A film soundtrack is commonly as integral to a movie’s id as its actors, story, or style, with many well-known bands doing the music for all-time great releases. Whereas a traditional orchestral score was the norm, in latest many years, widespread bands and artists have introduced their distinctive musical imaginative and prescient to every kind of movies.
Whereas soundtrack albums from particular person artists like Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard or Bob Dylan’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Child are well-known, loads of bands have come collectively to make their very own OSTs. From music legends adapting their rock operas to cult basic synth scores, loads of bands have helped elevate films with great soundtracks.
AC/DC—Most Overdrive (1986)
Stephen King often is the grasp of horror, however his lone directorial effort didn’t have fairly the identical affect, as his movie Most Overdrive failed critically and commercially. With loads of campy humor and jokes that fell flat on their toes, this mess of a film earned King a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Director.
Nevertheless, rock legends AC/DC did the soundtrack, which was launched as their 1986 album Who Made Who. Not like Most Overdrive, the document was a minor success, though its greatest songs, like “You Shook Me All Night time Lengthy” and “For These About to Rock (We Salute You),” had already appeared on earlier albums.
The Who—Quadrophenia (1979)
As one of many defining rock bands of the British Invasion, The Who have been at all times experimenting with narratives of their music, and Pete Townshend virtually invented the rock opera on albums like Tommy and Quadrophenia. Each of those information got the massive display screen therapy, and for the Quadrophenia soundtrack, The Who even included some beforehand unreleased tracks.
Telling the story of a troubled younger mod with psychological well being points, Quadrophenia explored teen angst and coming-of-age themes set to the soundtrack of a few of The Who’s greatest music. From the bombastic pleasure of “5:15” to the harrowing depth of “Love Reign O’er Me,” Quadrophenia captured what it feels prefer to be younger and looking for which means.
The Beatles—Yellow Submarine (1968)
It’s actually wild how a lot The Beatles managed to get performed throughout their comparatively quick existence within the Nineteen Sixties, as they not solely launched among the most impactful albums of all time but additionally starred in a number of characteristic movies. Amongst these was Yellow Submarine, an animated journey that noticed the group go on a surreal psychedelic journey.
With John, Paul, George, and Ringo voicing themselves, the group additionally did the soundtrack album for Yellow Submarine, which included its beloved title tune. This wasn’t the one film soundtrack The Beatles made, as additionally they recorded the music for his or her 1967 tv movie Magical Thriller Tour.
Idles—Caught Stealing (2025)
Following an opportunity encounter backstage on The Tonight Present with Jimmy Fallon, director Darren Aronofsky and the post-punk group Idles opted to collaborate (by way of Spin) on a film soundtrack. The end result was Caught Stealing, a wild thriller set in Nineteen Nineties New York Metropolis, the place Austin Butler performs a bartender embroiled in a lethal conspiracy whereas pet-sitting his neighbor’s cat.
Idles captured the gritty environment of Nineteen Nineties New York by a punk rock soundtrack stuffed with clanging guitar sounds and fast-paced energy chords. The music was a key part of Caught Stealing’s frantic vitality, and it helped elevate the depth of Hank Thompson’s (Butler) more and more harmful and violent circumstances.
Queen—Flash Gordon (1980)
Whereas rock bands had been concerned in film soundtracks earlier than, Queen’s work on Flash Gordon was some of the iconic early examples of this in observe. As a sci-fi cult basic comedian adaptation, the music was maybe much more widespread than the movie, as Queen’s theme tune “Flash” was a high ten hit within the UK.
Flash Gordon was simply considered one of two film soundtracks produced by Queen, as they did the music for one more cult basic with Highlander in 1986. Whereas Queen recorded many songs for Flash Gordon, the movie additionally featured an orchestral rating composed by Howard Blake.
Toto—Dune (1984)
David Lynch’s Dune has been remembered as a flawed adaptation of Frank Herbert’s authentic novel and was even disowned by the director himself. Whereas Lynch’s dissatisfaction with the movie is well-known, many won’t bear in mind that the soundtrack for Dune was made by the rock band Toto.
Toto recorded instrumental tracks for Dune’s soundtrack, which paired completely with Paul Atreides’s desires and hallucinations all through the film. Nevertheless, one observe, “Prophecy Theme,” was composed by music legend Brian Eno alongside Roger Eno and Daniel Lanois.
Arcade Fireplace—Her (2013)
The Oscar-nominated movie rating for Spike Jones’s Her was composed by the rock band Arcade Fireplace together with the Canadian composer Owen Pallett. As a poignant sci-fi romance that’s much more related immediately than when it was first launched, Her captured the complexities of humanity’s connection to synthetic intelligence like nothing earlier than it.
Essentially the most putting factor about Arcade Fireplace and Owen Pallett’s soundtrack was the way it grounded the movie in actuality and centered on the emotional undercurrents of its story. The Her soundtrack was beforehand unavailable to purchase or stream however was lastly launched on digital, CD, and vinyl in 2021.
Daft Punk—Tron: Legacy (2010)
It’s arduous to think about a band extra suited to supply the music for the sci-fi collection Tron than Daft Punk. Fortunately, this turned a actuality with the discharge of Tron: Legacy in 2010, a movie whose soundtrack featured an unimaginable mix of digital and orchestral music that labored equally properly as a standalone album.
Daft Punk launched their soundtrack to Tron: Legacy in 2010 to widespread essential acclaim, debuting at quantity 10 within the Billboard 200 and even incomes a Grammy nomination for greatest soundtrack. As a platinum-certified document, Tron: Legacy proved a soundtrack’s potential to achieve mainstream reputation.
Simon & Garfunkel—The Graduate (1967)
Mike Nichols’s The Graduate is inextricably linked to the music of folks duo Simon & Garfunkel, whose distinctive vocal melodies and sharp guitar chords helped give the movie an id that’s all its personal. Whether or not it was the infectious optimism of “Mrs. Robinson” or the haunting energy of “The Sound of Silence,” these tracks have change into a part of movie historical past.
The Graduate was an enormous success, reworking Dustin Hoffman into a significant film star. However the music was simply as necessary, because the soundtrack earned the Finest Soundtrack Grammy, and “Mrs. Robinson” gained Report of the Yr. It’s arduous to think about a film soundtrack from the Nineteen Sixties extra iconic than The Graduate.
Tangerine Dream—Thief (1981)
Relating to well-known bands making film soundtracks, there’s no group extra impactful than Tangerine Dream. As a German electro band who have been integral to the best way synth film soundtracks took maintain in the course of the Nineteen Eighties, their work on films like Sorcerer and Dangerous Enterprise stands as among the greatest OSTs of all time.
Nevertheless, it was on Michael Mann’s Thief that Tangerine Dream did their greatest soundtrack work, and its moody music helped give the movie its distinctive id. With a mixture of fast-paced synths, high-octane vitality, and experimental ambient sounds, the Thief soundtrack was vastly influential.
