Graffiti for the FM rock generation. Its relative success made a star out of the previously undiscovered Mathew McConaughey.
Despite no Led Zeppelin, the soundtrack album is awash with rock bangers, including Deep Purple’s ‘Highway Star’, Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ and Foghat’s ‘Slow Ride.’
Scene stealer: Lynyrd Skynyrd – ‘Tuesday’s Gone’
12. Natural Born Killers (1994)
Based on an original screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stones’ hard-hitting Natural Born Killers explores the mass media’s unhealthy relationship with violence and celebrity. Fittingly enough, the movie caused a brief media storm for its ‘shocking’ use of violence.
The soundtrack was curated by Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor, who fully embraced the chaos. Rather than simply assemble a standard collection of songs, Reznor actively enhanced the soundtrack experience by dishing up an unsettling soundscape where songs, dialogue and sonic effects are mashed up into one.
The sheer diversity of the artists he chose for the soundtrack was inspired, with Leonard Cohen, L7, Patsy Cline rubbing shoulders with Jane’s Addiction, Duane Eddy and Dr Dre for attention.
Scene stealer: Nine Inch Nails – ‘Burn’
11. Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
Unlike all the other albums in this article, the Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack actually appears in the movie. The OST represents the mixtape that the main protagonist listens to on his Walkman, as an attempt to remain connected to family and home. It’s a cool conceit.
The playlist comprises mostly of 70s tracks that were hits at the time, but for whatever reason may have slipped down the cracks. Blue Swede’s ‘Hooked On A Feeling’, The Raspberries ‘Go All The Way’ and Elvin Bishop’s ‘Fooled Around And Fell In Love’ all have a slot on the tape. David Bowie’s ‘Moonage Daydream’ was added to the mix late on.
Scene stealer: Redbone – ‘Come And Get Your Love’
10. Trainspotting (1996)
Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh and directed by Danny Boyle, Trainspotting chronicled the misadventures of a group of Edinburgh-based characters caught in a cycle of addiction. Despite its bleak subject matter the movie was able to communicate a degree of humour and hope alongside the squalor. It was a huge success both critically and commercially.
The tracks on the album can be segmented into three categories. There are 1970s acts such as Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, together with Blur, Elastica and Pulp from the Britpop era. Finally, then there are bands such as Underworld and Leftfield from the indie dance scene.
There is a story that circulates that Oasis turned down the opportunity to contribute a track to the soundtrack because Noel Gallagher genuinely believed it was a movie about trainspotters.
Scene stealer: Underworld – ‘Born Slippy’
9. The Big Chill (1983)
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, 1983’s The Big Chill was the first character-driven ensemble movie to zoom in on the angst of the boomer generation. Launching the careers of future stars, such as Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt and Glenn Close, it examined the anxieties among a group of friends who had given up on their radical past.
It was also one of the very first movies to dip into the song catalogue of a specific era to curate a killer soundtrack. Motown was the soundtrack’s main inspiration with classic tracks from The Miracles, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations.
A crucial track from the movie’s opening scene memorably featured The Rolling Stones’ ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’, but high licensing fees meant it didn’t make it onto the soundtrack album.
Scene stealer: Marvin Gaye – ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino’s second movie tells four interlocking stories of various degrees of criminality set in LA. His flair for pop-cultural dialogue, unconventional plotting and memorable set pieces were all on show. As was his unerring ability to place the right music in his movies at exactly the right time.
The soundtrack album features nine songs from the movie alongside extended snippets of dialogue. The album was so popular that a few of the acts received a welcome career boost from their inclusion, including Urge Overkill and Kool & The Gang. It also helped make surf music cool again (albeit temporarily) with Dick Dale’s ‘60s surf licks present throughout.
Scene stealer: Dick Dale & His Del-Tones – ‘Misirlou’
7. The Graduate (1967)
Director Mike Nichols’ coming-of-age comedy perfectly examined the ever-widening generation gap taking place in ‘60s America. It’s story of alienation and dissatisfied youth presaged a new wave of Hollywood film-making. The Graduate also made a star out of Dustin Hoffman, whose uncertain, neurotic lead man created the blueprint for numerous others.
Its soundtrack album also broke new ground with Nichols’ masterful use of the Simon & Garfunkel songbook used not as background music but to sensitively navigate the movie’s emotional core. Rarely had music and film combined so cohesively over the duration of a movie. Standout track ‘Mrs Robinson’ was a work in progress song that Paul Simon adapted specifically for the movie.
Scene stealer: Simon & Garfunkel – ‘Mrs Robinson’
6. Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (1973)
Director Sam Peckinpah’s revisionist western initially received a mixed bunch of reviews. Much of the negativity at the time of release has now been put down to studio interference, as the film was snatched away from Peckinpah on completion and cut down to a size more suitable for theatrical release.
Bob Dylan wrote the soundtrack album and is most notable for the inclusion of his classic ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.’ He also composed a number of slow, reflective instrumentals that dovetail expertly with the movie’s melancholic mood. Dylan also has a small role in the movie as an enigmatic drifter called Alias.
Scene stealer: Bob Dylan – ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’
5. Help! (1965)
The Beatles’ second movie, again directed by Richard Lester, was a considerable downgrade on the first. Hard Day’s Night captured the band on the verge of superstardom and is an historic date stamp of a movie. On the other hand, Help! may have had a bigger budget but is far less focused on coherent storytelling and, as such, is much more muddle.
The sheer strength of its songs, however, qualifies the soundtrack album as a thing of wonder. Help! illustrates the velocity at which the band’s songwriting skills are developing. ‘The Night Before’, ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ and ‘Another Girl’ are all early classics. George chips in with ‘I Need You’.
Scene stealer: The Beatles – ‘Ticket To Ride’
4. Purple Rain (1984)
While most soundtrack albums play a supporting role to its associated movie, Prince seems to have done things the other way round - with Purple Rain’s OST far outstripping the movie in terms of cultural significance, critical reception and sales.
Purple Rain sold over 25 million copies worldwide, rocketing Prince from fame to superstardom. Over the years the album has retained its iconic status, while the movie of the same name has veered into footnote territory.
Scene stealer: Prince – ‘Purple Rain’
3. Almost Famous (2000)
Cameron Crowe gives his early days as a teenage rock writer the semi autobiographical treatment. As you might expect from a former Rolling Stone journalist the soundtrack plays an integral role in the movie, and Crowe spent an unprecedented $3.5m of his budget on licensing deals.
This included a fair chunk of cash to Led Zeppelin for four tracks, the first time the band had agreed to license their music to a movie.
Fictional band Stillwater appear on the album alongside a cast of classic rock superstars, including The Who, The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Beach Boys. In 2021 the soundtrack was reissued as a massive 103-song boxset.
Scene stealer: Elton John – ‘Tiny Dancer’
2. American Graffiti (1973)
George Lucas’ breakthrough movie tells the tale of a bunch of Californian high school grads hanging out on the night after graduation. Its soundtrack album revisited the rock’n’roll/doo-wop era with a lovingly curated set of songs.
The album tapped into a previously unidentified yearning and went triple platinum in the US. Its phenomenal sales single-handedly birthed the nostalgia industry overnight, and, yes, we are only slightly exaggerating.
Selections include Buddy Holly ‘That’ll Be The Day’, Del Shannon ‘Runaway’, Chuck Berry ‘Johnny B Goode’ and Fats Domino (‘Ain’t That A Shame). It’s undeniably a definitive collection of crowd-pleasers, if you can’t afford a jukebox then a copy of the American Graffiti soundtrack is a strong alternative. DJ Wolfman Jack appears on seven of the tracks.
Scene stealer: Bill Haley & His Comets – ‘Rock Around The Clock’
1. Easy Rider (1969)
Released in 1969, hedonistic biker flick Easy Rider introduced an authentic slice of the counterculture to the mainstream, a public who were barely prepared for such gritty realism. In doing so, Easy Rider gave the movie industry in the US a huge kick in the butt, and opened the door for the ‘New Hollywood’ collective of young directors.
The accompanying album was equally pioneering. It was one of the first times in a movie that its soundtrack was made up of contemporary songs rather than an original score. What’s more, those songs were carefully selected to explicitly drive the film’s narrative rather than simply play out in the background.
Highlights include Jimi Hendrix’s ‘If 6 was 9’, The Byrd’s ‘Wasn’t Born To Follow’ and The Electric Prunes’ ‘Mass In F Minor.’
Scene stealer: Steppenwolf – ‘Born To Be Wild’
Photo Getty Images / Album covers Discogs
Top image Trainspotting promo shot, 1996
